Fell during my first semester

[MedicinePunkin]

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When I fisrt got my grades back from last semester I noticed I had 3 "F"s 1 "D" and 1 "C". I really failed last semester. This was my first year too. I know the reasons why I failed and I'm willing to make a change. It wasn't because the classes was difficult or anything but because of personal things. It really started to discourage me at first about my whole pre-medicine route but I later figured that this still wasn't a reason for me to question my pre-med route. I know that those grades will be on my record and I of course will be taking them over. Anyone has any advice for me or any encouraging words. I am sad about my grades but I am still content for some reason. I already am aware of the things I need to do and the changes I need to make in order to improve my record. All I need is to keep hope and to stay encouraged. This setback is not representative of my true abilities and I am capable of doing 200% better. I just had some things to take care of first. I'll be glad to take any advice. Thanks🙂

 

[DrMom]

Wow. This isn't good, of course, but it is salvageable. Go back to school ready with a good attitude & perseverence. Be sure you retake those classes so that you can prove later that you are capable of completing them successfully.

Yes, personal things can affect your grades, but you need to be able to function even when things are going wrong or you need to recognize that you're too busy with the personal things and pull out for the semester before you're stuck. Late now for that, though. Consider this a learning experience in and of itself. 🙂

Good luck!

 

[relatively prime]

I think there must me more to your academic troubles than "personal problems." Most serious premeds blame a few Cs and maybe one D on "personal problems." However, 3 Fs has got to be more than just "personal problems"... assuming your personal problems didn't include something horrific like a bad car accident or rape or something like that. You need to see an academic counselor and figure out why else (in addition to your personal problems) you are doing so badly. Ask some friends who are good students how they study.

My study tips are as follows...

1) record how many hours you study (subtracting break time)... i.e. keep a study log... this will help you stay honest with yourself

2) study ~at least~ 2 hours a day... even on weekends

3) prepare at least 4 days in advance of tests

4) keep in contact with your professors... ask them for advice on how and what to study for their class

5) For now... try not to study in groups... I've found that study groups are rarely productive... especially if they are made up of friends. If you have specific question or don't understand something... ask A friend to help you.

Also, you should investigate your school's policies. Some schools have something called "freshman forgiveness" where you can have a F (or even several Fs) erased from your transcript if you retake the course and get at least a B (or C depending on the school).

Keep in mind that you need at least a 3.3 to have any fighting chance in med school admissions.

Good luck 🙂

 

[Street Philosopher]

freshman forgiveness? damn i went to the wrong school!

 

[MedicinePunkin]

I beleive that I have had a problem with test anxiety but this will no longer be the case as I have finally overcame it. I'm also going to check to see if my school has this "Freshman Forgiveness" program. And I may have had a little problem with procrastination when it comes to studying. There are going to be alot of changes made this semester that is going to greatly benefit and stabalize my academic well being. Thanks for the replies/advice.🙂

 

[relatively prime]

Originally posted by Street Philosopher
freshman forgiveness? damn i went to the wrong school!

My school has it... this is their policy... pretty cool...

"Students may repeat any course or courses taken during the freshman year in which the grade of D, F, or U was earned and use only the second grade in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average."

The down side is that the D or Fs still appear on your official transcript.... they're just not calculated into your cum. gpa.

 

[Katie]

while your situation is serious, I think that you need to be able to realize you made mistakes BUT that you have decided to make a change in order to remedy these mistakes next year and must forgive yourself. Beating yourself up over it does no good, and remember that those who are passing judgement on this board have f***ed up plenty of times in their life too, and not only under circumstances of extreme trauma or a death in the family.

 

[Katie]

Originally posted by Katie
while your situation is serious, I think that you need to be able to realize you made mistakes BUT that you have decided to make a change in order to remedy these mistakes next year and must forgive yourself. Beating yourself up over it does no good, and remember that those who are passing judgement on this board have f***ed up plenty of times in their life too, and not only under circumstances of extreme trauma or a death in the family.

my apologies, i should have read the thread more carefully, I thought you were a med student. Guess it's just been a long day. So your situation is not great, but less serious than I had thought before. You have plenty of time to remedy the situation; I had a low GPA during my freshman year of college due to the fact that I allowed my emotionally abusive bf to take up all of my time and was depressed. It was due to my poor decision making and the fact that I let a personal situation send me off on the wrong track. I say pat yourself on the back for realizing the need for change and not blaming others for your problems (lots of SDNers, not those who post on this thread, tend to do that as of late). good luck, and if it takes a few extra years or 2 application processes it's not the worst thing in the world..

 

[canadagirl]

MedicinePunkin, there have been some replies here should be helpful to you with respect to improving your grades ... but you really, really should be making use of the services at your own school. Every college has some kind of program for academic advising, for improving learning skills, or whatever. Find it, make an appointment, and talk to them. You clearly need radical changes in something, and probably lots of things, whether it's study skills, procrastination, attitude, or whatever. But the best way to solve that is by having a discussion with someone who is trained to help you with these things.

[ You should make sure to talk to them also about the idea of When I fisrt got my grades back from last semester I noticed I had 3 "F"s 1 "D" and 1 "C". --- if you went a whole semester without realizing that you were failing your courses, that is an indication of something seriously wrong.]

Talk to someone! You don't have to do this alone.

Anyways, wrt "freshman forgiveness" thing. At my school there is no official program, and nobody will tell you about it, but academic petitions officers are informally told that any first year students who petition can have their F's dropped without their cases even going to committee! I suggest that even if your college doesn't have an official "freshman forgiveness" program you find out what the route is to petition a grade and then follow it. You have absolutely nothing to lose at this point.

 

[wolferman]

I shadowed a doctor last August who, for whatever reason, failed most of his courses his freshman year. Thankfully he turned 19 at the end of the year and went on his mission, because in the meantime, he grew up. Upon returning 2 years later, he sat down and realized that if he had any shot of getting into medical school, he was going to have to ace all his classes from there on out. He studied his butt off the remaining 3 years and got 4.0's every year to end up with just above a 3.0. His hard work paid off because the schools appreciated the upward trend and could see that, despite his first year, he had true potential. He ended up matriculating at the University of Washington and now rakes in close to $400,000 a year as a family practice physician.

So, get your butt in gear and ace those courses!