Midterm season is finally coming to an end. Stressful last minute studying has ended and, now there’s more time for important activities such as sleeping. Unfortunately, it also means that midterms are being returned to us and, for many of us, they are not the results we were hoping for. Before we talk about the grades themselves, it is worth mentioning that engineering is just as much about dedication as it is about our intelligence. To get in to most Waterloo Engineering programs, you require an average at minimum in the low 80’s. With that said, between high school and university, averages usually drop around 10-20%. There are many contributing factors; it is a huge transition from high school. For one, you might be living away from home for the first time with hundreds of people your own age and, maybe, you even have to cook for yourself. Professors are often difficult to understand and there are assignments, tutorial quizzes, labs and, of course, lectures – it’s a huge time commitment. Doing well in engineering is about surviving the quick pace and heavy time requirements while still managing to sleep and eat properly.
By now, grades from the first years ‘Hell week’ (which happened two weeks ago) have probably been given out. Keep in mind that you and your classmates have all come from very different educational backgrounds thereby making your knowledge bases different when you first begin university Some people took AP (Advanced Placement) or IB (International Baccalaureate) courses in high school so first year courses are mostly review for them; other students come from areas where certain topics aren’t taught. For instance, linear algebra is completely new for someone who has gone to high school in BC. For most students who have passed through first year, the physics midterm, more often than not, is the big kick in the pants that reminds you that this isn’t high school anymore. In my year, the professors took two questions out of the total in calculating the grades and the average for the physics midterm was still only somewhere in the mid-forty percentile. If you struggled, you are not alone and, also, this doesn’t mean you are going to fail. Compare your grades with the class average – remember half the grades are below that number! If you study hard and attend extra help sessions, you will be okay. Concentrate on the things you don’t know and work on them until you know them.
Depending on your midterm grades, you might get an offer to take a reduced course load. This option allows you to drop two courses which you would then take in a later term along with a course on study skills and time management. You would then join the 1B class in the year after you. To pass the term, in either reduced or full course load, requires that you get a 60% average with 2 or less failed courses. If your average is less than 60% or you have more than two failed courses, you fail the term and are required to repeat. When repeating, you’re required to achieve a 60% average with no courses below 50% to proceed to the next term. Though this may seem like a fabulous idea right, now there are some definite pros and cons. Consider that in your 1B term, you will probably have one more course than in 1A so the time management skills you learn with 5 courses (or 6) will be critical for the next term. However, if you are struggling with other factors like difficulty with the language, the reduced course load option will give you the chance to spend time focusing on improving that skill (I know math sometimes seems like a whole other language, but this is more relevant to international students). I was offered to take reduced course load in 1A; choosing not to was the scariest decision of my life but I was successful in passing on to 1B. What I suggest you do is take a look at the factors which caused you to get the grades you got. Did you choke in the exam? Did you study as much as you could have? Did you get enough sleep? 1A midterms is a new experience for most of us and like most new experiences, it is only a very rough approximation of future performance, there is some tweaking required.
What to do now? Work, lots of work. If you find that you are struggling get help, no one expects you to do this on your own. Take advantage of the WEEF TA help sessions or tutoring in residence to understand material. Also, ask your classmates or professors whenever you have questions and visit your profs during their office hours; they are all there to help you and they have blocked out that time to answer student questions. Professors don’t enjoy seeing their students struggling and will do their best if you reach out for help (there may possibly be some inter-prof rivalry going on here!). You can also ask your classmates. If a class really isn’t making sense and you want a fresh perspective, try visiting other classes during lectures on the same subject you are struggling in. And finally, stay healthy, eat properly, sleep for 8 hours a night as often as possible and get regular exercise. Trust me, everything becomes 10 times harder when you are sleep deprived.
Good Luck!
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