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So I'm a freshman in college at the University of Rochester this year. My first semester GPA was 3.7/4.0, getting three A's and a single B, and I'm majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I'm in a special 5 year master program called GEAR, where if I keep up an aggregate GPA of 3.3 after every semester for the first 4 years I get free admission into an accelerated grad program, which will be a huge boost to my ability to land (and keep!) high-paying, good jobs doing what I want to do.
It's second semester now, and all of my classes changed. We've just had our first round of midterms, and just a few minutes ago my last grade was reported. I got a 68% on my general chemistry exam and a 73% on my multidimensional calculus exam.
Fuck.
The chemistry one was reported first. It didn't bother me too much after I looked more deeply into things, because that test's average was actually a 62%. Clearly it was hard, and it turns out that the grades were all very tightly focused on 62% so I'm probably one or even two standard deviations above the mean. That means once the curve is applied at the end of the year, that test will probably end up looking pretty okay.
But the math one is what I just saw. Class average was an 88%. A pretty good grade, actually, and that's before any curve. This is the first test I've ever taken where I didn't get a score above the average, to my knowledge. I don't mean that to brag, but simply as a statement of fact. I generally do very well in school, without much effort. But for this test I studied profusely, had plenty of time and a good amount of sleep the night before. I felt extremely good walking out of the test room -- so good, in fact, that I wouldn't have been surprised if I had gotten 100% on it (something I did on my differential equations final last semester, so it's not unheard of.) So to see that I not only did not get a 100%, not only didn't get even an acceptable B+ grade (I only need a B+ average to remain in my master program,) not only didn't get above the average, but actually FAILED the test as far as I'm concerned is... disheartening.
I know we all make mistakes, but I seriously can't write this one off. I went to every lecture. I sat in the front row and payed attention. I felt like I had a good understanding of the material, I blazed through the weekly homework assignments and aced two practice exams. I have never had a history of nervousness on tests. I took my time and checked my work. I studied for hours and attended review sessions. I literally cannot think of any better way to prepare for a test, and experience has shown that these methods all reliably result in solid grades for me.
73%.
Fuck.
  
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Sorry to hear that. But that 73% is uncurved, correct? Then you might stil have hope.
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You can always just take out loans for the grad program, can you not?
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First world problem: Not scoring higher than average in a group of smart people.
73% is not failing. Did you ever blackout during a test? THAT is failing. The world is not fair, get over it.
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On February 25 2012 07:17 Bagration wrote:
Sorry to hear that. But that 73% is uncurved, correct? Then you might stil have hope.
Yes, but the curve will be against a normal distribution. If a curve is applied to that test it will reduce my grade and sit me at a D or an F.
On February 25 2012 07:18 CecilSunkure wrote:
You can always just take out loans for the grad program, can you not?
I can, but then it'll take an extra year, cost a TON, and not look as good in the end. And on top of that, when I go back for a Ph.D., it'll be with way more debt to my name.
On February 25 2012 07:19 Xiron wrote:
First world problem: Not scoring higher than average in a group of smart people.
73% is not failing. Did you ever blackout during a test? THAT is failing. The world is not fair, get over it.
I never said it was fair, I said that by my standards this is failing. I can't do what I want to do in life with a 73% average. If that's an insignificant problem to you, so be it.
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On February 25 2012 07:22 UmiNotsuki wrote:Show nested quote +On February 25 2012 07:18 CecilSunkure wrote:
You can always just take out loans for the grad program, can you not? I can, but then it'll take an extra year, cost a TON, and not look as good in the end. And on top of that, when I go back for a Ph.D., it'll be with way more debt to my name.
I highly doubt it won't look as good. With the school I'm in, nobody gives a damn about your grades ever, except the financial aid department. Nobody cares. What matters is what projects you've worked on, what you've finished, what experience you have. Tangible examples of your skill, not your grades. That's why students from my school have such high success rates (something like 98% hiring rate for grads); we all have tons and tons of projects and experience to place in resumes and show off in interviews.
