Freshman Year Ungrad mess up

[Anthony Simoncic]

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I entered my Freshman year at High Point University as a Biology Major. I was taking Pre- calc, Biology 1399( biology major honors class), and chemistry I.

During high school i had no work ethic or time management going into the college.

I personally thought i worked hard, didnt party that much at all, however, i got lazy didnt work out or sleep much.

Personally i thought Biology wasnt hard at all but i managed getting a B+ which i was very disappointed in.

In Pre- Calc, very hard class i thought, managed getting a C in the class. Observing from some students they took Calc 1 and pre calc before the class and still received a C's.

In my chemistry class i thought it was unfair, having a poor teacher, usually i dont blame the teacher but she had online tests that were extremely hard and didnt teach the material well. i managed getting a C+.

Overall, I was very mad, depressed and bent out of the shape after this semester. Very stressed out. do I have a chance to get into dental school? and i should i retake any of the classes i got a C in? Next year i am taking Statistics, zoology, chem 2 and financial crises which is 16 credits. and last semester i took 14. should i drop a class?

 

[Anthony Simoncic]

also is there anything i can do/ any advice to raise my grade to the appropriate GPA needed.

 

[predentalgirl]

You still have time IMO.
Get all As and Bs next semester, schools look for upward trends.

Try not to get more Cs, that's for sure!

 

[Anthony Simoncic]

You still have time IMO.
Get all As and Bs next semester, schools look for upward trends.

Try not to get more Cs, that's for sure!

thanks, also should i retake the chem I and pre calc?

 

[Troyvdg]

thanks, also should i retake the chem I and pre calc?

No, I got a C+ in gen chem, just boost your gpa from now on and do well on the DAT.

 

[predentalgirl]

thanks, also should i retake the chem I and pre calc?

I got a C in GenChem 2, and a BC (yes we have those middle grades) in Calc. I wouldn't say retaking in needed!

 

[Illfavor]

So next year you'll be a sophomore? Yea, you have tons of time, just stop making excuses and start making As.

 

[Anthony Simoncic]

I am still a freshman and i am going into 2nd semester. on average how many hours of work/ studying should i be putting into per day?

 

[Anthony Simoncic]

So next year you'll be a sophomore? Yea, you have tons of time, just stop making excuses and start making As.

how much studying would you say you should per day?

 

[Illfavor]

how much studying would you say you should per day?

Obviously that depends heavily on the class load and type of class. That being said, you're a student, and school is your job. This is a basic concept that many students fail to grasp. You are paying someone to teach you. You may need to work to support yourself, but you know you won't get to where you want without making the grades. I only study as much as needed. I only took 10 hours this past semester, but they were all upper division sciences (essentially the hardest classes they offer). I would maybe study 5hrs/week, per class, then pretty much nonstop for the few days leading up to a test. I can give you some pointers:

1. Map out your semester. Know the dates of major tests and assignments. Plan your study around that. There should be no surprises.
2. Make a routine. You probably have your schedule now. So, make a routine and follow it. How do we plan for the unexpected? By knowing what we should be doing and adjusting when we have to.
3. Assess the difficulty of your courses really early. It should be clear what your professor expects by weeks 2-3, if not the first test.
4. Front-load your semester. Finals are a joke to me. I work my absolute hardest in the weeks before the first major exam. That way, I can post a really high score and "ride it" the rest of the year. If you go into the final with a 97, it's really hard (and sometimes impossible) to get a C.
5. Learn how to learn. I say this a lot, but figuring out how you learn best is the absolute greatest piece of advice I can give you. This website has some good links, but you have to research it and figure out your style. VARK, whatever. Invest time now and you will be a lifelong learner (a prerequisite for a dentist and something adcoms like hearing in interviews).
6. Ask for help. You're doing it now. That is excellent. Folks that know me know that I can be a tough pill to swallow. I'm generally a nice guy, but I have very little patience for folks wasting my time. This includes teachers, students, and I am not afraid to voice my opinion. BUT, they also know that I am more than willing to do whatever is necessary to help them. DAT prep, OChem mechanisms, whatever. There are a lot of people like me out there. If you aren't finding them at school, look elsewhere (As a private tutor, paid tutoring should be last resort IMO). No one is perfect and everybody struggles. There always seems to be that dingus who gets 100s every time and blah blah blah, but trust me, he will find his better.

Hope that helps!

