[Rio_]

...think it still applies today, though.

I give up. For tonight, anyway. I can't do Materials, I can't do Fluid Mechanics, I can't do Thermodynamics...haven't even tried Maths today, but I really should have because we got told yesterday that we were meant to be spending 4-5 hours finishing each tutorial before the actual session, and I'm already behind. Why am I the only one that's freaking out about work? One of my friends said all my talk of studying is making her feel bad, because she's not doing as much, and most of the people on my course are somehow still managing to go out most nights – I went out last night for the first time in almost a month, which is possibly why today's feeling worse than normal...I've only managed about three hours' work, but that's three hours' work after having about four hours' sleep, doing laundry, food shopping and photocopying my music for orchestra in the library, plus an hour-long violin practice. I'm doing the bare minimum of work that I should be doing to keep on top of everything, and I'm still struggling. Looks like I can't cope with working until 9:30 or 10pm each night, but how else can I fit everything in? And it's still not enough, and it's not helping that I can't understand what the hell I'm supposed to be doing in most of my classes...in Materials and Maths the tutorials hardly seem to bear any relation to the lectures, and we're only ever going to be getting two Materials tutorial sessions. I don't know if I'm brave enough to email the Materials lecturer, since saying “I'm having trouble with questions 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and...” is going to make me look like a complete idiot. At least if I wait until the tutorial session I might be able to ask a few different people.

Apologies if this rant makes no sense...it's nearly 11pm and I'm tired and really should be in bed, since the internet doesn't even work at the moment and I need to go to a 6-hour orchestra rehearsal tomorrow, plus fit in another 3 hours of work... %#@&#!.

Today's update: Seems I can't do maths, either. The work we're doing at the moment is almost exactly the same as Advanced Higher, but it's a different method and I can't remember the one I used at school properly! I'm going to fail this course.

[katheryn]

(((((((((((((((((rio)))))))))))))))))))
sorry you are struggling with your studies at the moment, im sorry i cant be of any help as i never went further than school and that was a fair few years ago
hope things get easier

[Perna]

Rio, I love my husband's story (he's an electrical engineer) of starting his electro magnetic fields and waves course (1964ish :-) and the professor is going on and on and everyone was clueless and my husband raised his hand and admitted cluelessness and the problem was the students hadn't had vector calculus yet. So the professor stopped and taught them vector calculus first :-)

E-mail, stay after, visit, whatever! Admit you're lost. If nothing else it will get the lecturer to know who you are and that you care. When I was taking social psych I was also taking statistics from the same professor and it was only that that got me a passing grade in statistics! He "recognized" me so "liked" me.

[Rio_]

(((((katheryn))))) Thanks. And don't worry about it, that's ok.

[Rio_]

Thanks for replying, Perna. Sounds like a good professor! Wish the Materials lecturer would do that with chemistry - we're doing crystal structure at the moment - but most people took it at school, I'm the only one out of my friends who didn't.

Staying behind doesn't work, unfortunately - I tried it once when I told her my group had had a problem with part of a lab report, and her response was just "yes, you probably did" and moved onto the next person - but she did say at the start that if you didn't understand that email normally worked, so I guess I could try. Maths I can ask about in the tutorials, assuming they don't mind me asking about the previous week's one.

Thanks again.

[silver_queen]

(((((((((( Rio ))))))))))

Could you see the relevant tutors/ lecturers in their office hours? They might be able to explain things then, or give you links to books, articles etc which might help you. Or you could email them and say you're having trouble. You could also have a chat with your personal tutor, if you have them in Scotland - they might be able to advise you on how your day is structured, etc. Could you also chat with your friends and get them to explain what has been going on in class? It would be a good revision session for them

[Perna]

Actually, I see the lecturer saying "yes, you probably did" as being a good sign. Again, my husband, when he took "strength of materials" (what we refer to as "bridge building" :-) everyone failed and yet he got a "C". I think the problems are harder than you can do and people are struggling along with you, more than you think. That they're partying doesn't mean they're caught up and understand and have things right, necessarily.

It is too bad you have to figure out some stuff you haven't been taught yet, the chemistry and all. Can you ask a mate to tutor you a bit? I hope you'll find there are things you know that they don't necessarily. I think a lot of first year classes are to "get rid of" those who aren't seriously interested and had the wrong idea what it took to be an engineer or be in college, etc.

I was thinking about you the other day. My husband's niece is in a special architecture program that's 6 years instead of 4-5. She did the 4 year thing and "graduated" this past May and now is in London doing a preceptorship! Anyway, this past spring semester she took a mandolin-making course (architectural design :-) http://www.media.rice.edu/media/News...nID=1773704936 (not my husband's niece, just another co-student). But I thought you'd enjoy that concept, making them design mandolins :-)

[Rio_]

((((silver_queen)))) Thanks for the suggestions! I don't know when the lecturers are actually in their rooms (the Fluid Mechanics lecturer said he was very rarely in his), but that could be worth a shot. I emailed the Materials lecturer today, but haven't heard back from her yet. We have an adviser of studies, is that the same as a personal tutor? Didn't see my friends today - we had the day off - but I can ask them tomorrow, assuming they don't mind me talking about work through lunch.

[Rio_]

That might be the case, actually - guess I'll find out when we get our first lab reports back!

That's a good idea - one of my best friends (who's not doing my course, but is at the same university) managed to help her twin sister get an A in Higher Chemistry when she hadn't even taken Standard Grade, so maybe she wouldn't mind one or two questions. And if medicine involves Physics I might be able to help with that, seeing as I took Advanced Higher.

Thanks for telling me about that, it looks like a very cool program! Hope your husband's niece enjoys her preceptorship.

[silver_queen]

((((((((( Rio ))))))))))

I don't know if a personal tutor is the same as an advisor of studies. A personal tutor has about 10-15 students and meets them once a semester to see how things are going, and if you're experiencing difficulties you can go and see them - I haven't found mine to be much use though

[eskielover]

((((((((((Rio)))))))))))))),

I can completely understand your situation. There were many classes I had that I didn't understand even one word they were talking about....like a foreign language. They always said to ask questions. There was one professor I went to see at office hours (at the beginning of the semester). I told him I was so lost I couldn't even figure out what or how to ask the question, so I thought that just talking would get me able to figure out a starting place.

I know that feeling of being completely lost & the feeling of "what in the world am I doing here?". What was true was that all the others were feeling the same way as I (except for maybe others who were taking the class for the 2nd time). Others are usually just as lost as you....they just don't let on how lost they are because they don't want anyone thinking they don't know the information (until they fail the tests)

It you put 150% (or maybe 200%) into your studies & have tried the instructors, tutors (everything possible) & still find you can't handle the classes....that is the only time to reconsider the situation & find a possible alternative major.....but don't give up until then.

Some of your friends who are out parting may have gotten frustrated & just given up for the moment to have fun.....but it won't get them as far as someone who is using the time wisely to work on the subjects & finally get it while they are goofing off.

You can do it.....but it does take a lot of work. It's kind of like a household budget. We only have so much $ income (time) & so many given bills (required schoolwork). Sometimes we have to cut out the things that are over budget (entertainment, social life....etc) until we have that even balance. Most ot the time we have to continue cutting back & cutting back until we find that spot....but remember, we will always have time to have the social life & focuse on all our other interests once we have graduated & into your career. Then you can have it all. It's a sacrifice we have to make to get through school...but worth it all the way.

You can do it....it just takes time to figure out who you need to talk to, what you need to do give up for more time, in order to get through the classes

It's also important to know what you "don't know" that's blocking you from understanding the information....because it's only then when you can go learn what that is, so you can open up the pathway into further understanding of the subject you are struggling with (as Perna said in her post).

Go for it...you can do what ever is necessary,
Debbie

[silver_queen]

Reading Eskie's post reminded me of the other thing I meant to say earlier - if possible go and see the lecturers/ tutors in their office hours. Their hours are usually given out at the beginning of the semester but if not their office doors usually give their office hours. They're free to chat then; all you need to do is go there

[Irine]

RIO!!!!!!!!!!!!

you don`t know how i used to be and stil form time to time in the same damn situation!!
i can UNDERSTAND you conpletely!

i usd to play the piano in a music schold and played for hours and hours and then had to do homework and stuff...now i am a graphic design student and i have been going thought EXACT SAME %#@&#!....

don`t be ashaimed if you don`t understand somehting, if there is an email service this is what it`s for...

i also asked myself how others manage to do it...
but i think the answer is:
THEY TAKE EVERYTHING WAY MORE EASY!!
so try to take things easy...
guess your subjects are hard.....i am also almost giving up doing something today..because MY MIND JUST REJECTS IT..we are all human. i got up at 05:50 to get a work in typography finished....and came back to finihs it after class, and then had to go to the place where they print it.

well i gotta make a post about it as i wanted..but no time like you....

hugs!!! i am with you!!!

