Failed

[Algophiliac]

I just got a 55% on my second chemistry test. This is WORSE than my previous score...by quite a bit. I honest to God don't know what the hell to do. Do I even have a feeble chance at bringing these pathetic grades up to an A/B for the semester?

No more going out, no more fun weekends. I don't care what it takes or how much more I'm forced to study than everyone else, this lack of work ethic is ridiculous. I'm not even worried about this from a pre-med perspective...I'm just...in shock. I actually thought I did well.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sleepy12]

I just got a 55% on my second chemistry test. This is WORSE than my previous score...by quite a bit. I honest to God don't know what the hell to do. Do I even have a feeble chance at bringing these pathetic grades up to an A/B for the semester?

No more going out, no more fun weekends. I don't care what it takes or how much more I'm forced to study than everyone else, this lack of work ethic is ridiculous. I'm not even worried about this from a pre-med perspective...I'm just...in shock. I actually thought I did well.

You probably have to improve a lot to get and A or B. You should try to study differently. Sometimes spending more time studying isn't what you need, its studying more efficiently. You should still go out and have fun weekends once in a while, just learn to study the correct material in the most efficient way possible for you!

 

[brooklynblunder]

what was the class average and standard deviation

 

[DocMcCoy]

I'd try to find out if there is going to be a curve.

 

[Algophiliac]

what was the class average and standard deviation

73%, same as last time, and the standard deviation was "normal", i.e. no further adjustments to the scores will be made.

I don't know what to do with myself. And yes, this score is after asking the TA for help, doing the homework, and reading the textbook. It's quite obvious I don't know how to study efficiently--or even study at all, because the normal methods of getting a good grade are NOT working for me.

 

[shadowswa11ow]

And that was my reaction to my past Bio and Chem tests... *sigh*

I thought I did well, but the numbers show otherwise.

 

[lstone13]

73%, same as last time, and the standard deviation was "normal", i.e. no further adjustments to the scores will be made.

I don't know what to do with myself. And yes, this score is after asking the TA for help, doing the homework, and reading the textbook. It's quite obvious I don't know how to study efficiently--or even study at all, because the normal methods of getting a good grade are NOT working for me.

Have you calculated what you would need on your remaining tests and final in order to obtain an A or B?

 

[tennisball80]

How many credit hours are you taking?

I am taking only 12 plus an EMT course.

I am getting a 4.0 GPA so far.

But, in the beginning of the semester, I did not study much and went out a lot with my friends.

I'd suggest you to cut hang out time.

Overcoming college destruction is definitely important.

 

[Birdsbeak]

Drop that course like a bad habit, or change it to audit if you still get credit hours for it.

 

[UC pre med]

Your probably missing a fundamental concept if you're thinking that you do well and your actually failing. Try to figure out what that could be. sometimes it is simple.

 

[Exalya]

If it's curved you might come out okay... when I took Gen Chem I, the class average was a 52, so my 63 wasn't so bad...

 

[brooklynblunder]

class average was a 73 and he/she got a 55


im gonna guess 20 pts is at least 1 std, so depending on what your professor sets the average at, you are definitely net looking at an A and probably not a B

 

[njbmd]

I just got a 55% on my second chemistry test. This is WORSE than my previous score...by quite a bit. I honest to God don't know what the hell to do. Do I even have a feeble chance at bringing these pathetic grades up to an A/B for the semester?

No more going out, no more fun weekends. I don't care what it takes or how much more I'm forced to study than everyone else, this lack of work ethic is ridiculous. I'm not even worried about this from a pre-med perspective...I'm just...in shock. I actually thought I did well.

Your first thing to do is figure out why you did so poorly. The best way to accomplish that is to make an appointment with your professor to discuss your test and to get a sound strategy to improve your performance. You won't get much accomplished if you keep floundering around on your own and trying to "guess" what you need to do to get this material mastered.

You may need tutoring, you may need to change your approach to how you prepare for these exams or you may need to put in more efficient study time. If you are sitting there for hours but not working efficiently, you are wasting your time.

See your instructor during office hours even if you think you understand everything. Sometimes you can glean valuable insight into how the material will be tested by doing a "learning-check" type of review with your professor.

If you actually thought you did well on an exam and you scored poorly, you are in need of some clarification of the material from the source of the testing. That source would be your professor. If you can't get things figured out, you will be looking at getting yourself into a "hole" that you can't climb out of curve or no curve.

 

[Insulinshock]

Dude I go out once or twice a week and still get >90% on my tests while working 20 hours a week and volunteering.. I'd say you seriously need to reevaluate your study habits.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

Are you a freshman taking gen chem? This was my hardest class ever. A 55 would have been considered a good score in my class . Anyways, start going to the professors, start going to the tutors, and go crazy until the semester is over for this class. Make sure they know you care and work your best to destroy the next exam. I had major trouble with this course too, particularly because it is my college's 'weed out' course. Go insane and get a decent grade (C or higher) and get the hell out of there. Hopefully future classes will be easier, as they were for me.

