<p>Ok some of you might remember me , i’ve been around the UM forums for a while. Heres my predicament… coming in from high school, I was at the top of my class… ACT 35, SAT 2200+, National Merit Finalist, Eagle Scout, etc, etc, came in with 40+ credit hours. But it seems like my mojo seems to have just turned off after I got here? I think my work ethic was always poor but I got away with it with my intelligence. I’ve learned the hard way you can’t do it here because there will always be someone who can overpower your intelligence through hard work. I guess I need help with study habits? i don’t even go out anymore (its been like a month since ive gone out, that is ridiculous). Anyone here in the same situation as me? I have some buddies that are… I never imagined coming in that I would have to fight to get a 3.2 (which is what I need to declare Biomedical Engineering).</p>
<p>u can always major in CS n earn 100k per year in the Silicon Valley</p>
<p>I think CS requires a 3.5 GPA, doesn’t it? </p>
<p>Or maybe it was only 3.0…</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.engin.umich.edu/students/academics/undergrad/degreeoptions.html[/url]”>http://www.engin.umich.edu/students/academics/undergrad/degreeoptions.html</a></p>
<p>Declaration requirements:
A first-year student may declare an Engineering degree program as early as their second term in the College of Engineering. To declare a major the student must be in good academic standing, have a 2.0 GPA in Engineering core courses, and have completed (or be currently enrolled in) the first year level math, chemistry, physics, Engineering 100, and Engineering 101. For EECS degree programs a grade of C or better is required in all the Engineering core courses. The Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering departments require that students have completed the first year level math, chemistry, physics, Engineering 100, and Engineering 101 before declaration into the program.</p>
<p>Some Engineering degree programs have a higher minimum degree requirement:</p>
<pre><code>Biomedical Engineering - 3.2 GPA
Engineering Physics - 2.8 GPA
Mechanical Engineering - 2.75 GPA
</code></pre>
<p>Sounds like you’re premed (is there anything else to do with BME?). In that case, you should just switch to LSA and major in whatever you want, while completing the med school pre-reqs (unless, of course, you really like BME).</p>
<p>Hi Predator.
I was so happy to find your post. You seem to be writing about the same thing that I’m researching for my younger son. He’s just a junior in high school, but he’s started researching engineering colleges. I’ve helped my other kids evaluate colleges, but this one kid is trickier than the others because he’s so darned smart and seems to put in relatively little effort for even better results, compared to his peers and siblings. So my worry has been … if he applies to the top colleges, where he’ll likely be accepted by at least a few because his stats are so good, will he find himself actually struggling for the first time in his life? And how will that feel? He has no real experience “struggling,” though he does work hard and does push himself to the degree that’s required to get top marks here. It’s just that the top marks come easy to him so far. (I will say, my son’s work ethic is not at all poor. And he has good study habits. Are you pretty sure those are your problems – poor study habits and/or poor work ethic? Or are you just getting bummed out by how hard you have to work because, as you said, there will always be others whose intelligence overpowers your efforts?)</p>
<p>You might be the same kind of kid as my younger son. I’m so glad you bothered to post your concern, because there are bound to be plenty of CCers who are in your predicament. We can all learn from your experience.</p>
<p>First, let me encourage you and tell you that a 3.2 at UM is no failure. Almost 30 years ago, I graduated from one of our country’s top engineering schools. Just about everybody at those top schools came from high schools where they were at the top, so of course some of those “top” students have to eventually be in the middle or towards the bottom at the top colleges. I would say that with a 3.2, you’re somewhere near the “bottom of top” or “top of the middle,” right? Certainly nothing to be ashamed of!</p>
<p>In my opinion, there is so much more to life than just achieving and making high marks. I look back at my experience and I’m thankful for the opportunities that my degrees have granted me. I’m thankful that I know what it’s like to work up to my limits. I’m thankful for the job I have, that I earned partly because of my degrees. But I’ve known for almost 20 years that I was missing part of the big picture when I was younger, pushing to achieve, achieve, achieve. When I look around at the kids who accept B’s and work hard but also diversify into other things that are simply FUN and really interesting to them, for the sake of being stimulated and happy, not for the sake of achievement … well, I think THEY are doing it “right.” If I had to do it all over again, I think I’d do it their way. They’ll still leave the same schools with the same degrees, plus they’ll have all sorts of other life experiences that people with their noses in the books won’t have. Nobody cares what your college GPA was, within reason, once you leave college. So, I try to teach my kids that there’s a balance in life. It feels good to achieve and accomplish and be at the top of the class. But it also feels good to have downtime, be relaxed, and truly enjoy other aspects of your life pretty much pressure-free. </p>
<p>I guess you’re down to a few choices … some that I can think of are … either buckle down and get help with your study habits/work ethic (there’s free help with that stuff on your campus, right?), or change your major to something else you enjoy that won’t burn you out so badly at such a young age (and ENJOY yourself more!), or keep plugging away the way you are for those high marks and know that there will eventually be an end in sight (it will just likely be years from now), or keep plugging away at BME but accept more average results from yourself, or change schools all together to one that fits your intentions and desires better (maybe one that’s a little less competitive). Of course, there are other choices as well. Just about any one of the ones I named will take an adjustment in your attitude. And it’s THAT which I think will make you happier!
