Help!!! Dumb Freshman Needs Reassurance

[BatesianScholar]

soooooo,
Im finishing my first year of college and my GPA is trash. First semester I only got a 3.03 and this semester only looks like ill be getting a 3.4 at best. Are my chances already over? Should I start looking into post-bac programs now?(nothing wrong with post-bac or anything) I just don't feel like I'm good enough right now. I'm not used to struggling academically but this year has humbled me! My logic right now is that if i can barely do my first year of undergrad, how am I supposed to do next year with orgo, let alone med school. I've wanted to go into medicine since I was 5, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life. idk idk just having a small crisis rn. Can I recover? Should I be looking into other careers? Any words of encouragement would really help. Sorry for any bad spelling or grammar, Im stressed and probably have undiagnosed dyslexia, and am probably just dumb. Also, any tips on time management, studying, concentration, and stress management would be highly appreciated!

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[Hirro]

When I was where you are now, my GPA was less than half what yours is currently. You can recover but everything is on you to do well. Consider revising your study habits or taking time off of school until you have the discipline to do whatever it takes to make the grades you need. Good luck!

 

[Oso]

- your chance is not over
- you have plenty of time to bring up that GPA
- you did better this semester than last, so keep the trend going!
- reassess your study methods and organization .. sounds like this has been much more difficult than high school, which means you'll need to do things a bit differently
- don't worry about a post-bacc right now, don't worry about orgo until you're actually taking it, etc.
- you are not dumb

Good luck

 

[theKingLT]

- your chance is not over
- you have plenty of time to bring up that GPA
- you did better this semester than last, so keep the trend going!
- reassess your study methods and organization .. sounds like this has been much more difficult than high school, which means you'll need to do things a bit differently
- don't worry about a post-bacc right now, don't worry about orgo until you're actually taking it, etc.
- you are not dumb

Good luck

^ and on that note work on your stress management as well. Maybe it's the mask of the internet distorting emotion but you sound like your hair is about to fall out. Pre-med, med school, and beyond all have stressful moments so use this as a lesson to understand that there's never a need to freak out and work on reducing your stress in the future

 

[863168]

@BatesianScholar It seems like you're a hard worker and you're very results focused. However, being too focused on the results can make you lose sight of the process and you can't reach the finish line if you forgot to put on your shoes.

Spoiler

Ask yourself some easy questions: What did you do well in? Why did you do well in those topics, questions, and categories? Who did you rely on for help that was beneficial to you? Which strategies worked for you? What was a winning game plan? These are your general strengths and shouldn't be forgotten.

Next, try to figure out which subjects you did poorly in. Why did you do poorly in them? Did you review your tests? What types of questions did you get wrong? Was it a recall question, application question, first/second/third/fourth order question? How did you prepare for the test? How was your preparation insufficient? Was it a performance issue? Could your performance be improved before taking the same type of exam? These are your weaknesses that your acknowledge.

Talk to a counselor, family member, or a performance coach. Ask them to evaluate your performance as the information they give you can provide you with strengths and weaknesses that you didn't know about yourself.

After doing this, ascertain the things you want to learn about studying more effectively that would be most effective for you. Honestly, there are so many people who will offer you advice on what worked for them with respect to how they take notes, study, or prepare for an exam that you will be overloaded with recommendations. Distill what you know about yourself and what others have said about you to decide which of these methods if the most effective for you to understand new material and to perform.

Finally, keep an open mind. You know what you know, you can learn from feedback, and you can have interest in learning more. However, as a student who is maturing there is going to be a space of not knowing what you needed to know and being side railed heavily by surprise. In these circumstances, having self-awareness that you prepared as adequately as possible and taking these moments as learning opportunities is more important than the "bad grade" you may receive from such occurrences. Learning is a life long process.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

ok first off chill out. A poor start won’t kill your chances. You do need to do better from now on out. A lot of students have a hard time adjusting to the rigors of college, I did myself the first time around.
You need to stop making yourself a nervous wreck...plus you need to address why you aren’t getting the grades you need and feel you can earn. Your school has resources that can help you learn to study more effectively...look Into those before your next semester.