Am I done for?

[bamabcs]

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I just finished my first semester at college and I don't know what to interpret of my grades. Currently I have a D in my beginning math course (not pre-calc) and I am pretty sure I might get a C+ in my bio course! I am just so frustrated, I don't even party much and I study all the time. Is it the way I study is am I just not a math/science person? Anyway, I am discouraged and it is scaring me from pursuing Pharmacy, which is depressing because that is the only thing I want to do!!! Not only that but I want to get an engineering degree as a backup and I damn sure have to be good at math and science for that... My own academic adviser is starting to lose faith in me.. Any encouragement or advice? Thank you...

 

[Celticspride58]

I just finished my first semester at college and I don't know what to interpret of my grades. Currently I have a D in my beginning math course (not pre-calc) and I am pretty sure I might get a C+ in my bio course! I am just so frustrated, I don't even party much and I study all the time. Is it the way I study is am I just not a math/science person? Anyway, I am discouraged and it is scaring me from pursuing Pharmacy, which is depressing because that is the only thing I want to do!!! Not only that but I want to get an engineering degree as a backup and I damn sure have to be good at math and science for that... My own academic adviser is starting to lose faith in me.. Any encouragement or advice? Thank you...

Tough first semester? Yeah those grades are not impressive by any means, but if you truly do want to be a pharmacist, you will do what it takes to have a turn around.

Grades don't get me wrong are of high importance, but what's done is done. You can only move forward from here. Take the class you got a D in and see if in the end you can retake your C+ class. But as for what you can do now, I would truly just keep your eye on the prize and think to yourself that if this is something you want, truly want more than anything, that nothingwill stand in your way.

It may sound corny or silly to say that, but I faced my own struggles along the way, and am currently on my way to where I need/want to be. The biggest mistake you could make is to listen to anyone else and what they have to say if its negative. Stay true to yourself and your goals, and in the end you will be where you need to be. If it takes you longer then you had wanted, so what, sometimes we all face hurdles along the way to being where we desire.

 

[deleted329060]

I just finished my first semester at college and I don't know what to interpret of my grades. Currently I have a D in my beginning math course (not pre-calc) and I am pretty sure I might get a C+ in my bio course! I am just so frustrated, I don't even party much and I study all the time. Is it the way I study is am I just not a math/science person? Anyway, I am discouraged and it is scaring me from pursuing Pharmacy, which is depressing because that is the only thing I want to do!!! Not only that but I want to get an engineering degree as a backup and I damn sure have to be good at math and science for that... My own academic adviser is starting to lose faith in me.. Any encouragement or advice? Thank you...

are you sure you didn't reverse party and study? because those grades are pretty bad. first off, do you know why you are getting bad grades? when you go into an exam, do you score poorly because you don't know the material, or is it something else?

 

[rxlea]

Don't listen to the guy up there about retaking the C+. You can retake the D if it prevents you from moving forward in your math sequences. If it doesn't, don't worry about it because remedial math isn't even a pre req and taking higher level math courses (and getting A's or B's) will show that you are proficient in math, at least enough for pharm school. Get your **** together and start studying smart- high yield material (what the prof focuses on). Anything with math- you should be doing practice problems over and over and over again. Clearly you are not studying efficiently. Do you have any pre med or pre pharm friends? Ask them what they are doing to succeed in pre reqs. Most importantly, figure out what your learning style is and perfect your study habits. It could be that math just isn't your strong suit and, therefore, engineering would probably be a poor choice of a major. It's easy to fall for the rainbows and butterflies that people tell you about but if you want to get ahead, you gotta work hard and work smart. Not everyone "can do anything" but, if you do have what it takes (and I hope you do), you'll figure it out.

 

[bamabcs]

are you sure you didn't reverse party and study? because those grades are pretty bad. first off, do you know why you are getting bad grades? when you go into an exam, do you score poorly because you don't know the material, or is it something else?

Yes I am sure. The engineering students partied more than I did 😕 I am pretty sure that I may have had poor study habits because when I went over the material it was in a monotonous manner...

 

[Passion4Sci]

Quality v quantity. Your study habits suck, as you noted. Monotonous studying != good studying. You might as well have been partying....

Get a tutor (your school should have a tutoring service) or make friends with people in class and go over things with them. Also, do a lot of problems. Most of what makes math and science challenging for some folks is that it requires doing hundreds of practice problems, especially if your instructor is one who just goes over easy stuff in class and leaves the hard stuff on homework + exams/quizzes.

IN short, you might be spending a lot of time on school work, but you need to work smarter, not harder. There should be a science skills center or something like that available to you, also.

 

[Farmacist2011]

Can you get old tests? That singlehandily made my college life waaaay easier, especially for science classes.

 

[UNMorBUST]

As everyone has said. Study smart not hard. Find out what works for you and run with it.

I have learned that for me studing over many days have the reverse effect on me. I end up blanking at test time. What works for me is doing several hrs of hard study time before a test, so when I get to the test it's not a huge transition from what I was just doing.

Remember, this works for me. Find out what works for you.

 

[deleted289008]

Can you get old tests? That singlehandily made my college life waaaay easier, especially for science classes.

