School - I'm $%@#ed

Off Topic
41

[quote]BlairM wrote:
Cthulhu wrote:
Great advice on here.
Just try to excel in your strong points, and not your weak points.
I’m sure if you started studying subjects that interest you, college will be much easier. And I still think that High School is much harder.

I think they both have their easy and hard points. HS is harder in the sense that its more annoying: all the rules, things you can’t do. I know with my University classes, I can prop my feet on the table, eat a burrito, and skip if wanted [not that I do any these :P]

College is harder in terms of workload, and the way it works. No mercy, you’re an adult. Large papers, lots of reading, and the way you answer Q’s are different. You go from being ‘fact’ based to being ‘critical thinking based, plus facts’.

With all that said, I prefer college. So much freedom, and its not hard if you just do the work. [/quote]

Damn. You’re lucky. I go to a Maritime Academy, and I’m ROTC; we have to be in uniform properly groomed every day, and attendance to class is mandatory.

42

[quote]Shoebolt wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Kreal7 wrote:
It may seem like other people instantly get chemistry and math, but I assure you this is not the case. I’ve found part of learning that sorta stuff is struggling through it first, then getting help if you don’t figure it out. There is no shame in meeting with your teacher, that is what they are there for. Most teachers like if you show effort and a desire to understand the material.

I read ahead of the teacher. Class was a review of what I had already been over. I think some people underestimate the effort it takes to do well. Even though, looking back, I sometimes wish I had enjoyed myself more in college, the truth is, I worked and studied harder than most people. While my roommates were playing video games and skipping classes, I was often studying in the music building or the science building. I remember spending the week before classes started my freshman year reading the first chapter of all of my textbooks because I was that afraid of fucking up…because the only thing I truly fear is complete failure.

It all comes down to how badly you want to do well and thinking these classes are a waste of time is NOT a good way to approach that mentally. I am also interested in how the OP is so convinced that he knows more than his professor. While we have all had ridiculous professors, the key to doing well is simply playing the game while in the class. Who the fuck cares if the teacher contradicts the textbook? If contradicting the textbook along with him helps you get a fucking “A” in the class, then get to contradicting.

Why go out the Sunday before an exam when you know you aren’t ready for the test?

Why wait until the night before to cram everything in at once?

Why ignore what people who are actually doing well in those classes are doing?

Why not get a tutor?

In all honesty, those grades are going to follow you for the rest of your life unless you go to higher level of education (grad school) after college. It is worth putting the time in even if that means missing some things.

English class isn’t useless. You can look at this site and see that many people actually needed to be paying attention more in some of those.

If takes being a nerd to do well, be a fucking nerd. They’ll be the ones running the companies 10 years down the road anyway.

Bro take it from Prof X, that’s probably some of the best advice you’re gonna get for school.

Westdale warrior eh? Do you go to McMaster?
[/quote]

Nice close reading… it was mentioned a few times that he’s in high school.

43

[quote]HardcoreHorn wrote:
BlairM wrote:
Cthulhu wrote:
Great advice on here.
Just try to excel in your strong points, and not your weak points.
I’m sure if you started studying subjects that interest you, college will be much easier. And I still think that High School is much harder.

I think they both have their easy and hard points. HS is harder in the sense that its more annoying: all the rules, things you can’t do. I know with my University classes, I can prop my feet on the table, eat a burrito, and skip if wanted [not that I do any these :P]

College is harder in terms of workload, and the way it works. No mercy, you’re an adult. Large papers, lots of reading, and the way you answer Q’s are different. You go from being ‘fact’ based to being ‘critical thinking based, plus facts’.

With all that said, I prefer college. So much freedom, and its not hard if you just do the work.

Damn. You’re lucky. I go to a Maritime Academy, and I’m ROTC; we have to be in uniform properly groomed every day, and attendance to class is mandatory.[/quote]

Haha, yeah well, I imagine its a little different in ROTC at Maritime. I’m an English major with a minor in Japanese at an urban state university. Liberal arts major + huge classes = no one caring if we skip class or not.

Anyway, during my freshman year, I got wrapped up in all the fun and skipped about 4 weeks of classes in a row, got a D - in Japanese, and had to get my act together fast. Can honestly say I go to every class now, amazing the difference in GPA from just going to lecture. :slight_smile:

Crap, I’m starting to sound like a responsible adult. Excuse me while I go egg a house.

Best of luck in ROTC :}

44

thanks every one for the great advice and words of encouragement. i picked up a math tutor and selected the university level math for next year. and i have re arranged my workout schedual so that i can fit in a few good solid hours of study time a night.

