Physics Crisis Advice Needed

[smileyman22336]

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To make a long story short: I am trying to raise my science gpa. I'm in summer session 1 taking college physics 2 and got back my first exam grade. It was a 49% We have one more exam, and the final, and classes end on July 4th or 5th. Also, out of 5 labs we did so far, we've already submitted 2 (we are in groups of two, the one I turned in I got a 90 for me and my partner, and the other my partner turned in got both of us a 60). We didn't double check each others due to our schedules. It was supposed to be another class to help raise my gpa and show I can change my previous ways and here I am again in a bad situation. Anyway, here's the class breakdown of grading:

2 exams: 40%
Attendance/Participation: 5%
Lab reports: 25%
Research Paper/ Powerpoint: 10%
Comprehensive final exam: 20%

I'm waiting for him to post practice problems to do cause the next test is next Friday. The drop date is the week after next. Should I just take this summer 2? Do I have any chance of making an A left? It's going to be hard to recover from exam 1.

I made a study group (lets hope these people come through this weekend).

What should I do? This is a crisis for me because I should be doing well and I'm not so far. Please offer me your words of wisdom. Thank you in advance for your responses.

 

[VisionaryTics]

To make a long story short: I am trying to raise my science gpa. I'm in summer session 1 taking college physics 2 and got back my first exam grade. It was a 49% We have one more exam, and the final, and classes end on July 4th or 5th. Also, out of 5 labs we did so far, we've already submitted 2 (we are in groups of two, the one I turned in I got a 90 for me and my partner, and the other my partner turned in got both of us a 60). We didn't double check each others due to our schedules. It was supposed to be another class to help raise my gpa and show I can change my previous ways and here I am again in a bad situation. Anyway, here's the class breakdown of grading:

2 exams: 40%
Attendance/Participation: 5%
Lab reports: 25%
Research Paper/ Powerpoint: 10%
Comprehensive final exam: 20%

I'm waiting for him to post practice problems to do cause the next test is next Friday. The drop date is the week after next. Should I just take this summer 2? Do I have any chance of making an A left? It's going to be hard to recover from exam 1.

I made a study group (lets hope these people come through this weekend).

What should I do? This is a crisis for me because I should be doing well and I'm not so far. Please offer me your words of wisdom. Thank you in advance for your responses.

My advice to you would be to take more ownership of your labs, and double-check everything. Be proactive on practice problems; don't expect anyone to help you.

 

[smileyman22336]

No excuses and I take full responsibility. I really worked hard. We were given 35 questions with solutions three days before the exam and I got through about half of them successfully. It was just a lot to digest in such a short notice. I don't want to get a W but at the same time I don't want anything less than an A because this was supposed to be a way for me to improve. Well I hope all goes well.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

To make a long story short: I am trying to raise my science gpa. I'm in summer session 1 taking college physics 2 and got back my first exam grade. It was a 49% We have one more exam, and the final, and classes end on July 4th or 5th. Also, out of 5 labs we did so far, we've already submitted 2 (we are in groups of two, the one I turned in I got a 90 for me and my partner, and the other my partner turned in got both of us a 60). We didn't double check each others due to our schedules. It was supposed to be another class to help raise my gpa and show I can change my previous ways and here I am again in a bad situation. Anyway, here's the class breakdown of grading:

2 exams: 40%
Attendance/Participation: 5%
Lab reports: 25%
Research Paper/ Powerpoint: 10%
Comprehensive final exam: 20%

I'm waiting for him to post practice problems to do cause the next test is next Friday. The drop date is the week after next. Should I just take this summer 2? Do I have any chance of making an A left? It's going to be hard to recover from exam 1.

I made a study group (lets hope these people come through this weekend).

What should I do? This is a crisis for me because I should be doing well and I'm not so far. Please offer me your words of wisdom. Thank you in advance for your responses.

Unfortunately, with each exam being worth 20 points and getting a 49% on one, that means your highest possible grade, with 100s on everything else, is a 90. But, don't sweat it. You don't need all A's to get in to med school. Just figure out what you're doing wrong so that you can correct it. 😎

 

[smileyman22336]

Unfortunately, with each exam being worth 20 points and getting a 49% on one, that means your highest possible grade, with 100s on everything else, is a 90. But, don't sweat it. You don't need all A's to get in to med school. Just figure out what you're doing wrong so that you can correct it. 😎

Do you suggest I drop it and retake it summer 2? Having a 6 question exam was hard! Haha.

 

[smileyman22336]

The only hope I see is that the prof said he might put a ten point bonus question on this next exam to help a little.

 

[HipChick]

I think a W would look worse than a B.

 

[Neurosis]

I think a W would look worse than a B.

seconded.

