<p>Any one else feel like they hit a brick wall with first semester grades?
What is the deal with the computer science grades?
Where can you go from here if you,ve done less than stellar with engineering but really want to continue in it?</p>
<p>First of all, take a deep breath. I’m assuming that you are a freshman. First semester freshman year is incredibly difficult for everyone, especially science majors. Not only do you have to get used to the college ways of grading and classes, you are also adjusting to a new environment, a long way from home. </p>
<p>There are plenty of people who can help you do better next semester. USC has many free tutors for different classes. I don’t know much about the school of engineering, but I’m sure that it has resources that could help you. This past semester, you have learned about many of the things you struggled with. Now you can work early on in the next semester to improve them. The nice thing about college is that you get to start fresh in classes each semester- take advantage of that.</p>
<p>About changing your major- Did you enjoy the classes you took on the subject? Note- this question isn’t whether you did well in them, but did you enjoy them. If so, maybe you just need more time to figure out how to study for the classes. I changed my major because I realized that I hated the classes I was taking. If you still enjoy them, give it another semester. Also, always be sure to talk to your advisor about any problems that you are having, as they can give you good advice and help.</p>
<p>Ughh, BUAD-304 never ceases to frustrate me…</p>
<p>ummm yeah… TO (Thematic Option) + FSH (Freshman Science Honors) = horrible idea. Actually, TO wasn’t really that bad, but the science classes killed me.</p>
<p>Let’s see…</p>
<p>CORE 102: B
CORE 111: B+
CHEM 115a: B
BISC 121: C+ (thank God that one’s over)</p>
<p>GPA: 2.9</p>
<p>… so, bye bye scholarships?? I have Trojan and University. They give me time to bring my GPA up, right???</p>
<p>Oh, and btw, I had a biology tutor. She was nice, but she didn’t really help me learn bio. I guess it’s just one of those subjects you have to learn on your own… or not. </p>
<p>I just wish I had ONE class that was an easy “A”. Just ONE. Oh well, next semester I have swimming. And NO FSH. YAY!!!</p>
<p>Agree completely with Nikara. First semester of freshman year was the most difficult semester for me so far (I was also in FSH). At that point I was still “learning” how to learn. In the midst of making new friends and trying new things, it’s easy to lose track of why you’re here. It might not seem like much, but going out to eat one day and watching a movie the next day adds up, and the day before the big exam you realize, oh ****, I’m behind 20 chapters of bio? Trust me, I’ve been there.</p>
<p>As Nikara said, even if you didn’t do so well, if you still enjoy what you’re learning, give it some time. Get into the habit of reading the chapters that the professor covered right after lecture so you don’t have to cram as much later on. Weekly Supplemental Instruction for math and science classes are great for refreshing your memory and summarizing what was talked about in class. From my experience, the TAs and SI leaders are more than willing to answer your questions.</p>
<p>There are different levels of “brick wall” :)</p>
<p>In any case, go see your advisor. If you’re still CS, that would be Steve. He’s a really nice guy and will certainly help make things clearer. </p>
<p>Really hard brick wall –> There are options like “freshman forgiveness” that help you come back from D’s and F’s. Depending on how these came about, there are a multitude of academic resources for this kind of situation, but you need to go and ask the right people for help.</p>
<p>moderately hard brick wall –> If you need a 3.0 or such to keep your scholarship (and don’t quite have it), often there’s “probation periods” and such, but you need to talk to an advisor if this is the case. Otherwise, you still have 7 more semesters to improve your grades to the point where you can do what you want (grad school, career, professional athlete, etc.) and most likely as you get used to college, grades would improve.</p>
<p>marshmellow brick wall –> You didn’t get an A. Sorry, but if this is the case, suck it up 
