Seriously Need An Answer

Thanks ca2midwestmom! I did the Thayer Lookup method...and learned quite a bit. ;)

Coming to class prepared to think and lead the learning discussion.... what a ne plus ultra concept!
 
I had several teachers in high school who, on the first day of class, asked, "Do you have any questions?" as their first statement to us. If no one asked anything, the teacher just got up and left.
 
Two things together that will make West Point STEM classes EASY:
1. The desire to learn
2. Time management

This is coming from someone who had below a 3.5 GPA in high school (a very terrible high school at that, took minimal AP classes) and who took many years off in the Army before returning to academics. I've never had a 4.0 GPA semester in my life.
I am a rising Firstie now, am in disputably the toughest major at West Point (*hint* its one of the engineerings), and have over a 3.5 GPA.
How did I do it? The desire to learn and time management. The desire to learn will ensure you stay awake in class and listen to the professor. By merely paying attention in class, asking questions when you don't understand a concept, and then grinding your ass off the night before a WPR, you will receive AT LEAST a B in any STEM class. To get an A, you need to be naturally strong in STEM courses OR you need to use time management and the desire to learn together to read the assigned pages before each lecture (probably less than 10% of cadets actually do this). I didn't know what a derivative was until Yuk year and I received an A in Calc 1 and an A+ in Calc 2. It was a combination of the those two components that enabled me to do this. This desire allowed me to internalize many important concepts which enhanced my performance greatly.

Take it for what its worth.
 
Sawndog said:
Two things together that will make West Point STEM classes EASY:
1. The desire to learn
2. Time management

This is coming from someone who had below a 3.5 GPA in high school (a very terrible high school at that, took minimal AP classes) and who took many years off in the Army before returning to academics. I've never had a 4.0 GPA semester in my life.
I am a rising Firstie now, am in disputably the toughest major at West Point (*hint* its one of the engineerings), and have over a 3.5 GPA.
How did I do it? The desire to learn and time management. The desire to learn will ensure you stay awake in class and listen to the professor. By merely paying attention in class, asking questions when you don't understand a concept, and then grinding your ass off the night before a WPR, you will receive AT LEAST a B in any STEM class. To get an A, you need to be naturally strong in STEM courses OR you need to use time management and the desire to learn together to read the assigned pages before each lecture (probably less than 10% of cadets actually do this). I didn't know what a derivative was until Yuk year and I received an A in Calc 1 and an A+ in Calc 2. It was a combination of the those two components that enabled me to do this. This desire allowed me to internalize many important concepts which enhanced my performance greatly.

Take it for what its worth.
Click to expand...

Thank you and everyone else for the words of encouragement. Since I got home for summer break, I have not been a couch potato. In addition to working out everyday, I have been borrowing chem, calc, and physics books from the library and reading extensively. I have always been a very hard worker, and I know my determination will carry me through my years at the Academy. However, I know I have to learn how to become confident in my own abilities if I want to be the best cadet and soldier I can be. No amount of preparation can help me if I lack self-confidence, which has been the root cause of my difficulty with STEM classes.
 
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