Academic Advice? Please?

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FutureVet90

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so, i made the thread about me being disappointed in myself this past semester. if you don't feel like reading that thread, i failed all three of my classes smh. i failed general biology, general chem, and precalc.

well, im going to retake my classes. but i think i want to lower my workload; i was thinking about waiting to retake the general biology and just retake precalc and general chem, plus taking a chem recitiation class.

so that will leave me with 10 credit hours. what do you think?
 
FutureVet90 said:
so, i made the thread about me being disappointed in myself this past semester. if you don't feel like reading that thread, i failed all three of my classes smh. i failed general biology, general chem, and precalc.

well, im going to retake my classes. but i think i want to lower my workload; i was thinking about waiting to retake the general biology and just retake precalc and general chem, plus taking a chem recitiation class.

so that will leave me with 10 credit hours. what do you think?
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tumblr_m0c8vwV1VD1rqfhi2o1_500.gif


I think that beyond worrying about getting INTO veterinary school, you should take a good honest look at how you would even do if you got in. 20-24 credit hours of tough science classes per semester. If you are unable to handle it now, I think you have some soul searching to do.
 
My forehead hurts just watching this. :laugh:

Why wasn't this continued in the previous thread rather than starting a whole new one?

Ultimately you are the one that has to make these decisions. Everyone has had a consistent stance on what we think you should consider when making them. I don't think there's anything else to discuss on this topic.
 
Emiloo4 said:
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I think that beyond worrying about getting INTO veterinary school, you should take a good honest look at how you would even do if you got in. 20-24 credit hours of tough science classes per semester. If you are unable to handle it now, I think you have some soul searching to do.
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its not about me not being able to handle a certain amount of hours. i just wanted to focus on math and chemistry is basically math. plus those are the two classes i had a really hard time in. i just thought i should focus on those classes and taking a chem recitation class would be extra help plus tutoring.
 
FutureVet90 said:
its not about me not being able to handle a certain amount of hours. i just wanted to focus on math and chemistry is basically math. plus those are the two classes i had a really hard time in. i just thought i should focus on those classes and taking a chem recitation class would be extra help plus tutoring.
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Doesn't really matter. Emiloo's point is still valid. In vet school you don't get to 'select' your classes in order to make sure you only have one or two classes you consider difficult. Most schools are set up so that you take whatever classes you're told to take (with maybe a titch of elective choices on top). So if your only way to survive is retaking classes and trying to lower the number of 'difficult' ones ... you won't make it in vet school because that's not an option. She mentioned 20-24 credit hours. That's low. I'm taking 30+ this semester. (Granted, some of them are no-brainer show-up-and-pass classes, but it's still 30+ credits worth of time.) If 10 credit hours is a struggle for you, consider three times that load.

If you failed three classes you aren't at the point of wondering how to get into vet school or how well you'd do in vet school. You're at the point of wondering how you're going to stay in your undergrad school: failing three classes in almost every school I've heard of should get you at a minimum on academic probation, if not outright dismissed. If I were you, I'd be more worried about my undergraduate career right now than my graduate career.

You need much more help than anyone here can give you. Please quit making new, pointless threads. You have much, much more serious issues than just retaking a few classes and hoping it will fly.

P.S. Chemistry is not "basically math". If you think it is, that might be your first problem. And how does one fail GEN BIO, for crying out loud? I mean, a B? Ok. A C, meh, but ok. But failing? You didn't even try, did you?
 
The thing you need to solve is why you failed three basic classes in one semester.....something is wrong
 
FutureVet90 said:
its not about me not being able to handle a certain amount of hours. i just wanted to focus on math and chemistry is basically math. plus those are the two classes i had a really hard time in. i just thought i should focus on those classes and taking a chem recitation class would be extra help plus tutoring.
Click to expand...

You clearly aren't understanding me. I understand what you're saying, but please take a minute and truly read and absorb what I'm about to tell you...

We have all tried NUMEROUS times to encourage you and boost your morale.
Then we got realistic with you and suggested tutors and other studying habits.
Next we told you that math and science are extremely important in this profession and you plain and simply have to be at least decent at them to be a veterinarian.
Then we told you that your GPA was almost impossible to overcome, and that you had to get 4.0 semesters from there on out... instead you failed 3 classes.
So what I am NOW telling you, is that you have made it extremely difficult/borderline impossible to get it into veterinary school. I'm sorry if that hurts and if that's brutal, but it may just not be the profession for you. (Whether you just KNOW this is what you want to do or not, you simply may not be cut out for it).

