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I am enrolled in a CUNY as CS Major, 2nd Year undergrad.
Ive been studying almost non-stop for the past few days since I seriously falling behind on my math courses. Probably end up dropping it before the deadline and retaking it. During the breaks I started considering what lies ahead...
Since Im not a A student, more of a B+ or something around there, theres nothing really to brag about. Although, Im starting to really perceive that I dont seem to have the dedication or grasped that mindset of being a college student. I havent adapted to push myself into really studying and going over my course material, instead I would just be satisfied with that B or B+. Im not saying that programming is not enjoyable its great, but again its that mindset that comes back to roundhouse kick me in the face.
My first semester really wasnt part of my major curriculum I only got the electives out of the way, now Im stuck with all Physics and Math courses. My friends and classmates tell me often that I am too hard myself, for me in a way its to counter-balance my lack of commitment.
Still its only been the last few days where Ive started to really get serious about this situation. Most likely not last long before I go astray again. Its the same situation with the devil and angel on my shoulders having a brawl.
How do you guys do it?
I just hope next semester I come to realize it or end up staying here for a long time.
edit: I didnt want to say engineering requires more dedication than other courses, buts its ridiculously stale in a way. Im sure many of you have said that. D:
When I said I was being hard on myself, its towards when I am in class... Once class ends, majority of the times the effort gets thrown out the window.
 
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Important lesson I learned: ask questions and communicate with your professor/TA. It seriously took me a year to learn this and it's helped so much. No question is ever too stupid, they are paid to help you learn.
Also, rid yourself of distractions when doing homework. I know this is hard, but trust me, just take only your textbook, calculator and find a quiet study lounge to work. You will focus much better.
Other than that, I can't really give you any more advice as I'm also struggling with motivation. Good luck to both of us >^<?
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On November 15 2010 18:32 karasu wrote:
Important lesson I learned: ask questions and communicate with your professor/TA. It seriously took me a year to learn this and it's helped so much. No question is ever too stupid, they are paid to help you learn.
Also, rid yourself of distractions when doing homework. I know this is hard, but trust me, just take only your textbook, calculator and find a quiet study lounge to work. You will focus much better.
Other than that, I can't really give you any more advice as I'm also struggling with motivation. Good luck to both of us >^<?
This. Except that took my 2 years instead of 1.
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It took me four years. Then I had graduated.
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On November 15 2010 18:51 paper wrote:It took me four years. Then I had graduated.
LOL yeah, I came to this conclusion when finishing my master thesis 
OP don't worry, 95% students I know are like you, and they had no trouble graduating with good results and finding satisfying job (well, not really all of them, but most)
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On November 15 2010 18:51 paper wrote:It took me four years. Then I had graduated.
hey ryugie teach me
edit:
ya programming is great,
debugging however...
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Senior in CS here at a top 10 program. People overwhelm themselves with pressure, stress out, and as a result get less work done. The forumla to being a decent student is simple: (1) go to every class, (2) go to every office hour, and (3) turn in every assignment. You don't need to stay for the entire office hour and your assignments don't have to be perfect, but you must go to every class, go to every office hour, and turn in every assignment.
Follow that simple forumla and you will get a B average, be able to go to bed at a normal time, and be able to socialize or play Starcraft on weekends. Being an A student is a little different. You'll have to stay up later and give up some weekend nights. But seriously dude. Just do those things and you will be in great shape. You only start to get into trouble when you do things like go on TL during class instead of taking notes and skipping assignments.
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The first two years of any engineering program at any major university are standard weedout. Basically its a large scale game of academic survivor. Just survive until your junior year when you are taking more focused classes.
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Not to diss your school, but is CUNY good for CS?
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Maybe your lack of commitment signifies that you'd rather be doing something else with your life?
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Corwin is right. It's really not that difficult and you just stress yourself out way more than you need to. If you just follow his simple steps, it will never be that difficult to where you are way behind. Once you start missing assignments/class, it's a slippery slope.
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On November 15 2010 22:25 Sufficiency wrote:
Not to diss your school, but is CUNY good for CS?
There's a serious shortage of CS talent. As long as you have a good set of courses (CUNY does), it doesn't really matter what the ranking of your school is. I'm at a top program and I can tell you that most of my classmates can't program at all. A decent set of classes give you the opportunity and then it's all about what you do with it.
(Note that if you want to do research and go to graduate school, rankings matter a bit more. Schools with higher rankings usually have more funding and thus more research opportunities for undergraduates.)
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Grades are only important in that they might aid you in finding a job/internship. If you have enough practical work (or even project) experience, you really only need a degree... Very rarely will an employer ask for your UG/Grad transcripts if you are joining as a lateral hire.
I think you are stressing out too much about grades, and B/+ isn't even bad (it's literally average in most cases). A lot of people find their motivations once they start to somewhat specialize, and this usually happens during junior/senior years, as you will inevitably find some topics intrinsically interesting (and if you don't, then you are in the wrong program).
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EPT
