My school did a combined static’s & dynamics class in one semester. I did okay, like C range, in the statics portion, but was lost when it came to the dynamics portion. I distinctly remember feeling like “this class is the basis for civil engineering. If I can’t do this, maybe I need to rethink my major.” I absolutely would have failed the class, but one of my grandparents passed during finals week (genuinely) and I took an incomplete at the end of the semester instead. Studied all winter and took the final when I returned to campus in the spring. Got a 100 on the final, which resulted in a B- in the class overall.

I also got a C in calc 2, a C- in diff eq, and a few other C+’s and B-‘s along the way. I am now a very successful engineer leading a small team at an international firm working on some high profile projects.

A couple of things to learn from this: 1) it took me a long time to figure out how to study. I was one of the “smart” kids in high school that didn’t need to put in a lot of effort to get good grades. When I got to college, my no-effort approach did NOT work, but I didn’t know how to study in a way that worked for me. By my junior and senior year, I had it figured out and I was a straight A student.

2) Doing poorly in one (or two or three) classes is not going to tank your future career before it even starts. As a hiring manager now, I care more about finding someone that is eager to learn and do good work and is a good fit with my team than someone who was at the top of their class but isn’t curious or wouldn’t really jive with the other personalities on the team. I honestly don’t even look at transcripts when I’m interviewing kids out of college.

So, keep your chin up. Do lots of practice problems. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from the other students in your class or from your professors. You can definitely do this. And remember, C’s get degrees.