It is known that students who choose RPI above others are quite intelligent, and are here for the quality of education they receive. It is only natural that classes are going to be much harder than elsewhere, which is how RPI attained its reputable name. Since most everyone who comes here was in the upper percentile of his or her high school class, some of them now have to be in the bottom half of their class at RPI. This is not a reality many people are ready to face.
By this time in the semester, the majority of students have both taken their first exam and received a grade for that exam. However, I think it’s safe to say that about 75 percent of those grades were much lower than the students had wanted or even expected. I’m directing this more towards freshmen, who come in from the top of their classes and expect to continue their straight-A streak. Although an admirable goal, it is almost impossible, unless you give up all other aspects of college life, including clubs, events, and the entire social element in general.
I do not recommend stressing yourself out that much. It is acceptable in college to get B’s and C’s every now and then, especially at such a level as RPI’s engineering and science courses. So your first exam grade was less than acceptable for your standards; this is normal. You didn’t know what to expect, what material was going to be covered, how detailed it was going to be, or how harshly partial credit problems were going to be graded. But now you do.
If your grade was not on par for you, there is a lot of time left in the semester to bring that grade up. You now know what to expect on future exams, and I suggest you take the time to look over that first exam to see what types of questions caught you off-guard. You can never predict what types of questions a professor will put on an exam, but you can get a good idea by looking at a previous test. Then, you can adjust your study habits accordingly.
Although there is plenty of time to raise your grade, this can only happen if you put time and effort into your studies. If you think that you can slack off for the rest of the semester and pull it up with one test grade, you’re wrong. You need to keep up with both class notes and homework assignments. If you pay attention in class you will have already had one introduction to the material, maybe two, before you start studying on your own.
What you put into your college learning experience is what you will get out of it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be disappointed if you don’t have perfect grades. Use your first exam as a guide for future expectations of other tests. However, if you did well on your first exam, don’t think you can become careless in your work; one good score doesn’t solidify your final grade. The output can only be as good as the input. Don’t get hung up on one test; focus on the future. It’s the only way to obtain the results you want.
