Uh... what now?
So on Tuesday, I walked out of my Complex Analysis midterm thinking that I had around a 65/80. The test felt extremely easy, and the only people left in my class are extremely smart (I've actually been feeling out of my league here), so I was pretty sure that I did a bit below average, because I knew that I could have done all of the problems had I been a tiny bit cleverer. Still, I thought I was pretty close to the ceiling for the exam, so I could count on a decent grade on this exam. I really needed this, since I've been scoring around half of the average on the homeworks.
Today, the first thing that happened in class was getting our exams returned. On the cover, I had a 48/80, so my first thought was "Oh... crap. How did that happen!?" I open the exam book to see what my mistakes were, and I find a note inserted into my booklet: "There are some serious weaknesses in this exam. I think you really need to learn from this exam and clear up any confusions you may have. It may be a good idea if you see me outside of class."
That's it. I'm dead. Done for. Kaput. I am going to fail this class, and there is nothing I can do about it. I've been spending 20 hours per week on it, and I just failed the first midterm. Professor Schlag begins his lecture, and he's saying something about winding numbers, but all I can think about are university policies on failing courses, what this means for my financial aid, how on earth I got in so far over my head in a single course. How is it possible that everyone else I know seems to be doing fine in this class, even though they're not that much better than me mathematically in any other area. I'm completely helpless. Maybe I should stop doing anything at all in complex, eat an F, and try to salvage my other grades? Then at least I would only fail one class, which I think lets me keep my financial aid?
So I basically have no clue what to do right now.
At the end of class, someone asked what the average was. It was a 45/80. I guess I'm not failing, and I won't need to drop out of school. WHAT THE HELL, SCHLAG. DON'T EVER DO THAT TO YOUR STUDENTS. If it was scary to read that, imagine how it was sitting through an 80 minute lecture while having these thoughts run through your head. If it wasn't scary to read what I just wrote, it's probably because I'm writing poorly due to still being COMPLETELY SHAKEN from the experience.
Today, the first thing that happened in class was getting our exams returned. On the cover, I had a 48/80, so my first thought was "Oh... crap. How did that happen!?" I open the exam book to see what my mistakes were, and I find a note inserted into my booklet: "There are some serious weaknesses in this exam. I think you really need to learn from this exam and clear up any confusions you may have. It may be a good idea if you see me outside of class."
That's it. I'm dead. Done for. Kaput. I am going to fail this class, and there is nothing I can do about it. I've been spending 20 hours per week on it, and I just failed the first midterm. Professor Schlag begins his lecture, and he's saying something about winding numbers, but all I can think about are university policies on failing courses, what this means for my financial aid, how on earth I got in so far over my head in a single course. How is it possible that everyone else I know seems to be doing fine in this class, even though they're not that much better than me mathematically in any other area. I'm completely helpless. Maybe I should stop doing anything at all in complex, eat an F, and try to salvage my other grades? Then at least I would only fail one class, which I think lets me keep my financial aid?
So I basically have no clue what to do right now.
At the end of class, someone asked what the average was. It was a 45/80. I guess I'm not failing, and I won't need to drop out of school. WHAT THE HELL, SCHLAG. DON'T EVER DO THAT TO YOUR STUDENTS. If it was scary to read that, imagine how it was sitting through an 80 minute lecture while having these thoughts run through your head. If it wasn't scary to read what I just wrote, it's probably because I'm writing poorly due to still being COMPLETELY SHAKEN from the experience.