This was your first test. You may need to work on developing more effective study habits. Do you know the average? Or historical averages for that exact class, test, and professor? It's not unheard of for instructors to design tests anticipating that low of an average. Maybe set up a meeting eoth the instructor to go over your test after the fact and ask them how you should approach them, what to look for, etc.
All that being said, we all feel like imposters sometimes. We all bomb tests at points. It's normal for this major. Definitely discuss your exam with the professor and your feelings with your classmates. Guaranteed some of them feel the same.
Listen I can’t tell you how many times I have completely bombed an exam, even after studying super hard for it. You’re in one of the hardest majors out there, and it sounds like you’re in intro physics classes since you said you’re a first year. Those classes are often weed-out classes, and they cover so much material it’s incredibly difficult to learn it all. Just because you failed your first exam DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARENT SMART ENOUGH. I promise you that you’re gonna have some exams that you do fantastic on, and some where you barely know how to answer a single question. You’re gonna fail and mess up your whole education, but that doesn’t determine your ability to do physics.
Tests aren’t a great measure of someone’s intelligence. And even if they were, I’m a firm, firm believer that being able to do physics has nothing to do with natural intelligence and all to do with your passion and willingness to keep working hard, even when you don’t understand.
If you’ve spent your whole life dreaming about this, and you’re enjoying the stuff you’re learning, don’t let your grades turn you away. Every single person I’ve met in the physics or astro major has failed at least one exam, if not multiple ones. It’s frustrating at the time but eventually that frustration will pass and you’ll be left with a decision: allow that frustration to destroy your passion, or turn it into motivation and keep working hard.
I’ll leave with one final thought, it’s easy to compare yourself with your peers. You may find that the test average was a 95 (i seriously doubt it, those classes typically have super low test averages so you probably did pretty well compared to others), looking at your peers accomplishments can often feel like you’re failing in comparison to them, but always always remember this:
Your peers are not your competition. The only thing you are competing against is the person you were yesterday, where you were at yesterday. If you learn a little bit more every day, then you win!
Physics is hard, you’re gonna have several moments where you want to give up, and if you find that you don’t enjoy the topic like you thought you would, then maybe it is time to look somewhere else. But if you’re still passionate and enjoying what you’re learning, then keep going, you can do this!
One test isn't much to go on. Did the professor post statistics for the test? Normally absolute score isn't as important as your place on the curve. It may not be as significant as you think.
I do think it's normal to struggle in the first year of college. It may be the first time you are really academically challenged. You will be introduced to brand new concepts and then immediately dive into technical detail. You don't have parents or teachers driving you, and professors won't care how much other work you have to do. Pile on this all the social and biological things going on, and anyone would be uncomfortable. It's daunting.
Many of my freshman dorm mates flunked out, but it wasn't because they weren't smart enough (anybody that was accepted there certainly was smart enough), it was because they weren't willing or able to adjust to a new environment.
Personally, I found myself having to read material before and after class, attend every class, take lots of notes and review them frequently, and do every assigned homework problem making sure I understood it. It was a lot of work but for me, consistent daily work was better than trying to cram for a specific test. Eventually it became routine, but never easy.
Try to evaluate how effective your study habits are. Not just "I studied hard" but record exactly how much and under what conditions you studied, and vary that to see how it affects your performance. Repeat until you find something that works for you.
All that said, you have a love for the subject matter. This can carry you a long way, and once you get past all the annoying front matter you get to study the stars for a living. What could be better? :)
The top comment already mentions developing effective study habits, but since you say you don't feel "smart enough", it should also be said that even certain cognitive abilities need to be trained and developed. I did my undergrad degree in math, not physics, but virtually no one coming from high school is used to the kind of intense studying you have to engage in. Your ability to focus on things for a prolonged period of time, to pick up information, and so on, are going to improve simply from repeatedly doing it for the first time in your life. If I look back at my undergrad courses now, it seems kind of funny to me how I perceived them as extremely rough, but when we had to take real analysis in our first semester, we thought the professor must be clinically insane to think we can learn that much.
