Happiness

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studmuffin

studmuffin

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Ok so I just had my worst semester ever- a 2.9. But I'm so ridiculously happy I'm giddy. I wake up every morning and say "I love my life". I don't know what to think because isn't the goal of life to be happy? And I'm happy now, but it seems to be interfering with my long term goals. Any advice?
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studmuffin said:
Ok so I just had my worst semester ever- a 2.9. But I'm so ridiculously happy I'm giddy. I wake up every morning and say "I love my life". I don't know what to think because isn't the goal of life to be happy? And I'm happy now, but it seems to be interfering with my long term goals. Any advice?
Click to expand...

How is happiness interfering with your goals?

Like, you're too busy staring at a wall serenely contemplating the zen of your own joy to cram appropriately for tests?
 
studmuffin said:
I don't know what to think because isn't the goal of life to be happy?
Click to expand...

I certainly wouldn't consider happiness to be the "goal of life." I'm happy, therefore I have achieved that goal. That was a little too easy for me :laugh: My goals of life are a lot bigger than just mere happiness. If happiness got in the way of my real goals, it would be a big problem. Happiness is something I can sacrifice for more important things.
 
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Its basically my social life that is getting in the way, and I don't want to become a hermit for the sake of getting a 4.0
 
Based on your post, I'd say you're:

-In love;
-Bipolar (and on a manic swing);

or

-Have finally discovered that being the perfect medical school candidate is not the be all, end all of life. Life becomes wonderful once you realize that you'll either get in, or you won't. They'll like you, or they won't. You're a great person, who is going to lead a happy, productive, fulfilling life either way. Your life is not over if you don't get in.

All of this is to say: if you're in love, or have decided not to let the admissions rat race control your life--good on you. Especially if you're in love. My God, what a wonderful way to be. ;)

And if you're manic: they make good drugs for you. Better living through chemistry. :)
 
studmuffin said:
I don't know what to think because isn't the goal of life to be happy?
Click to expand...

studmuffin said:
Its basically my social life that is getting in the way, and I don't want to become a hermit for the sake of getting a 4.0
Click to expand...

I personally think the goal of life is to do what you love and to be able to support yourself and whoever is dependent on you for support. This should result in being happy (most of the time). If your career goal is being a doctor, getting a 2.9 every semester is going to make that difficult, and you might not have that happiness you have now.

Also, you don't have to be a hermit to get good grades. Maybe you need to reevaluate study habits or something, because I maintained a 3.8 in a difficult science major while also having a social life. It's all about balance, you don't have to choose either grades or social life.
 
I am in love too- I have a wonderfull girlfriend who loves me and its awesome :)
 
Sounds like you need to prioritize. You don't have to be a hermit to get into med school, and you shouldn't have to be one to get good grades. What you do need to do is either 1) cut down on your social life to make time to study and/or use your studying time more efficiently to actually get good grades or 2) decide that your current social life is worth abandoning your long-term goal of becoming a doctor, and proceed from there.
 
studmuffin said:
I am in love too- I have a wonderfull girlfriend who loves me and its awesome :)
Click to expand...

Am I good, or what?

Note: I fully recognize that I may be "what." :)

Congratulations, my dear. Enjoy your summer, and nose to the grindstone this fall.
 
Thank you- my nose will be to the grindstone very much so
 
You don't need to be a hermit, and you don't need to get a 4.0. If you are getting a 2.9, though, odds are solid that you need to more effectively use your time. How much time you need to put into studying is on you, though, and the kinds of classes you are taking.

Stuff that'll be on the MCAT is retention-worthy. Postmodern Urinal Art, less so. Classes centered around problem-solving are going to require a more dedicated time to become fluent in relevant formulae/situations/etc.

My strategy was to keep on any readings/easy or imminently due assignments during the week, study 1-3 times, and have Sunday more or less be my working day. Add cramming before tests for flavor. Bake for 2 hours at 350. Serves 1.
 
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Learn to cram. When life gives you oranges all you have to do is cram. Why study a week when you can study one night?
 
sliceofbread136 said:
Learn to cram. When life gives you oranges all you have to do is cram. Why study a week when you can study one night?
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Yeah, anyone who has medical aspirations needs to learn how to triage.

