Freaking Out About College

[EHoward09]

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So with only two days left of High School, I am really starting to freak out about college...
I will be attending Iowa State this fall where I will study Pre-Vet and Animal Science.
I guess the biggest thing I am worried about is my ability to do well in my classes. This mainly stems from the fact that I am currenlty getting a high C in High School Chemistry courses. Considering the fact that Pre-Vet is so chemistry oriented, this really freaks me out. Physics scares me too, because I got a B in it when I took it my junior year, and I hate math. Biology is one of my stronger subjects though, and English is my strongest.
I dont' do well with stress, and all I hear about is how stressfull prevet is, and if you even make it to vet school, it is even more stressful.
Am I going to have problems in college? 😕
I dont' know anyone else who has been through the pre-vet program, so I guess I just need someone to talk to right now. I have seriously been loosing sleep thinking about if I made the right decision. Are my dreams bigger than my brains?

 

[aspiringDVM]

You're already a big step ahead of the game because you recognize potential problem areas. Since you have an idea of classes that might give you trouble, you know to be hypervigilant, make sure you're not falling behind, do all your homework, go see the professor with questions, etc. If it works with your major pattern, you might consider postponing chemistry til second semester or sophomore year once you've gotten used to college life and coursework.
I know this board can be intimidating, but take a deep breath and try to relax, have fun, and get some good vet or animal experience before you start school in the fall. Good luck! 👍

 

[Caninerepro]

Hey cheers to you for being so on top of your game. Finishing HS and already thinking two steps ahead. 👍 Listen, you really do have a lot of time on your side, and you are going to have a life adjustment this fall just starting college. So, start off a little soft, maybe a bio class, a math and a literature/history class to get you going and not in a hole to start. Then worry about chem next semester or even year. A lot of us did physics even our senior year since it is pretty much a dead end sequence -- not a pre-req for anything else. So just hang in there, try to enjoy your first semester, then figure out how to crank down once the kinks in your style are worked out. Hey, we've all been there, done the same thing, and it worked for us in the end. Good luck, and don't sweat it so much just yet. There is plenty of time to obsess as you get further into your academic career.🙂 Rock on.

 

[HeartSong]

I agree with above posts. Use all the resources you have available as well. Get a tutor for the classes you have the most difficulties with. Use the first semester as a time to develop a good studying schedule (something I wish I would have done). Keep organized and on top of your work to keep stress down. Look for time management and study skills classes, they usually aren't for credit type classes but many colleges offer them. Seek out study partners.

It is stressful, but manageable. Don't loose sleep over it. The great thing about where you are right now is that you can pretty easily change majors after a few semesters in college if you want. But you aren't going to know until you try. Prepare for it, but don't stress about it. Give it your best shot and if along the way you decide to do something else, at least you know that you tried and won't live the rest of your life thinking "what if?" or "could I have done it if I had tried?"

Try not to go into college with the idea that you might not be able to handle it. Instead think strong positive thoughts about how you can do great with a little hard work. That will make a lot of difference as well.

 

[DVMhopeful]

I was never really very interested in high school, I did alright but nothing spectacular, but once I got to college and was working toward something I was really excited about my marks came wayyy up. Also, I never even took physics in high school and had to take a prep course the first year of my undergrad, and everything turned out great. I suggest reading another thread on here about dealing with stress, you may find some helpful hints. Like everyone else is saying, just stay on top of your work so you don't fall behind, and a lot of school have free tutoring services, take advantage if you feel you need it. Best of luck!

 

[StillDreaming]

just to let you know, you don't need straight 'A's... if biology is your strong science subject, take electives in this area to boost your science GPA... Getting a C here and there isn't bad (jsut try not to have 'C's across teh chemistry board), but couple those Cs with As in biology.

And Bs, well don't worry about them, my transcript is littered with them 🙂

Don't stress out! and right from the beginning of your college career, find an outlet, running, swimming, etc. This will give you an escape and make the stress level lower. Also, read the 'stress' thread as some other SDNers have some great ways of relieving stress

 

[sumstorm]

If you haven't learned a variety of study skills and time management skills, use the summer to improve those. Often that gets students more than the work load.