Everyone has at best some A-/B+/B etc. If you had straight A’s you would be the valedictorian.</p>
<p>Remember, this is engineering. A 3.0 can be considered a decent GPA (perhaps even above average?!?) and likely good enough for grad school.</p>
<p>Steve is awesome.</p>
<p>scubaguy, if you like computer science, stick with it. Do as much programming in your spare time as you possibly can. And call me up, we’ll make a Facebook app or something fun.</p>
<p>Man, this 1st semester was a bummer.</p>
<p>i did pretty bad too. i heard bisc 220 is a killer. any of you upperclassmen know any easy “A” classes? I was thinking of taking precalculus or stats I. any suggestions?</p>
<p>Personally, I found 220 to be easier than 120. It deals with the human body a lot more than 120, where you discuss some lovely plants.</p>
<p>Thank goodness! I don’t think I could handle another semester of “memorize all the pointless phylums in the universe”. I heard McClure is AWESOME.</p>
<p>i agree with CA tennis player. i hated that part when i had to memorize all the stupid homo’s evolution (no pun intended) and the vertebrate phyla. i also hated ecology and evolution. i rather memorize some physio that would actually benefit me if i ever make it to the medical profession. btw. CA tennis player do you happen to know bruce in fsh and to?</p>
<p>CATennisPlayer, i can totally relate- my grades:
core 102- B
core 111- B+
chem 115a- B+ (even though i got 97% on the final and i did NOT cheat, grrr im so mad!!! i cant believe Mak rescinded his offer…)
bisc 121- A- </p>
<p>subandrew1 i know bruce :)</p>
<p>scubaguy…if by computer science you mean “CSCI 101 with Ghyam,” then i feel your pain. it was my first B in college (going into my fourth semester)…and as much as i feel i deserved at least better than that based on my programming alone, i still feel like i learned a LOT from the class regardless. (the tests killed me, and not even the coding parts.)</p>
<p>but yeah, never, ever be afraid to ask for help. if one source of help doesn’t really do anything for your grades (or more importantly, your understanding of the concepts…believe it or not, the two can be different things :D), keep trying new things.</p>
<p>subandrew1- sorry, that name doesn’t really ring a bell. There were like 5 other FSH kids in my TO class, and I had hard time just remembering who they were, seeing as how I am really bad at remembering names (come to think of it, maybe that’s why I didn’t do so well in bio. haha) </p>
<p>socks-yeah, that did make me mad when Mak rescinded his offer, but I bombed the final so it didn’t matter anyways for me. But it still wasn’t fair for anyone because those people not only took away A’s from people like you, but also probably screwed up the curve for everyone else. The average was a 90%!!</p>
<p>If you truly feel your grade was unfair, you can always appeal, and have the final grade reviewed by someone else (exact policies vary by department) Though usually it is very difficult to overturn an assigned grade, I have heard cases where appeal has been successful.</p>
<p>I thought McClure was a very interesting lecturer, even though I’m self-described “bad at biology”. I had him for BISC 230, which is a neuroscience GE course, though, and that’s his area.</p>
<p>i e-mailed prof mak as soon as he said what my grade would be- on dec 19- just for that reason, because i figured changing an assigned grade would be very difficult. he never responded though!!! FSDGERGOOERJGFJkwe;jdfvguo['wefbodhj febwojwgbio fhboj['vgohbj’ewfhb’qweifgv
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<p>i have so much anger over the whole situation.</p>
<p>Did Mak give you guys that “95% on the final = A in the class” opportunity?</p>
<p>Last year, I initially got an A- too, but got a 97% on the final, but I emailed him and he fixed it for me promptly. Kinda sucks he took that away from you, that’s not normally like him.</p>
<p>yes, he initially told us that anyone who got >95% on the final would get an A, but then he rescinded the offer because he said someone cheated on the final?? i dont know, the whole thing was very confusing. but he wont reply to my email :(</p>
<p>anyone get screwed in physics 151? Unable to find a cc that offers equivalent course in summer in the bay area
how do you appeal a grade?
can steve strader help?</p>