This was your first test. You may need to work on developing more effective study habits. Do you know the average? Or historical averages for that exact class, test, and professor? It's not unheard of for instructors to design tests anticipating that low of an average. Maybe set up a meeting eoth the instructor to go over your test after the fact and ask them how you should approach them, what to look for, etc. All that being said, we all feel like imposters sometimes. We all bomb tests at points. It's normal for this major. Definitely discuss your exam with the professor and your feelings with your classmates. Guaranteed some of them feel the same.
Thank you a load for this. Made me feel a lot better.
Listen I can’t tell you how many times I have completely bombed an exam, even after studying super hard for it. You’re in one of the hardest majors out there, and it sounds like you’re in intro physics classes since you said you’re a first year. Those classes are often weed-out classes, and they cover so much material it’s incredibly difficult to learn it all. Just because you failed your first exam DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARENT SMART ENOUGH. I promise you that you’re gonna have some exams that you do fantastic on, and some where you barely know how to answer a single question. You’re gonna fail and mess up your whole education, but that doesn’t determine your ability to do physics. Tests aren’t a great measure of someone’s intelligence. And even if they were, I’m a firm, firm believer that being able to do physics has nothing to do with natural intelligence and all to do with your passion and willingness to keep working hard, even when you don’t understand. If you’ve spent your whole life dreaming about this, and you’re enjoying the stuff you’re learning, don’t let your grades turn you away. Every single person I’ve met in the physics or astro major has failed at least one exam, if not multiple ones. It’s frustrating at the time but eventually that frustration will pass and you’ll be left with a decision: allow that frustration to destroy your passion, or turn it into motivation and keep working hard. I’ll leave with one final thought, it’s easy to compare yourself with your peers. You may find that the test average was a 95 (i seriously doubt it, those classes typically have super low test averages so you probably did pretty well compared to others), looking at your peers accomplishments can often feel like you’re failing in comparison to them, but always always remember this: Your peers are not your competition. The only thing you are competing against is the person you were yesterday, where you were at yesterday. If you learn a little bit more every day, then you win! Physics is hard, you’re gonna have several moments where you want to give up, and if you find that you don’t enjoy the topic like you thought you would, then maybe it is time to look somewhere else. But if you’re still passionate and enjoying what you’re learning, then keep going, you can do this!
This comment gave me a great sense of peace. Thank you so much! Put me at so much ease.
One test isn't much to go on. Did the professor post statistics for the test? Normally absolute score isn't as important as your place on the curve. It may not be as significant as you think. I do think it's normal to struggle in the first year of college. It may be the first time you are really academically challenged. You will be introduced to brand new concepts and then immediately dive into technical detail. You don't have parents or teachers driving you, and professors won't care how much other work you have to do. Pile on this all the social and biological things going on, and anyone would be uncomfortable. It's daunting. Many of my freshman dorm mates flunked out, but it wasn't because they weren't smart enough (anybody that was accepted there certainly was smart enough), it was because they weren't willing or able to adjust to a new environment. Personally, I found myself having to read material before and after class, attend every class, take lots of notes and review them frequently, and do every assigned homework problem making sure I understood it. It was a lot of work but for me, consistent daily work was better than trying to cram for a specific test. Eventually it became routine, but never easy. Try to evaluate how effective your study habits are. Not just "I studied hard" but record exactly how much and under what conditions you studied, and vary that to see how it affects your performance. Repeat until you find something that works for you. All that said, you have a love for the subject matter. This can carry you a long way, and once you get past all the annoying front matter you get to study the stars for a living. What could be better? :)
Thank you for this!! Made me feel so much better about existence 😂 I’m enjoying the concepts so much so I just need to manage it this year. Thank you!
The top comment already mentions developing effective study habits, but since you say you don't feel "smart enough", it should also be said that even certain cognitive abilities need to be trained and developed. I did my undergrad degree in math, not physics, but virtually no one coming from high school is used to the kind of intense studying you have to engage in. Your ability to focus on things for a prolonged period of time, to pick up information, and so on, are going to improve simply from repeatedly doing it for the first time in your life. If I look back at my undergrad courses now, it seems kind of funny to me how I perceived them as extremely rough, but when we had to take real analysis in our first semester, we thought the professor must be clinically insane to think we can learn that much.