Hard time adjusting

[NaturallySelected]

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Hello,
I have searched around these forums quite a but and realize that this is a topic that gets a ton of different answers. I attended a CC for two years before transferring into a large university. My time at a CC was excellent, never received anything below a A-. I didn't really have a choice being I am a bit older and did poorly in high school. Now that I am at the university it is a huge adjustment, class sizes 6 times larger, my commute is 3 times longer, a lot more money. I now feel under so much pressure because of the fact that I did so well at the CC and now if I cant keep my grades at the same level I am done for. This school grade deflates tough.... Its not that the material really is all that more difficult, it just feels like to much change and pressure. I am really worried that if i have a few bad quarters to adjust they will think I cant perform at a high level, and really I am just wasting my time now..

 

[Meeehai]

If you know what you're doing you'll get good grades at any university.

 

[NaturallySelected]

If you know what you're doing you'll get good grades at any university.

Well it seems that simple but I am discovering otherwise.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

This puts you in a horrible position. Medical schools take CC course grades with a slight grain of salt as it is. If your grades drop as soon as the switch happens, you're just confirming their concerns and they might think your GPA as a whole is inflated.

The only thing you CAN do is find a way to get better grades, period.

 

[Lannister]

It's normal to feel overwhelmed when you're thrown into an unfamiliar situation. You're going to be fine. Don't worry about the future, just focus on getting done what you need to get done today. If you find yourself falling behind, go talk to the professor or a tutor. DO NOT wait until halfway through the semester to ask for help.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

If you need help in ochem or biochem, just PM me and i'll try to explain a concept to you or help you work through a problem if you don't understand it 🙂

 

[eteshoe]

You need to develop a plan of action that will allow you to succeed in this new environment. This usually means really organizing your studying, prioritizing subjects that are tougher, maybe forming a study group, going to office hrs, etc.

 

[NaturallySelected]

I guess I am wondering how much my GPA is able to fluctuate without looking concerning?

 

[eteshoe]

I guess I am wondering how much my GPA is able to fluctuate without looking concerning?

If you went from a 3.9 in CC to a 3.7 your first semester in Uni, but showed improvement (e.g. positive trend) and ended with around a 3.8+, I imagine you would get some looks but it wouldn't prevent you from getting into med school.

 

[QofQuimica]

As others have said, it's normal to have some anxiety over the change in environment. Particularly for those who are used to a small, intimate learning environment, being thrown into a large state university kind of setting can be really overwhelming until you find a niche for yourself. I suggest that you start by searching out some mentors who can help you. This might take the form of joining a club, a sorority/fraternity, or some other social group. It might also take the form of joining a specialized dorm or program (such as an honors program). Don't forget too that you have access to resources through your university's academic and career centers (likely including tutoring services), as well as your TA's and professor's office hours. Make sure to go for help early and often: speaking from the side of the prof, the student who asks for help early is much more likely to be successful than the student who waits until the end of the semester when it's too late to improve much.

If you find that the commute is really stressing you out, you might also consider whether it makes sense to live closer to campus, at least during the week. I can tell you that even now, as a physician, I find that the length of my commute is hands down one of the BIGGEST determinants of my day-to-day quality of life. And it's a straight inverse correlation. Not to mention the time you waste in the car that you could spend studying or relaxing....