Anyone else breeze through HS yet was knocked off balance by undergrad?

[Chris127]

I swear, I didnt have to study for anything in HS. I didnt even have to do half the hw, and I took 3 honors courses and graduated with a 3.8. Now as a freshman pre med, its a different type of education. It requires studying, constant reviewing, and I think all of this has kind of just punched me in the chest landing me on my back, taking the wind out of me, you know?

Anyone else feel this way when transitioning to HS---> undergrad?

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[DrBowtie]

Personally, I felt this way exactly. Then when the first test results came back, I knew I could hack it.

 

[doctorFred]

i think pretty much everyone feels that way.. i certainly did. except i blew off the work and got b's and c's in high school, the same way i blew off most of the work and got b's in college. if i didn't have the saving grace of being able to do well standardized tests (sats and mcats), i probably wouldn't have gotten into a college or (hopefully) medical school.

 

[thesauce]

I was the opposite. I graduated with a 2.5 in high school then got a 4.0 in chemical engineering at college. College was a lot more exciting to me because it was a challenge. Now all of my friends from high school are like "YOU are going to be a doctor??"

 

[45408]

honestly, most med students probably breezed through high school - most people don't have too much trouble in HS, but college is just a different animal altogether. Most classes can't just be tackled with good instincts on multiple-guess exams (some can, but most of those are gotten out of the way pretty early on), so you actually have to study more than 30 minutes for an exam. Seriously, in HS, I rarely ever studied more than half hour to an hour for a test. I spent a decent amount of time on HW, but never studying. Now I actually have to study for exams to get an A. If I don't study, a B is fortunate.

 

[firebird69guy]

1). Competition is higher, and you have a curve.

2). More to do - many students start partying, making a ton of friends etc.

3). Faster learning pace (probably because in HS, you had to go slow to help the slower learners keep up). In college, they don't give a crap.


You can do it though... stay focused, and don't wait until the week before the test to start cramming. You gotta stay on top of the material. Good luck! In a few years, you'll look back and wish that you did better in some of your basic classes.. It's normal.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Yea, I agree, and if you think college is bad, wait until you get to med school; it makes college seem easy.

 

[CTSballer11]

I swear, I didnt have to study for anything in HS. I didnt even have to do half the hw, and I took 3 honors courses and graduated with a 3.8. Now as a freshman pre med, its a different type of education. It requires studying, constant reviewing, and I think all of this has kind of just punched me in the chest landing me on my back, taking the wind out of me, you know?

Anyone else feel this way when transitioning to HS---> undergrad?

Hey man don't sweat it. In highschool all I did was play sports and party with my friends. I never studied for more than 20-30 min, even for finals. I had a similar GPA in highschool and when I first started college I felt the same way. Try not to stress out and try to stay on top of the material.

 

[Freakingzooming]

yeah- if you're going from a pretty laidback higschool to a more academic/brainy university/college- you'll find there will be more people like you in college- motivated and determined to do well.

And if you're in the sciences or doing premed classes, magnify that several times.

it's like a smaller subset of the population that you used to be going to school with, except they're the smartest and most successful of the bunch.

But tailor fit your expectations and with a little hard work/luck, you're going to rock and roll.

 

[Dr2010]

1). Competition is higher, and you have a curve.

2). More to do - many students start partying, making a ton of friends etc.

3). Faster learning pace (probably because in HS, you had to go slow to help the slower learners keep up). In college, they don't give a crap.


You can do it though... stay focused, and don't wait until the week before the test to start cramming. You gotta stay on top of the material. Good luck! In a few years, you'll look back and wish that you did better in some of your basic classes.. It's normal.

Man I couldnt agree more. I came into college thinking if i just coasted until a few days before the test id be fine...def not the case...thats why for the first 2 years i had a horrible work ethic that resulted in a not too hot gpa, do a lil everyday and you should be fine.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

I got knocked off balance by every level at first. High school and college. In both cases I came back with a bang and rebounded quite strong

 

[shivalrous]

Man I couldnt agree more. I came into college thinking if i just coasted until a few days before the test id be fine...def not the case...thats why for the first 2 years i had a horrible work ethic that resulted in a not too hot gpa, do a lil everyday and you should be fine.

I feel ya there...

 

[CuddlyKumquat]

i went to a great highschool (ranked high in the nation) and I still didn't have to study/work at all to graduate top of my class. That all changed when i went to college, and it took me ages to figure out why. This is the reason why im struggling to get into schools with a 3.2 gpa. Oh well. Lesson Learned

 

[PhotoMD]

Wait until medical school.