Assess your classes. What lends itself to cramming based on whether or not you'll have to retain it and the testing style of the professor?

If History 356 - The Shaker Movement's Role in the Decline of Porkpie Hats is mostly tested on salient biographical information about key historical figures, and a few key points about haberdashery, that is a great cramming class because ultimately while it may be interesting, you don't need it.

Literature 420 - Impressing Strict Professors in a Free-Response Only Environment (Part 1)... less so. Don't take this class. Why would you take this class? Awful class.
 
ccrone said:
Take it easy on yourself, big guy. ;)

You're in love--probably for the first time in your life--and you pulled out a B average for the semester. In my book, I'd log a tick in the "success" column. :love:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTjw-XMNPuA
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ehh a 2.9 is, at most, in the "not a blatant failure column" if the end-game is good odds at getting into med school, and even then only if there's a GPA rehabilitation plan on the books
 
Man you sure you're not on drugs or something? Also these periods of "happiness" could be cyclical. You're happy now but who knows how depressed you will be later this year. Why don't you buckle up to study?
 
studmuffin said:
Ok so I just had my worst semester ever- a 2.9. But I'm so ridiculously happy I'm giddy. I wake up every morning and say "I love my life". I don't know what to think because isn't the goal of life to be happy? And I'm happy now, but it seems to be interfering with my long term goals. Any advice?
Click to expand...

Cool Story Bro!
 
OP, John Milton said it best:

The mind can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven
Click to expand...

Undergrad is cake compared to what comes latter. It starts with the misery of the MCAT, then you have subjective fools judge you to see if you are "fit" for their school, then you have to again enter a bigger misery with Step 1 looming at your front door every second of the day, then you are forced the endure the miserable time lapse we call 3rd year, then YET AGAIN you have to put yourself under the mercy of fools who will judge you to see if you are "worthy" of their residency domain, and finally the BIGGEST misery of all: residency.

So OP, as you can see the misery NEVER ends. You are right to laugh at it.
 
studmuffin said:
Ok so I just had my worst semester ever- a 2.9. But I'm so ridiculously happy I'm giddy. I wake up every morning and say "I love my life". I don't know what to think because isn't the goal of life to be happy? And I'm happy now, but it seems to be interfering with my long term goals. Any advice?
Click to expand...

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands
 
Learn to be more efficient. There's no reason you can't go out and get 3.6+ GPAs.
 
You should balance that happiness with some hard work as well (if you are really serious about pursuing medicine--and think that medicine will make you happy for a long time).


You can be "happy" and still be a good med school candidate, just fyi.
 
Look at it this way. Imagine if your girlfriend were to dump you tomorrow, or next month, or even a year from now, and all your friends decided they no longer want anything to do with you. You're miserable, but you slowly start to shift your attention back toward your lifelong goal of becoming a doctor. Only, when you do, you realize you've dug yourself a hole that you may not be able to get out of because you didn't want to give up your "happiness"at the time. All this is to say that, as wonderful as your present state of mind is, without balance and an eye toward making progress on all your life goals, it's not going to last.
 
I'm on the 9 semester plan so if it doesn't add up thats probably why
 
EBTrailRunner said:
Look at it this way. Imagine if your girlfriend were to dump you tomorrow, or next month, or even a year from now, and all your friends decided they no longer want anything to do with you. You're miserable, but you slowly start to shift your attention back toward your lifelong goal of becoming a doctor. Only, when you do, you realize you've dug yourself a hole that you may not be able to get out of because you didn't want to give up your "happiness"at the time. All this is to say that, as wonderful as your present state of mind is, without balance and an eye toward making progress on all your life goals, it's not going to last.
Click to expand...

This.

A relationship that could wreck your whole future isn't a good thing.
 
CamRon+You+mad.jpg

U Manic?
 
Maybe you won't be "happy" as a doctor.... I was "happy", partied, got girls and solid grades so I know you can easily do it all.... if you really want it.



Yes, its fun and popular to say you want to be a doctor, but you're going to have to do the work and really want it to be happy.
 
from my own personal experience, happiness and good grades appear to have an inverse relationship. The more miserable I am, the better my grades typically are. There could be some confounding variable in the mix though.
 
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