I am one class away from graduating with my undergraduate degree in astrophysics. That last one class IS KICKING MY ASS. I’m taking a 4000-level differential equations class. I totally bombed my midterm. I literally got an F -- 51/100. This is very frustrating because I know the techniques but I don’t (apparently) know which technique to use on which problem. So every problem I got wrong I got wrong because I used the wrong technique. On every problem where I used the correct technique, I got it right!

So in order to finish with a C I have to pretty much ace the final. In my past 4 math classes, which included linear algebra and multivariable calculus, I got straight A’s!

This brings up so many issues for me.

1. • It frustrates me when teachers give tests that are harder than the homework. That is backwards to me. On the test I think they should make absolutely sure they give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they know the basics. In this case, all the homework problems indicated which technique to use. On the test none of them did.
   

2. • I am getting older. I can tell my brain works a bit slower. Once I learn something, I learn it forever, but it takes me a little while to fill in all the details. This is a class of people in their early 20’s and I’m 42.
   

3. • When I started taking classes I told myself that the grades didn’t matter -- I just wanted to learn. It turns out that the grades do matter to me and it does make it less enjoyable. I just can’t do things without trying to do my best and the measure of how well you do in these classes is the grade.
   

4. • When I first started taking classes (as an adult) I had zero kids. Now I have 2 kids. My business was barely getting going and now my business is thriving and growing. It is very hard for me to find long quiet periods of time to study.
   

5. • I didn’t work hard enough and I have to work much harder.
   

6. 
   

7. Thanks for listening!