 

[Anthony Simoncic]

Obviously that depends heavily on the class load and type of class. That being said, you're a student, and school is your job. This is a basic concept that many students fail to grasp. You are paying someone to teach you. You may need to work to support yourself, but you know you won't get to where you want without making the grades. I only study as much as needed. I only took 10 hours this past semester, but they were all upper division sciences (essentially the hardest classes they offer). I would maybe study 5hrs/week, per class, then pretty much nonstop for the few days leading up to a test. I can give you some pointers:

1. Map out your semester. Know the dates of major tests and assignments. Plan your study around that. There should be no surprises.
2. Make a routine. You probably have your schedule now. So, make a routine and follow it. How do we plan for the unexpected? By knowing what we should be doing and adjusting when we have to.
3. Assess the difficulty of your courses really early. It should be clear what your professor expects by weeks 2-3, if not the first test.
4. Front-load your semester. Finals are a joke to me. I work my absolute hardest in the weeks before the first major exam. That way, I can post a really high score and "ride it" the rest of the year. If you go into the final with a 97, it's really hard (and sometimes impossible) to get a C.
5. Learn how to learn. I say this a lot, but figuring out how you learn best is the absolute greatest piece of advice I can give you. This website has some good links, but you have to research it and figure out your style. VARK, whatever. Invest time now and you will be a lifelong learner (a prerequisite for a dentist and something adcoms like hearing in interviews).
6. Ask for help. You're doing it now. That is excellent. Folks that know me know that I can be a tough pill to swallow. I'm generally a nice guy, but I have very little patience for folks wasting my time. This includes teachers, students, and I am not afraid to voice my opinion. BUT, they also know that I am more than willing to do whatever is necessary to help them. DAT prep, OChem mechanisms, whatever. There are a lot of people like me out there. If you aren't finding them at school, look elsewhere (As a private tutor, paid tutoring should be last resort IMO). No one is perfect and everybody struggles. There always seems to be that dingus who gets 100s every time and blah blah blah, but trust me, he will find his better.

Hope that helps!

alright thanks it did a lot!

 

[LaughingGas]

Illfavor suggested great points.

To add few things:
1)Expect nothing from your professors. You will encounter professors with interesting personalities, different teaching methods,etc. Learn how to study for a class depending on the type of professor. If your professor is absolutely horrendous teacher, use books, supplementary books and internet to study on your own.
2) Remember, more bad grades you get, the harder/longer it will take for you to reach your goals, in this case, getting into dental school).
3) Choose easy classes, easy professors, don't challenge yourself and expect to be one of very few students who earn an A in a class where >50% of the class had failed the course or with the professor A. This doesn't mean choose low division bio course when you are junior.
4) Build good relationships with professor, whether they are horrendous or not, you will never know to whom you will need to ask for a LOR in the future. Also, this could lead to a research opportunity, which I highly recommend.
5) Find the "nerd" in your class and make a study group with him/her/them. Your studying time will be more efficient that way, quizzing each other ,learning the correct information and not waste time trying to find the correct information.
6) Key to studying = good time management. For something like Neuroanatomy, which required me to memorize a lot of images and names, I started studying 4~7 days before the test. For something easier like physiology, which required me to understand the concepts, I studied less time. Do not waste a lot of time on easy classes and not have enough time for hard classes.
7) Chem, math, physics = lots of practice questions and finding a trend how to solve the problem and correlate mathematical expression with concept. Biology = understand big picture first and memorize the small details.

Best luck.

 

[Anthony Simoncic]

Illfavor suggested great points.

To add few things:
1)Expect nothing from your professors. You will encounter professors with interesting personalities, different teaching methods,etc. Learn how to study for a class depending on the type of professor. If your professor is absolutely horrendous teacher, use books, supplementary books and internet to study on your own.
2) Remember, more bad grades you get, the harder/longer it will take for you to reach your goals, in this case, getting into dental school).
3) Choose easy classes, easy professors, don't challenge yourself and expect to be one of very few students who earn an A in a class where >50% of the class had failed the course or with the professor A. This doesn't mean choose low division bio course when you are junior.
4) Build good relationships with professor, whether they are horrendous or not, you will never know to whom you will need to ask for a LOR in the future. Also, this could lead to a research opportunity, which I highly recommend.
5) Find the "nerd" in your class and make a study group with him/her/them. Your studying time will be more efficient that way, quizzing each other ,learning the correct information and not waste time trying to find the correct information.
6) Key to studying = good time management. For something like Neuroanatomy, which required me to memorize a lot of images and names, I started studying 4~7 days before the test. For something easier like physiology, which required me to understand the concepts, I studied less time. Do not waste a lot of time on easy classes and not have enough time for hard classes.
7) Chem, math, physics = lots of practice questions and finding a trend how to solve the problem and correlate mathematical expression with concept. Biology = understand big picture first and memorize the small details.

Best luck.

Thank you for the advice, next semester i am taking statistics, zoology, chem 2 and finanical crises. the one thing i am worried is to not get at least 3 A's. personally i am not the best math student and i am worried if stat and chem 2 will be hard!

 

[FionaTang]

freshman year is when students start having giving up thoughts because they haven't gotten used to the workload and life style at college yet, but stop worrying, just keep your head up and student your butt off, relax when you can and your semester will fly by. Try to get as many A and Bs as you can, it will help some of your Cs . you can also discuss your "retaking classes" thoughts with your profs. Good luck