Struggle Thread

[jcooke]

What course, subject did/do you struggle with most? How many times have you failed? What did you do or what are you doing to pass?

[freeloader]

What course, subject did/do you struggle with most? How many times have you failed? What did you do or what are you doing to pass?

Organic Chemistry I lab. I made a C- and that was only because it was curved and a bunch of people just stopped showing up/withdrew failing so they were automatically below me. We did 10 experiments. None, zero of mine worked. I broke hundreds of dollars worth of lab equipment over the course of the semester. At the end of the term my very earnest TA said some little words that I will remember until the day I die, “Mr (last name), you are, without question, the worst laboratory chemist I have ever seen.”  Up to that point I wanted to be a lab chemist, chemical engineer, or perhaps a pathologist. So, I did the only honorable thing to do when you face a challenge that great—I quit. Less than a week after that comment I declared history and archaeology majors.

[jcooke]

What course, subject did/do you struggle with most? How many times have you failed? What did you do or what are you doing to pass?

Organic Chemistry I lab. I made a C- and that was only because it was curved and a bunch of people just stopped showing up/withdrew failing so they were automatically below me. We did 10 experiments. None, zero of mine worked. I broke hundreds of dollars worth of lab equipment over the course of the semester. At the end of the term my very earnest TA said some little words that I will remember until the day I die, “Mr (last name), you are, without question, the worst laboratory chemist I have ever seen.”  Up to that point I wanted to be a lab chemist, chemical engineer, or perhaps a pathologist. So, I did the only honorable thing to do when you face a challenge that great—I quit. Less than a week after that comment I declared history and archaeology majors.

Great job sticking with finishing the course!
I’m sure you probably needed a lab science to fulfill a gen ed requirement, and you definitely earned it.
Chemistry is tough. I know biologists and physicists who barely passed chem.
History and Archeology are far more interesting subjects to me so I don’t blame you haha

[natshar]

Accounting.

It is a required course for any business major or business minor at every university ever. So no way to get out of it because I'm set on getting a business degree.

[rachel83az]

Right now, Project Management. I don't need-need it but I'd rather have it than not. The terms just aren't sticking. I guess I need to re-read the PDF.

[eriehiker]

German.

I took two years of German in high school, but it wasn't a very good program. I am a great test taker and I tested out of the first year of German at Michigan. I started at second year German and just never got it. This is the only "W" I've ever had on a transcript because I at least had enough sense to drop it before I failed. I tried several more times with German and always dropped before the drop/add deadline. I ended up switching from an LSA degree to the School of Education because they didn't have the language requirement. I wanted to be a teacher anyway, so the lack of the second language has not hurt me professionally.

I am still practicing German on Duolingo and I will learn it eventually.

[dfrecore]

Calculus for Engineers I. I had always been a good math student, all A's and B's through my life. And then I went to SJSU on a full scholarship in Engineering, and wham! It didn't help that the teacher was not a professor, but a grad student who did not speak English as her first (or really any) language. I couldn't understand a single word she said. I struggled through that, and after the first exam, every single person in the class (like 50 of us) got a 50% or worse on the exam - and she had every grade on the board, and said "obviously you did not study!" Yeah lady, every single person in here, who are all Engineering students, didn't study. Right. Or maybe you're the worst teacher on Earth.

I dropped it at that point, and changed my major to Business. Never got anything below a B after that except Financial Accounting and Business Law (and I worked in Accounting at the time, those courses were HARD!).

[jcooke]

I guess I’ll go ahead with mine. What sparked the idea of this thread was that I just passed College Algebra finally!
I have failed two foundations of Algebra courses at brick and mortar schools and college algebra at Straighterline.
I have a really hard time retaining that type of information.
Since I’m working towards my BSBA, I have to have it.
I have looked at so many options to complete this course. There’s no way I could test out of it, I needed a course that was weighed between quizzes and tests. When I found out about Sophia being free this summer, I was interested in their art history, visual communications, philosophy courses, and I happened to look at their college algebra course. I liked the format, so I told myself if I get through a chapter of algebra, I can do a chapter of art or philosophy, etc. And I made it! I really love Sophia’s format. If I wasn’t really digging one instructor, I just changed to the next. It broke down chapters in to sizable chunks of information that I could handle. I was able to study the stuff unlike any other math course I’ve taken before. I worked through problems for fun at the end of each chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If they offered a higher math course, I’d go for it, but not with any other provider I’ve found.

[ROYISAGIRL]

Vietnamese History from 1870 to present. I needed a history course and none seem interesting. I took this one and don't get me wrong it was fascinating, but I learned I am horrible with dates. This class was nothing but dates. I managed to barely squeak by with a c-.

[rachel83az]

Vietnamese History from 1870 to present. I needed a history course and none seem interesting. I took this one and don't get me wrong it was fascinating, but I learned I am horrible with dates. This class was nothing but dates. I managed to barely squeak by with a c-.

I love numbers but I hate having to memorize dates. Glad to hear that you managed to pass it anyway!