Delving into Differentials.

When I woke up yesterday morning, I was on top of the world. The training for my job which I had been summoned to on Thursday was cancelled via Voice mail. I headed to the Barber Shop and got a cut and line up. As I was rushing to get to Morgan from all the way down in Fell’s Point, I received a text message from one of my classmates informing me that class was cancelled due to the fact that the professor was in a conference.

After chilling out for about 30 minutes, I headed to my D.E. class where I had the conversation which I published in the post prior to this one. I’ve been beating myself up about the fact that this’ll be the first ‘F’ I’ve received for a final grade, but more so, due to the fact that I know I could have done better than what I did.

When school started back in August, the class had about 15-18 students. After Midterm exams and the Add/Drop period, only 6 students were left in the class. 2 students are barely passing with C’s and the other 4 of us are well below the threshold of any hope of passing.

At this point, I felt as if I should just hang it up and just concentrate on the two other classes I still have a shot of passing, but then I realized that all hope was not lost. I could ace the final, and still end up getting a D in the class. The last time I checked, D’s were much more friendlier to GPA’s than F’s, so the battle isn’t over yet.

I’ve just chalked up this class as a learning experience. Next semester I’ll be taking the same professor over again, and I know that I’ll have to study smarter. Hopefully my GPA won’t be impacted too bad by this class.

brran1 (Channelling Jose Vilson), who’s looking forward to not touching a book for the first two weeks of Winter Break…

Random Thought of the Moment: “Education has for its object the formation of character.”

-Herbert Spencer

The Song of the Moment: ‘Miles Away’ by Eric Roberson

A Conversation With My Differential Equations Professor

brran1: ‘So how did I do on the last test?”

Dr. B. (In a heavy Polish Accent): ‘Eh, um….uh… You did very well on the second equation. However, you forgot to divide the functions by p…(yadda yadda yadda, more D.E. lingo). The first one was not done correctly. I can tell you had much difficulty with the problem.’

brran1: ‘Factoring in this test, how is my overall grade looking?’

Dr. B.: ‘Did not help you much. See you next semester.’

*sigh*

Back to the Drawing Board.

I previewed my midterm grades this past Friday and I was not impressed at all. In fact, I was downright pissed at what I saw. Out of my four classes, I’m only passing one. That’s right, only one.

In addition to all of that studying I did for my Differential Equations exam last Wednesday, I failed that as well.

I wondered, with all the time I put into studying, staying on campus til 1-2 am most nights, why the hell are my grades looking as bad as they do? When it comes down to it, I think the problem lies in my study habits.

When I study (and its usually with a group, because I get distracted easily when I study alone), we go over problems until we all have a grasp of the concept. When it comes to Calc 3 and Differential Equations, I complete my online assignments and end up with a firm grasp on the subject matter. However, when test day comes, I panic, freeze up, and forget how to solve the problems OR I end up making small mistakes that cause me to get the entire problem wrong.

What frustrates me about all of this is, I know how to do these problems.

Engineering Mechanics (or Applied Mechanics) is a completely different story. Not only am I confused with solving the problems for that class, the majority of the people in my study group are confused as well. We help each other out with what we know, but more times than not, we never end up finishing a problem. I believe that out of the eleven people that are in my class (including me), maybe three of my classmates are passing. I’ve gone to the professor a couple times to get help with the homework assignments, but it seems as if I end up even more confused than I was before. I’ve spoken with other Engineering majors, and their advice was “Take the class during the summer session”. That would be a good idea if I had the $1100 to pay for the summer course (since Financial Aid doesn’t cover it).

Another thing that bothers me about this situation is the fact that as CE’s (Civil Engineering Majors), we need this class to get to the rest of our other Civil classes, while EE’s (Electrical Engineering Majors) and IE’s (Industrial Engineering Majors) can wait until the semester before they graduate to take this class.

Because of my poor performance at midterm, I’ll be resigning as Yearbook Section Editor after my deadlines at the end of this week. I’ll at least finish the assignments I’m on now, but with my grades looking the way they do, I need to eliminate some unnecessary work.

 I thought about leaving ASCE and ITE as well, but I ultimately decided against it becuase those orgs only have bi-monthly meetings, and on top of that, I’ll be able to interact with fellow Engineering majors and get heads up on internships and other professional/networking opportunities.