Plain and simple... if you can't handle the course load now, you will NOT be able to handle it in veterinary school. I understand that you want to get a tutor and all that, and by all means, I think you should. Maybe get a better foundation of math and science laid out so that it isn't as difficult for you. Many people have come back from obstacles like poor GPAs, but I really think you need to take a step back for a while and really get some better learning habits under your belt. You are only hurting yourself more with each class you fail.
 
Emiloo4 said:
You clearly aren't understanding me. I understand what you're saying, but please take a minute and truly read and absorb what I'm about to tell you...

We have all tried NUMEROUS times to encourage you and boost your morale.
Then we got realistic with you and suggested tutors and other studying habits.
Next we told you that math and science are extremely important in this profession and you plain and simply have to be at least decent at them to be a veterinarian.
Then we told you that your GPA was almost impossible to overcome, and that you had to get 4.0 semesters from there on out... instead you failed 3 classes.
So what I am NOW telling you, is that you have made it extremely difficult/borderline impossible to get it into veterinary school. I'm sorry if that hurts and if that's brutal, but it may just not be the profession for you. (Whether you just KNOW this is what you want to do or not, you simply may not be cut out for it).

Plain and simple... if you can't handle the course load now, you will NOT be able to handle it in veterinary school. I understand that you want to get a tutor and all that, and by all means, I think you should. Maybe get a better foundation of math and science laid out so that it isn't as difficult for you. Many people have come back from obstacles like poor GPAs, but I really think you need to take a step back for a while and really get some better learning habits under your belt. You are only hurting yourself more with each class you fail.
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yeah, the stuff you say can come out harsh to me but i see youre just being realistic.

again, it wasnt about me not handling hours. those are the classes i have that totals up to 10 hours; if i would add the biology, i would have 14 hours.

i really do want this, its just a few things plus my actions held me back from doing what i needed to do this past semester. i was on probation in the summer but just became in good standing(2.08) for the beginning of this fall semester. now my gpa dropped and idk if it's a warning again or what.
 
FutureVet90 said:
yeah, the stuff you say can come out harsh to me but i see youre just being realistic.
Click to expand...

Harsh? You failed 3 classes. She's being honest. If you prefer dishonest and little pats-on-the-back with "It'll all be ok, don't worry, you can do anything you want no matter how well you do in school" we can do that, too. Just tell us.

You need to deal in reality. If you want a graduate career, you need serious help. Hell, if you want to finish your undergraduate career successfully, you need serious help. Not tidbits of advice from an Internet forum.

Go get help.
 
FutureVet90 said:
yeah, the stuff you say can come out harsh to me but i see youre just being realistic.

again, it wasnt about me not handling hours. those are the classes i have that totals up to 10 hours; if i would add the biology, i would have 14 hours.

i really do want this, its just a few things plus my actions held me back from doing what i needed to do this past semester. i was on probation in the summer but just became in good standing(2.08) for the beginning of this fall semester. now my gpa dropped and idk if it's a warning again or what.
Click to expand...

This is ignoring everything that was just stated...
 
FutureVet90 said:
so, i made the thread about me being disappointed in myself this past semester. if you don't feel like reading that thread, i failed all three of my classes smh. i failed general biology, general chem, and precalc.

well, im going to retake my classes. but i think i want to lower my workload; i was thinking about waiting to retake the general biology and just retake precalc and general chem, plus taking a chem recitiation class.

so that will leave me with 10 credit hours. what do you think?
Click to expand...
honestly i would not even take 10 hours. I would take a year off work on your medical issues. get a job in a vets office to see if you really like it and that is what you truely want. you have a very very tough road ahead. I dont know of a single US school that the min GPA is less tha a 2.0. Most consider a 3.0 a low GPA for vet school. you might want to review the sucessful application thread and look at what others have in both GPA and hours of vet experience. Most with a lower GPA have tons of vet experience to help round their application out. You have neither. If you really do want this then you need to figure out how to take a full course load ( and honestly 14 credits isnt a "full" course load) and get A's from here on out.
 
It sounds like you're looking for people to tell you what you want to hear. Well, I'm sorry, but you're not going to get that here. And it wouldn't help you even if you did.