I would be cautious going down this route because you need to understand the concepts surrounding the material, not just understanding how the prof asks questions or perhaps the answers to the test (if the prof reuses questions). Sure you can get good grades, but you really need to have your foundations built correctly to gain critical analysis on what you're learning to become a pharmacist or any health professional.

With that being said, just retake the class you received a D in and move on! Think positive because it's not over! Upward trend, my friend. It also makes a good experience to write on your pharmcas app 😀.

 

[dazzled]

Something that really helped me was discovering that I am an audio/visual learner. Ever since I found out, I can study much more efficiently, and retain and understand a TON better and faster. A few things I do that may seem silly to some but are crucial to me:

- I have like 10 different colored pens that I take my notes in - I color code my notes. When I am taking a test and trying to remember something, the color pops into my head and then I can "read" it and it helps a lot.

- I talk to myself. A lot. Talk to myself, my cats, whoever (or whatever . . .) will listen. I explain the concepts out loud, as if I was teaching the class. I think it helps a lot to take the prof's words and talk them out in "your own language" (i.e., the way you would speak). You remember it much better that way, I think.

- If all else fails, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. This is especially useful for stuff that is straight memorization (i.e., amino acid structures, medical terminology, vocab, etc.). Investing in a large dry-erase board and different colored markers is one of the best things I've ever done for this. . .

 

[Greekmeek]

Something that really helped me was discovering that I am an audio/visual learner. Ever since I found out, I can study much more efficiently, and retain and understand a TON better and faster. A few things I do that may seem silly to some but are crucial to me:

- I have like 10 different colored pens that I take my notes in - I color code my notes. When I am taking a test and trying to remember something, the color pops into my head and then I can "read" it and it helps a lot.

- I talk to myself. A lot. Talk to myself, my cats, whoever (or whatever . . .) will listen. I explain the concepts out loud, as if I was teaching the class. I think it helps a lot to take the prof's words and talk them out in "your own language" (i.e., the way you would speak). You remember it much better that way, I think.

- If all else fails, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. This is especially useful for stuff that is straight memorization (i.e., amino acid structures, medical terminology, vocab, etc.). Investing in a large dry-erase board and different colored markers is one of the best things I've ever done for this. . .

Not silly at all. Whew! It's good to know there is someone out there just like me! Except for color coded notes, that's the way I study and have done well in school.

 

[kkusang]

I don't know about other schools but my school has freshman forgiveness which replaces the freshman grade to re-taken course grade.
Think about this option if your school has this policy.

 

[UNMorBUST]

I don't know about other schools but my school has freshman forgiveness which replaces the freshman grade to re-taken course grade.
Think about this option if your school has this policy.

I'm sure this replaces your institutional grade. However, I doubt that it erases your grade from grad programs seeing them on your transcripts.

 

[The Chem Tutor]

It may sound corny or silly to say that, but I faced my own struggles along the way, and am currently on my way to where I need/want to be. The biggest mistake you could make is to listen to anyone else and what they have to say if its negative. Stay true to yourself and your goals, and in the end you will be where you need to be. If it takes you longer then you had wanted, so what, sometimes we all face hurdles along the way to being where we desire.[/QUOTE]

Thanks dude thats true motivation !!!!!

 

[Shadii]

Like someone said, you NEED to find the way your way of studying. People have different brains and they retain information in different ways, tries things out. Some ways to learn are listening(auditory), talking, visual, and re-writing.

I promise you, if you REALLY put an effort into it, you will get to where you envision yourself. But don't forget to still have fun. Fun doesn't necessarily mean getting piss drunk and having sex all over the school grounds, you're life can't be all work. Moderation is key, good luck.

 

[longhornatheart]

The previous posters have all given extremely good advice.

Another thing you may consider is studying with a small group of dedicated students. Read the material and work the problems in advance of getting together with the group in order to maximize your time. Ask questions and work problems on a whiteboard or chalkboard while they're guiding you. Have your group members work problems too as you watch. Interactive learning can be a very good tool in order to learn and retain information while having a little bit of fun too. This tactic has worked especially well for me in organic chemistry that you'll be taking later on.

Sometimes studying all the time as you have mentioned earlier can lead to the reverse desired effect. You will need to learn how to balance work and play. Forcing yourself to learn when you're tired or you're not very focused will not allow you to retain information. Take breaks and have some fun. Even if the break is watching TV, eating dinner with friends, or whatever it gives your mind time to relax and absorb what you've just learned. Sometimes the answer to a problem comes to me at the weirdest times - when I'm taking a shower, out with friends, right before I go to sleep, or as I'm driving.

I'm not the type of person who can stay up late and all night in order to study. If you are sleep-deprived, you will be less likely to do well. This works for some people but not for me. I'd rather get a good night's sleep and study again in the morning. The key is memory retention and not just making the grade as science courses build upon themselves and you'll need the information for upper-level courses and Pharmacy School.

Take advantage of your school's testing center and counselors as well. They have good study tips and will help you determine the best way for you to learn.

Hope this helps and good luck with your second semester! You have plenty of time to turn around your grades.