Pick a road, any road, and adjust your attitude to go with that road … it’s the sense that YOU’RE in control of your own destiny that will give you some satisfaction, I think. If you decide that you’re going to keep plugging on but accept B’s, for instance, then as you get your results, you tell yourself that you’re doing exactly what you set out to do … enjoy life more and accept B’s. If you decide to change your major because you’ve decided that working at this level for the next 4 to 6 years is not for you, then you change your major, have a good time, and rest assured that you’re doing exactly what you set out to do! And so on. That’s what I’ve found works for me and my kids. Pick a goal – if you have to change course because your original goal isn’t quite working out the way you thought it might, then so be it. Successful people change course when they see the need! Pick the road you want to take … remind yourself that this was YOUR choice … press on with your sights on this new, readjusted course … and be happy! Voila! I have really found this to be empowering. You don’t have to do what “society” or your family or your peers expect you to do. YOU get to choose what YOU want to do with your life and your time. There are all kinds of successful people in this world … they’re not all defined by high grades, period.</p>
<p>Please keep us updated on how you’re doing. And if you have any insight for me and my son, I’d love to hear it! We are trying to avoid the exact same predicament that you now find yourself in!</p>
<p>Best wishes to you, Predator. Hang in there!</p>
<p>CCRunner123, I am not pre-med. I plan to continue with BME, get a master’s, then maybe an MBA.</p>
<p>Also, at the moment, I don’t HAVE a 3.2. I just feel like I have so much potential, I just don’t know how to tap into it all. i need to figure out how to utilize my intelligence. its just disappointing.</p>
<p>Simplelife, I think you misunderstood what i said. I wrote that there will always be someone’s hard work that can overpower my intelligence. However, if I can apply my intelligence, I know I can be unstoppable. I know that sounds arrogant, but I think you guys know what I mean.</p>
<p>Oh, I see. I did misunderstand you. But that doesn’t change any of my advice. You don’t sound happy. It sounds like you know it’s time to re-evaluate, since you’re having trouble getting your mojo on! Whether that’s because you’re having trouble applying your intelligence or whether that’s because your intelligence is no match for your peers’ intelligence … you’re unsatisfied.
