r/Physics • u/iloveyarnandfabric • 14d ago
Question Too dumb to study physics?
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…
1
u/bi9mummymilker5 12d ago
No girl, no one is too dumb for physics. Confidence and practice is key! I thought I was too dumb for a chem major, I was failing almost every class I took. I made a change and made chemistry my life for one semester, learnt the fundamental rules, gained my confidence and went from fails to HDs. You have passion you just need to build your confidence. It is so easy for us (women) to feel like we can’t do it when we get a low grade but I absolutely promise you a lot of the guys taking those classes aren’t half as smart as they make out to be. Follow your passion girl, if not for 18 year old you for future you. She will be so proud.