 

[orthomyxo]

I just got a 55% on my second chemistry test. This is WORSE than my previous score...by quite a bit. I honest to God don't know what the hell to do. Do I even have a feeble chance at bringing these pathetic grades up to an A/B for the semester?

No more going out, no more fun weekends. I don't care what it takes or how much more I'm forced to study than everyone else, this lack of work ethic is ridiculous. I'm not even worried about this from a pre-med perspective...I'm just...in shock. I actually thought I did well.

I think you read my mind, although I did slightly better, but still crappy. My first chem test I got an 80, and the one I just took on Wednesday I got a 75...I thought I killed it. The tests in my chem class are beastly: 20 wordy/trick questions, trick answers, they suck! I'm gonna work my ass off and basically have absolutely no life for the remainder of the semester. I need to pump out a couple of 100's and nail the final.

 

[Dannyw]

How many credit hours are you taking?

I am taking only 12 plus an EMT course.

I am getting a 4.0 GPA so far.

But, in the beginning of the semester, I did not study much and went out a lot with my friends.

I'd suggest you to cut hang out time.

Overcoming college destruction is definitely important.

Aren't you a first semester freshman?

 

[tennisball80]

Aren't you a first semester freshman?

Yes. I am sorry I am not getting a 4.0 GPA with 15 or 16 credits.

 

[orthomyxo]

How many credit hours are you taking?

I am taking only 12 plus an EMT course.

I am getting a 4.0 GPA so far.

But, in the beginning of the semester, I did not study much and went out a lot with my friends.

I'd suggest you to cut hang out time.

Overcoming college destruction is definitely important.

Wow, lucky...I'm taking 17 as a freshman. I would kill to have 12.

 

[Dannyw]

Yes. I am sorry I am not getting a 4.0 GPA with 15 or 16 credits.

I only pointed that out because it was unnecessary to brag about your non-existent gpa after a month in your first semester of college.

 

[tennisball80]

I only pointed that out because it was unnecessary to brag about your non-existent gpa after a month in your first semester of college.

You are right. I have to keep the GPA until I graduate.

 

[vinniekan]

dude it's chemistry 101 (guessing)......

not going out/having fun your first/2 semesters as a freshmen might be a bigger mistake, IMHO

Graduated a year ago, my only regret in college is not not getting a high enough GPA, but not going out enough

 

[Handinhand]

Gen chem was such a weed out course at my school, nobody got >85 on any of our 4 tests. I thought I was bad at chemistry after taking a year of gen chem, tuns out... I just had reaaaaaally bad professors that didn't want to teach the class.

 

[vin5cent0]

OP, I feel your pain. I thought I was doing really well in o-chem (understood the labs, was getting A's/B's on all quizzes). Took our 2nd test today, got brutally destroyed on it. My only saving grace is that the one kid in class who asks a million questions and has a million answers said himself that the class average is going to be horrible on this test. Glad I'm not the only one who did so poorly..

 

[Lovemybabies]

I'm currently making a 98 in Gen Chem. If you need help on a particular problem or concept I can try to help.

 

[apumic]

I would guess you are missing some major chemistry concepts since your grade appears to be falling you think you are doing well/understand what you are doing. It could be something as simple as not understanding stoichiometry or some other underlying concept necessary for most any chemistry problem. Have you talked w/ a good tutor and had him/her "diagnose" what the problem might be? I'd go through some problems w/ someone and let them see your entire thought process you used to get to an answer. You may be making some very systematic and simple mistakes.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

you just might not have what it takes. of course, it's possible you do as well. but keep an open mind.

 

[spyderracing32]

Do not listen to anyone saying anything along the lines of "drop the course" or "maybe you don't have what it takes". Not too long ago I was a sophomore and due to a demanding extra curricular I managed to score a 40 on my second P-chem exam. Not a 40/40, not a 40/50, but a 40/100. That's like an E-. Needless to say I had to work myself to the bone to get the grade up, but I ended the semester with a B+, just 4 points on a single exam (aka one question) short of an A- (and in hindsight it kills me that I missed the A- so narrowly, but gotta move on). Take my account for what it's worth.

 

[apumic]

Do not listen to anyone saying anything along the lines of "drop the course" or "maybe you don't have what it takes". Not too long ago I was a sophomore and due to a demanding extra curricular I managed to score a 40 on my second P-chem exam. Not a 40/40, not a 40/50, but a 40/100. That's like an E-. Needless to say I had to work myself to the bone to get the grade up, but I ended the semester with a B+, just 4 points on a single exam (aka one question) short of an A- (and in hindsight it kills me that I missed the A- so narrowly, but gotta move on). Take my account for what it's worth.

While your positivity is nice, anecdotes are really nothing more than (possibly true) stories. Don't forget that. While I generally don't like to be discouraging, there is the simple fact that not everyone has what it takes to be a physician. Someone's gotta be in the green-shaded area of the graph below:

(10th-99th+ percentile physicians
are in the white area)

I don't, however, think the OP is necessarily in that green area. It may very well just be some sort of a hole in the OP's knowledge of the material and, therefore, have an easy fix.

 

[bannie22]

if u get 100s on ur next test and exam ure gonna end with an A so dunt worry