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Ask HN: University and Fallnig behind

3 pointsby asdojasdosadsaalmost 8 years ago
TL;DR: Passing through University<p>I think, most of us - not all - have gone through University. Other have gained experience in other ways. What I would like to have, is some help. I think I&#x27;m not the only one stressing the upcoming semester in September. I have fallen back a lot with courses like Math and generally lower level stuff. What is the way of getting there? I am willing to put a lot of work in, but I&#x27;m concurrently working few evenings in the week. I don&#x27;t want to add, that I have problems concentrating, even if that&#x27;s the situation.<p>I am talking about Bachelor of Computer Science

2 comments

strictneinalmost 8 years ago
Standard disclaimer: your mileage may vary, and it seems like you may not be in the US (?), so I&#x27;m not entirely sure how your University system works or who is paying for it, so this may not 100% apply, but the biggest advice I&#x27;d have for you is:<p>Slow down<p>It&#x27;s not a race and taking an extra year or two in school isn&#x27;t that big of deal long term. I ran into a bunch of shit during college, including bouts of depression and the death of my father, and the worst thing I did was try to power through it and worry about graduating in four years. A caveat: It may be a little easier for me to say this than for some others, as my father was very successful in business, so another year or two of college was not a financial burden.<p>A fun trick: if the classes you struggled in have large lectures, just attend it again the next semester. No one is taking attendance. You&#x27;ll just be there to learn without having to worry about any of the work or the tests. I did this with a couple of my CompSci classes and it was helpful.<p>Your school also likely has a bunch of fairly nice people who work in the guidance center who would be happy to talk to you about your struggles and concerns.
shahbabyalmost 8 years ago
I went through a similar experience last semester and decided to change my approach. From now on I&#x27;m going to be taking fewer classes and no longer worry if it delays my graduation date. Why?<p>What matters most in undergrad is what you do OUTSIDE the classroom.<p>Are you attending hackathons&#x2F;programming competitions at your university? Are you applying for internships? Are you part of any club where you learn stuff? Are you preparing for coding interviews? Are you making friends?<p>Right now the competition is easy. Most students in comp sci are caught up in their course work so it&#x27;s not hard to stand out. The tech giants and local startups will be looking for undergrads&#x2F;fresh grads for their internships.<p>The biggest thing to realize is that the first serious job out of school is going to set the trajectory for the rest of your career.<p>So you should think of your time in undergrad as a time when you set yourself up to get that ideal job. Don&#x27;t expect your classes to prepare you for anything.<p>In other words, don&#x27;t worry so much about grades. Take a lighter course load if you have to. Focus on the extra curriculars instead.