University is hard.

[Cyc]

I finally decided this year that I wanted more than just a College diploma. I want a degree in Science.

I'm 28-years-old, kind of drug fucked, and don't remember a thing about high school. Making this decision was very tough. I almost bailed a few times, and my friends aren't really supporting my decision. I had to take out loans, and now that I'm here, I'm getting knocked on my ass.

A full course load is considered 5 classes. I'm taking 3, and working 32 hours a week at a pretty laid back job.

I figured I could pull this off. I think I'm wrong. I'm completely in over my head. Chemistry alone requires me to study atleast 10 hours a week just to keep up. Biology isn't too bad, and it's actually kind of fun. Matrix Algebra, I stopped attending lectures because I was just spacing out. The prof sucks, the book sucks, and I simply cannot concentrate. I copy notes like a zombie and when lecture's over, I have no idea what it means. I can't drop the class or it will go against my academic record. I'm screwed before I even start.

I'm falling way behind and it's embarrassing. I attend labs and struggle over the formulas, while my lab partner does the work. I feel old, completely out of my element, and stupid.

I'm also starting to get annoyed at the assumptions that everyone has a good understanding of the subject material. We're not all 18, fresh out of high school, with nothing better to do than study all day. Ironically, I thought being older would give me an edge. I love to learn, but the system is destroying me.

I study casually, usually when the mood strikes me, or I cram before a test. This is how I've always approached school and it's always served me well. This is clearly not cutting it.

I obviously need to buckle down and make these classes my life. I just don't know if I can do it. It's a lot of money and pride down the drain if I give up.

Anyone been here?

 

[aoe2junkie]

im 19 im supposed to be a junior but only have 1 semester down so i am still a freshman =/. im back in school now but sometimes i feel i cant make it out. its not that hard actually but i convince myself that the end will never come. you really need to study or you will not succeed. force yourself to go to lectures even if you fall asleep. you might pick something up in your sleep who knows, just make the effort to show up. your brain is just out of practice for school.

currently i have to write essays and i have never been good at essay writing. ive struggled in front of the computer for hours before coming up with a topic sentence. i get it done eventually but the frustration....

you said it yourself that you need to buckle down and make those classes your life. i agree. college tuition these days has gone up (10% at my univ) and with the payments im making for school i barely have enough to eat while working a menial job.

 

[Cyc]

I think part of my problem is that math has always been a huge weak spot for me. Even after learning a concept, I often have to think really hard about it in order to apply it to anything.

Essays are a piece of cake. Unfortunately, I didn't take any soft courses.

 

[Kul69]

I've worked with computers my whole life and didn't see the need to learn any math beyond some basic algebra. Then I decided I wanted to be a chemical engineer and I taught myself math from a book up to calculus last summer. Now I'm actually taking classes and I can kind of relate.

When I go to lectures I just let a calm relaxing haze creep into my mind and meditate on various random shit I've been thinking about. I go to labs and I watch my group doing all the work without me except when I always manage to tell them the overall lesson we were supposed to learn.

Then I get home and just teach it all to myself. I look at what I was supposed to have learned in class, what the book says I'm supposed to be learning, what I was supposed to do in the lab. Then I just find the answer in the way most comfortable to me and just make sure I know what is going on.

I've always done this in school and I have a 4.0 right now.

Oh and I guess I should mention that out of 3 weeks of class so far I've been absent about 8 days. I do this every semester too. Basically I look at the maximum amount of absences I can get and then immediately use them all up and I don't do any homework or tests or anything during this period. Then I'm so absolutely fucked and can't miss a single thing that it provides a lot of motivation to just go balls out and read 1/2 a book in a night.

My chemistry teacher only requires that you attend two tests in his class for the entire semester and if you get above a 90% average you don't even need to take a final. This is like my dream class. Maybe you need to find teachers that work better with your style of learning.

I have the same issue with math even though I'm capable of a lot harder math than I'm doing right now I've always just been slow at working through a problem. I'm assuming it's mostly a result of how little I challenge myself to do that kind of math. I imagine if you continue to force yourself to go through the grind it'll become more natural.

 

[Cyc]

Hey Kul, thanks for the reply.

Well, I decided to drop 2 of my 3 classes and focus on Biology for the time being. It actually doesn't go against my academic record if I drop before Oct. 15th, so I just get a "WDN" on it instead of a fail. I also get most of my tuition back.

I'm going to take this slow and work my way back into the system. I miscalculated and made an error, now I'm going to reassess my strategy and be more realistic about what I can handle while working full-time.

 

[Lysis]

Don't worry. I took too much in my first semester in college including chemistry. Chemistry is hard for me too, but it truly depends on the professor. A good professor, with your attendance to lecture, will get it through to you.

I'm a high school dropout and I didn't take any chemistry and cheated my way through biology. LOL I am dedicated to college and I am doing well now. I'm even pushing A's in biochem and organic chem.

What I have found, is there will be people who tell you what professor to take because they are "easy." As long as the professor is GOOD but harder, take that one. The ones who people claim are hard because they make you attend class or whatnot are the GOOD professors.

 

[sunset117]

if ur not good in math, science can half alot of math in it (physics, astropsy, chem).

I hope ur decision pays off tho and that u can do okay

 

[justsomeguy]

^^^

jesus, on the other side of the coin, if you're not good at english or writing or such, sentences can have a lot of that in them.

 

[Cyc]

^^ Which explains why I'm strong in Biology and not Chemistry.