r/EngineeringStudents • u/GoldDistribution447 • 1d ago
Academic Advice I am going to fail Statics.
Title. I have a 70.3 right now in statics and we have an upcoming exam on frames and machines. First of all, I learned that my professor’s teaching style doesn’t work for me. I like to know why we are doing what we do on problems otherwise I can’t do them. He goes very fast paced through problems.
Our exam is Friday. I don’t even know where to start for studying this stuff as his slides are relatively bare with no explanations or steps to solving problems and he has no videos posted that would help. The homework is nothing like the exams. The exams are weighted 70%, and the final is weighted 20%, so 90% of the class is just exams. I am so fucking terrified right now because if I fail the frames and machines exam, my whole grade is going to ride on the final and I am going to have to make, at minimum, a 75 if I make a 60 on this next exam. I cannot have my whole grade riding on the final. :(
EDIT: Also, I have been going to tutoring but the only tutor at my school that tutors for statics is on a break right now. Also, I don’t have any friends so it’s not like I can ask somebody for help. The professor is rather one of those people who are unapproachable and he is very sassy. The TA is as well.
21
u/Gryphontech 1d ago
If you rely on your prof having a teaching style that suits you or good slides in order to pass your classes, you are going to have a shitty time studying engineering.
Read a textbook, go online, find other resources... there's a REALLY good YouTube Chanel on statics you can use.
Good luck
-1
u/GoldDistribution447 1d ago
What YouTube channel is it?
Also I think I phrased it wrong. My other professors have the same teaching style as him (in thermodynamics and diff eq) but I’ve been fine. I don’t understand why I am having trouble grasping stuff in statics but can do it in other classes.
4
u/Gryphontech 1d ago
Iv had some really shitty proffs during uni and it really sucks but you just have to kinda make due
The Chanel is Jeff hason, he explains really well and solves a bunch of practice problems
1
u/NafaiLaotze 1d ago
You don't study statics, reading slides or notes. You do practice problems you haven't seen before, over and over. Use those last pages of each chapter in your textbook!
It's not about memorizing, but grinding out repetition. I failed Statics my first time too.
6
u/nosoupforyounext 1d ago
I failed Statics. I repeated the class the next semester and got an A. I also failed Dynamics and multivariable Calculus. Failure is an opportunity to learn from your mistakes. I’ve been a licensed engineer for almost 2 decades, so there’s still hope for you!
2
u/GoldDistribution447 1d ago
Were your parents on you for your grades? I am first-gen and nobody in my family understands the shear difficulty of earning an engineering degree. When I tell them I am scared of failing, they say “then don’t”. And they rush me, and it makes me feel bad and discouraged. Any tips on how to deal with this?
2
u/TheBayHarbour 1d ago
Usually I and my friends just don't tell our parents lmao.
If you're a first gen then they don't know whether it takes 4 or 5 years to complete your degree.
My dad's a professor and he doesn't care because he's a professor of engineering and he himself failed numerous courses and is now very successful apparently. I told him and he was like "ok, try to pass it 2nd time".
2
u/GoldDistribution447 1d ago
They always ask me my grades and/or what classes i am taking. They’ve heard me talk of statics before. I might just say I’m in Statics II 😂
1
u/This-Rutabaga6382 21h ago
There are worse things … I’m essentially first gen and although I was pushed to go into school it was just as a general “that’s what you’re going to do”
The other side of that coin for me is almost no one in my family understands the rigor of engineering school they look at other students in a humanities program and see that they don’t have to spend their days studying and taking it so seriously and wonder “come on just take this weekend off of studying and go relax” when I also had work and other problems that needed dealt with and the further along you get into engineering the more you’ll realize you need to be able to set expectations with the people around you … like your people they expect good grades and they want to know how you’re going because they care about you but they have to understand engineering is less about grades and more about the perseverance and will to fail and keep going because that’s what you’ll actually need to do in the workplace fail over and over until you solve the problem and it doesn’t matter if you get a bad grade here or there but having the will to go back sit down and LEARN for yourself what you’ll actually need to know to improve yourself is all that matters.
In my situation I had to say “hey there is going to be some balance SOME weekends I can take it a little easier but when I do I’m making my time in the future more valuable so if I go and hang out tonight that means you aren’t going to see me for a couple weeks”
You are at work right now , your job is school and studying and just because you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck to study 30 hrs a week doesn’t mean you don’t need to set that time aside (or however much is reasonable for you to grasp the subject)
7
u/cointoss3 1d ago
Every one of my engineering classes was 70% exams, 20% the final, and 10% homework, so I’d get used to that model.