 

[IgweEmeka]

I mean lets be honest...high school could have been scaled down to 2 years. All we did could have been accomplished in 2 years, so thats why high school seemed so easy...because it is elongated into a 4 year program. If you go to asian countries and some european countries, they dont have as long a program as high school in America...thats why when all these asians come to america and start taking calculus with us, they blow us away. They learned all that $hit years ago and its pretty much review for them.

 

[JDWflash44]

My high school was hard as he!!. I was kinda lazyin HS, but I have to say I think HS was harder than college, I guess my school prepared me well. Now I have to say now that I'm in grad school, thats challenging....

Jim

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

Wait until medical school.

A lot of people, myself included, find medical school *easier* than undergrad. It all depends on how much you push yourself at each level.

 

[veridisquo]

I wasn't "knocked off" by college, but it definitely was a new experience for me.

I breezed through HS, and didn't do a damn thing. I had a 3.8 GPA, regular classes, no struggles. The only C I ever earned was in biology. Go figure. I wasn't even concerned with my grades. I rarely studied except for the 10 minutes before the test and didn't put in considerable effort at all.

I graduated early at 16. I didn't even take all the classes. The dean of my school said i'd probably end up doing fine for the remainder of my HS years, so she gave me the credits and I went straight to college at 16.

At college, for the first time in my life I studied for a test, had to review daily, etc. I was worried and scared because I had no idea how I would perform. This turned into an extreme form of paranoia and guilt. I'd study hours and hours every day and obviously did very well my freshman year. I earned a 4.0 both semesters. After my first year, I got the hang of things. Now I know what I need to do, how hard I need to study, etc.

After the initial transition period, you should be okay provided you have your priorities set. There's no need to worry about the difficulty of medical school at this point. You can't compare something 4-5 years down the road with any initial troubles you are having now, just out of high school.

 

[ms1finally]

I swear, I didnt have to study for anything in HS. I didnt even have to do half the hw, and I took 3 honors courses and graduated with a 3.8. Now as a freshman pre med, its a different type of education. It requires studying, constant reviewing, and I think all of this has kind of just punched me in the chest landing me on my back, taking the wind out of me, you know?

Anyone else feel this way when transitioning to HS---> undergrad?

I busted tail in high school, mostly due to a time crunch (year-round athlete). Then college came and I learned a whole new meaning to those words (still an athlete). Now med school is here and guess what? THey are being redefined for me once again. You will have to adjust each step of the way, but it's possible to do so. Good luck.

 

[sunny123]

I swear, I didnt have to study for anything in HS. I didnt even have to do half the hw, and I took 3 honors courses and graduated with a 3.8. Now as a freshman pre med, its a different type of education. It requires studying, constant reviewing, and I think all of this has kind of just punched me in the chest landing me on my back, taking the wind out of me, you know?

Anyone else feel this way when transitioning to HS---> undergrad?

No. I worked like a mad person in high school to get the scholarships, then slacked off in undergrad.

 

[Billy Rubin]

I don't even remember high school. Did I go to that?

Do be careful. I don't think I ever opened a book in high school. Seriously. I didn't graduate at the top of my class or anything, but remember, I didn't open a book.

High school (if I remember correctly, which, I really don't) is very directed. What is expected of you is made very clear. College courses aren't so kind. You will be introduced to self-directed learning, a skill that apparently you will need in med school, and most certainly as a physician, should you still decide that you want to take that path. I think that's the difference.

As other posters have said, high school academics should probably be two years. High school is where you are weaned from the societal conditioning that is a necessary part of elementary education (how to follow a ringing bell, how to be on time, how to socialize with other drones according to the rules of socialization) and a degree (a small degree) of academic freedom and creativity are allowed. In college this creativity is expected and measured against the creativities of others.

Please do not make the mistake of seeing college as anything like high school. It is all in your hands now. You can have whatever sort of education you desire. If it seems like I'm lecturing you, I am. I made a lot of mistakes when I started college because I did not understand this. You have the chance now to become an educated person. But it's up to you.

Good luck.

I swear, I didnt have to study for anything in HS. I didnt even have to do half the hw, and I took 3 honors courses and graduated with a 3.8. Now as a freshman pre med, its a different type of education. It requires studying, constant reviewing, and I think all of this has kind of just punched me in the chest landing me on my back, taking the wind out of me, you know?

Anyone else feel this way when transitioning to HS---> undergrad?

 

[Chris127]

Nice post Billy