Can anyone help me out plz?

[naomimiyone]

So I'm currently a freshman and during the fall semester I was a Pre-medicine major; however, I changed that to a foreign languages major with the intentions of taking the medical schools' prerequisites. Unfortunately, I did poorly in my science classes and I feel it was because I took on more than I was ready for at the moment. I only had two science courses and three other regular courses. I ended up dropping my chemistry course and passing my biology course with a "C".

So this is where my problem comes in. The main reason I did so poorly before was because I honestly didn't know how to study for those courses and I just didn't manage my time well. I finally figured it all out far too late; my grades had already fallen too low in chemistry. But now I have Spanish, math, and English. I want to take Biology 102 but I'm afraid of what happend last time, and I also want to take a class that I know will be fun and relaxing.

I have a job for the spring semester and I'm worried taking the Biology class will over extend me again, the fun, relaxing classes are only 1 cred so I'd have to take two but they are short. I thought that it would be best if I just do some volunteering in that area to see if I want to be a doctor before I continue with the prerequisites for medical school. My current gpa is a 2.55 and my science one is just fine considering I dropped the only other science class I had. And I know, becoming a doctor will be far harder than what I'm seeing now, which is why I'm wondering if I should slow down to see if this is what I really want to do?

Should I take the Science class or put in some volunteer time at the local hospital (to see if I want to be a doctor) and just choose the two classes that won't require so much of me?

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[MichaelRW]

You need to take bio 2 and preferably chem 1 again. Find a doc to shadow for 2 or 3 hours a week and figure out if you truly do want to pursue medicine. 3 hours a week is a very small amount of time so it won't burn you out. Next semester needs to be dedicated to getting your study habits and time mgmt finely tuned. Begin to show an upward trend from then on out. If for some reason you decide medicine isn't for you then you can use the science classes as some gen ed requirement. But if you put off science next term and u decide to stick with medicine, you'll be a sophomore who has no gen chem, no o-chem, no physics, and only 1 semester of bio. You'll be pretty behind IMO

 

[obgyny]

So I'm currently a freshman and during the fall semester I was a Pre-medicine major; however, I changed that to a foreign languages major with the intentions of taking the medical schools' prerequisites. Unfortunately, I did poorly in my science classes and I feel it was because I took on more than I was ready for at the moment. I only had two science courses and three other regular courses. I ended up dropping my chemistry course and passing my biology course with a "C".

So this is where my problem comes in. The main reason I did so poorly before was because I honestly didn't know how to study for those courses and I just didn't manage my time well. I finally figured it all out far too late; my grades had already fallen too low in chemistry. But now I have Spanish, math, and English. I want to take Biology 102 but I'm afraid of what happend last time, and I also want to take a class that I know will be fun and relaxing.

I have a job for the spring semester and I'm worried taking the Biology class will over extend me again, the fun, relaxing classes are only 1 cred so I'd have to take two but they are short. I thought that it would be best if I just do some volunteering in that area to see if I want to be a doctor before I continue with the prerequisites for medical school. My current gpa is a 2.55 and my science one is just fine considering I dropped the only other science class I had. And I know, becoming a doctor will be far harder than what I'm seeing now, which is why I'm wondering if I should slow down to see if this is what I really want to do?

Should I take the Science class or put in some volunteer time at the local hospital (to see if I want to be a doctor) and just choose the two classes that won't require so much of me?

Well, you're only a freshman, so you have time to raise your GPA!!! If this experience has rattled you, you should definitely try volunteering and researching this career more so you can make sure it's what you really want to do. It's a huge commitment and it takes quite a bit of sacrifice, so you definitely want to know if it's right for you. It would be awful if you went through so much trouble with all the prereq's, only to find out later medicine isn't right for you.

But knowing what you know now, I'm sure you'll take the science classes more seriously. Now you know what to expect. If you're really determined, then maybe you can try studying with other students or get tutoring. Sometimes it's just learning how to study for these types of classes that is the hardest part. University level bio courses are nothing like high school. Transitioning into university-level bio classes (and the dreaded ochem) was quite a shock for me too, so it just takes some getting used to and adjusting your study habits. Unfortunately, it's only going to get harder, so it's good to develop good study habits now.

Good luck!!! Hope this helps

 

[Catalystik]

I think MichaelRW's idea about some shadowing is a good one, but rather than wait, if you have some more time before your winter break is over, why not try to set up a few half days of shadow time now. Possibly your doctor would respond positively to such a request if you have a long-term relationship, or there may be a family friend you can ask. If you enjoy the shadowing, you may be newly motivated to ramp up your academic performance once you have a tangible goal to aim for and can put some of Bpost's strategies into play. If seeing what docs do all day is boring, disgusting, or disturbing in some way, you have your answer and can plan next semester accordingly.

 

[krispy]

I think MichaelRW's idea about some shadowing is a good one, but rather than wait, if you have some more time before your winter break is over, why not try to set up a few half days of shadow time now. Possibly your doctor would respond positively to such a request if you have a long-term relationship, or there may be a family friend you can ask. If you enjoy the shadowing, you may be newly motivated to ramp up your academic performance once you have a tangible goal to aim for and can put some of Bpost's strategies into play. If seeing what docs do all day is boring, disgusting, or disturbing in some way, you have your answer and can plan next semester accordingly.

and, like it was said above me, you definitely can raise your GPA

 

[FloatOn]

So I'm currently a freshman and during the fall semester I was a Pre-medicine major; however, I changed that to a foreign languages major with the intentions of taking the medical schools' prerequisites. Unfortunately, I did poorly in my science classes and I feel it was because I took on more than I was ready for at the moment. I only had two science courses and three other regular courses. I ended up dropping my chemistry course and passing my biology course with a "C".

So this is where my problem comes in. The main reason I did so poorly before was because I honestly didn't know how to study for those courses and I just didn't manage my time well. I finally figured it all out far too late; my grades had already fallen too low in chemistry. But now I have Spanish, math, and English. I want to take Biology 102 but I'm afraid of what happend last time, and I also want to take a class that I know will be fun and relaxing.

I have a job for the spring semester and I'm worried taking the Biology class will over extend me again, the fun, relaxing classes are only 1 cred so I'd have to take two but they are short. I thought that it would be best if I just do some volunteering in that area to see if I want to be a doctor before I continue with the prerequisites for medical school. My current gpa is a 2.55 and my science one is just fine considering I dropped the only other science class I had. And I know, becoming a doctor will be far harder than what I'm seeing now, which is why I'm wondering if I should slow down to see if this is what I really want to do?

Should I take the Science class or put in some volunteer time at the local hospital (to see if I want to be a doctor) and just choose the two classes that won't require so much of me?

You need to take bio 2 and preferably chem 1 again. Find a doc to shadow for 2 or 3 hours a week and figure out if you truly do want to pursue medicine. 3 hours a week is a very small amount of time so it won't burn you out. Next semester needs to be dedicated to getting your study habits and time mgmt finely tuned. Begin to show an upward trend from then on out. If for some reason you decide medicine isn't for you then you can use the science classes as some gen ed requirement. But if you put off science next term and u decide to stick with medicine, you'll be a sophomore who has no gen chem, no o-chem, no physics, and only 1 semester of bio. You'll be pretty behind IMO

I think it would be a good idea to listen to yourself and slow down. Shadowing would definitely give you a better sense of what it's like to be a doctor than volunteering. Although volunteering may give you plenty of patient contact, my experience has been you will have minimal physician contact, if any. I think it's ok to postpone your science class until next school year. You might be one year behind your traditional pre-med peers, but it sounds like you need more time to figure things out, particularly academically. Good luck!