difficult premed programs

[arinze]

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Hey SDN, sorry for the new thread about stuff that I am sure has already been discussed thousands of times.


I am doing my premed requirements and have been disappointed with my performance in Physics and Calc 2. I'm not failing or anything, but I'm also not getting A's

I don't know how to express the fact that I am understanding (and enjoying) all of the material, yet not doing very well on the exams. I do all of the homeworks, read all of the chapters required for the exam, and do all of the practice exams available multiple times. I also go to tutoring when there is a concept or practice problem that I am struggling with and successfully get help grasping the concept. I understand the material and am able to properly do all of the practice problems again without using my notes as a reference. I have exhausted all efforts and resources in order to improve my performance..

The exams are still raping me. The way they do exams at my school, and as I'm aware at many other schools, is they test us with types of questions that we are not exposed to, expecting us to use the concepts we learned in order to solve foreign problems. Since we are never exposed to these types of questions, and they are often radically different than anything we are given prior to the test, most kids fail. The class average on my most recent Calc exam was a 30%, which ends up being a C.

Obviously, you can not get into medical school with C's, so I am wondering how you are supposed to anticipate what will be on the exams. I do not want to change my major, as I am finding that physics, chemistry, calculus, and biology are all extremely interesting to me and I have a healthy, loving addiction to doing the homework problems. The tests are just destroying me.

If doing the practice exams, all of the homeworks multiple times, and going to tutoring isn't enough... what should I be doing to perform well on these exams? Is it possible that it will be less rigorous at other schools- should I transfer? My school is a very science-oriented school (they discovered the M.R.I. here), but I am told that this is normal, and they do this at most schools in order to weed people out. Are there schools out there where they aren't making exams crazy different than the material and problems done in and out of class?

I want to restate that I am enjoying the material. It is awesome and I love all that I am learning. I just want to figure out how to do well on exams. I study constantly, dedicating my entire life to school and still don't do well. I understand the possibility that this is not for me, but I also understand that it is possible that there is something I am not doing, that others do.

Any comments or input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Google for more practice problems. Sooner or later you're going to run across problems that ask the material in ways you've not yet encountered. I did this for organic and got to understand the material so well that I never got surprised.

 

[arinze]

Thanks, I'll try doing that.

Thanks in advance to anyone else who has any advice.

 

[BABSstudent]

First advice is to not use the term rape like this.

Secondly, you are doing school wrong. Unless your professor says he tests from the book, don't read it unless you don't understand the material. Normally the books are much too in-depth for basic knowledge. Instead, spend that time going over your notes.


Sent from my iPod using SDN Mobile app. Please excuse the typos.

 

[Aerus]

Attend office hours and ask the professor how you can do better in the course. If you're enjoying the material but not doing well on the exam, something is missing. Maybe the homework problems you're doing aren't difficult enough.

Again, ask the professor. If they have advice for doing certain practice problems in the book that are of equal difficulty to the exam, see if he will provide those.

As for the "foreign concepts" part, remember that you're not going to be able to go over every single type of scenario and problem in class and in homework problems. You're going to have to use your what you've learned and apply it to the new situation.

Always ask: What kind of concepts do I need to apply to solve this problem? Wow is this problem different to the ones I've done for homework? What kind of connections can I make with this problem and ones I've done for homework?

You'll eventually become better at making these connections, the more you practice it. Mastering these "connections" is especially necessary in Physics.