45

[quote]PGA wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
How about Spike on exam days?

How about he just stops being a whiny teenager, sucks it up and realizes at 16 he doesn’t know shit?[/quote]

il admit im 16 and i have many years worth of information to learn. all i was basicly trying to say is. i am bad at math i love to learn about health , nutrition and exercise, and i was wondering if there were any career path for people like me.

46

Most career paths in those fields are going to be largely limited unless you have a background in biology and chemistry. Advancing your education in these fields requires that you understand math (at least algebra). There are exceptions, for sure, and ways you could probably work around it. However, it may not be wise planning a career hoping you will be able to take advantage of the exceptions.

Most of the time I find people who say they are “bad at math” simply have a poor foundation in it. Go back and refresh old concepts that are relevent to the current subject. Do that before you try to really memorize the new material. If you don’t “get” the older stuff, you’re making it needlessly difficult if you try to just trudge on. Take 15 minutes and just go back. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration (and time) in the long run.

Also, do lots and lots of practice problems. Its much much easier to “get” math through working something out. I never found it useful to just sit down and try to memorize “how” to do equations, but rather I just kept doing them over and over until it the process just became second nature.

47

Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.

I got stopped in infinite series in calc, so I changed my major from CompSci to something else. Regret? It’s hard to say, as I don’t feel I’ll be as much of a tool, but I also won’t make as much money. I won’t make the games I envisioned, but I’ll live. Still, I’ll be happy. I have a good job, the degree will help me move up, yadda, yadda, yadda.

48

Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.

I got stopped in infinite series in calc, so I changed my major from CompSci to something else. Regret? It’s hard to say, as I don’t feel I’ll be as much of a tool, but I also won’t make as much money. I won’t make the games I envisioned, but I’ll live. Still, I’ll be happy. I have a good job, the degree will help me move up, yadda, yadda, yadda.

49

[quote]westdale warrior wrote:
il admit im 16 and i have many years worth of information to learn. all i was basicly trying to say is. i am bad at math i love to learn about health , nutrition and exercise, and i was wondering if there were any career path for people like me. [/quote]

Understandable but chances are at 16 what you enjoy now wont be what you enjoy into your late 20’s and early 30’s and beyond. You just started lifting 4 months ago. It’s new to you thats why you enjoy it.

You’re in high school right now. Get good grades and graduate. THEN when you get to college get all of the Gen Ed requirements out of the way first while sitting in or taking a few classes that are part of the degree you MIGHT want to pursue.

You got a tutor, good job and you’re pushing yourself next semester by taking a higher math class. Thats the attitude you need to take when there’s a class that you don’t excel in. High school is the easy part. College is where it becomes difficult to continually get good grades.

50

If you love health and nutrition there are not that many careers that are available without a degree. If you would like to go to a post-secondary educational institution you could do anything from being a nutritionist to being a teacher or you could be a doctor. Try to stay with the things you love and get through the others as best you can.

Just on a side note: Don’t go to Mac, go to Queens.

51

PGA’s right: when I started college, I was working towards a criminal justice degree, was going to work for the FBI. Discovered my true love along the way, from a class not related to what I THOUGHT it was I wanted to do, and because of that I am now happy and haven’t looked back.

Just enjoy life, and learn as much as you can in everything. That way, after you start college and finish the basic requirements your first and second year, you’ll have the foundation and knowledge to do whatever you want.

And if its worth anything, when I was HS, I would do my workout immediately after school, since I needed to move and forget about the stress of the day. Then I’d read a book or play with my pet snake before starting the homework.

Just be sure to give yourself a break between school and homework. Burning yourself out is hard to recover from. When I was 16, I took on way to much, wasn’t getting enough sleep, was trying to do to much and succeed at everything, and ended up having a nervous breakdown in some parking lot.

Just be happy, learn all, and go where life takes you.

52

[quote]PGA wrote:
westdale warrior wrote:
il admit im 16 and i have many years worth of information to learn. all i was basicly trying to say is. i am bad at math i love to learn about health , nutrition and exercise, and i was wondering if there were any career path for people like me.

Understandable but chances are at 16 what you enjoy now wont be what you enjoy into your late 20’s and early 30’s and beyond. You just started lifting 4 months ago. It’s new to you thats why you enjoy it.

You’re in high school right now. Get good grades and graduate. THEN when you get to college get all of the Gen Ed requirements out of the way first while sitting in or taking a few classes that are part of the degree you MIGHT want to pursue.