[Rio_]

((((silver_queen)))) Thanks. They do sound quite similar, but I think there's only one adviser of studies per course, so I doubt we'll actually get to see him that often. (I did email him a while back to try and take an extra languages course, though, and he was helpful.)

[Rio_]

((((eskielover)))) Thanks. Sorry you were in the same situation, but I'm glad I'm not the only one! I was asking a couple of my friends about the Materials tutorial that we were given, and one of them didn't have a clue how to do it either (the other hadn't even looked at it yet!), and she took chemistry at school.

Don't worry, I'm not thinking of switching courses! I actually had a good day today work-wise - managed to get a couple of questions sorted out in the maths tutorial session, and I took dad's suggestion of looking on Wikipedia for Materials and there are quite a few pages about crystal structure...I got one of the questions finished, and it was right! Managed to finish the Fluid Mechanics tutorial as well, but I don't have the answers for that so I'm not sure if I've done it properly.

That's a good way of looking at it!

Thanks again.

[Rio_]

Thanks for the suggestion, silver_queen! I did actually try and ask the Materials lecturer when I could go see her, but she disappeared as soon as the lecture today was over so I couldn't. I know where her office is, though...do you think it'd be a good idea to just turn up and see if she's free at some point?

[Rio_]

Thanks, ladymacabethadmunsen. Sorry you're in the same situation as well! That sounds like a hard course.

That's true...the Materials lecturer still hasn't replied to my email, though, and the one time I emailed the maths lecturer he didn't reply either. Still, the maths lecturer is helpful in tutorial sessions - maybe the Materials lecturer will be as well when we finally get a Materials tutorial session!

[Perna]

I just flat out asked my husband what he would recommend for a first year :-) and read him your first post and he said he had the same problems and never did figure out a solution but toward the end of my explaining to him about you he was reminded about how he lived with 3 other guys in the course with him and they'd all sit down together and work on the work together and figure it out best they could.

He told the true story too, of one guy who took a test to the Dean of Engineering and complained about it and the Dean called in the Professor and said, in front of the guy, "Professor X, how did you grade these papers?" and the Professor answered, "The same way as always; I threw them down the stairs and the ones that landed up I gave an "A" to and the ones that landed upside down I gave an "F" to" and the Dean said, "But I told you. . . the ones that land up you're supposed to give the "F" to and the upside down one's the "A" to" -- and that's the only "explanation" the student got. My husband said they "must just want to keep the student's afraid so they'll work harder" or whatever. Cruel but lots make it through and I'm sure your previous marks in lower school weren't a "fluke". I bet you'll do "fine" so I'd "lean" on that knowledge and see if you can relax a bit. Worrying per se doesn't help so just do the best you can and know you're doing the best you can and that that best is pretty good!

[Rio_]

Wow, thanks Perna! It probably would make things easier if my flatmates were doing my course - they're all arts or social sciences students. Still, my friends on my course and I have ended up doing much the same in tutorial sessions sometimes anyway, and it usually works!

Lovely! Your husband could well be right there. And that's true, I hope! Thanks. Good point...not that normally stops me, but never mind.

[eskielover]

Rio,

I just want to say how proud I am of what you are doing. Your determination & hard work will definitely be needed to get through engineering, but you are focused & that's what is takes. It's a challenge when all those around you have the easy majors that give them the time to socialize...unfortunately, that is difficult to be around....but is does show you how important the learning you are doing is & how serious it is for your future career....not just something to slide through college with to get an easy degree.

Go go girl.......as a lesser firmware design engineer......I admire & respect you for what you are doing.

Debbie

[Rio_]

Thanks, eskielover! (Not that I've been able to get much studying done this weekend - full day's orchestra rehearsal yesterday, and today I had to go into town to buy clothes to wear for the concert and get my cleaning and shopping done...it'll be easier once I get my weekends back, I hope. ) And that's not lesser at all, it's just different.