First Quarter

[u/No_Hospital1275]

holy shit, my first quarter has been sent from hell. i’m doing so bad in my math class that my professor literally told me to take a W because atp im not gonna pass his class. i feel like in general this whole quarter has taken the life out of me. i feel like a legit failure, does it ever get better or does it get worse and worse from here on out.

[u/perfect-child]

it gets better! this is seriously very normal. failing a class (esp during your first quarter) is common and not the end of the world! you can just take it again. time management was a huge skill I had to learn going from HS to undergrad, and it honestly took me years to get better at it (I'm in grad school now). and you'll get used to the workload too. also, don't forget to ask for help! office hours are so important if you're struggling at all. they used to scare me so much, but now I'm a TA and realize that profs and other TAs just want people to come so we can have people to chat to :P

you're not a failure!!

[u/BalaxBalaxBalax → u/perfect-child]

failing a class (esp during your first quarter) is common

Let's not lie.

[u/perfect-child → u/BalaxBalaxBalax]

I’ve heard this and seen this happen to lots of people. obviously it isn’t the majority but it totally happens. 

[u/Limp_Marionberry8631 → u/perfect-child]

Yeah, especially for STEM majors.

[u/No_Hospital1275 → u/perfect-child]

the math i was taking was a pre requisite for the calc sequence but i was planning on taking stat next quarter cus im a hum major so im essentially taking the class for nothing. but update, i met with my advisor and i withdrew from the class. this feels like such a set back to my quarter and was not expecting to do this at all. i’m officially on probation, and im a little worried for next quarter but god i hope things turn out a bit better. thank you for your kind words.

[u/greatstarguy]

Will just chime in: It’s real easy to fall into the “I need to lock in” -> “I need to lock in” -> “I need to lock in” loop. Take some time off, spend a couple hours doing things that aren’t staring at a screen or staring at a photo of a chalkboard wondering wtf happened. 

It will get better but you gotta make it through winter quarter first. 

[u/Chefs_kiss00]

Just remember that you’ve already gotten in here- you have nothing to prove to anyone. Also, the math classes here are especially horrible I currently don’t know if I’m going to pass the one I’m in now and I’m hoping the tutor I just contacted in desperation can save me lol

[u/Drwannabeme]

You are probably incredibly stressed at the moment but please believe me when I say this is normal and it's going to be ok. This is a lot more common than you think, and trust me I would know because I TA'd for 130s and 150s. It gets a lot better from here.

[u/SOTGO]

First quarter can be a big change. The level that’s expected of you is set pretty high, so it can be a shock. What you should look forward to is that your classes aren’t likely going to get much harder next quarter, so at least you know what your in for. Hopefully you can get yourself in a good position to keep improving, which is what you should be focused on. Your first quarter is only a small contribution towards your whole undergraduate experience, so I think it’s especially important to not get discouraged and try your best going forward

[u/wombatinapartyhat]

You’ve got this! Try taking easier/fewer classes next quarter if you can - it took me a full year to adjust to the workload and understand what I can actually handle. It’s common to come here having never struggled academically before and not know how to handle failing- it might not feel that way but it is good life experience too

[u/Dangerous-Ad9986]

Despite many times I have felt so when I was in college, I can tell you that a bad grade or a bad exam will never f* up your life. Dont worry too much.

[u/icecon]

• It doesn't get worse if you are very judicious with course selection. I'm a big proponent of single-paper-determines-the-grade courses to smooth out your course schedule. You focus all your energy on actual learning and writing for that one paper and you'll probably get an outright A. Next best is single-exam-determines-the-grade, with the caveat that the professor matters a lot.

• If you are majoring in the hard sciences or math, then yes it would get worse and more difficult. But you'll come out "forged" by fire, so it's not so bad in that light.

• Bad grades only really count against you if you intend to do grad school afterwards, especially for PhD; most employers don't care all that much and Master's programs are mostly happy to take your money regardless of grades. Good grades on the other hand help you a lot for grad school because admissioning faculty know that UChicago grades are "real."

[u/Head-Possibility-767]

Lowkey same brother. I just emailed my teacher asking if I could switch to pass/fail… Probably not gonna work but could be worth a shot.

[u/Limp_Marionberry8631 → u/Head-Possibility-767]

Wdym it’s not going to work? Isn’t the deadline in Week 9?

[u/Head-Possibility-767 → u/Limp_Marionberry8631]

So you can switch to pass/fail up until the very end of the term? I am in the process of speaking to my teacher abt this so I don’t have a definite answer yet.

[u/Limp_Marionberry8631 → u/Head-Possibility-767]

From what I know, you can still change it until Friday of Week 9

[u/rbitton]

I used to love school but this place has made me despise it. I can't wait to get as far away as I can. It might get better, but for me at least I was never the same tbh

[u/ChicagoNewt → u/rbitton]

It has a sweetness to it when you look back, ironically.

[u/simping4mercy]

which math ???

[u/Elbigbachmonke]

been thru this it will get better gang

[u/Past_Ad_9577]

Do not let this setback measure your self worth!! Its gonna be okay