How do students make these turnarounds from C student to A student?

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ClrkKnt

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I browsed through a few threads on here and found that some students had 2 point something GPAs and then they made a turn around. For me I find it a bit hard to believe.

How did you guys who hit an upward trend change all of your habits overtime and become A students?
 
They become better at:

time mgt;
realize that if they really want to go to medical school, they better quit dicking around and get serious;
A variant of the above is that they become more mature, and thus improve;
they have been hit with a life issue, and have learned how to cope;
they find a learning style that suits them and is more efficient for improved learning ;

I'm sure other SDNers can add to this.

Merry Xmas, y'all.


ClrkKnt said:
I browsed through a few threads on here and found that some students had 2 point something GPAs and then they made a turn around. For me I find it a bit hard to believe.

How did you guys who hit an upward trend change all of your habits overtime and become A students?
Click to expand...
 
Goro said:
They become better at:

time mgt;
realize that if they really want to go to medical school, they better quit dicking around and get serious;
A variant of the above is that they become more mature, and thus improve;
they have been hit with a life issue, and have learned how to cope;
they find a learning style that suits them and is more efficient for improved learning ;

I'm sure other SDNers can add to this.

Merry Xmas, y'all.
Click to expand...

Merry Xmas to you too sir, I love your posts btw, always good stuff coming from you.
 
In most cases it comes down to actually doing the work instead of just thinking/talking about doing the work from what I've seen.
When your professors say that you should be doing 2 hours of homework/study per week for every credit hour they aren't just blowing smoke.
 
I'm one of those students!

I coped with all of my many issues. After that I felt like a career in medicine was something I had to do.

I became very determined to make the best grades in all of my classes and worked very hard to learn how to understand and apply the material.

My professors saw the time and effort I put into my eduction. They rewarded me with more knowledge, personal advice, and their most precious resources... Time. You would be amazed what ppl will help you accomplish if they see you dedicating your all to something.
 
100% true this as well. I have had many many students of my own get into trouble because they simply weren't putting the hrs in.


WaterPog said:
In most cases it comes down to actually doing the work instead of just thinking/talking about doing the work from what I've seen.
When your professors say that you should be doing 2 hours of homework/study per week for every credit hour they aren't just blowing smoke.
Click to expand...
 
In MANY different ways. Because everyone is NOT the same.

Me: When I started college, I didn't know that graduate school existed or that there was any reason to strive for good grades. I majored in my worst subjects and subjects that I had no previous experience with in order to make myself a more well-rounded person. Instead of focusing time on graded assignments, I spent most of my time practicing the basics of these majors - which I thought of as a long term investment. Clearly, I had no idea what college was REALLY about. Once I learned the truth about college, and that grades DID MATTER, my grades improved. (As a high school student and college freshman, I did research all of this. In doing so, I got a combination of professional advice from guidance counselors that inaccurately assumed that I already knew basic stuff like "graduate school exists" and "grades matter because blah blah...," and I received wrong advice from close friends with equally disadvantaged backgrounds. I didn't know enough to deliberately ask the RIGHT questions.)

Most popular way: In most cases, I think that people underestimate the difficulty of a class, and then have to work their butt off for months, to get caught up. I friend of mine got a C in his first organic chemistry class, and then did practically nothing except study for months. That's how he improved. Tutors help too!

ClrkKnt said:
I browsed through a few threads on here and found that some students had 2 point something GPAs and then they made a turn around. For me I find it a bit hard to believe.

How did you guys who hit an upward trend change all of your habits overtime and become A students?
Click to expand...
 
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ClrkKnt said:
I browsed through a few threads on here and found that some students had 2 point something GPAs and then they made a turn around. For me I find it a bit hard to believe.

How did you guys who hit an upward trend change all of your habits overtime and become A students?
Click to expand...

Discipline.
 
An incredible amount of hard work and discipline and figuring out what you weren't doing before and what you were doing wrong. Personally, I wasn't a 2.something student but I was really frustrated with the grades I was getting in science classes despite all my hard work. I pushed myself harder and made more sacrifices (still made time for fun and de-stressing though!) and after I was finally getting A/A-s in most of my classes it felt really rewarding.

As others said, it has a lot to do with time management. What made the difference for me was starting to study for big exams waaay in advance--I realized I need to over-study to feel confident and do well on a test. A lot of the "naturally" smart students on SDN talk about cramming a couple days before an exam and doing well but this just isn't the case for me. In order to get the A, I always have to keep up with the material throughout the entire course and start reviewing an entire week (or a little more) before an exam and start more intensive practice/review in the days leading up to the exam until I feel ready.
 
Adding to what others have said. Time management, zero procrastination, prioritize school work above all else, seek help/tutoring when you need it, put in the work (if you studied 1hr a day make it now 2 possibly 3). Remind yourself about your goals and surround yourself around people that support your goals and who won't distract you from doing well.
 