Eliminate the words 'hate' and 'difficult' and other negatively connotated words from your vocabulary in regards to academics. Such negative connotations may affect how you view and work on those classes. Think of those classes as the ones you have the most to gain from....because the leap from not knowing to being well-informed will be greater than for topics you are comfortable with.

If there are subjects that are more challenging for you, approach the professors or TA's early in the course. See if there are study groups and/or tutors available on campus (some schools provide tutors for free.) Consider going to a book store and looking through basic guides in the subject (such as the Dummies series.) If you find one that seems pretty clear to you as you read through sections of it, buy it as a reference. Text books can be verbose enough that finding the author's point can be difficult and sometimes guides can really cut to the chase in a succinct way.

Figure out what works for a given class. Maybe you need to skim the material ahead of lecture, or maybe it makes more sense after the lab session. Also, what works for one class/professor/subject may not for others, so be flexible.

Have some over-arching organization system so that papers and notes don't get lost. Try to figure out that system BEFORE school starts (if you had a system in HS it is generally easier to modify what you already know works.)

Also, since you have had chem and physics, the college class will feel more familiar. It won't be quite such foreign territory that you have to figure out.

 

[EHoward09]

Thanks everyone for the help! I'm glad I found this site. So far it seems very helpful, and many of the people are very supportive! 👍
-Emily

 

[Ben and Me]

I agree with everyone else. Make sure you DON'T bite off more than you can chew your first few semesters. I know quite a few people who tackled Chem 1st semester freshman year and ended up with Cs (of course, I ended up with a C too, but I probably would've failed if I'd taken it freshman year!)

I didn't even take my first science class until sophomore year.

I'd start off with your general intro biology requirement and a few intro English classes--get those general education requirements out of the way, and start out with classes where you have a good background knowledge and know you can succeed even in the face of big changes. Talk to people who are at Iowa State and find out what the "easier" elective classes are and who the best professors are. I had the worst professors freshman year, which made it that much harder to study!

Transitioning to college is a big step, especially if you didn't party in high school and suddenly realized you can go out 4-5x per week in college (hmm...who would that be!? 😉 ) So, take baby steps 🙂

 

[Trilt]

PickaProf and RateMyProfessor are wonderful tools... so much of a class depends on how your professor is.

I kind of disagree with the idea that you should put off your sciences (then again, this is a person who took orgo her freshman year, go figure.) I justify this by saying that I doubt you'll be able to acclimate yourself to the studying necessary for such a course, and then once you've put it off you suddenly have to take multiple science courses at once to graduate on time... and that's just a mess. Plus, I want some easy humanities for in between my hard courses , and wouldn't want to "use up" all my gen eds fish year.

Besides that, I basically agree with everyone. Just know that you've stumbled onto a wonderful resource here at SDN, and everybody is willing to help with any questions or concerns. 🙂

 

[EHoward09]

Thank you everyone so much!

 

[cuitlamiztli]

Some advice from an ISU alum:

The Animal Science department has the best wealth of information for pre-vets on campus--so utilize everything they offer! Someone in the department (I want to say it's Dr. Kenealy, but I could be wrong) maintains an email list to get advice, information, and opportunities out to pre-veterinary students, so getting in contact with them early will only help you in the long run.

As far as coursework, I agree with Trilt: Do not put off your sciences! Pretty much all life science curricula at Iowa State are designed with the assumption that you will take Biol 211+L, Biol 212+L, Chem 177+L, and 178+L during your first year... you essentially can't move onto the majority of your courses without them. So don't wait on them!

With that said, there are plenty of resources available to help you succeed. Visit the Academic Success Center (you could even start exploring what they have to offer), talk to your professors and TAs, form study groups, visit the help rooms, hire a tutor... Iowa State also has an excellent program known as Supplemental Instruction (SI) that will be available for your core science classes and many of your other classes.

