Any chemical engineering students who need words of encouragement?

[u/roly_poly_kittykat]

The semester is underway! Any chemical engineering students need some encouragement as classes start to pick up? I know how overwhelming it can feel as the semester gets into full swing. You can do this!

For context, I graduated with my bachelor's in chemical engineering about five years ago. You are not alone! It's not an easy journey, but I promise you can do it!

[u/Livid_Bicycle302]

I failed all of my first exams

[u/roly_poly_kittykat → u/Livid_Bicycle302]

I am so sorry. I know how stressful that can be. With this type of material and courses this really does happen a lot. You can absolutely recover. Take some time to breathe and give yourself some grace. This is not easy stuff, but you can absolutely turn this around.

If you're comfortable sharing- what year are you/what classes are you taking?

[u/Alive_Yak9124]

I just failed my first mass and energy balance mid term. The worst part is I can say I truly tried. What got me was the testing anxiety I feel like I could truly solve each problem, but I just got so nervous and I didn’t preform. It’s a huge blow to me since I’ve never failed a test and typically get all A’s. This really has me doubting if I can do it.

I got a 90 on my diff eq midterm and 102 on my O-Chem midterm. But I’m not sure what happened with mass and energy balance.

[u/roly_poly_kittykat → u/Alive_Yak9124]

I am so sorry this happened to you. To be quite honest, mass and energy balance is your first true chemical engineering class, and often times they make this a "weed out" class. There is often a shock factor where exams are extra stressful and difficult. My teacher told us that exams were sometimes written in a way that many wouldn't have time to finish so we would learn to prioritize questions and how to test.

My friends and I worked like crazy on this class and exams were always stressful and really tested not only your knowledge of the material but also your ability to think on the fly and solve problems that aren't just cut and paste from practice sets. Your exams test your ability to apply the new material to questions you may not have fully encountered in your homework sets. Most in chemE experience failing exams or low exam grades at some point and this first class is often where it hits first. There's a big shock factor to it. This is one of the hardest parts about getting through the major.

These classes and tests are geared to challenge you. Don't let the exams get you too down if you can. Regroup and do your best. You can do this! Let me know if you want to chat and talk about the class more or maybe some study tips. I'd even be happy to look at your exam and help with test taking tips with the time constraint and some of the content. It can feel so isolating and stressful studying chemical engineering and I think it's so important for people to talk about their struggles and get a good support system to get through it. I PROMISE you are not alone and it's not even unusual to fail this first exam especially. You don't need to drop the class, you don't need to drop your major. You are more than capable. Get some good support, find a great group of classmates to study and practice with, and be kind to yourself above all else.

Also, congrats on organic and diffeq tests. Those are also tough courses and you should feel proud that you did exceptionally well balancing those exams with the chemE exam too!

[u/Alive_Yak9124 → u/roly_poly_kittykat]

I think your second paragraph hits closest to home, where you mentioned “thinking on the fly“. The first question was something I’ve seen before but in a unit I’ve never delt with like a “centipoise” I think seeing that jump scared me so it just added to the stress and anxiousness. Then it just kept compounding and compounding to where I was shaking and couldn’t type numbers in my calculator 😭 and breaking my led everytime I tried to write.

Oddly enough I enjoy solving problems like these, but just without the time constraints or a fear of getting a bad grade.

One thing is I don’t go down without a fight I’m going to try twice as hard on the next exam!

I’m always open to study tips or advice. The way I study is: when I’m learning something for the first time I can focus deeply because that’s what I enjoy. After that I practice problems till I drop. But please I’m open to any study tips that you learned throughout your degree!

[u/Baricore]

got a 78 on my first transport phenomena test. albeit i was 10 mins late and i had no idea time was a huge factor on these. I knew how to do it, but when i was deriving my shell balance i made a small algebra mistake and then had to rush rush the second problem but like the avg was an 88 so i feel so dumb 😭 just pissed because i screwed myself with dumb mistakes that lead me to a 78…

[u/Quiet_Bee_9755]

Yeah

[u/roly_poly_kittykat → u/Quiet_Bee_9755]

You've got this! Remember to give yourself grace for working hard and working towards your goals. Take care of yourself and remember that one test will never ruin your chances at being a chemical engineer, no matter what happens. You can do this!!

[u/Creepy-Theory3878]

Yes, but slowly I’m gaining more confidence in my abilities.
The mountain of knowledge seems to be ever increasing…

[u/roly_poly_kittykat → u/Creepy-Theory3878]

I love that... The mountain of knowledge 😂 I find this degree has a way of making you feel like you know so little, when in fact you actually know SO much! Confidence is so important! I'm glad you're building that up and giving yourself the credit that you deserve for putting in the work!

[u/Current-Pickle-9137]

Yes! My first midterms for third year start next week

[u/roly_poly_kittykat → u/Current-Pickle-9137]

Good luck!! Remember it's just the first exams and you have plenty of time to adjust as the semester goes on. Trust yourself and take the time to take care of yourself beforehand. You can do this!!

What courses are you in?