I realized that medical school was my dream, and that I was capable of earning more than C's.
🙂
And getting A's is fun, it is rewarding to see hard work pay off.
 
I was def one of those students. I have always been lazy but clearly capable of making excellent grades. When I decided medical school was the route I wanted to go, I just actually did my work. My grades actually only dipped in the middle of undergrad anyway, started off high, middle was terrible and then ended high again.
 
IkeBoy18 said:
I was def one of those students. I have always been lazy but clearly capable of making excellent grades. When I decided medical school was the route I wanted to go, I just actually did my work. My grades actually only dipped in the middle of undergrad anyway, started off high, middle was terrible and then ended high again.
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Nice. Did you achieve your goal? 😀
 
hippiedoc14 said:
I'm one of those students!

I coped with all of my many issues. After that I felt like a career in medicine was something I had to do.

I became very determined to make the best grades in all of my classes and worked very hard to learn how to understand and apply the material.

My professors saw the time and effort I put into my eduction. They rewarded me with more knowledge, personal advice, and their most precious resources... Time. You would be amazed what ppl will help you accomplish if they see you dedicating your all to something.
Click to expand...

+1! Had to retake a class I failed and when I actually started caring about my work my "jerk" professor that failed me the first time all of a sudden gave me everything from the best advice to a ton of time both during office hours and out.
I think one thing that gets many people is the amount of time needed to study. Average 2 hrs per credit a week can seem like a lot but it really isn't if your studying correctly (actually processing the info and doing problems). Time management is very important
 
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Sell soul to Devil.




Or: (1) Realize how much you want something (Medicine) and man up (woman up?); (2) Switch into a degree you enjoy and are better at; (3) Realize you're smart and stop being dumb.
 
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I Love Cats said:
Sell soul to Devil.




Or: (1) Realize how much you want something (Medicine) and man up (woman up?); (2) Switch into a degree you enjoy and are better at; (3) Realize you're smart and stop being dumb.
Click to expand...

+1 for #3
 
I think for me it all fell into place when I started taking it seriously. Sounds like a no-brainer, and I guess it is, but when I first started school I was definitely more worried about my free time and what fun I was going to have today/tomorrow/this week.

Once I started taking it seriously, I started putting my grades first and cultivated a mindset where I really wanted A's. I told myself I would only accept less than an A if I really gave it 100% and just couldn't get the A. I guess it has worked out, because I have managed a 4.0 for the past ~100 credit hours. But I sure do stress a lot more than I used to.
 
Coming from someone who went from a 3.0 freshman year gpa average to 3.9's my sophomore and junior year, there are many things I changed and many advices I can pass along.
1)Like others have said, time management, taking good notes, etc are crucial to do well
2)Study until you feel prepared for an exam, that feeling of preparedness will get you a B. You must put in that extra effort to raise it to an A, whether that means getting old exams or watching extra lectures on youtube, you must put in work to get an A if you are not naturally gifted in the subject or if this is your first time learning the material.
3)Use your resources online. Khan academy, coursesaver, think well, freelance teacher, etc have saved my life! I don't read the text book anymore because I learn better when I watch online videos. This leads me to my next advice
4)Find what works for you through trial and error. Know that what works for you in a chemistry class will probably not work the same way in a writing class. A good straight A student is able to quickly adapt themselves to different courses/teachers because they understand how they learn best. You must know yourself and know your learning style and know how to efficiently study for a class.
5)Getting 8 hours of sleep a day was very helpful for me and I was able to sleep that much because I managed my time well.
6) Last but not least, SET GOALS. SERIOUSLY, before each semester, I set goals and plan out how I will achieve it and you should do the same because it reminds you of the big picture.
 
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Do proactive things. I graduated HS with a 2.0, took 18 units in community college and got a 4.0. I went to starbucks without a laptop , and would stay there for 3 hours 2-3 times a week. I would get so bored without stuff, that i pretty much just read my textbook. kept me on track!
 
nabilesmail said:
Do proactive things. I graduated HS with a 2.0, took 18 units in community college and got a 4.0. I went to starbucks without a laptop , and would stay there for 3 hours 2-3 times a week. I would get so bored without stuff, that i pretty much just read my textbook. kept me on track!
Click to expand...

AMAZING strategy right there
 
ClrkKnt said:
AMAZING strategy right there
Click to expand...
Yeah It really helped! I mean, I'm someone that takes a lot of breaks, like, for every hour I study, I take 1-1.5 hrs of breaks haha.