I wish you the best, Predator!</p>
<p>And you DON’T sound arrogant to me. I DO understand what you mean.</p>
<p>maybe you should re-evaluate your study habits. I found umich 2.5x harder than my high school. I had to change the way the studied. Maybe you need to do the same.</p>
<p>I understand where you’re coming from Predator, but I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I’ve definitely made some progress, but I’m still not where I want to be. I guess I need to sacrifice more of my free time.</p>
<p>Know your teachers; know how they grade things. Spend time doing things that actually matter, and don’t waste time doing homework that doesn’t get graded, or cramming for a test for a class you’re gonna get an A no matter what in.</p>
<p>That’s all I got lols.</p>
<p>first of all, you need to accept that you are not smarter than other people, that you can be “unstoppable” means nothing, you don’t have a 3.2, people with 3.2+ are doing something better than you. </p>
<p>If you figured out that you need to study hard, then you have to do that. But it doesn’t sound like it, since you said you don’t go out anymore. </p>
<p>See, You have to accept that you are average, and work smart and hard, goto office hours, get help from TAs, professors. Throughout my 4 years at Michigan Engineering, I have yet seen anybody figure out **** locking themselves in a room, it sounds like you need some help to figure out the details of concepts and its applications, no amount of genius/googling solves that problem faster than a trip to your TA’s office hours.</p>
<p>also this isn’t high school, this stuff is supposed to be hard.</p>
<p>-this is coming from me, a guy who barely passed the first two years and made dean’s list every term for the last two.</p>
<p>predator, </p>
<p>since i’m a freshman here, i really don’t know what to say or recommend. what i will say is that i’m really sorry that things are going this bad for you, and hopefully things will improve with time. however, i can’t help from getting the feeling that perhaps biomed engineering isn’t such a good fit for you.</p>
<p>I actually have a much higher gpa at U of M than at my high school. </p>
<p>Anyway, if you are the genuinely smart type, like the type who is smarter than 99% of the student population but got outworked, I have some advice for you.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Exams
Look, what you learn in school has nothing to do in the real world, so don’t bother learning it. Just cram. What I do is, if I have an exam in the morning the next day, I sleep as much as possible the day before. Then starting at midnight, I cram for 6 -8 hours straight, basically learn everything you learned in the semester. I rarely show up for class, when I show up I play madden on my computer anyway, but I always manage to ace my exams this way. If the exam is in the afternoon, then sleep from say like 9pm to 5am… Then start cramming at 5am. The point here is to cram everything in right before the exam and do the exam right away and forget everything right after. Works wonder for me.</p></li>
<li><p>Homework assignments
Don’t do unnecessary homework. If the instructor allows you to drop 2 problem sets with the lowest score, then just skip 2. As I said earlier, since I learn nothing in class, before a problem set is due, I set aside like 3 hours learning everything in the book, and then just blaze through it. . This also serves as your exam prep.
Dont miss assignments that count. I know this sounds basic but it’s true. That’s what I did freshman first semester and got burned.</p></li>
<li><p>Classes
Classes are pointless to go to, unless attendance is taken. Classes are for the not-so-smart students who need to learn by having things repeated and repeated. Dont waste your time. Use your time for homework assignments, projects and exam preparation. Just sleep or hang out the remaining time.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>4 Regrades
A lot of people dont know how to work the regrade system to their advantage. Usually you have to write an explanation on why you think your answers worth more points or why it is right.
Here, bare in mind most GSI dont give a dam and would rather spend their time doing somethign else. So write a really lengthy regrade request, make an argument that goes in circle and confuse the hell out of the GSI (basically write to confuse). GSI might just give you the points you want. Go through the entire exam and nickel and dime. This only works on certain GSIs. It worked in 3 of my classes in my past 2 years. The most extreme case I once had an exam go from 90 to 98. That’s an A- to an A+, makes a huge difference.</p>
<ol>
<li>Cupcakes
Choose cupcake non engineering classes from LSA like polsci, sociology, psych or entry level econ + 320,330 and 370 to fluff your schedule.</li>
</ol>
<p>My system allows you to minimize your time worked and maximize your gpa. I dont have a perfect gpa. I have a 3.7 in engineering doing much less work than everyone else. Yea there are certain nights I need to pull an all nighter like right before an assignment is due or right before an exam… but I also rarely have to show up for classes or take notes or anything. If I show up it’s just so I dont feel guilty, and I end up browsing the internet and playing madden anyway. I rarely have to study for no reason. . If you compare total time spent, you would see that I spend less than half the time most students in the COE spend on their academics pursuit, while have a higher gpa than most.</p>
<p>I just hope not to have to drive over any bridges or in any cars that you have a hand in designing.</p>
<p>I wont design any bridges or cars any time in the near future. Don’t worry. That’s a little too boring for me.
Also, not that anything you learn in school would actually help you build a bridge or a car in real life. Most engineering students do not recognize that fact.</p>
<p>it is said 95% of Eng. curriculum is useless to the trade anyway</p>
<p>“You have to accept that you are average, and work smart and hard, goto office hours, get help from TAs, professors.”
Disagree. Only people who are average need to accept that they are average.</p>
<p>“no amount of genius/googling solves that problem faster than a trip to your TA’s office hours”
Disagree again.</p>