 

[polymathg]

Just try very hard for the rest of the class, double-check every lab, go to study-groups, and study for your tests. Talk to your professor too, he might help you with tips and such. You professor might even curve the class at the end. Good Luck! And you can always do well on MCAT to make up for a low GPA.

 

[Freesia88]

To make a long story short: I am trying to raise my science gpa. I'm in summer session 1 taking college physics 2 and got back my first exam grade. It was a 49% We have one more exam, and the final, and classes end on July 4th or 5th. Also, out of 5 labs we did so far, we've already submitted 2 (we are in groups of two, the one I turned in I got a 90 for me and my partner, and the other my partner turned in got both of us a 60). We didn't double check each others due to our schedules. It was supposed to be another class to help raise my gpa and show I can change my previous ways and here I am again in a bad situation. Anyway, here's the class breakdown of grading:

2 exams: 40%
Attendance/Participation: 5%
Lab reports: 25%
Research Paper/ Powerpoint: 10%
Comprehensive final exam: 20%

I'm waiting for him to post practice problems to do cause the next test is next Friday. The drop date is the week after next. Should I just take this summer 2? Do I have any chance of making an A left? It's going to be hard to recover from exam 1.

I made a study group (lets hope these people come through this weekend).

What should I do? This is a crisis for me because I should be doing well and I'm not so far. Please offer me your words of wisdom. Thank you in advance for your responses.

I was in a similar situation last fall when I took my first physics class. Working 40 hrs a week at a job that meant my schedule changed everyday and every week and taking 12 credits (which included one Physics class and one Math class) at the same time was not the brightest idea.

After my first couple of labs and quizzes and exams, my total grade was a D. I obviously could not afford to fail or withdraw so I rearranged my priorities to make sure that I had enough time to get all the studying I needed to do and pretty much poured myself into getting back up to par. Some days I ran on 4 hours of sleep but hey, I wanted it bad enough. It was an incredible amount of work and I just about gave up on the med school idea altogether.

But I made it with a B and so can you (better than a B I hope) Do EVERYTHING you have to do to make sure that your grades are the very best they can possibly be from now hence forth.

PS:-

I took 14 credits spring semester and got an A on all my classes.
I am now taking CHM 1 and PHY 2 at the same time still on the 40hr a week schedule (alhtough I got a new job that gave me regular hours and week ends off).

It is doable. Hang in there and if you have a question you need to brainstorm on PM me, I hope I can do the same, seeing as we're both taking PHY 2.

I still question my sanity but I'm doing the best I can.

Peace.

 

[Disinence2]

I think you should study more and start doing better on tests.

 

[NightGod]

No excuses and I take full responsibility. I really worked hard. We were given 35 questions with solutions three days before the exam and I got through about half of them successfully. It was just a lot to digest in such a short notice. I don't want to get a W but at the same time I don't want anything less than an A because this was supposed to be a way for me to improve. Well I hope all goes well.

OMG the font, it burns. Ripped that format crap out for readability.


Honestly, it sounds like you only mostly care about this class. Seriously? 3 days over the summer to do 35 problems and you got ABOUT HALF of them done? My guess is "about half" in this case is probably closer to 10 or 11 and you're rounding up to sound better. You can bull**** yourself all you want that you're working hard to get a good grade in this class, but I don't believe it for a second. You may be working harder than you have for classes in the past, but you're far from working hard. You're basically doing about half a step above the minimum to be average. Which why you'll probably end up with a C+ or B-, a grade that's about half a step above the minimum.

If you think you can honestly be serious about the class from the beginning, take the W and retake it in summer 2 or in the fall. If you're going to half-ass it again like you did so far, save the money on the retake, take your C and look into a different career path where people who work a half-step above the minimum can shine because they aren't surrounded by people who strive to excel.

And I'm intentionally not going to try to soften this post with a "I don't mean to be rude but" or "Well, you probably don't mean it like this" in it because I'm hoping a bit of harsh truth will be the motivation you need to realize that the path you're choosing to pursue is one that requires a solid commitment and dedication to finish. If you're not sure about making that level of commitment, you're far better off finding out now rather than waiting till you finish all four years of school with a degree that is only qualifies you to get into med school (which won't happen if your grade trend continues) or to go on to a master's/PhD program if you want to make a living.

 

[ronathan]

I made a study group (lets hope these people come through this weekend).

What should I do? This is a crisis for me because I should be doing well and I'm not so far. Please offer me your words of wisdom. Thank you in advance for your responses.

"Let's hope these people come through this weekend?" Perhaps it would be better if you studied with people who can actually help you and are not so flaky. How about using the prof's or TA's office hours? Also look into whether your school provides tutoring services. It sounds like you could use the extra help. Seek that help out from reliable people who know what they're talking about.

 

[smileyman22336]

OMG the font, it burns. Ripped that format crap out for readability.


Honestly, it sounds like you only mostly care about this class. Seriously? 3 days over the summer to do 35 problems and you got ABOUT HALF of them done? My guess is "about half" in this case is probably closer to 10 or 11 and you're rounding up to sound better. You can bull**** yourself all you want that you're working hard to get a good grade in this class, but I don't believe it for a second. You may be working harder than you have for classes in the past, but you're far from working hard. You're basically doing about half a step above the minimum to be average. Which why you'll probably end up with a C+ or B-, a grade that's about half a step above the minimum.

If you think you can honestly be serious about the class from the beginning, take the W and retake it in summer 2 or in the fall. If you're going to half-ass it again like you did so far, save the money on the retake, take your C and look into a different career path where people who work a half-step above the minimum can shine because they aren't surrounded by people who strive to excel.

And I'm intentionally not going to try to soften this post with a "I don't mean to be rude but" or "Well, you probably don't mean it like this" in it because I'm hoping a bit of harsh truth will be the motivation you need to realize that the path you're choosing to pursue is one that requires a solid commitment and dedication to finish. If you're not sure about making that level of commitment, you're far better off finding out now rather than waiting till you finish all four years of school with a degree that is only qualifies you to get into med school (which won't happen if your grade trend continues) or to go on to a master's/PhD program if you want to make a living.

First off, do not disrespect me with your condescending tone, because I have not and will not disrespect you. Secondly, do not tell me that I am "half assing" anything because I am not. I didn't round neither. I did half of the problems and used the solutions for the rest since they are very lengthy and complex. And I have worked hard, getting sometimes three hours of sleep. I have a heavy workload on top of this four hour class in summer. So what motivates you to post on this? It wasn't the least bit helpful. In those three days I worked many hours and would come home at night for several more hours and try to finish them off. Forget this there's no point responding to you. Just please do not post on anyone of my threads again.

 

[smileyman22336]

"Let's hope these people come through this weekend?" Perhaps it would be better if you studied with people who can actually help you and are not so flaky. How about using the prof's or TA's office hours? Also look into whether your school provides tutoring services. It sounds like you could use the extra help. Seek that help out from reliable people who know what they're talking about.

Thank you. I'm currently getting six hours of tutoring a week, that's the maximum my school allows. I also stopped by the professor's office hours and it was really helpful. Our group should be meeting sometime this weekend.

 

[ronathan]

Thank you. I'm currently getting six hours of tutoring a week, that's the maximum my school allows. I also stopped by the professor's office hours and it was really helpful. Our group should be meeting sometime this weekend.

Another suggestion- do you know anyone who has recently taken Kaplan for MCAT review? Because the Physics review book for Kaplan is very well-written, and explains basic physics concepts in a brief, concise manner that is easy to follow. And there are practice questions galore. It might help you get through the concepts that are giving you trouble and (I'm guessing) are not very well explained in whatever textbook you're using?

 

[Verum]

I would use a more readable font + color so people can better read your post.

 

[Euxox]

NightGod might have been rude, but the things that he said still have a grain of truth in them. Let me try to explain it in a less offensive way.

In high school, when a teacher assigns homework problems or a practice set, he/she does so with the idea that students who complete the work and do nothing extra will get an A on the exam. But this is college, not high school, and when a professor assigns a practice set, he does so with the idea that students who complete the practice set and do nothing more will get B on the exam. After all, in college a B is given for average effort and an A is given for effort that goes above and beyond the average.

Let's say that you completed just over half of the practice problems: 18 out of 35. You completed 51% of the practice problems, so by my theory you are 51% of the way to a B.

Now let's throw in the fact that you looked over the solutions to the remaining problems. Both my organic chemistry professor and my calculus professor warned us against doing this. My calculus professor even had a term for this: confusing familiarity with expertise. Basically, when you look at a problem and then you look at the solution, you think to yourself "hey, that makes sense" and so you start to think that the problems are easy. But on test day you will be expected to provide the work, not just to recognize the answer, and unless you actually tried to solve the practice problems, you have not encountered all of the little hiccups and special cases that pop up during the course of solving a problem. You may know what the answers are supposed to look like, but you won't know how to get there. You will be stuck at the very first hiccup and will have to settle for partial credit on the problem. (And my calculus professor didn't give partial credit even for five point problems, but that is another story.)

tl;dr: It may seem like flipping through the solutions will give you 50% of the total study value of actually working through the problems, but according to my organic chemistry and calculus professors, it is actually more like 10%.