You got a tutor, good job and you’re pushing yourself next semester by taking a higher math class. Thats the attitude you need to take when there’s a class that you don’t excel in. High school is the easy part. College is where it becomes difficult to continually get good grades.[/quote]

Good advice. At 16, I ws going to be a lawyer. Though many of you think so, you don’t know shit at that age and your values are likely to change along with your interests over the next few years as you gain more life experience.

Everything is black and white as a kid. You don’t realize how grey everything really is until later.

53

If it gives you any idea of the changes you go through, at 16 I waas a little over 300 pounds and could bench about 140 pounds a couple of times. I sat on the couch and hated doing anything that was even mildly athletic.

I am still a big guy but am athletic for my size and now I want to be a personal trainer or strength coach. Big change in five years. If it is what you love, follow it but don’t be afraid to try other things and enjoy them.

54

[quote]Professor X wrote:
PGA wrote:
westdale warrior wrote:
il admit im 16 and i have many years worth of information to learn. all i was basicly trying to say is. i am bad at math i love to learn about health , nutrition and exercise, and i was wondering if there were any career path for people like me.

Understandable but chances are at 16 what you enjoy now wont be what you enjoy into your late 20’s and early 30’s and beyond. You just started lifting 4 months ago. It’s new to you thats why you enjoy it.

You’re in high school right now. Get good grades and graduate. THEN when you get to college get all of the Gen Ed requirements out of the way first while sitting in or taking a few classes that are part of the degree you MIGHT want to pursue.

You got a tutor, good job and you’re pushing yourself next semester by taking a higher math class. Thats the attitude you need to take when there’s a class that you don’t excel in. High school is the easy part. College is where it becomes difficult to continually get good grades.

Good advice. At 16, I ws going to be a lawyer. Though many of you think so, you don’t know shit at that age and your values are likely to change along with your interests over the next few years as you gain more life experience.

Everything is black and white as a kid. You don’t realize how grey everything really is until later.[/quote]

Very good advice here. I was a mediocre high school student who struggled especially hard with math. I took a semester at a junior college and dropped out.

I wound up as a clerk in an accounting department, and discovered that the last thing I would have ever thought I would enjoy doing was something I enjoyed. I went back to school and just finished a masters in accounting.

My gpa was a 3.7, I graduated HS with a gpa of 2.2. The difference was that I thought I was dumb in HS, and all I did was show up (that is all you have to do to get through HS). I know this is really clich?, but you really get out of your studies what you put into them.

55

Cool thread.

The most comforting I think in life is to say to myself at the end of every night, “Wow that was a great day. Can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.” Life really is too short to not enjoy it to the fullest.

Sadly, so many people realize this AFTER some tragic event in their lives. But, I take pride in just having a very balanced lifestyle like someone else said. Doing whatever gives me pleasure in life is what I will do and won’t waste time doing jobs or things I don’t enjoy. Life is what you make of it.

I will try lots of new stuff but if I don’t say, “Wow, I love my life,” at the end of each day, I’ll alter what I do with myself. Thankfully, I’m already there and I hope you think about that to make life meaningful.

56

[quote]BlairM wrote:
HardcoreHorn wrote:
BlairM wrote:
Cthulhu wrote:
Great advice on here.
Just try to excel in your strong points, and not your weak points.
I’m sure if you started studying subjects that interest you, college will be much easier. And I still think that High School is much harder.

I think they both have their easy and hard points. HS is harder in the sense that its more annoying: all the rules, things you can’t do. I know with my University classes, I can prop my feet on the table, eat a burrito, and skip if wanted [not that I do any these :P]

College is harder in terms of workload, and the way it works. No mercy, you’re an adult. Large papers, lots of reading, and the way you answer Q’s are different. You go from being ‘fact’ based to being ‘critical thinking based, plus facts’.

With all that said, I prefer college. So much freedom, and its not hard if you just do the work.

Damn. You’re lucky. I go to a Maritime Academy, and I’m ROTC; we have to be in uniform properly groomed every day, and attendance to class is mandatory.

Haha, yeah well, I imagine its a little different in ROTC at Maritime. I’m an English major with a minor in Japanese at an urban state university. Liberal arts major + huge classes = no one caring if we skip class or not.

Anyway, during my freshman year, I got wrapped up in all the fun and skipped about 4 weeks of classes in a row, got a D - in Japanese, and had to get my act together fast. Can honestly say I go to every class now, amazing the difference in GPA from just going to lecture. :slight_smile:

Crap, I’m starting to sound like a responsible adult. Excuse me while I go egg a house.

Best of luck in ROTC :}[/quote]

Thanks. Back at you. Don’t worry, responsibility is fun!