I feel like my dreams of becoming a doctor are being crushed before my eyes

[deleted972799]

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For years now all I've said is that I want to become a doctor. I transferred to my state school after receiving my associate's degree. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and I was on top of the world. Now I'm in the second semester as a part time student, not even by choice. It is because the classes are becoming increasingly difficult. I am taking gen chem and cannot find a way to do well. I also bombed my first biology exam. I dont know what is wrong with me, but after getting a 56 on my first chem exam, I feel like my dreams are being crushed. I never doubted my intelligence until this year. I dont know what's wrong with me. I studied so long for the chem exam just to get an F. Premeds dont get Fs. There is nothing in life I want to do except become a doctor. I only have one chance at undergrad. I dont know what to do. I feel like I'm not smart enough to do it anymore. I never thought I'd feel that way. I'm heartbroken.

 

[Medic741]

Go to your school’s learning specialist, and then their mental health center ASAP

 

[Dr panda]

Hi. I had similar experience, I also was a high stat CC transfer who struggled first year of university. Here is my situation.
1st year as a transfer student:
Fall: 17 credits
Gen chem 1 with lab (5 credits)
Gen bio 1 with lab (4 credits)
Gen physics 1 with lab (5 credits)
Arts elective (3 credits)
Spring: 14 credits
Gen chem 2 with lab (5 credits)
Gen bio 2 with lab (4 credits)
Gen physics 2 with lab (5 credits)

And that is on top of volunteering with 4 organizations.
I managed to do pretty well (3.7+)
Here is the strategy:
1) Make sure you register for tutoring for each class, no matter how good you think you know the material, go for it.
2) Find a study group.
3) Have and follow a schedule. Never left behind.
4) Sleep 5-6 hours per day. That is not hard, you will get used to it.
5) Attend office hours.

 

[Medic741]

There is *no need* to sleep 5-6 hours a night in UG or medical school for that matter. The healthier you can be the better you'll do academically.

Stay motivated on the 'bigger picture' of why you want to do this. Sometimes getting a 'boost' can be really helpful. Some of the things to think about doing for motivation...
-Is it the income? Visit the BMW website and go 'car shopping' when you don't feel motivated
-Is it the lifestyle? Plan some 'dream trips' for when you're a doc with $ and time
-Is it helping people? Check out some of the outreach programs you could be a part of.

Gen chem was the single worst class I've ever taken, don't let it discourage you. Seriously though, learning specialist + mental health + work/life balance and you'll be gold.

 

[deleted1009115]

Don’t get discouraged! Plenty of premeds fail an exam here and there. Premed classes are supposed to be hard. Utilize tutoring and office hours to make sure you are on the right track with your studying.

Also, seconding advice above about NOT limiting sleep to 5-6 hours. Get 7-8 hours of sleep or whatever makes you feel the best/most focused. Take care of yourself first.

 

[keolu hills]

1. Use Khan Academy videos on General Chem and videos on YouTube. Videos are very helpful.

2. Get help from the professor.

3. If it is not enough, go and find a tutor.

4. I would still seek help from a learning specialist at your school for issues with studying.

 

[SeaHusky]

OP, I got freaking blasted by gen chem. My first quarter GPA was 2.5 (lmao); I finished my freshman year with a sub-3.0 GPA. It's not the end of the world, I promise.

 

[Goro]

For years now all I've said is that I want to become a doctor. I transferred to my state school after receiving my associate's degree. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and I was on top of the world. Now I'm in the second semester as a part time student, not even by choice. It is because the classes are becoming increasingly difficult. I am taking gen chem and cannot find a way to do well. I also bombed my first biology exam. I dont know what is wrong with me, but after getting a 56 on my first chem exam, I feel like my dreams are being crushed. I never doubted my intelligence until this year. I dont know what's wrong with me. I studied so long for the chem exam just to get an F. Premeds dont get Fs. There is nothing in life I want to do except become a doctor. I only have one chance at undergrad. I dont know what to do. I feel like I'm not smart enough to do it anymore. I never thought I'd feel that way. I'm heartbroken.

Premeds DO get Fs.

If you're studying long and hard but still failing, then there is something wrong with your studying.

Get thee to your school's learning or education center, stat.

You may have only one chance at undergrad, but postbacs and SMPs are eternal.

Also, your grades do not define you as a human being and are not measurements of your self worth.

 

[Kardio]

For years now all I've said is that I want to become a doctor. I transferred to my state school after receiving my associate's degree. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and I was on top of the world. Now I'm in the second semester as a part time student, not even by choice. It is because the classes are becoming increasingly difficult. I am taking gen chem and cannot find a way to do well. I also bombed my first biology exam. I dont know what is wrong with me, but after getting a 56 on my first chem exam, I feel like my dreams are being crushed. I never doubted my intelligence until this year. I dont know what's wrong with me. I studied so long for the chem exam just to get an F. Premeds dont get Fs. There is nothing in life I want to do except become a doctor. I only have one chance at undergrad. I dont know what to do. I feel like I'm not smart enough to do it anymore. I never thought I'd feel that way. I'm heartbroken.

Everything's going to be alright, OP.

I also transferred from a CC to 4-year school. It was the first time in my life that I realized that, even with my (perceived) best efforts, I would not ace everything. What you're going through is common experience.

Do NOT doubt your own intelligence. DO doubt your study skills; its all about finding what works for you. Follow the advice given by the other awesome posters here. You're going to pull through.