So let's do the math: For 18/35 problems you got 100% of the study value. For the remaining 17/35 problems, you got 10% of the study value. 100% of the study value gets you an 85% on the exam (a B).

18/35 * 1.00 * 85 + 17/35 * 0.10 * 85 = 47.84%

Which is almost exactly your score on the exam.

Yes, I understand that many of these numbers were arbitrary, but my point should still be clear: If you want a B, you need to at least solve (and I mean solve completely, not give up and look at the solution--even if you are stuck on a problem for over an hour) all of the practice problems your professor gives you. If you want an A, you will have to do even more. I can't claim to know the specifics of your physics course, but if my professor had given me 35 practice problems, I wouldn't have felt comfortable about getting an A until I had completed at least 70 problems, and probably more.

I hope this gives you some idea of how you study for your next test. I understand that you may have other time commitments, but getting a 49% just means that you did not put in nearly enough study time. If other commitments are getting in the way of study time, then you have to prioritize. What matters the most? Getting an A? Then you should drop every other commitment that is getting in the way of that goal. It is as simple as that.

Remember that we aren't here to judge you or give unwarranted criticisms. I am writing this because I want you to do well in your physics course; we are on the same side. I have had troubles in some of my courses too, and these are the lessons I learned.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

http://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics

Try out these videos if you are having a hard time with the concepts. I haven't seen the physics videos, but the other videos were always very helpful and I'm sure they are on the same level.

 

[V5RED]

http://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics

Try out these videos if you are having a hard time with the concepts. I haven't seen the physics videos, but the other videos were always very helpful and I'm sure they are on the same level.

I am using Khan's videos in my MCAT prep to cover the material that my physics class did not cover, and they are fantastic.

I also recommend http://www.youtube.com/user/brightstorm2

The guy who does the physics videos on that channel is extremely high energy and entertaining.

 

[Euxox]

Those videos look helpful, but I think that doing more practice problems is going to help smileyman far more than watching videos. In my experience, if you are still having trouble understanding the concepts after doing a good number of practice problems (20 - 30+), then videos will be more useful.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

Those videos look helpful, but I think that doing more practice problems is going to help smileyman far more than watching videos. In my experience, if you are still having trouble understanding the concepts after doing a good number of practice problems (20 - 30+), then videos will be more useful.

He was given 35 practice problems and could only finish half of them in three days.

Obviously, he doesn't have the concepts down cold.

 

[Euxox]

He was given 35 practice problems and could only finish half of them in three days.

Obviously, he doesn't have the concepts down cold.

My impression was that smileyman couldn't find the time to do the problems, but if he was spending hours on each problem, then you are probably right. Either way, it all boils down to the number of practice problems you do in the end, IMO, whether or not you needed to watch videos to help you get there.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

My impression was that smileyman couldn't find the time to do the problems, but if he was spending hours on each problem, then you are probably right. Either way, it all boils down to the number of practice problems you do in the end, IMO, whether or not you needed to watch videos to help you get there.

I agree. Perfect practice makes perfect.

 

[smileyman22336]

Thank you for your replies. I was putting in the time and many hours but the problem was my teacher went over powerpoint slides and verbally speaks of concepts a lot, so I myself have a problem visualizing everything. The first time we did a problem in class was the 30 mins before exam 1, for a review. I am not exaggerating in the least bit. Everything else was on powerpoint. It wasn't that I was not putting in enough time its that I didnt know how to manipulate the formulas and understand the concepts. This time I am trying a different approach because the solutions did not help me understand much of what was going on. Thank you all for your advice.

 

[Euxox]

The first time we did a problem in class was the 30 mins before exam 1, for a review. I am not exaggerating in the least bit.

I actually think this is pretty typical for college physics courses. We did not do any practice problems in my physics course's lectures either, but old tests were posted online for our reference and if you could get an A on one of those old tests, then you could get an A on the actual exam.

If you need help with the actual process of solving physics problems, then the Khan Academy link that Jaqen Hghar posted will be very helpful because Sal Khan actually takes the time to work through example problems. My advice would be to watch the videos with pencil and paper in hand and do the problems with him. The advantage of videos is that you can pause if he is going too fast, so you shouldn't have any problem working out the problems as you watch. Once Sal's videos have taught you the basics, you can start working on your professor's practice sets.

Also, you mentioned a study group before. I would advise against joining a study group. Personally, I find that study groups are fine for memorization heavy courses such biology, but they are very unhelpful for problem-based courses like math and physics because no matter how many times someone shows you how to solve a problem you are at square one until you actually solve one yourself. My advice would be to quit the study group and use the time you save to work on practice problems.