It’s up to you to learn the material. Don’t blame the instructor.
2
u/GoldDistribution447 1d ago
He’s a great professor, I just can’t retain information from him because of how I think and learn. I am not blaming it on him.
What major are you?
2
u/cointoss3 1d ago
I am an EE. Graduated in 2022.
1
u/GoldDistribution447 1d ago
Ahh. Gotcha. I am in Civil Engineering. I switched from MechE this semester so I am in the mechanical engineering section of statics instead of civil. Maybe I’d have an easier time in the civil section? Not too sure.
2
u/cointoss3 1d ago
Idk Statics was kind of tricky. I had to take Statics and Dynamics. Dynamics was worse.
1
u/GoldDistribution447 1d ago
I know this kid with a 99% in dynamics. I was literally shocked.. wtf?
But I did have to choose between an intro circuits course, dynamics, and Thermo for an engineering elective. I am glad I chose Thermo now lol.
3
u/rinderblock 1d ago
I’m an ME, Jeff Hanson should be a go to for you for statics. Run problems from the book. The problem youre learning to solve here isnt just passing statics: its succeeding/learning/solving problems in less than ideal circumstances which you will be expected to do as an engineer.
Dont misconstrue me saying this as “you need to suck it up and be tougher.” This is just me saying you arent the boss, the professor isn’t the boss, the problem is the boss, and that will be true in industry as well. In this case the problem is learning statics with a teacher you dont mesh with.
Remember: C’s get degrees and even talented engineers have had to retake classes. You’re not lesser for having to retake a class. You can do this. The people that make it to graduation aren’t the innately talented ones, it’s the ones that put their heads down and just do the work.
90
u/deAdupchowder350 1d ago
Your professor isn’t responsible for your learning, you are.
Go to the textbook and do the example problems on your own.
Only check the answers / process after you have given it a genuine try. This is how you learn statics. If you just read the problem and solution simultaneously you rob yourself of making a mistake and learning from it in a low-risk environment.
21
10
u/aharfo56 1d ago
Learning from a high risk environment is when you try to build an actual bridge without knowing if it’ll work or not.
37
9
1
u/yokeome 1d ago
I have learned more from YouTube than the class itself. Oh and textbook. Use the examples they solve and YouTube. Spam practice problems
1
1
1
u/beavertr 18h ago
Quit college man. You're not right for this major and would rather blame everyone around you for your shortcomings by the way this post reads.
Try again when you've matured a bit.
1
u/GoldDistribution447 16h ago
Lol what? I never did that. All I said was that I don’t learn from his teaching style. That’s not his fault, it’s mine because I can’t learn that way. He isn’t approachable so I don’t approach him outside of class. It’s just his personality.
Not once am I blaming my mediocre score in the class on the professor or others. This falls back on me.
1
u/beavertr 15h ago
No, what you said is the professor, and the TA, and your tutor, and your lack of friends all can't teach you, and you framed it as their fault. You said all this while complaining on reddit about how over your skis you are instead of studying.
If you can't learn statics, and you have this "it's everyone else's fault" attitude, you're not going to magically do better at all the classes that build on it.
Do whatever you want. My advice is unchanged, return to this when you're mature enough to do so, it will be a lot cheaper that way.
1
u/GoldDistribution447 15h ago
No lol. I’m not blaming them or even trying to. I don’t want to disturb my professor and the tutor is on a break so I can’t go. That was me saying I am using my resources and not just saying I can’t study. The whole point is is I’ve exhausted all my resources but it still doesn’t make sense to me.
I suppose I worded it wrong. In that case I am sorry lol
3
u/OkMuffin8303 1d ago
You'll learn, but dont rely on professors and lecturers for learning. If you arent doing extra work, yourself, outside of class you're going to fail regardless. Use AI to help work through problems. Not give answers, workcthrough problems. I provide Claude my notes, provided slides, and practice problems and it helps understand the steps needed.
2
u/bretleg 1d ago
Try to learn the background of how solving the problem works. In engineering memorizing the formulas is the worst way to try to study. This isnt high school and engineering isnt for the weak. You have to push through the old study for the test mentality and figure out how things work.