If vet school is what you truly want, you can overcome this. But it's going to take a lot more time and a hell of a lot more effort than you've ever put in before. You need to prove to vet schools that you are capable of handling their rigorous curriculum. No, that doesn't mean taking a ridiculously easy course load so that you can get straight A's. It means taking the same course load and working twice as hard to improve your grades. It means staying in and studying while your friends are out partying. It means waking up early and dragging your butt to class, even when your mental health issues make it difficult. It means spending an extra hour going over lecture material to make absolutely certain that you understand it. It means taking time out of your day to go to your professor's office hours or a tutor for extra help, and doing it religiously every week. It means doing what the rest of us have done - working your ass off!

Yes, some people have gotten into vet school with lower GPAs. But in this case "lower" means 3.0, and you are a LONG way off from that. It's a lot harder to raise your GPA than it is to destroy it. If you really want to go to vet school, you need to be prepared to most likely spend an extra year in undergrad repairing the damage you have done. You also have to get a solid job in the field and start accruing vet hours as soon as possible. It sucks, but that's how it works.

Don't just keep making new threads when you don't like what people are telling you. These are all people who have applied or are applying to veterinary school, or are currently studying there. They know what they're talking about. They're not going to change their tune just to make you feel better. And that wouldn't be doing you any favors anyway. 🙄


If this woman can do it, you have absolutely no excuses whatsoever: http://theadvocate.com/features/people/3131067-123/its-who-i-am
 
I'm just going to say it - after reading all your posts - you don't have what it takes. Academically you will not succeed. You have no idea what this profession entails because you have not seen how a hospital works.
I'm sorry but find another profession.
 
I'd say you need to stop focusing on your future as a possible vet, and just focus on your future in general. Regardless of whether you decide to take 10 credits, 12 credits, a year off, I don't think it will matter and none of us can give you the answers you're looking for anyways. Yes, odds are things won't work out for you to become a vet, but either way, you need to get on the right path. That's all on you, not us.
 
kwheezy said:
i'm just going to say it - after reading all your posts - you don't have what it takes. Academically you will not succeed. You have no idea what this profession entails because you have not seen how a hospital works.
I'm sorry but find another profession.
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this.
 
Ok, so I'm not the most active SDN-er, it's possible that someone has said this before in one of your many threads (which even I know all about). If so, sorry, but here are my thoughts on the matter. With your current attitude and school work ethic, other issues non withstanding, even if somehow you got into to vet school eventually, failing one class will get you thrown out. Each school is different, some may let you retake a class once, some (mine) make you petition to start the year over next year, with no guarantee that you will be allowed back. Also, at my school maintaining a GPA below a 2.5 is grounds for academic probation initially and dismissal eventually. Please think about this. The level of work involved per class is far beyond what is expected in an undergrad intro science class. The truth is that you may waste a lot of time, effort and money trying to get into a program which you may not be able to handle. Wanting to be a vet is not the same thing as being cut out to obtain a medical degree.
 
I have not been following your posts either, but I would like to mention a few things as well.

I have an undergraduate degree and thesis under my belt. I took a full course load for most of it and worked while in school. I failed first year pre-cal and floundered in chemistry class. Because of my strong interest in biology and having done well in my other math courses, required courses and electives, I am 2 points away from earning an interview from my prospective school. I struggle on and off with mild mental and physical health issues. I have approximately 500 hours of vet experience under my belt (where as some accepted applicants have less than 100 at my prospective school). And I am currently debating whether I can handle the stress of vet school.

There are some individuals who have overcome illness or low GPA, but it will be incredibly difficult to do both.

My advice?
Take a break from SDN. Browsing, posting and reading replies is only going to waste time and make you more depressed.

Take a break from school. Really sit down and think whether a science degree is right for you. Because I have an interest in biology, I am more receptive in those classes and tend to do better on average. If you cannot pass a general biology class (which is typically a lot of review from high school), you really need to sit down and think whether you are really interested in it or just want to be interested in it. I know very few people who were in your situation. The ones I knew skipped most classes and were in to drugs. They never ended up getting into anything remotely related to the field they were interested in after blowing their first year.

Also, having zero animal experience is not going to help. I changed my mind from vet tech to vet based on volunteering and shadowing.
 
Trematode said:
There are some individuals who have overcome illness or low GPA, but it will be incredibly difficult to do both.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I, like you, have some physical and mental health issues, and though this struggle to overcome both a disability and a low GPA took a few years (and a toll on my energy), it's completely possible, AS LONG AS YOU LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

If you get hands-on experience with animals and truly fall in love with them and wanting to help them through their own health journeys, nothing should, and will, stop you. Unless you're in it for the title of being a doctor or the money (which isn't really THAT much).

