Anyone have a horrible undergrad semester?

[EyEnStein 07]

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[sWish]

Many students (if not most) "underperform" their first couple years of University. With a gpa of 3.2-3.4, I really don't think you have much to worry about. I didn't do too well my first 2 years, with a gpa below 3.2, but made up for it in my last couple years. During my interviews they focussed more on the fact that my grades showed an upward trend. If you think you can upgrade your Chem mark, why not do it? Just to give you an idea, my chem grades were B+ and B, and I got acceptance. Goodluck!

 

[mathcod]

In highschool, the bar was set at the standard for the average person. College has much higher expectations; your peers are smarter and your higher education is much more difficult to master. The years of getting A's without much effort are over. Do what you need to, and find help if you need to, if you want to get A's.

Btw, your situation isn't bad at all. The mean entering GPAs are ~3.4. But that means you'll need to make your other portions of the application much stronger, most importantly your OAT. Getting a high score on its Gen Chem section may speak more than your grade. Also, I don't think colleges let you retake classes to get As unless you fail. And either way, your old grade will just appear on your transcript.

Besides, you're only in your first semester. You tested the waters and maybe can change your expectations of what you need to do. Also, your campus may have pre-health advisors you can talk to.

Don't regret your first semester -- learn from it. Regrets only make a person weaker. Do what you need to do, and take down Metal Gear!!!

 

[JMU07]

You're complaning about a 3.2?

You have nothing to worry about. People (myself included) get accepted with below-average GPA's - that's why it's an average.

I graduated 9th in my class in high school (out of a class of 430) and went to college and became average. It happens. As someone else said, there are higher standards now. If you want straight A's in college you're going to have to work much harder than you did in high school. Seriously, this is not a "horrible" semester at all - plenty of people started college this year and got C averages. You have to put it into perspective... I was a little upset with my grades this semester but there are people struggling to stay in the program. There will always be people much worse off than you. Be happy about your grades!

 

[thanotoriousfob]

You're complaning about a 3.2?

You have nothing to worry about. People (myself included) get accepted with below-average GPA's - that's why it's an average.

I graduated 9th in my class in high school (out of a class of 430) and went to college and became average. It happens. As someone else said, there are higher standards now. If you want straight A's in college you're going to have to work much harder than you did in high school. Seriously, this is not a "horrible" semester at all - plenty of people started college this year and got C averages. You have to put it into perspective... I was a little upset with my grades this semester but there are people struggling to stay in the program. There will always be people much worse off than you. Be happy about your grades!

I really don't get why some people freak out. IT IS ONLY YOUR FIRST SEMESTER! 3.2 - 3.4 is not bad for the adjustment from highschool to college. One of my friends who happened to be a roommate of mine in college was almost a 4.0 in Highschool and scored something like a 1450+ on the old SAT's, and got a 3.1 his first semester. He is now a pharmacist. So just keep your head up! I know you have standards but I promise you it will get easier because you know what to expect now and you seem passionate about not getting anything below a 3.4. Hope it goes well.

 

[eheaps]

I had less than a 3.0 a couple times and will soon be on my way to an optometry school, so you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Grover3060]

Again, echoing what others have said, it's only your first semester so don't fret to much, especially when your GPA is a 3.2, ha. My first semester I got a 2.95 and my GPA currently is just under 3.5. First semester freshman year really smacked me in the face but you learn how to study and what you need to do to be successful in college. Like someone else said, the days of studying just an hour to get an A are over. At the same time, don't forsake the rest of your undergraduate experience to get a stupid A in a class. For us looking to go into optometry school maintaining a solid GPA is important but being well-rounded just as important. Personally I would rather have a life and get a B versus burying myself in my dorm studying every waking moment. I got into OSU with my GPA just fine but that wasn't the main reason, it was my extracurriculars, community service, and unique shadowing experiences. Don't fret, work hard, develop good study habits and enjoy undergrad. You'll be fine.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Thanks guys for the reply, i have done (in highschool and continuing) a broad range of activies that include fund raising, community services, and volunteering in hospital. I will slowley search for more activities that relate more to eye care / optometry, but this can be very difficult (i dont just mean shadowing).

I guess some of your stories helped me realize this might not be so bad, im still unsure of my gpa but those are just estimates. Can anyone give me examples of how they use to study, and what they do now, because they now know how to "really study", maybe this is a point that im missing when i do my own work, but it is also my fault i probably did not put in enough time, so any examples of strategies that help you guys would be advantageous to me (i realize different methods work for different people, i want to know what works for you)

 

[eheaps]

I struggled my first few semesters through a couple early bio classes. I liked to study in groups a lot, I know I know the material when I can teach it to somebody else. My main method for bio courses is to rewrite all of the lectures in a notebook (writing, not typing, is much more effective for me) in addition to taking notes during the lectures, and just studying a lot before the exams. The earlier you start the better, especially if you have multiple exams in a short period of days, that way you don't just study for the first and get screwed up on the one a few days later.

And to the original topic, you're GPA is not that bad at all. Just try to do your best in the coming semesters, it's early, so no need to panic anytime soon.

 

[sportsdude00]

i had a similar situation as you my first semester. i just wasnt used to school at all, so i ended up getting a 3.4. i got myself straight after and havent even gotten close since. just make sure you learn to organize your time and work harder next semester and you'll be fine