Parent Rage blog part 9, grades, College Parents are being unreasonable again. Mom is yelling about how I’ll never get into a good college, how she can’t trust me taking my vitamins.
My mom isn’t any of the above right now
She pushed my face into a toilet (well, the side of a toilet) because she thought I had missed the toilet. She yelled me out of the hosue tonight for getting a 64 on a calc test. So I went to the park under a light to study APUS lol. My hands froze off practically, even in California. I'm such a wimp... This all leads to
Grades
I’m having a hard time in calculus and chem.. I’m putting in a lot of time and effort, and they are very difficult still. My mom says I’m not studying enough, so I study more and am not getting results. My grade point average is probably going to be meh: good, but probably not good enough for UCLA Berkeley. But I’m trying very hard, and am trying to be efficient. Right now 3As. One A+. 2 C. Not ideal at all. I’m working on calc and chem. ,but they’re hard :/
After taking the avsfab and doing some self introspection, I think I really ought to go into Business/Econ. I’ve always sort of assumed I’d do engineering, but as it turns out that isn’t really for me. I just am not that kind of person, and mreow. I've always been interested in econ, but have never thought of it as a career. (Fun fact: at acadec comp I beat both of our seniors who are in AP econ in the Economics section :DD) Of course this is just what I’m saying now, but I hope it’s somewhat reliable. Also, my mom is talking about how she isn’t afraid to interfere at college. Soooo….. Berkeley probably isn’t the best place, at least early on. However, if I get in, I’ll consider it. So right now I’m looking at undergraduate schools that are strong for econ/prebusiness, with the intention of kicking ass and getting into a good undergraduate business school OR just getting the econ degree and working. Not sure what kind of a job an econ major would get though.
So tentative plan is to go somewhere good (UC?) for undergraduate econ, and then try to get into a business school, or stick with the degree. Any advice from those already in that pipeline?
Got new phone!! (still a prepaid plan, so I have like no mintues, but for 30 bucks I got a phone with a qwerty keyboard. Not that terribad.) Also, and advice on how to beat late game toss? http://replayfu.com/r/XCDfDd
I think you need to find someone at your school to give you some help/give you a break. At some point, studying "harder" isn't going to make things any better and the stress your parents put on you will hurt your grades. A counselor or kind teacher or something.
My mother dumped my face in soup as a kid. Said I didn't eat enough.
Not she says I spend too much on eating.
Parents these days eh?
Tough break kid, I suggest a tutor, this is a clear way to show your mother that you're trying to improve your grades moreso than "studying more". It's about understanding.
Jibba is right. Studying "harder" isn't always the right way to go - you might need to take a different approach to the studying rather than just banging your head into a wall.
On that note, the fact that your mother pushed your head in or near a toilet really fucking irks me.
Good luck though, go to a college a considerable distance away
It's a no brainer that UCB's economics (or any mathematical field, for that matter) is incredibly strong. Not sure how hard it is to get in, though.
I've seen many politicians, lawyers, businessmen, etc. who hold undergraduate degrees in economics. In my mind it's a very good undergrad degree. You do need to work hard and get a graduate degree, however (unless you are super-special). It's not that hard. Just maintain good grades, get some advanced courses done, and avoid bird courses.
One thing you have to be careful of is that most economics subjects heavily utilizes calculus and other various mathematical tools. Getting 60ish on a calculus test is a bad start. You should definitely improve on it.
I take most stories of parental violence with a grain of salt, there is almost always a piece or idea missing from the plot that might explain the perceived justification to use force.
In other words, the child might believe that the mother did this for only missing the toliet, but it could be more and it could be about something else.
On March 17 2011 15:27 Sufficiency wrote: It's a no brainer that UCB's economics (or any mathematical field, for that matter) is incredibly strong. Not sure how hard it is to get in, though.
I've seen many politicians, lawyers, businessmen, etc. who hold undergraduate degrees in economics. In my mind it's a very good undergrad degree. You do need to work hard and get a graduate degree, however (unless you are super-special). It's not that hard. Just maintain good grades, get some advanced courses done, and avoid bird courses.
One thing you have to be careful of is that most economics subjects heavily utilizes calculus and other various mathematical tools. Getting 60ish on a calculus test is a bad start. You should definitely improve on it.
Class average was 48. SO it wasn't like terribad. I do generally well in math
Actually yes, it was terribad. Just less terribad than the class.
You shouldn't rule out engineering simply because you are "not that kind of person"... There are so many different personalities in the engineering departments. Everything from the study workhorses to those who prefer to be stoned more often than not. I myself am studying to become a Mining Engineer, and I think that it's pretty awesome. I don't even have to try hard to get pretty good grades.
I'd like to know your reasons as to why you don't think that you'd fit in with the engineers.
- Oh and you had better really like economics if you plan to major in it. -
-- It really sounds like you should try to get away from your parents for a while. Assuming that you are 18 already, it seems like they are very controlling, but who am I to delve into this subject. --
On March 17 2011 15:33 canucks12 wrote: You shouldn't rule out engineering simply because you are "not that kind of person"... There are so many different personalities in the engineering departments. Everything from the study workhorses to those who prefer to be stoned more often than not. I myself am studying to become a Mining Engineer, and I think that it's pretty awesome. I don't even have to try hard to get pretty good grades.