Who would you rather hire? Some guy with a 4.0 and nothing else to show, or some guy with a 3.0 average with industry experience, and multiple impressive projects to show he can apply his knowledge and skillset effectively?
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I assume multidimensional calculus is the same as multivariable calculus, or calc III?
As someone who majored in math, I strongly recommend forming a study group. Make a few friends in that class and study your ass off with them. If possible, find some friends who are also in GEAR, so you can possibly share future classes with the same group of friends over the next few years. It only gets tougher, and it's saved my ass plenty of times.
Trust me on this: Everyone eventually hits a wall in an upper class where they start to struggle with the material- especially in the maths and sciences. Having classmates as study partners is incredibly, incredibly, incredibly helpful. Don't try to ace everything alone.
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On February 25 2012 07:28 CecilSunkure wrote:Show nested quote +On February 25 2012 07:22 UmiNotsuki wrote:On February 25 2012 07:18 CecilSunkure wrote:
You can always just take out loans for the grad program, can you not? I can, but then it'll take an extra year, cost a TON, and not look as good in the end. And on top of that, when I go back for a Ph.D., it'll be with way more debt to my name. I highly doubt it won't look as good. With the school I'm in, nobody gives a damn about your grades ever, except the financial aid department. Nobody cares. What matters is what projects you've worked on, what you've finished, what experience you have. Tangible examples of your skill, not your grades. That's why students from my school have such high success rates (something like 98% hiring rate for grads); we all have tons and tons of projects and experience to place in resumes and show off in interviews.
Well... perhaps it will still look okay after the fact. Still, the extra year and cost will be VERY painful. Two years of grad school is a lot more expensive than one year of free grad school.
On February 25 2012 07:28 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:
I assume multidimensional calculus is the same as multivariable calculus, or calc III?
As someone who majored in math, I strongly recommend forming a study group. Make a few friends in that class and study your ass off with them. If possible, find some friends who are also in GEAR, so you can possibly share future classes with the same group of friends over the next few years. It only gets tougher, and it's saved my ass plenty of times.
Trust me on this: Everyone eventually hits a wall in an upper class where they start to struggle with the material- especially in the maths and sciences. Having classmates as study partners is incredibly, incredibly, incredibly helpful. Don't try to ace everything alone.
Thanks... I'll have to try this.
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Not a big deal unless you had plans of grad school or something like that.
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Wait if the class average is 88 and you got a 73, shouldn't the curve help you? or would they push the curve down?
Is there anyway for you to get a better average? If so, work for it hard and you'll get it.
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On February 25 2012 07:13 UmiNotsuki wrote:
So I'm a freshman in college at the University of Rochester this year. My first semester GPA was 3.7/4.0, getting three A's and a single B, and I'm majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I'm in a special 5 year master program called GEAR, where if I keep up an aggregate GPA of 3.3 after every semester for the first 4 years I get free admission into an accelerated grad program, which will be a huge boost to my ability to land (and keep!) high-paying, good jobs doing what I want to do.
Assuming the above is an accurate reporting of the facts, you're in no serious danger. In order for your aggregate GPA to drop below a 3.3, you'd need to have a GPA of under 2.9 for your second semester, assuming you're taking as many hours now as you did in your first semester.
So in order for this semester to totally screw you up, you'd need to get three Bs and one C, or one A, two Bs, and one D, etc.
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The most important thing to do is get a hold of the test and see what you did wrong. If the professor won't release it, ask him/her if you can meet him during office hours to go over it. From there you can analyze your weaknesses and make a plan for the next test.
I was the same way, always in the top 1-2 students in my class until Sophomore year of college. Its humbling to meet people smarter than you, but in a way its inspiring as well. These people should be your new role models. Finding a study group is a good idea, just make sure that you include a few people who are aceing the class.
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On February 25 2012 07:19 Xiron wrote:
First world problem: Not scoring higher than average in a group of smart people.
73% is not failing. Did you ever blackout during a test? THAT is failing. The world is not fair, get over it.
While the OP might be overly concerned about this one test score, I still admire his resolve to try to be better than just average. That kind of attitude takes you places.
