College Physics: Don’t be Afraid

Notice: College physics is not to be feared and is not the beast it is often described as. Before starting college, I had heard stories of labs being dreadful and the class time being brutal. But, after my first semester, I’ve learned that college physics just builds off of everything I had learned in my time as a physicist in high school with a little calculus sprinkled in. 

Without a doubt, college physics is more work: the tests are harder, the labs are longer, and the expectations are higher. But a general increase in difficulty comes with all college courses, not simply STEM classes. Through using good study practices and showing up to class, I found my first semester of physics to be exceptionally fun and interesting. 

One thing that I learned was that my high school preparation (I took four semesters of physics) made this course easier than it was for those in the class that had taken fewer physics classes or had not taken physics recently. As although the difficulty in the math and the problems increases, the principles and concepts always remain the same so having an understanding of the following will help: force equations, velocities relative to acceleration, some understanding of Bernoulli’s principle, alongside general knowledge of sound and waves will dramatically ease your workload in college physics. I saw that those around me were grappling with both the concepts and the problems at the same time and without a clear understanding of the concepts, the problems can feel maze-like and unsolvable. However, because I had a past understanding of the concepts I could focus on the problems and further my understanding. 

In addition to learning all you can about the key physics principles in middle and high school, one of the biggest learnings I had is to get help when you need it, or want to understand a concept better. Take advantage of the tutoring sessions and don’t be afraid to get help from your professor who will have regular office hours. I would often get new problems from the professor to work on and then meet with him during office hours. These sessions helped immensely.

Tackle college physics with the same seriousness you approach your other classes, but don’t forget to realize you too can have a lot of fun exploring and learning new concepts.