So I’m here asking for advice. How should I go about changing my study habits, better yet, how does one actually study? I know I’m capable of pulling in A’s and B’s (as I have in previous semesters), but with these grades I have in front of me now, I think I need to change my M.O. as far as studying is concerned.

I’ve already revamped my study schedule to include more study time per class, but if anyone knows of any tricks I could use for studying and/or retention, that would help alot.

Random Thought of the Moment:
“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”

-Herbert Spencer

Song of the Moment: “All That I Got Is You” by Ghostface Killah

Bad Nerves.

I worry too much.

There, I said it. I’m the type of person that likes to have everything in place before I execute whatever the task at hand may be. But knowing how life goes, how often does that really happen? This is one of those times where I can’t rely on that trusty method. For this go ’round, I’ll have to roll with the punches to see what is thrown my way.

Getting ready to head to Georgia has started to become an increasingly stressful situation for me because it’s starting to seem like I’m not going to have what I need in order to make it down there. From my car needing new belts and brakes in the semi-distant future, to just buying things that I need for the trip AND keeping up with bills, I’m starting to notice that something and/or someone is going to be shortchanged. Granted, I still have 3 weeks to get everything situated, but the closer it gets to 5/31, the higher my stress level goes.

I have two final exams this week (both on Wednesday), and studying for them is hard. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. THIS CALC II crap IS NOT STICKING!!! It seems as if, the harder I try to retain formulas and methods, the more I end up forgetting. It’s almost at the point where I’m ready to say ‘F-this’ to this Calc book, and just go into the test with what I know.

Who am I kidding. *sigh* Back to work I go.

Random Thought of the Moment: “Although I’m worried, I’m still excited about this trip.”

The Song of the Moment: “Viva La White Girl” by Gym Class Heroes

Rising Up While Winding Down.

Today, I have my Speech final and to be completely honest, I already know I have it in the bag. Yesterday, Ms. Corona and I were supposed to meet up in the library on campus to go over the study guide, but I think she forgot about me. In any event, I’m still confident in the fact that I won’t get less than an A. I have my Calc II and Geology Finals next Wednesday, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about my Calc II final. It feels as if I’ve been struggling since midterms, but according to the professor, I’m handling my business! Studying and preparation will definitely help me out with maintaining my B in that class. Who knows. Maybe I’ll pull an A. Wish me luck yall.

Also, Shouts out and Congratulations to my boys J. Dakar and Dennis Jansen for graduating this term. I’ll be there in a few semesters fellas.

Random Thought of the Moment: “Is it just me, or does it seem as if this semester just flew by?”

The Song of the Moment: “It Ain’t Love” by Rahsaan Patterson

Random Thoughts on Various Things.

At school, there’s only one more week of classes. After that, final exams will be underway. This semester has gone by in somewhat of a blur and I’m just happy that it’s almost all over. I only have two exams during finals week (which is definitely A good thing), and the exams also happen to be on the same day so I don’t have to worry about large gaps between having to commute across town just for an hour or two. At the beginning of the semester, I was enrolled in four classes. Testing out of my writing class last week definitely takes a load off my shoulders. I already know that I have my Geology and Speech finals in the bag, but as far as Calc II goes, I’m gonna have to put in some major study time because that stuff can throw you for a loop, and the last thing I need is to be drawing a blank during my final exam.

After finals, I have about 17 days before I make that 11 hour drive down to Atlanta. I’m excited about going because it’s my first time being away from home, but I’m also nervous for that very same reason. I’m looking forward to seeing what A-Town has in store for me. It’ll definitely suck being away from my family and friends for almost 3 whole months, but I know that this trip is setting some wheels in motion. Final Destination: A Career. I try not to think about it though. I’ll take things as they come along.

A New Revelation… Of Sorts.

Over the past few days, and after reading J. Dakar’s ‘Open Up’ post on his Write State of Mind blog, I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking about what I want to do after I graduate from Morgan State. My mind usually oscillates between going to grad school and entering the workforce sans Master’s Degree. After some serious thinking, I’ve decided that my next step will be grad school. My ultimate goal? A Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. At this point, I’m researching these grad schools: