Any science/engineering types?

[natedagg]

As a Math/Psych major, I feel that I can relate to the difficulty of the material and the frustration of not doing well at times. I just flirted with a girl, took a ton of classes with her, and ended up marrying her, but I fear that the strategy might be hard to repeat, so here's what works:

1. Study groups. Even a group of 2. All of the time. That way you have accountability so that you are putting in the time, and obviously, misery loves company. Look for people who are smarter than you with "I can't say no" written all over them. That way, even if they are annoyed with you, can admire the view from their shoulders as they re-explain things to you. You can still bring things to the team, like coconut water, coffee, and liquor for a post-exam celebration.

2. Be a scrapper. In general, figure out how to will your way to success. This is a life thing, but applies here. Read the internets for the easier teachers. Look for transferable credits. ALWAYS take the easy points to the fullest (homework, written papers, quizzes). Remember, easy doesn't mean quick, but it isn't about time because you are a scrapper. Many teachers will give partial credit on things that you have to show work for. If it's ever that kind of party and you don't know the answer, run down a bunch of possibilities and get your partial credit. Scrapper.

3. Enjoy yourself when doing the work. I am extroverted, so I think for me, that was a big part of the study group thing, but find your way to enjoy it. I always look at math/engineering/physics as untying a giant knot, like a puzzle. I like solving puzzles, so if you are the same way, enjoy the fun of it. Enjoy the recognition of new patterns, putting more tools in your toolbelt, more weapons in your arsenal, to solve these problems.

4. This might not apply, but try to pay attention to the theory of it all, and what these numbers represent. If you don't, then when the test problems are written in a different way, you might have the tools but not know which ones to use.

 

[Nathan S]

As a Math/Psych major, I feel that I can relate to the difficulty of the material and the frustration of not doing well at times. I just flirted with a girl, took a ton of classes with her, and ended up marrying her, but I fear that the strategy might be hard to repeat, so here's what works:

1. Study groups. Even a group of 2. All of the time. That way you have accountability so that you are putting in the time, and obviously, misery loves company. Look for people who are smarter than you with "I can't say no" written all over them. That way, even if they are annoyed with you, can admire the view from their shoulders as they re-explain things to you. You can still bring things to the team, like coconut water, coffee, and liquor for a post-exam celebration.

2. Be a scrapper. In general, figure out how to will your way to success. This is a life thing, but applies here. Read the internets for the easier teachers. Look for transferable credits. ALWAYS take the easy points to the fullest (homework, written papers, quizzes). Remember, easy doesn't mean quick, but it isn't about time because you are a scrapper. Many teachers will give partial credit on things that you have to show work for. If it's ever that kind of party and you don't know the answer, run down a bunch of possibilities and get your partial credit. Scrapper.

3. Enjoy yourself when doing the work. I am extroverted, so I think for me, that was a big part of the study group thing, but find your way to enjoy it. I always look at math/engineering/physics as untying a giant knot, like a puzzle. I like solving puzzles, so if you are the same way, enjoy the fun of it. Enjoy the recognition of new patterns, putting more tools in your toolbelt, more weapons in your arsenal, to solve these problems.

4. This might not apply, but try to pay attention to the theory of it all, and what these numbers represent. If you don't, then when the test problems are written in a different way, you might have the tools but not know which ones to use.

Great points...I'd just like to add, re #1, it's also not necessarily a waste of time to work with people who are behind you every once in a while. Helping other people understand the concepts always made me feel more confident in myself, and being able to do that is a "gold standard" of sorts for having mastered the concepts.

 

[Chris]

Physics is fucking stupid. I have never hated a class so much. Calc isn't bad, I'm just getting used to the fact that studying is my life. I should destroy the next exam. But physics, man. And our TA is awful. Some kid who just scribbles on the board and points to it when you ask a question. Good lawd. I got to find a way to sneak ahead of the curve in that class. Survival.

I am so stressed out every single day and pretty much devoid of happiness in my life but at this point I'm just willing myself through it. if I can't get solid grades in these classes I may as well just give it up, I imagine, but that's a decision for the end of the semester. I guess this whole lifestyle is just an adjustment. I'm trying to appreciate little things like calling my buddies at night to see what's up back home, or spending an hour or so a day in the gym not thinking about anything but shredding shit and getting fit, etc. It definitely helps but haven't quite achieved liftoff yet so to speak. We'll see...semester is starting to fly by, it's going to be December before I know it.

 

[Brandname]

Physics is fucking stupid. I have never hated a class so much. Calc isn't bad, I'm just getting used to the fact that studying is my life. I should destroy the next exam. But physics, man. And our TA is awful. Some kid who just scribbles on the board and points to it when you ask a question. Good lawd. I got to find a way to sneak ahead of the curve in that class. Survival.

I am so stressed out every single day and pretty much devoid of happiness in my life but at this point I'm just willing myself through it. if I can't get solid grades in these classes I may as well just give it up, I imagine, but that's a decision for the end of the semester. I guess this whole lifestyle is just an adjustment. I'm trying to appreciate little things like calling my buddies at night to see what's up back home, or spending an hour or so a day in the gym not thinking about anything but shredding shit and getting fit, etc. It definitely helps but haven't quite achieved liftoff yet so to speak. We'll see...semester is starting to fly by, it's going to be December before I know it.

The worst part about physics is that the intro stuff (which tends to make up the foundations for a lot of other physics stuff) is boring as shit. The interesting stuff is way down the line once you get good enough at math, but by then most of the people who aren't physics majors are long gone from the physics curriculum. So most non-physicists don't get to get into the modern physics stuff like quantum mechanics, general relativity, particle physics, QED, etc. Those are by far the most interesting concepts in physics. Instead, they make you take mechanics and electricity and magnetism for general education. Yuck.

If anyone is interested in low-level physics courses that are actually interesting, some universities offer good intro astronomy courses for non-majors. These usually have some good physics stuff in them (even a conceptual intro to relativity), but they aren't math heavy. Of course, I'm not sure whether you can use them to fulfill gen ed. requirements, but they are about 100x more interesting that first year physics.

 

[Kouki]

What don't you like about physics? Is it the material, or the way it is being covered?

I always liked physics, though my AP course in high school was way better and more effective than my college physics course. But still I think being able to explain how the world works using maths is pretty cool.

 

[Chris]

I mean, the material isn't like super boring or anything it's just I'm having a problem with it, lol. If I understood it I wouldn't mind it. I think part of it is definitely how it is being taught. I am really getting nothing out of his lectures and the recitation is a joke; once a week, and more than half of it is a quiz, and the rest is just that awful TA being bad at his job.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I mean, the material isn't like super boring or anything it's just I'm having a problem with it, lol. If I understood it I wouldn't mind it. I think part of it is definitely how it is being taught. I am really getting nothing out of his lectures and the recitation is a joke; once a week, and more than half of it is a quiz, and the rest is just that awful TA being bad at his job.

That sucks, because physics is one field that generally makes sense because the problems usually reflect real-world phenomenon with which we've all had some experience. If you're tasked with figuring out force vectors, or figuring our the deformation of a material given the Young's modulus and applied force, common experiences/knowledge can provide some guidance.

In contrast, organic/inorganic chemistry is some real voodoo shit....

 

[Chris]

Doing a circuits lab in my engineering fundamentals class tomorrow, I'm kind of excited and interested. Doing the PreLab right now and I'm hoping my calculations are right. The math is simple, but I know *ZERO* about circuits so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm fucking something up.

Maybe I should look into electrical engineering? Haha, that's probably crazier than ChemE.

 

[Chris]

I have the best physics TA ever.

Jobbed me on 20 points worth of Labs which if I wasn't a super organized freak I would have NEVER noticed...but I am, and I did. Email this dude and he doesn't even reply, just fixes it.

This semester has been quite an experience.

 

[Kouki]

My problem with EE and ChemE was that visualizing the stuff is trickier, and thus I just never cared for the fields and went in with a bad attitude I guess. But stresses and strains, fluid flow, thermodynamics, etc is just easier for me to grasp.

That said, EE and ChemE get paid more. And many EE equations are the same as ME equations. Kinda neat actually, you can mathematically represent an electrical circuit the same way you can represent heat flow. IIRC.

ISN'T MATH FUN?!

(haven't really used anything I've learned in school at my big boy job)

 

[Chris]

My problem with EE and ChemE was that visualizing the stuff is trickier, and thus I just never cared for the fields and went in with a bad attitude I guess. But stresses and strains, fluid flow, thermodynamics, etc is just easier for me to grasp.

That said, EE and ChemE get paid more. And many EE equations are the same as ME equations. Kinda neat actually, you can mathematically represent an electrical circuit the same way you can represent heat flow. IIRC.

ISN'T MATH FUN?!

(haven't really used anything I've learned in school at my big boy job)

I've done some rudimentary circuits in my ENGR class and .... EE is not for me. LOL

It was basically between ME and ChemE, with me leaning towwards ChemE but I still have to talk to the adviser. ChemE is way easier to get into probably because nobody wants to do it (Common philosophy: Chemistry oh no! Bad! BAD!) while ME is very popular and thus competitive to get into (at Ohio State).

 

[Kouki]

You should think about what kind of job you want when you graduate too. Finding a job shouldn't be difficult even if you barely scrape by in school.

But do you want to work in a production environment? Desk job? Field job (traveling)? Sales? Actually with your background in communications you could probably become a sales engineer and make bank.

 

[Chris]

You should think about what kind of job you want when you graduate too. Finding a job shouldn't be difficult even if you barely scrape by in school.

But do you want to work in a production environment? Desk job? Field job (traveling)? Sales? Actually with your background in communications you could probably become a sales engineer and make bank.

Funny you say that, I was just talking to my buddy who quit his Quicken Loans sales job about 48 hours ago, and he was saying I should get into something like that when I graduate but on the engineering side.

Personally, I haven't given it much thought, I've been so focused on adjusting to the difficult coursework. I don't know how much GPA really matters because I never landed a big boy job with my Comm degree (worked shitty retail then decided to go back to school) but regardless I want to get the best grades possible. Some people say you don't even put your GPA on resume (I always thought it looks tacky if you do but what do I know?). At the same time I know engineering students typically have lower GPAs...I won't be nailing down a 3.5 like I did in Comm, lol. Not that I won't TRY to.

 

[Chris]

Semester is winding down, about a month left. Spoke to an adviser, I can apply for ChemE next fall. And from there, it'll be about 5 semesters. So, I got about 3 years of hard work ahead of me. But fuck it, I want this.

I have a physics exam on Tuesday and I am super nervous for it. It's on Work, Energy, Momentum, and Rotation. This class is kicking my ass, thank god it's curved and I only need to take two physics courses, but I really want to understand it and do well. Anybody really familiar with those concepts and wouldn't mind discussing them and providing tips? I know rotation is a difficult concept but Work/Energy honestly doesn't seem too hard. Having never taken a physics course really sucks, I wish I took it in high school.

Pro tips needed!

 

[Kouki]

I forgot pretty much everything I learned in college (and I'm only 26!) but feel free to ask questions. Wouldn't be bad for me to brush up anyways.