Hello everyone. I am a sophomore pre-med, and I need help. I've been struggling since freshman year, first semester to manage my time. This has very negatively impacted my ability to juggle my classes, as well as my grades. Currently, my cGPA is a 3.37. As this semester draws to an end, I am pushing to hopefully get a 3.7 or higher. But I feel as though it's too much of a struggle. How do you guys manage your time? Especially those with a high GPA? My cGPAs by semester are, 3.511, 3.512, and 3.068 (I had a lot going on last semester, problems). Please help 😀 Thank you. 🙂
Desperately need help: GPA, time management,etc.
- Thread starter laxgirl06
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Are you juggling only classes? Are you also playing sports (per your username), or involved in a ton of campus activities? It may be a simple case of needing to cut back on extracurriculars while you find your academic footing. Sports, in particular, are a huge time commitment that not everyone can swing. The other option is that you need to make a priority of self-discipline. Are you spending time online, hanging out, etc, when you could be putting in the extra study time or going to office hours?
Freshman year I was juggling classes and a few student organizations. This year, I am the president and founder of a new and upcoming student organization, have started conducting research, and am juggling classes (trying to). Contrary to my username, I don't play lax, I'm just a fan of the sport. And the self-discipline comment is spot-on because I have had a lot of trouble with that. I don't spend much time online or hanging out, but I still don't have as much self-discipline as I'd like to. The thing is, I go to the library every day, Monday-Sunday, and spend probably 50+ hours there per week. Unfortunately, I still have mismanaged my time. My main problem arises when I have multiple tests in one week. For example, I received a D on an anatomy exam.... that was a day after my orgo exam, which I received an A on... this has been a recurring pattern throughout my undergrad years. So basically, I push myself and don't have a problem going to office hours, library, etc., but I am not efficient and also sometimes waste time hanging with friends when I should be studying. But I don't do that often which is why I'm trying to determine the real problem.
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Whoa are you me? Because I went 3.6, 3.75, 2.8 my first three semesters
. Then made a few 4.0s, so here's my bit of advice:
Quality > Quantity for studying. Block schedules and planners are your friend. Make everything you study an objective. Every Sunday I plan out my week, for example I'll put under Monday "Class 8-1, Lunch 1-2, Research 2-5, Genetics ch. 16 outline, ochem 2 homework, med term flashcards 5-8. Dinner, netflix, sleep" and do the same thing for every day of that week. Having a study agenda has been the biggest help for me. I can't just walk into the library going "Okay I'm going to study one of these spirals in my backpack" because I won't get anything accomplished.
. Then made a few 4.0s, so here's my bit of advice:Quality > Quantity for studying. Block schedules and planners are your friend. Make everything you study an objective. Every Sunday I plan out my week, for example I'll put under Monday "Class 8-1, Lunch 1-2, Research 2-5, Genetics ch. 16 outline, ochem 2 homework, med term flashcards 5-8. Dinner, netflix, sleep" and do the same thing for every day of that week. Having a study agenda has been the biggest help for me. I can't just walk into the library going "Okay I'm going to study one of these spirals in my backpack" because I won't get anything accomplished.
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Hey,
First thing is.....don't panic! You still have time to raise that GPA and get it back into the 3.5-4.0 range. I'll give you some tips and tricks I use to maintain a 4.0. This works for me but maybe you can benefit from it as well.
1. Make a schedule and stick to it. I use Google calendar and I schedule all my events throughout the day, whether that be lectures, meetings, homework time, etc. If you stick to the schedule you will find yourself in a better rhythm and be less likely to "juggle" your daily activities.
2. Wake up early and get the day started. Make sure you are still getting the proper amount of sleep but don't sleep in everyday and waste time that could be used preparing for the day or getting on top of homework.
3. Before early tests wake up and eat a balanced meal. Before my 8am tests (I had lots of them this semester) I always love to go to Panera and eat a great breakfast while reviewing some notes or getting myself mentally prepared for the test I'm going to take.
4. Sometimes you have to put school before friends. I've learned throughout my 4 semester of college is that there is a time to hang out with friends and there is also a time where I have to tell my friends, "sorry I'm studying....I'll catch up with you next week." School is really important to pre-meds. We have to make great grades in order to get into med school. This is going to take some sacrifice and pull you away from your social life a bit. I'm not saying never hang out with friends, but know when you should be hitting the books or catching up with a friend over coffee.
