Let's Break Down My Undergrad Transcript

Walk with me through undergrad

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So, I’ll give you a realistic look at what I got in engineering undergrad. Hopefully, this can help current students who might be struggling with their classes. I did end up with a PhD in engineering. I went to college in the US, so my international readers, we use an A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0 system here.

Semester 1 - Fall (18 credits)

• Engineering Chemistry—C

• Introduction to Computing Using MATLAB—B-

• Cooperative Computer Workshop—Pass (this was like a team building group exercise class for engineers)

• Calculus for Engineers—B- (Mind you I got a 5 on the AP Calc I exam in high school)

• Dance Class —Pass (we had to take 2 semesters of gym)

• Freshman Writing Seminar — A+ (I was the only student to get an A+ in this class)

I was quite discouraged by the end of this first semester. I had gotten straight As in high school, and 4s and 5s on my AP science exams. What was going on here?? I studied hours and hours a day and never missed class!

Our college also had specially designed engineering classes—not just regular math or chemistry but designed to be extra challenging for engineers.

I was excelling in my writing and lit classes! I was upset but vowed to do better the next semester. Let’s see how I did:

Semester 2—Spring (18 credits)

• Object-Oriented Program Using Java—Pass

• Introduction to Women Writers—A

• Cooperative Math Workshop—Pass

• Entrepreneurship in Engineering —A (this was a business type class and actually very interesting)

• Multivariable Calculus for Engineers—B-

• Dance class-Pass

• Physics I: Mechanics —B+

Boy was I happy with this report card! I felt like I was doing much better, no Cs! Okay the first semester was just a fluke, I really do belong here, it must have just been the college transition. I loved the writing that we did in entrepreneurship, and my women writer’s class. Little did I know the tsunami waiting for me in the Fall

Semester 3—Fall (18 credits)

• Intro to Environmental Engineering—B+

• Ecology—A

• Comparative Physiology—C+

• Cooperative Math Class--Pass

• Differential Equations for Engineers—B

• Physics II Electricity and Magnetism—C+

I nearly failed Physics II and Comparative Physiology when I got Ds on 2 midterms scheduled 5 minutes apart across campus. I was given academic warning, and my GPA was below 3.0 by October. I thought this semester would be easier since I had a couple Biology classes, but Physiology was a nightmare with tons of tricky True/False questions on exams. After the last exam, I burst into hysterical laughing and was crying/laughing, having a mini mental breakdown. My hair started falling out. When Spring semester started, I sobbed the entire day in a mental anguish and entered my first serious bout of depression in my life. Looking back now, my grades weren’t that terrible. Cs are not great, but at least I passed.

Semester 4 -or the Semester of 14 Midterms (16 credits)

• Investigative Biology Lab—B+

• Organic and Biochemistry for Engineers—C+

• Mechanics of Solids—C-

• Thermodynamics—B-

• Linear Algebra for Engineers—C-

Mechanics of solids was a class everyone bragged about how ‘easy’ the class was. Freshmen were apparently taking the class and getting As (I don’t know that for show, I think the average in the class was only a B). For some reason I just could not wrap the concepts around my head despite studying and studying and studying and barely passed. I failed a Linear Algebra midterm midsemester and nearly failed. My GPA was at an all-time low. I could see my future falling apart in front of my eyes. Then some relatives died, things were just horrendous. A very hard time for me personally. I was studying 14 hours a day, for mediocre grades, and paying for this privilege. But when fall rolled around, I decided to keep trying, and I did much better.

Semester 5 Fall (17 credits)

• Bioprocesses—B-

• Environmental Systems Analysis--A

• Undergraduate Research—A

• Statistics for Engineers--B

• Fluid Mechanics—B

Boy was I happy with these grades. I felt like I had found my footing again and could make it to graduation. Undergraduate research was an amazing experience. I was learning stuff that boggled my mind. More importantly, I had the space, and time to ‘tinker’ and read stuff on my own and if my experiments failed it did not matter since I was not writing a thesis (I got graded based on participation and attendance). I felt like the pressure was off and I could really learn.

Semester 6 Spring (15 Credits)

• Renewable Energy Systems—A-

• Biosystems--A

• Undergraduate Research—A

• Plant Behavior—B

• Environmental Quality Engineering—A

Notably the professor in Plant Behavior messed up by grading. I had been getting an A in the class all semester and was shocked to see a C on my final report card! I emailed them but couldn’t get a copy of my exam to check it out and let it go, taking the B I guess. Not sure why my grade was low, I loved Plant class.

Semester 7 Fall (17 credits)

• Watershed Engineering—B+ (this was a fun class because we went out and about and learned how to survey land)

• Sustainable Bioenergy Systems—A (This was a Senior Design class)

• Undergraduate Research—A

• Microbiology for Engineers—A (this was easy, like pure memorization)

• Honors English Seminar—A

Favorite class the English Seminar, and reading books in a more critical lens. It was an honors English seminar, and I had to send the professor a list of books I’d read independently in the past year since I was not an English major. She professor said I read more than most English majors she had!!

Microbiology class was fun because we had to make up a microbe song and sing it at the end of class, which sparked creativity in students.

Our Senior Design Project placed in a State-wide competition too. I loved the group I worked with and felt connected to the major.

Semester 8 (17 credits)

• Undergraduate Research—A

• Engineering Professionalism-A

• Limnology (lake Science)—B+

• Autocad (Design software)—A+

• American History Class-A+

• American Elegy—A

• Historical Issues in Gender & Science -A+ (gave me the foundation to write this Substack)

This was by Far my most successful and ‘fun’ semester. I took several humanities classes and excelled. I actually got an A+ in a computer design class. I was admitted into grad school! I even was accepted into Stanford but could not afford to go though. I stayed at my undergrad universities for grad school. At graduation I saw my class wearing honors ribbons and getting magna cum laud and even summa cum laud, I walked proudly with my bare black gown. Two years later I walked the same path in a Masters gown.

Take aways

There’s common narrative of “stick it out” in engineering. Even the most intelligent student struggles academically at some point. However, “sticking it out” can exact an emotional, physical, and mental health toll. Only you can decide if what’s right for you. If you want to switch to another major, don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it. Nobody told me I was too dumb to continue in STEM. In fact, my advisors despite my low grades encouraged me to keep going in engineering. I’m not sure if they were trying to be helpful, or not really paying attention, or what was the motive here. Because even with an engineering degree, there are many more dragons to fight once we go to grad school or the workplace.

Having a passion for a subject matter is probably what helped me stay. I really am motivated by the climate crises and am proud to say I contributed a lot of great research in the field, even though I have not been able to get a job in that area for the past couple years due to funding cuts in the US.