No one's life is perfect, and getting over some of life's boundaries may take some time, but if you truly love what you're doing, you'll be able to get through it to make it worth it in the end.
 
MaiT said:
I disagree. I, like you, have some physical and mental health issues, and though this struggle to overcome both a disability and a low GPA took a few years (and a toll on my energy), it's completely possible, AS LONG AS YOU LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

If you get hands-on experience with animals and truly fall in love with them and wanting to help them through their own health journeys, nothing should, and will, stop you. Unless you're in it for the title of being a doctor or the money (which isn't really THAT much).

No one's life is perfect, and getting over some of life's boundaries may take some time, but if you truly love what you're doing, you'll be able to get through it to make it worth it in the end.
Click to expand...

Love can't overcome a lack of skill or motivation. Someone can love the THOUGHT of something without actually finding the motivation or having the educational background or skillset to make it through the science classes required.

I was pre-vet until I decided that the skill set required wasn't something that I felt would be a good match for my particular interests and my own skill set. I've since found a field that is. I have mental/emotional deficits that prevent me from working my best sometimes, but I've been able to overcome it. The road has not been easy and my GPA has been affected by it. The academics were part of it - I loved the field, and still think I would enjoy it, but it's not the all-consuming passion that some people claim to have found. Passion is great, but unless you can make it through the classes, it will not do anything for you.

In short...love and passion are great, but neither by themselves will get you through your classes. Discipline, organization, and a good study-skill-set will (in most cases).

Take some time off. Get physically and mentally healthy, as best as you can. Re-evaluate your life - what has been working, what hasn't. Then proceed from there. I think it's one of the AA/NA principles - take a full, honest complete evaluation of yourself. It'll help.
 
A lil off topic, but nohika, I can't say how incredibly proud I (and I'm sure a bunch of us here) am of you and how much you've grown since you joined sdn! I'm so happy that you've found your true passion, and I'm also very glad you stuck around 🙂
 
Yes! She tells me about it and its awesome! The way she talks makes me really interested in it and that's how it is supposed to be! 🙂
 
Minnerbelle said:
A lil off topic, but nohika, I can't say how incredibly proud I (and I'm sure a bunch of us here) am of you and how much you've grown since you joined sdn! I'm so happy that you've found your true passion, and I'm also very glad you stuck around 🙂
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agreed!
 
😳😳😳 Thanks, guys. 😍

I'm in the long haul for education regardless (five more years, at least 👍 ) so we have that in common. I'm the lone person pursuing graduate education in my department (besides the professors, who already have it) so it's nice to have the people here that understand kind of what I'm going through, although they're different topics with different classes and whatnot. 👍 👍

I look back on the topics I started and cringe. :laugh: :laugh:
 
MaiT said:
I disagree. I, like you, have some physical and mental health issues, and though this struggle to overcome both a disability and a low GPA took a few years (and a toll on my energy), it's completely possible, AS LONG AS YOU LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

If you get hands-on experience with animals and truly fall in love with them and wanting to help them through their own health journeys, nothing should, and will, stop you. Unless you're in it for the title of being a doctor or the money (which isn't really THAT much).

No one's life is perfect, and getting over some of life's boundaries may take some time, but if you truly love what you're doing, you'll be able to get through it to make it worth it in the end.
Click to expand...

If you browse the forum (like the Rant Here thread, Accepted Applicants and there was one on learning disabilities), you will notice a trend: people with mental illnesses or learning disabilities have worked hard at getting it sorted out and it has not had a major impact on their marks. You will also notice some people who had lower GPAs (around 3.0) bounced back by modifying their study habits and doing well in upper level classes. Bouncing back from a 2.0 GPA and taking control of any problems you have is going to be a very very difficult task. So far, I have not noticed anyone on here who had similar issues and bounced back. It doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

I also believe that sometimes your love of something is not enough to get you where you want if you have certain roadblocks in the way. That is why most of the people I know who could not get into vet school end up doing the vet tech program instead. Their "love" did not raise their grades enough.
 
Kwheezy said:
I'm just going to say it - after reading all your posts - you don't have what it takes. Academically you will not succeed. You have no idea what this profession entails because you have not seen how a hospital works.
I'm sorry but find another profession.
Click to expand...

Hate to be a downer, but I second this.

If you have trouble at 14 credits of general science and need to downgrade to 10 there is no way that you can deal with 24-28 credits at vet school.

Take some time off, get your issues sorted out, and maybe try again. Or consider tech school, kennel work, or volunteering.
 
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