Finally, take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy your summer 🙂

Also--feel free to PM me with any questions you have about Iowa State. I wasn't an Animal Science major, but I do know several people who have gone/are going through the curriculum.

 

[Starwrecker]

Welcome to Iowa State!! You can also PM me anytime. I did undergrad, grad school and now vet school here...so I might know something. 😉 There are some excellent resources in the An Sci department....use them. What is your species interest?

 

[EHoward09]

Great to see others on this forum attending ISU!
Right now I am interested in large animal, expecially dairy. Probably because I've been raised on a farm 😀
Quick question: Since experience is so important, what kind of job would you recommend for my freshman year, and how should I go about finding it? What others options do I have other than volunteering at a veterinary clinic?

 

[cuitlamiztli]

Quick question: Since experience is so important, what kind of job would you recommend for my freshman year, and how should I go about finding it? What others options do I have other than volunteering at a veterinary clinic?

Unless you're confident that you can handle a part-time job and full-time course work right off the bat, I would recommend starting to gain experience through volunteering rather than working. The hours will generally be more flexible, which will help when you've got 3 tests in one week and need to take that time to study. And it's rewarding!

I'm not sure that many veterinary clinics in Ames take too many new volunteers or even hire that often--remember, they're in a town that sees hundreds of new pre-vets each year and they almost all want experience. I'd imagine that you would have to be extremely persistent or really stand out compared to other pre-vets (maybe even both) in order to land a job or volunteer gig with them. With that said, there are plenty of other places in Ames to get experience. The best animal-related place to volunteer in Ames (but I might be biased since I volunteered there for about 2 years) is the Wildlife Care Clinic over in vet med. You could also try the Story County Animal Shelter or even Reiman Gardens. Other than that, I'd say that the Block & Bridle Club would be worth looking into since large animal is your main interest.

Research is also another option. Search the job board on AccessPlus for any openings that sound interesting (this also goes for jobs at vet med), talk to your advisor and/or professors about their research and ask if they need any help... you could also browse through faculty profiles on different department websites (good places to start would be animal science, entomology, EEOB, animal ecology, and GDCB) and contact those professors whose research interests you.

Also, if you have a car (or will sometime in the next 4 years), contact the Blank Park Zoo--I believe that their vet allows people to shadow on the day(s) she's in.

Just keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities, check out the bulletin boards you see in each building (you never know what you'll find there), and don't get discouraged if it takes a while to find something. Persistence is usually the key 🙂

 

[Starwrecker]

There's also the teaching farms. I have or can find the contact info for most of the managers out there. If you get involved with the pre-vet club, you can get involved with the neonatal ICU (foals) out at the vet school, too.

You can also apply out at NADC/NVSL. They often have animal caretaker positions open.

Also, animal experience is important, but so is being a well-rounded individual, so if you get to the point where you just really need a job for some extra money, I have contacts for a couple of places that I've worked or am still working.

Are you in Ames for the summer? How do you feel about sorting mosquitoes? 😉

 

[EHoward09]

Are you in Ames for the summer? How do you feel about sorting mosquitoes? 😉

No I won't be leaving until August. Still got fair to do yet this summer 😉
Thanks for the tips!

 

[thaowey]

first off, congrats to graduating HS && knowing what you want to do!

i just finished my freshman year of college and here are some of the things i've learned:

- take chemistry first! i read what others have posted about taking bio first, but seriously...start taking chem that way you can be ahead//ontrack in the chem sequence. See...i actually took bio first [b/c for some reason it was suggested for zoology majors to take that first] and well...yeah...for some reason i feel like i'm behind compared to the other pre-vetters at my university.
- it's okayish to get a C...i guess. So far, i got C+s in both bio1 and 2, so i guess if you do get Cs too, just redeem yourself with the rest of the main courses
- learn new study techniques!! for me...i deff couldn't do my "wait-till-the-last-minute" studying anymore. i learned the hard way...oh wells


Best of Luck to your first year! enjoy it! have fun while you can! 😎