I need honest advice
Posted by Drifted-Thoughts@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 13 comments
I failed my OOP exam. Am I not good enough? This is the first time in my life I've failed an exam. I expected a low grade, but I didn't expect to fail. I went to the exam without sleeping and feeling depressed, even though I studied a lot. Every time I study, I feel like I don't understand. What should I do? The final is approaching and my grade is very bad. I don't want to fail the course. Are there any good, free resources that explain OOP, C++, and Java? Please give me some advice .
Andrew_7032@reddit
object oriented programming?
Wild-Ganache3061@reddit
real talk oop can be tricky at first. inheritance and polymorphism usually trip people up most
Striking_Rate_7390@reddit
inheritance does, so many types + the principles!!
Andrew_7032@reddit
sure.. what principles?
Drifted-Thoughts@reddit (OP)
My course is an introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). It covers C++ and Java and their OOP components, as well as fundamental OOP concepts such as abstraction, inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism. It also includes the STL. Honestly, I feel like the course is a bit of a mix of everything.
aqua_regis@reddit
Sorry, but what are you crying about? You failed an exam. So what? You're going to fail a lot more in your life.
If you haven't failed anything so far, either everything was too easy, or too gently graded, or you were more than lucky.
IF push comes to shove, repeat the course. So what? Nobody will care later about that.
What is the common approach to recovering from falling flat? Pull yourself together, adjust your halo, and keep going.
_l33ter_@reddit
Is that it? It’s JUST one exam you didn’t pass the first time round? So what? Why should you suddenly not be good enough because of ONE exam?
We’ve all flunked an exam at some point! Don’t let one FAIL get you down completely. Take a look at your hypothetical statistics instead – 48:1 (random number)
Do you have the chance to look at the exam? To figure out exactly what you screwed up?
And to be perfectly honest? Have you really learnt enough? Or was it perhaps the case that you tried to learn everything in a single weekend?
Drifted-Thoughts@reddit (OP)
Honestly, the exam time wasn’t enough, and I was really shocked. I forgot a lot, and the coding question was almost blank. I’m not saying I don’t trust my abilities, but when my professor told me that the slides and her explanations weren’t sufficient for this subject, it really discouraged me. I started wondering what more I could do, since I already study from the slides, try to understand through videos, and solve extra external questions. Even the lecture recordings (hers and other professors’) weren’t enough. So what should I do? How should I study, and where can I find better resources?
_l33ter_@reddit
Yeah - That's the overall problem. You focus to much on the explicit data from school - And then you’ve more or less learnt these things ‘by heart’.
Secondly: watching videos --> Here’s the next problem – I reckon you’ve spent more time watching videos than actually getting stuck in yourself, thinking: “Ahhh – that’s how it works. Right, I can do that now” --> This isn’t meant as a criticism, please don’t get me wrong. I can only recommend that you watch 80% fewer videos and read 80% more instead, whilst trying things out at the same time. I’m not saying you should never watch a video again – but videos lull you into a false sense of security! Your hands basically need to be glued to the keyboard :).
And last: time wasn’t enough --> nonono, If that happens – then it’s clear you haven’t done nearly enough about it. Because that implies you’re spending too much time on tasks. And that generally only happens when you’re not sure of yourself.
Drifted-Thoughts@reddit (OP)
I understand your point, and I agree that programming requires a lot of self-learning and practice rather than relying only on slides or videos.
The main issue for me is time. This is not the only course I’m taking, and I often have quizzes and other responsibilities every day. Programming also requires a lot of thinking, time, and patience.
I really want to understand the concepts deeply, but at the same time I need to achieve high grades to maintain my scholarship, so I’m trying to balance both understanding and performance under time pressure.
PositiveParking4391@reddit
can you tell me what topics you are struggling to understand? what did you start with first and how much are you practicing?
Drifted-Thoughts@reddit (OP)
I started with the slides my university provided. Honestly, I'm still struggling to study this subject properly. I tend to focus too much on understanding everything before programming, so I spend a lot of time trying to grasp things, and I end up not practicing programming enough. I don't have a regular practice routine yet, and I know now that this is affecting my progress.
BeginningOne8195@reddit
Failing one exam doesn’t mean you’re not good enough, especially if you went in exhausted and already feeling overwhelmed, that combination alone can mess up even when you studied.