SPONSORED CONTENT | Surviving STEM at the University of Kentucky

Entering college as a wide-eyed freshman, I thought I could handle the workload of being a STEM major. After all, I had just graduated high school in the top 10% of my class with a full schedule of AP courses while working a part-time job. My first semester looked easier by comparison with only 4 courses to manage alongside my restaurant job.

But coming home smelling like a kitchen after midnight most nights led to eating dinner, showering, getting ready for bed, and going to sleep even later. The problem? Waking up in time for my early chem lecture at the start of every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Needless to say, I had to drop that class (although I did get a B in the lab), and I ended up switching majors entirely — from science to journalism. But this story isn’t just about me.

Struggling Through STEM Is All Too Common

More than one-third of STEM majors change degree paths while in college, and fewer than 40% of students who enter college declaring to major in a STEM field, like I did, actually go on to complete a degree in that field.

“A lot of freshmen enter college with confidence from having excelled in high school,” said Steven Keys, co-founder of UK tutoring company, CramBetter. “They load up their schedules with tough math and science classes, unaware of the increased workload at the college level.”

CramBetter is a 24/7 tutoring service available to students taking physics, calculus, and chemistry classes at the University of Kentucky.

I know that for me, it was a combination of my schedule being overly stressful plus some of that misplaced “good student” confidence. That, and the fact that nothing can really prepare you for the change in pace and atmosphere as you go from a 30-person high school chemistry class with direct access to the teacher to a 300-person chemistry lecture where zoning out for one second leaves you unable to catch up for the rest of the class period.

STEM degree tracks seem specifically set up to “weed out” less committed students early on with general chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, and calculus being required for most majors going on to do something in engineering or medicine. While it’s better for students to discover whether they’re cut out for STEM early, this process also puts students in the difficult position of giving up on their future if they find themselves struggling.

“We see a lot of UK students seeking extra help for the ‘weed-out’ math and science classes, including physics and calculus, but people are especially looking for general chemistry tutoring here at Kentucky” said Keys, “It’s definitely one of the toughest ones here.”

How Students Lock In With UK Tutoring Resources

That’s why so many UK students have been flocking to University of Kentucky tutoring resources like Keys’ own 24/7 tutoring service, CramBetter, which is focused on explaining complicated topics in those tough STEM classes more simply.

“Our goal is to make every study session more efficient,” said Keys. “Not only does CramBetter make difficult subjects easier to understand, but it's also a huge time saver. We condense roughly a week’s worth of lectures into a one-hour Topic Review.”Keys suggests students log in once a week to complete the relevant CramBetter Topic Review before trying the service’s unique Practice Exam Questions, which are designed to look similar to real University of Kentucky test questions. If a student misses a question on one of the CramBetter mock exams, they can watch a full video solution explained by an expert tutor, instantly.

Caption: CramBetter students are given a Study Guide packet to go along with each set of Topic Review videos available through the platform’s 24/7 online interface.

CramBetter tutors are available to answer any additional questions, too. Each tutor at CramBetter has a master’s degree or higher in their field, 8+ years of teaching experience, and is a native English speaker. Keys said that CramBetter is focused on hiring quality educators who care about improving student outcomes.“When students stay on top of their studies with us, they come away with a deeper understanding, in less time, while improving their grades in the process,” said Keys.

While I have no idea if I would have personally been able to make it through a STEM degree track, I do think a resource like CramBetter could have helped me fill the gaps and continue pursuing my original college goals.

CramBetter tutoring at the University of Kentucky is available for the following 13 classes: 

• PHY211 – Physics 1

• PHY213 – Physics 2

• PHY231 – Physics 1

• CHE105 – Chemistry 1

• CHE107 – Chemistry 2

• CHE109 – Chemistry 1

• CHE110 – Chemistry 2

• CHE230 – Organic Chemistry 1

• MA110 – Algebra & Trigonometry for Calculus

• MA112 – Trigonometry

• MA113 – Calculus 1

• MA114 – Calculus 2

• MA213 – Calculus 3