I hope this helped. I try to follow these as closely as possible. These are just suggestions for you and I hope you get some good tips off this post. Good luck!
First thing is.....don't panic! You still have time to raise that GPA and get it back into the 3.5-4.0 range. I'll give you some tips and tricks I use to maintain a 4.0. This works for me but maybe you can benefit from it as well.
1. Make a schedule and stick to it. I use Google calendar and I schedule all my events throughout the day, whether that be lectures, meetings, homework time, etc. If you stick to the schedule you will find yourself in a better rhythm and be less likely to "juggle" your daily activities.
2. Wake up early and get the day started. Make sure you are still getting the proper amount of sleep but don't sleep in everyday and waste time that could be used preparing for the day or getting on top of homework.
3. Before early tests wake up and eat a balanced meal. Before my 8am tests (I had lots of them this semester) I always love to go to Panera and eat a great breakfast while reviewing some notes or getting myself mentally prepared for the test I'm going to take.
4. Sometimes you have to put school before friends. I've learned throughout my 4 semester of college is that there is a time to hang out with friends and there is also a time where I have to tell my friends, "sorry I'm studying....I'll catch up with you next week." School is really important to pre-meds. We have to make great grades in order to get into med school. This is going to take some sacrifice and pull you away from your social life a bit. I'm not saying never hang out with friends, but know when you should be hitting the books or catching up with a friend over coffee.
I hope this helped. I try to follow these as closely as possible. These are just suggestions for you and I hope you get some good tips off this post. Good luck!
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You've gotten some good advice already. I think approaching each study sesssion with a specific concrete goal is great.
When I was in college as a Chem major, there were significant stretches of time when my hanging out with friends only occurred in the setting of studying, volunteering, or exec meetings for clubs. Not the most fun, but sometimes if you have a bunch of tests coming up at once, you have to do it.
When I was in college as a Chem major, there were significant stretches of time when my hanging out with friends only occurred in the setting of studying, volunteering, or exec meetings for clubs. Not the most fun, but sometimes if you have a bunch of tests coming up at once, you have to do it.
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You might also consider meeting with one of your school's academic counselors for advice.
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Immediately go visit your school's learning or education center for help with this.
NOW!
NOW!
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I also really struggled with time management (heck, I'm still working on it), but I went from a <3.0 GPA my freshman year to Dean's List through junior/senior year, so I assure you that it can be overcome! Granted, I also had a learning disability diagnosis/treatment thrown in the mix, but that wasn't like a magic cure or anything. I still had to learn how to manage my time!
Definitely start making schedules. Don't beat yourself up if you don't stick to the schedule perfectly, but be honest with yourself. It's fine to take breaks or cut your study time short if you realize that you're too zoned out/tired to actually absorb material, but don't give yourself too many excuses either.
I have/had the same problem with balancing multiple exams. Remember that your classes contribute the same amount to your GPA, so don't focus entirely on one class!
Personally, I did better academically if I had some extracurriculars going on: the less free time I have, the more efficient I am, but everyone is different. It's important to find a balance.
I'm also terrible at turning down a chance to hang out with a friend and waste time, so I had to get used to saying "no" to invitations to hang out.
Good luck!
Definitely start making schedules. Don't beat yourself up if you don't stick to the schedule perfectly, but be honest with yourself. It's fine to take breaks or cut your study time short if you realize that you're too zoned out/tired to actually absorb material, but don't give yourself too many excuses either.
I have/had the same problem with balancing multiple exams. Remember that your classes contribute the same amount to your GPA, so don't focus entirely on one class!
Personally, I did better academically if I had some extracurriculars going on: the less free time I have, the more efficient I am, but everyone is different. It's important to find a balance.
I'm also terrible at turning down a chance to hang out with a friend and waste time, so I had to get used to saying "no" to invitations to hang out.
Good luck!
Hey guys, thank you to everyone for the replies! I DO have an academic counselor at my university, but I'm not sure he would be able to help, as he's not a pre-med academic counselor. I DO have a professor that I could talk to for help. I think sticking to my schedule is the biggest change I need to make........ as we speak, I should be studying for a final exam.......😳