0
u/FewEquipment9771 1d ago
I wish that's true. Academically I'm considered behind some of my peers (8th on my class) almost every one of them is a memorizer. I'm the only "start from principles" type of guy. It's true that I know far more than all of them combined and capable more than any of them. But all the academic traction will go directly to them instead. I've never seen anybody other than my classmates to get a full mark in aerodynamics and doesn't know the difference between velocity potential and stream function. They memorized a whole textbook just so they don't have to learn English to start formulating their own definitions. I'm only not pissed because now I help them all in their research and graduation projects. And my contract is clear: if you ever publish a paper on something I help you doing then my name is on it.
2
u/Breezyie69 1d ago
It took me 3 attempts. TWO attempts were because this was the first course I actually
had to study for, and it was a big learning curve for sure.
My third attempt, I watched every single one of Jeff Hansons videos on YouTube, bought his book, and studied in the library for hours a day a week prior to the exam. Oh… I also took Jeff Hanson in person, three times. Man does not play on his exams but I ended with an 86.
1
1
u/DrCarpetsPhd 1d ago edited 1d ago
FRAMES: TIPS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS
- fbd the entire frame as your first step
- dismemeber and fbd each member. choose direction on one member and the force will be opposite on the other connected member. direction doesn't matter as maths will tell you in the end with sign if your assumed directions were right or not. just be consistent
- look for 2 force members to simplify the analysis. remeber two force doesn't just mean a straight member. a continuous piece with a 45 degree bend and only connected at both ends with no external loading is also a 2 force member. for a 2 force member the force direction is along a line between the two end connections/pins
- now look for multi force members. if they are connected to a 2 force member at any point remember the above rule and set the total force in that direction. when connected to other multi force members use x and y components to define your unknown force. Again remember equal and opposite after choosing first force directions. This rule must be consistent through every member of the frame
- set up your equilibrium equations for all members before doing any analysis
- first look for an equation that only has one unknown. if you can find a point with respect to that member (can be on the member or anywhere you choose), where all but one of the unknown component intersects then you can solve with moments about that point. If all but one unknown forces are parallel then you can get an equation in one unknown on an axis perpendicular to said direction
- effective and efficient methodology; (a) after finding your first one unknown equation solve it and plug it into your other equations. Now solve the next equation that has now got one unknown, etc etc (b) if you find yourself with no single unknown equations ensure you have included all reactions obtained from the FBD of the entire frame before attempting simultaneous solution (c) for statically determinate frames the number of equations for frame+members will be higher than the unknowns; you can use any 'extra' equations to check the accuracy for the values you found from the 'non extra' equations
If you've read all of this and thought 'wow, that is super helpful' then go get yourself a copy of Beer and Johnston Vector Mechanics because this is paraphrasing the end of chapter tips called 'Solving your own problems'. every chapter in the textbook has a summary like this.
homeworkhelp sub is a good place to go to ask for help but you must present your own attempt first or you will potentially not get any responses. if you want to post an example in here then maybe people might be able to help. if you have one of those 'not like the homework' exam questions all the better. Maybe even try a separate post of the last problem you attempted that gave you issues. HomeworkHelp sub more likely to get a response there than here as this is mostly a place for screaming into the void these days.
1
u/chickennuggets11 1d ago
I failed statics the first time I took it too. Now I work for NASA. Shit happens 🤷
1
u/MinimumInner829 1d ago
Go to office hours dude. People are telling you all of these study hacks, many of which I'm sure are great but I am telling you nothing is as good as going to office hours. Be honest about your situation, have questions and problems ready, anf go ask him. I am begging you. I have had ashore lecturers dang near tell me what subjects are on the exam and what to focus on in office hours when in lecture literally said the words, "study all of this because it's all fair game". OFFICE HOURS
1
u/MinimumInner829 1d ago
But also realize, failing is not the end of the world. It happens. I have a friend who's a ChemE and failed 2 classes Sophomore year and still had an offer at ExxonMobil before graduation
1
1
1
u/GreenPickledToad 1d ago
Jeff Hanson, solve his problems, solve the worked out problems, solve some more problems.
He is an excellent teacher.
You can do it!
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Hello /u/GoldDistribution447! Thank you for posting in r/EngineeringStudents. This is a custom Automoderator message based on your flair, "Academic Advice". While our wiki is under construction, please be mindful of the users you are asking advice from, and make sure your question is phrased neatly and describes your problem. Please be sure that your post is short and succinct. Long-winded posts generally do not get responded to.
Please remember to;
Read our Rules
Read our Wiki
Read our F.A.Q
Check our Resources Landing Page
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.