freshman already off track?

[Nicky B]

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Hey students, first off I'd like to say hi to everyone I just joined today. I'm a freshman at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington state and am a little over halfway through my 2nd semester of college. Last semester I took Chemistry, Anthropology, and a writing seminar and in January term I took a cultural perspective in education class and volunteered at a High school as a tutor for 19 hours. I got a C+,C ,A- , and B+ respectively. This semester I am taking Chemistry, Antropolgy 343, Micro Econ, and Philosophy. I'm dropping Philosophy tomorrow in order to keep my sanity and to lighten my load a little bit. I expect to get a C, B, B, and W (Withdrawal on transcript) respectively.

My study habits are terrible. Last semester I studied my *** and pretty much blew off anthro. anyways, I am having doubts about myself being able to make it into dental school for the first time since I first was interested in the field which was the 8th grade. I feel like I just opened my eyes for the first time and see a big brick wall in front of me. I've known since my senior year that I need to change my study habits and sleeping habits ( I NEVER go to bed before 2am and have done that since the 11th grade) but I haven't done anything, I'm worried about next year taking biology and OChem at the same time. I am not enjoying chemistry at all right now but am ok with taking it because I'm an intended bio major anyways. I am currently failing my chemistry class and am not ready for my 2nd of 3 tests this Friday.

My dream is to get accepted to the University of Washington School of Dentistry, one that is super competitive and is arguably the best in the nation and I know I want it but for some reason I have failed to bring myself to work harder toward it, its pathetic. I'm taking a look at how i'm sucking at my first year of college and to think that I plan on going to school for at least 7 more years is overwhelming for the first time. So the point of all this is simply to ask for advice. Has anyone been in my shoes? Should I stick to working my way to dental school? I couldn't imagine even thinking about another career because i've always seen myself as a Dentist.

BTW I have discussed shadowing my dentist and will be doing so this summer

Thanks to everyone that read my extended rant

 

[Dan3223]

I remember back in the day when I first took chemistry... it was a huge wake up call for me. I never studied in high school. I got in to chem, and coasted til the first test...and then I got owned.
I got overwhelmed in gen chem, organic chem, biochem, and calculus. Each one of those classes made me doubt myself and my future. You just have to push through it and do your best.
I've always been a night owl too... but that's no excuse to not study. I always study best late at night. I find there are less distractions.
You just need to find a study pattern that works for you (not studying obviously isnt working 🙂 )
You're a freshman... so you have time to 'right the ship'. If you want this, you are going to have to work for it and earn it.
Best of luck 👍

 

[Regmata]

Your career is over

 

[axum]

My dream is to get accepted to the University of Washington School of Dentistry, one that is super competitive and is arguably the best in the nation

I don't know about best in the nation, but if you want to go to UW, do a lot of community service work. If you look on predents.com, you will notice this year in particular that they did not just simply take the candidates with the best grades, so you have no need to freak out now. Instead, they take those candidates that show interest in helping out the community, because they are focused on developing dentists to go out to rural areas and practice community dentistry there. Even if you want to make some money, just write on your application that you are "interested" in community dentistry. They will like you better. So really really really work on your time management, and try to find a community clinic at which you can volunteer. Better yet, find 2 or 3 clinics that you can volunteer at. Go on some mission trips. Still try to get good grades, but I would say stress out about grades less; that might even allow you to study and focus better, so you will get better grades in the long run.

Maybe I am just bitter, but I would also suggest to not set your sights on just the UW SOD, because once you go out for interviews and see other dental schools, you will see that UW isn't that special. I know how much cheaper the tuition at UW will be for you, because you are a resident. That was a big motivator for me, too. But you shouldn't let that be the only motivator for going to a school. There are hundreds of students all around the country that are going to schools at which they will be paying out of state tuition. I will guarantee you that they will manage to pay off their loans in a timely manner once they are dentists. And they will get the same if not better education there, and maybe have a little more fun in a new place while they are at it.

If you have some free time on friday mornings, pm me, and I will get you into contact with a community clinic at which you can volunteer.

 

[jigabodo]

Well, my freshmen year GPA was terrible as well - I had a few quarters below 2.0 and it really hurt my overall GPA.

Ask yourself how much you really want this, and start making changes one step at a time.

I had to change a lot of things completely - including going to bed everyday no later than 12 in order to make sure I get enough sleep so I can stay awake during lectures.

You might also want to consider tutoring services. Most universities offer them for free in their learning centers, you might want to check them out. It helped me a ton.

 

[blankguy]

Look at it on the bright side. You recognized this early. The later it is the harder it is going to be to recover. Admissions people generally will cut you some slack for the first year, not everybody has a smooth transition to college. If you do well from now on you can boost your GPA by .5 or even 1.0 which is a tremendous leap as opposed to .05 or .03 after many credit hours. You will still be competitive if you commit yourself. This means that you'll have time when your friends are hanging out while you will be hitting the books in the library. Don't feel too bad.

Strong grades and strong DAT score will open the doors for you. For now act as if grades and DAT are the most important thing. Axum is right in a way but don't misread what he is saying. Once they take a closer look at you, UW can weed you out if you don't fit that profile.