I need advice. I am a traditional student out of the University of Louisville. My GPA is absolutely terrible. I have a 2.2, but only have like 35 credit hours so far. I have had a dad in prison, a mother on drugs, and i have worked for some of the greatest vets and some of the worst. I have large, small, and exotic animal experience. I have volunteer hours, but everything almost is paid experience. I have a hard work ethic, a lot of experience, but with the issues I have had, my GPA is low. I never cared about any grades in high school, in fact my parents told me to drop out my first semester... that I wasn't the college type. I still keep going. I want to know if there has been anyone else who has overcome the odds, and how you did it? Also, I would like to know how you improved your grades.
Thanks!
Hey there and welcome to SDN
I struggled in undergrad, and I didn't face the personal challenges that you have on your plate right now. For me, my poor grades were a result of not knowing how to study properly and not even really putting in the effort to figure it out. I kind of assumed everything would pan out and it was a panic-inducing awakening when I had a bad GPA in my junior year when I was gearing up to apply to vet schools!
My advice to you goes like this:
1. Don't panic. You've identified that you're struggling in school right now, which is a big part of the battle. The good news is that you're only 35 credits in - that's a lot of time to turn your grades around.
2. Find a way to cope with your personal troubles. I know that sounds so flippant and I don't mean it that way, but reach out to one of the vets you like working with, or an advisor at school who will give you the support and encouragement you aren't getting from your family. If therapy is something you think you might benefit from, start looking into your school's resources now. Even just having someone to talk to regularly can make a world of difference.
3. With these two things addressed, look at your classes. Are you taking too many tough classes in one semester? Sure, some superstars can take a very heavy courseload, but when you're just starting college - a big transition time both socially and academically - it's important to give yourself time to adjust. Consider scaling back so that you take a science or two with other humanities mixed in for balance.
4. Evaluate your time management. It sounds like you have some great animal and veterinary experience which is great for your application, but if you're working all of the time, it will interfere with your ability to study and succeed academically. Consider decreasing your work hours if at all possible because academics will trump experience overall (take it from someone who realized this first hand!) You can always work over winter and summer breaks for cash flow and hours.
5. Figure out where you're struggling in class. Visit your professor and ask for recommendations. Get a tutor or go to TA office hours for extra help. For the hard sciences
do the problems until you understand them on your own. Find resources on your own that suit your learning style: Kaplan videos on youtube, diagrams drawn by other students, audio-only lectures given by other people etc. The internet is a beautiful thing.
6. Lastly,
put in the time. Cancel your Netflix account, stop browsing Facebook in your off-time, don't go out to every friend's event; cut the fluff out of your life. Obviously you need to stay sane, so don't abandon every hobby, friend or even mindless stuff altogether, but make sure you're actively studying, and do a lot of it.
I hope this is somewhat helpful. It's about dedicating yourself to being a better student, and it doesn't happen overnight. Build good habits and you'll get there. Good luck