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On February 25 2012 07:40 Zorkmid wrote:
Not a big deal unless you had plans of grad school or something like that.
As I said... I did.
On February 25 2012 07:42 FlaShFTW wrote:
Wait if the class average is 88 and you got a 73, shouldn't the curve help you? or would they push the curve down?
Is there anyway for you to get a better average? If so, work for it hard and you'll get it.
The curve will be done against a normal distribution. I'm on the left side of the curve, so if the curve is applied it'll push my grade down if anything.
On February 25 2012 08:00 InvictusRage wrote:Show nested quote +On February 25 2012 07:13 UmiNotsuki wrote:
So I'm a freshman in college at the University of Rochester this year. My first semester GPA was 3.7/4.0, getting three A's and a single B, and I'm majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I'm in a special 5 year master program called GEAR, where if I keep up an aggregate GPA of 3.3 after every semester for the first 4 years I get free admission into an accelerated grad program, which will be a huge boost to my ability to land (and keep!) high-paying, good jobs doing what I want to do.
Assuming the above is an accurate reporting of the facts, you're in no serious danger. In order for your aggregate GPA to drop below a 3.3, you'd need to have a GPA of under 2.9 for your second semester, assuming you're taking as many hours now as you did in your first semester. So in order for this semester to totally screw you up, you'd need to get three Bs and one C, or one A, two Bs, and one D, etc.
That is an accurate report... but I didn't mention that I'm actually taking 19 credits this semester, as opposed to last semester's 16. Still, you're right, but it's gonna be very painful never the less. And it's only gonna get harder...
On February 25 2012 08:04 Hypertension wrote:
The most important thing to do is get a hold of the test and see what you did wrong. If the professor won't release it, ask him/her if you can meet him during office hours to go over it. From there you can analyze your weaknesses and make a plan for the next test.
I was the same way, always in the top 1-2 students in my class until Sophomore year of college. Its humbling to meet people smarter than you, but in a way its inspiring as well. These people should be your new role models. Finding a study group is a good idea, just make sure that you include a few people who are aceing the class.
I will get the test back Monday... I really do want it ASAP >.< Gonna be stressing me out all weekend.
It's hard for me to look up to people. I'm strongly an individualist and have difficulty accepting role models. Still, it might be good advice, thank you.
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On February 25 2012 07:40 Zorkmid wrote:
Not a big deal unless you had plans of grad school or something like that.
Good job reading the OP :D
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On February 25 2012 07:19 Xiron wrote:
First world problem: Not scoring higher than average in a group of smart people..
holy shit. i was thinking the same exact thing and then saw your post. lol.
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The tests are already over no use worrying just start studying up for the next exams, worrying over exams wont do you any good the grade wont change no matter how much you beg the professor. So your better off just moving on.
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may i point out some irony. you made this blog like a week ago.
On February 16 2012 12:28 UmiNotsuki wrote:
Just found the world of custom WoW servers. Such a good feeling to be back in the good ol' days when the level cap was 60 and it took three times as long to go from 1-60 as it does to go from 1-85 in Cataclysm. I've started draining my life into this game again, forgot how long it's been since before I had a truly addicting MMO to play xD All free too... >.> Without the drain on my wallet it's hard to find a reason to put the game down.
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Look it's not a big deal. You still have many years of school left to maintain or surpass 3.3. Think of it as an early wake up call. Also it is a lot easier to be above average in highschool. It becomes harder as you go into college and becomes even more difficult as you progress (because weaker students are constantly dropping out or being weeded out). It will be even more difficult once you are in grad school. I know because I obtained my BS in chemical engineering being well above average. But in my phd program I am putting in a fair amount of effort and only obtaining the average on exams. It's not a big deal, you will grow as a student with time (especially if being below average upsets you so much). You will take so many exams throughout your time in school that when you look back at this one you will either laugh or not remember it at all.
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I think its good to be stressing out a little. But overall it sounds like you are going to be fine. I expect a F*ck yeah blog for your final exams. Good luck!
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EPT