At starbucks, there was literally NOTHING to do, aside from study, this made me take shorter breaks , I got so bored, my only solace WAS to study haha
 
I was a terrible high school student. Cut class, slept in class...more concerned with making people laugh than learning anything...just an all around clown. Never studied. Realized my HS grades were laughable, so I decided I would go AF after school, but something out of my control deterred that. Two (three years now that 2014 is nearing, actually) I've just completed my hefty first semester of college with a 4.0. Don't think I'd made an A in anything other than PE since middle school. Something that I'd prefer to not discuss happened in between my gap years, but it made me appreciate the time I had and re-tuned my mind as it pertains to what I found important. That, in combination to being a little older and wiser, played a huge part. I'm completely focused and set on a goal, and that helps keep me balanced.


Sometimes we have to go through some crazy circumstances, other times we simply have to grow up - sometimes, both. It's crazy, because my closest friends went off to university after graduation, and now they're at a loss of what to do... facing academic probation, ext. It was the complete opposite for me (I was dejected from the concept of going to college after HS and had poor grades to boot) I'm just happy I was able to figure it out before I started college with the same lackadaisical mindset I possessed as a naive, flippant teenager.
 
nvnme said:
I was a terrible high school student. Cut class, slept in class...more concerned with making people laugh than learning anything...just an all around clown. Never studied. Realized my HS grades were laughable, so I decided I would go AF after school, but something out of my control deterred that. Two (three years now that 2014 is nearing, actually) I've just completed my hefty first semester of college with a 4.0. Don't think I'd made an A in anything other than PE since middle school. Something that I'd prefer to not discuss happened in between my gap years, but it made me appreciate the time I had and re-tuned my mind as it pertains to what I found important. That, in combination to being a little older and wiser, played a huge part. I'm completely focused and set on a goal, and that helps keep me balanced.


Sometimes we have to go through some crazy circumstances, other times we simply have to grow up - sometimes, both. It's crazy, because my closest friends went off to university after graduation, and now they're at a loss of what to do... facing academic probation, ext. It was the complete opposite for me (I was dejected from the concept of going to college after HS and had poor grades to boot) I'm just happy I was able to figure it out before I started college with the same lackadaisical mindset I possessed as a naive, flippant teenager.
Click to expand...

This reminds me of myself. I was not the best high school student either. I also cut class, mocked teachers, and was an all-around immature person. It took some sobering up and success in college classes to see what I was capable of. I agree that strange circumstances and events have a way of helping a person to see what is important in their life and find a direction that they want to take it in. After high school I had no intention of being a doctor and only after graduating from a junior college with a 4.0 did I start to gain momentum towards setting higher goals. If you would have looked at my chances of going to medical school and becoming a doctor after high school they would have been 0.000%. Now they are 100.000% as I was recently just accepted into a rather reputable M.D. program. That's an infinite percent increase.

How did I turn it around? It comes down to two of my favorite quotes:

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

and

Never, never, never give up.
-Winston Churchill
 
ClrkKnt said:
I browsed through a few threads on here and found that some students had 2 point something GPAs and then they made a turn around. For me I find it a bit hard to believe.

How did you guys who hit an upward trend change all of your habits overtime and become A students?
Click to expand...

It takes time for these things to happen. Those who some how turn it around in one semester were most likely screwing around in college before.

In my case, I had to deal with a dad in a coma and a learning disability. It was years after undergrad, that I was able to change. I learned how to manage my time better and how to study more effectively. I know have a planner that has a list of what I need to do for the day . When I have classes, I read my notes before and after to get the best understanding of the material. I also set time during the weekend to review my notes.

It would definitely help you to see a learning specialist (I am sure most schools have one). They actually teach you "how to study!" It is not as simple as opening or closing a book nor is it "working harder." It is much more. If you are an auditory learner, it definitely benefits you to go to class and it also benefits you to say you notes out loud (of course you should be in a private place otherwise people will think your crazy LOL). If you are visual learner, then make visual representation of your notes or make a mind map. There are a lot of study strategies out there on the web so make sure to really look. As my learning specialist once said to me, learning is not just pure memorization, it is about the manipulation of that information into something you can understand.

Develop good time management and study strategies, and results will come. Good luck to you!
 
I went from having between a 2.7-2.8 over my first 2 years to finishing with a 4.0 over my last 3 years.

I was a straight A student in high school, but I had a hard time focusing when I got to college due to a combination of some personal circumstanes and not having motivation since I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I also didn't think college GPA mattered when it came to getting a job.

After deciding to pursue nursing (which later turned to medicine) I knew I had a long way to go. I just made a habit of spending hours in the library after class and was pleased to find that putting in the time paid off.
 
It has to do with maturing and realizing that you need to do the work to get to where you want to go.
 
There is no secret, it's about realizing that you need to work efficient and hard. Once you realize that the hardest things in life, tend to pay the most in results. You buckle down and work. Apply this outlook to all parts of your life, not just studying.
 
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