I'd like to know your reasons as to why you don't think that you'd fit in with the engineers.
- Oh and you had better really like economics if you plan to major in it. -
-- It really sounds like you should try to get away from your parents for a while. Assuming that you are 18 already, it seems like they are very controlling, but who am I to delve into this subject. --
I'm 17.
I really do enjoy econ.
I've been drifting away from engineering not due to personality, but due to lack of interest in physics, etc.
On March 17 2011 15:33 canucks12 wrote: You shouldn't rule out engineering simply because you are "not that kind of person"... There are so many different personalities in the engineering departments. Everything from the study workhorses to those who prefer to be stoned more often than not. I myself am studying to become a Mining Engineer, and I think that it's pretty awesome. I don't even have to try hard to get pretty good grades.
I'd like to know your reasons as to why you don't think that you'd fit in with the engineers.
- Oh and you had better really like economics if you plan to major in it. -
-- It really sounds like you should try to get away from your parents for a while. Assuming that you are 18 already, it seems like they are very controlling, but who am I to delve into this subject. --
I'm 17.
I really do enjoy econ.
I've been drifting away from engineering not due to personality, but due to lack of interest in physics, etc.
I don't know. You have probably seen only an extremely small aspect of this subject. Unless you are a super genius, which I am sure you are not.
studying hard is a waste of time, you need to study correctly. This implies the most efficient manner for yourself to learn what you need to learn to do well ON TESTS and nothing more. Funny thing about learning is you really don't need to know anything but what will be on the tests. Like others mentioned you should find a counselor or something of the sort (maybe a classmate who has a high mark for that class) to resolve these problems.
On March 17 2011 15:49 dRaW wrote: studying hard is a waste of time, you need to study correctly. This implies the most efficient manner for yourself to learn what you need to learn to do well ON TESTS and nothing more. Funny thing about learning is you really don't need to know anything but what will be on the tests. Like others mentioned you should find a counselor or something of the sort (maybe a classmate who has a high mark for that class) to resolve these problems.
Don't listen to this guy (I mean for short term gain his advise is fine)! All grades come from hard work and complete understanding of the subject so that when you are taking the exams you go "Oh y eah I see why ur asking this question, this will allow me to showcase my understanding" or "You could've phrased this question better, this might be bit confusing for the students". Once you reach that level, I'll be surprised you don't get A.
Other than that, sleep a lot, ignore your mom (she sounds annoying). Study at good times and with enjoyment and self-fulfillment. most importantly though, you must know what you want, and how to get there. MOST important. You seems to know quite well what you want (econ major, etc), so start looking around and see what you can do to get there. Are there any econ book that interest you? Read them.
I'm biased against Econ, it's just applied math for people who don't mind English lulul, with that said I would recommend you to be powerful at the math you know. Not advanced math like topology or someshit, just basic math but KNOW THEM WELL cuz for sure you'll use a ton in Econ.
if i were you id say fuck you to all the UCs i would need at least 500 miles from that crazy bitch you call a mom. secondly, its great that you have a goal to get into a school that you really want to go to. But be ready for rejction. I got rejected from UCLA, along with half the people i know.
Some people have a hard time understanding calculus. I personally failed algebra 1 for two years in a row until I got to high school. There was a lot that didn't make sense to me and I also didn't care to do the homework. We won't even talk about how fast I quit pre-calc.
Make sure the first year in college that you live on a campus farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr away from your mom. and don't join the military unless you enjoy being yelled at, waiting around, and getting told what to do.
slightly off topic: Have you prepared a plan for what you'll do when she inevitably finds this blog?
i agree with the other posters; it may not be a matter of studying more. you probably need to study smarter. figure out why exactly you arent getting the grades you are right now. assess how you can use your study time better. there are only so many hours in the day to study. it is up to you how to study efficiently to get the most out of the time you have.
lol i sound like my dad right now.
what kind of chem do you have trouble with right now? AP? i am taking gen chem 2 right now so i could give you a bit of help (though i probably forgot a lot of stuff already. but i could try ) . i think chem is alot about understanding the concepts. in this semester of chem i am doing less problems in the back of the book but i feel i am understanding the concepts more and i am getting much better grades in chem than last semester.
if your textbook feels too hard and boring to read, try getting an AP prep book for chem. it can help you understand some concepts.
if you need any studying tips or whatever, you can PM me. consider me masters league in studying lol
calculus, well i cant help you with that... my math is a little rusty. i took cal bc junior year of high school and never took any math again (im a freshman in college).
i kinda was in the same situation as you (though not as bad). i was always pressured to get good grades and stuff and i felt my parents were never satisfied and nagged me about studying (though i had one of the best gpas in my high school). anyways its all about efficiency in studying.
oh yeah and pay attention in class. it helps so much since its easier to review info when you do homework rather than learn everything by yourself when you get home, since your teacher probably teaches you only the essential parts of the chapters and explains it much better.