Finals week, anyone?

[drogg1]

Ya it definitely can help to move around. Although you have to be careful that you wont be easily distracted.

Keep at it with calculus. There are multitudes of tutorials and videos about all aspects of calculus if your textbook or professor don't do a great job of explaining. You will use it in a few classes later on but don't be too worried if you really struggle with it. Speaking for electrical engineering, you end up using more linear algebra (matrices and simultaneous equations) and the calculus you do will be generally pretty minor at least until you get into signal processing or EM field theory. I am interested in circuit design and generally just do a whole bunch of arithmetic and nothing really difficult. I think mechanical/civil engineers may use it more if you decide to go that route. If you end up liking the coding side more, you will hardly use it at all unless you get into simulation.

 

[LukeZ]

Ya it definitely can help to move around. Although you have to be careful that you wont be easily distracted.

Keep at it with calculus. There are multitudes of tutorials and videos about all aspects of calculus if your textbook or professor don't do a great job of explaining. You will use it in a few classes later on but don't be too worried if you really struggle with it. Speaking for electrical engineering, you end up using more linear algebra (matrices and simultaneous equations) and the calculus you do will be generally pretty minor at least until you get into signal processing or EM field theory. I am interested in circuit design and generally just do a whole bunch of arithmetic and nothing really difficult. I think mechanical/civil engineers may use it more if you decide to go that route. If you end up liking the coding side more, you will hardly use it at all unless you get into simulation.

That's good news lol. I really like the coding side of things more lol. I'm pretty good at algebra and all that, and honestly I don't suck at calc, it's just in certain things that once the problems get to a medium difficulty, I hit a wall. Hyperbolic functions and integrals and derivatives of trig functions. The memorization is a lot. Some of the stuff with limits. Sadly I'll be in calc classes until spring of junior year. So RIP me lol.

 

[ssn696]

Calculus didn't make sense to me until I hit Ordinary Differential Equations and Partial Differential Equations. Combination of a professor who gave a damn and his selection of applied mathematics examples, because he knew 4/5th of us were engineering types. Math can be elegant. but you have to slog through all the memorization first. I just had uninspired teachers for my first few years.

Hope you finished strong. GPA makes a difference to employers later. Applied experience even more so.

 

[RustRocket]

19 years old, my first semester of college finished up today. Non-degree seeking, just taking some classes for fun and personal benefit at our local college (Great Basin College). I don't really have any suggestions as I've never been an incredible student. I've also never really prepared for finals or big tests. I just did what was asked of me, remembered important information, and went into tests calm, relaxed, and treated them like any old assignment. Good luck

 

[LukeZ]

Calculus didn't make sense to me until I hit Ordinary Differential Equations and Partial Differential Equations. Combination of a professor who gave a damn and his selection of applied mathematics examples, because he knew 4/5th of us were engineering types. Math can be elegant. but you have to slog through all the memorization first. I just had uninspired teachers for my first few years.

Hope you finished strong. GPA makes a difference to employers later. Applied experience even more so.

Thats reassuring. I took calc in high school but I still managed to struggle here in college. I hope I just adapt. My calc professor wasn't exactly the most inspiring person either lol. The memorization kills me, but I'm chugging along.

Thank you, I hope I finished strong as well.

 

[marcar1993]

I promise you, the big change from hs to college is that most of the work in college is on you. You are leading your own learning in college. Don't get me wrong, I have had some great professors who actually taught, but most just profess the info to you, and what you do with it is your problem.

 

[ssn696]

I agree. And they don't like being cornered. I had a totally different experience going back after working for 10 years. When I was almost done, and I had a job offer, I was so proud to show my advisor the letter, and the only thing he could think of saying was, "Damn, my salary is not much more than your starting offer." Not even a congratu$#^&*#*lations...

 

[FirstClass 383]

LOTS OF ADVANTAGES OF BEING AN old fart YOUR DAY WILL BE THERE BEFOR YOU KNOW IT RUST ME.

 

[LukeZ]

Thought I'd revive this thread for anyome who has finals coming up. I read back through it and there's some good advice in here. I got 4 exams this upcoming week, then a nice long month and a half break until the start of spring semester. Good luck to anyone who has exams, and I hope you do well!

Cheers from the Univeristy of Delaware

 

[online170]

Was thinking of you yesterday lol. Yup I've got 6. 1 down 5 to go, but mine stretches out over 3 weeks. You should be pretty good at tackling them now.