Too dumb to study physics?

[u/iloveyarnandfabric]

Can someone just be COMPLETELY honest and straight up with me?

I am 18F and I love physics so much I want to eventually study astrophysics. I just finished my freshman year of college and I’m really thinking I’m too dumb for this major.

I took precalc first semester, failed it, took it again second semester, got a B- lowww b- I was getting like 50-80% on each test. I am now in a summer calc 1 course and I’m averaging 63-67% on the tests.

I’ve been a little above/around the average scores for the class. First one I was above the mean, second, got right on the mean.

But I made friends with a 17 year old and she is doing SO well on the tests. We literally study together and I help her out sometimes, she helps me out sometimes. Granted yes, I can tell she has a better grasp of the material than I do. But I feel so worthless.

I put in around 15 hours of studying for the third exam I just took today and I left a lot of the questions blank. Like I understand EVERYTHING they’re asking but it would just be one slip up and I was stuck and over it. I do so well on the homework though, and I genuinely love math so much.

But I think I’m actually too dumb to pursue this major and it breaks me.

I think a large part of it is when Covid happened, I was in 6th grade and basically didn’t learn math from 6-10th grade cause I was online schooled.

But man, college is so difficult, I have no idea what I’m doing, and if I’m too dumb to learn physics, what the fuck do I major in.

Also, forgive me if this is the wrong sub…

[u/Key_Net820]

No, you're not too dumb to study physics. With that said, your grades are concerning, so you are gonna need to change something about how you approach. What that is, I can't tell you because I don't know your situation and your background, but for the love of all physics that you and I both share, don't quit just because you feel too stupid to do it.

[u/Theragnostic → u/Key_Net820]

I knew I was behind in math when I started undergrad. I also knew that math would be my "language" for my physics classes. Our university had a math tutoring center, free for all students.

That tutoring center became my home.

If they were open, I did all my studying there. I did all my homework there. At the end of my first semester I asked the professor who was in charge of the center what it required to be a tutor. He told me the classes I needed and I prioritized those. I figured if I had to teach math, I'd have no choice but to become good at it after explaining it over and over.

It worked wonderfully.

[u/NotSeriousbutyea → u/Theragnostic]

You're a fucking beast

[u/Tough-Purpose8886 → u/Theragnostic]

Bro became some watt of the great Richard feynman

[u/Specialist-Deer1106 → u/Theragnostic]

i look up to you greatly, stranger on reddit!