 

[premed20172017]

OP, I'm not sure if this will make you feel better, but I just want you to know that you're NOT alone. So many premeds have felt just as you do now. This is a VERY tough road, and it's extremely taxing. I don't even know how many times I've thought "Am I good/smart/young enough to do this? Should I be a doctor? Is it really worth it?" I think once you find your groove with studying (definitely check out tutoring and academic services on campus, you will start improving in no time. If you don't already have someone to talk to, check into that, too. <3

 

[Isoval]

To the above: I regularly sleep 7-10 hours per night in medical school. The only exception is when I have a mandatory section in the morning since I refuse to push my normal schedule back (e.g. a normal day for me is to sleep at 3am and wake up at 11am).

To the OP: It is remarkably common for people who transfer from community college programs to, for lack of better words, get hit by a train when they get to a four-year school. I saw it happen all the time at my undergraduate university in particular, and it's remarkably pronounced in the science courses as, especially at state schools, some of these are deliberately made to weed out premedical students.

The advice you probably don't want to hear is that you need to learn how to take a beating, but there's light on the other side if you're able to keep yourself together. The reality of premed and medical school is that you're not going to win every battle and sometimes you just need to get through, to hell with the A.

I know someone who transferred to my undergraduate school from a community college. Same story as you. Perfect record until that point. On her first exam at the school, she made an eight. Out of a hundred. She graduated with around a 3.6GPA. She is in my medical school class.

If she can do it, so can you.

 

[DoctHouse]

Check out "Organic Chemistry Tutor" on Youtube, seriously... he carried be thru gen chem 1 and is currently carrying me thru gen chem 2. Just keep watching whichever vid til you understand it conceptually, and do the practice problems over and over.

 

[Select All That Apply]

@possiblyidge Drop the classes and audit them. If you have financial support, communicate with them that you hit a slump and you need to crash out what you need to change in order to fix it. If you need the classes to count for credit in order for you to take them seriously then that would be a strong indicator that you have poor habits and need to learn how to put yourself on a timeline. Treat this like a profession where you get results, there is an implication both with failing to perform and also with withdrawing. But the lesser of two evils will always be taking a W over potentially eating a D/F after transferring to the big leagues.

I think it's bold that some people are telling you that a 56 is NBD without knowing how the curve is going to work out for the class or what the overall GPA for the semester is going to be with a solid 8 credits of what looks like (at best) a C in both Biology and Chemistry. Honestly, when these people stayed in my classes they were the ones who shifted the normal distribution curve to the left making it easier to get that A. Also, look at the words people use when they write to you. Yes, premeds do get F's. That's why they are premeds. I have never been an advocate for people playing with fire and watching them get burned or shooting themselves in the foot when they are within parameters to make safer decisions.

 

[RangerBob]

I had a c in gen chem. Also scored 26 on my first Spanish test (managed to get that up to a B+ for the semester-that was no easy feat and required A’s/A-‘s on every other test!)

As others recommend, go to your learning center. The transition to college is hard-take advantage of all the help you can get. If you’re having a tough time, consider holding off on some of your premed courses (assuming they’re not needed for your major) and focus on the stuff for your major that really excites you and help get your self esteem back up. Take art. Music. Undergrad should be a mix of stressful, fun/exciting.

I did a post bac because I wasn’t premed as an undergrad. I couldn’t retake gen chem, but I did make up for it by doing well in everything else and the MCAT.

 

[adam987]

For years now all I've said is that I want to become a doctor. I transferred to my state school after receiving my associate's degree. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and I was on top of the world. Now I'm in the second semester as a part time student, not even by choice. It is because the classes are becoming increasingly difficult. I am taking gen chem and cannot find a way to do well. I also bombed my first biology exam. I dont know what is wrong with me, but after getting a 56 on my first chem exam, I feel like my dreams are being crushed. I never doubted my intelligence until this year. I dont know what's wrong with me. I studied so long for the chem exam just to get an F. Premeds dont get Fs. There is nothing in life I want to do except become a doctor. I only have one chance at undergrad. I dont know what to do. I feel like I'm not smart enough to do it anymore. I never thought I'd feel that way. I'm heartbroken.

Hey OP, I was the same way, forreal and I just wanted you to know that it truly gets better once youre done with prereqs. The semester after I finished orgo (and physics tbh) was when I started taking bio electives which were so much more interesting than anything I’d taken before. Microbiology and Anatomy, for example.

This is not to say that pre reqs aren’t important, far from it actually. But there are people who still get into med school on the first try despite not having a 4.0 science or cumulative GPA. And if your gpa is truly not competitive for med school by senior year, you can do a post bacc or SMP and still get into med school that way.

Also consider careers such as nursing and PA if you truly love medicine. Just wanted to put it out there.

This is not the end OP! This is just one minor setback in what will seem like a never-ending trail of setbacks on this long, arduous road that we call pre med.

But it’s worth it in the end. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my friends getting their acceptances and white coats and I can only hope it will be my turn soon 🙂

Good luck to you!

 

[Hopeful101]

If you struggled with those intro classes medical school will destroy you, and make you more miserable than you can imagine. Whether or not you can pull through, get in, and finish is almost irrelevant. Your just going to have such a hard time, it probably won't be worth it. Much better and easier things to do in life than this, don't follow a dream into the ground.

 

[Hopeful101]

There is *no need* to sleep 5-6 hours a night in UG or medical school for that matter. The healthier you can be the better you'll do academically.

Stay motivated on the 'bigger picture' of why you want to do this. Sometimes getting a 'boost' can be really helpful. Some of the things to think about doing for motivation...
-Is it the income? Visit the BMW website and go 'car shopping' when you don't feel motivated
-Is it the lifestyle? Plan some 'dream trips' for when you're a doc with $ and time
-Is it helping people? Check out some of the outreach programs you could be a part of.

Gen chem was the single worst class I've ever taken, don't let it discourage you. Seriously though, learning specialist + mental health + work/life balance and you'll be gold.

I beg to differ....starting to sleep 6 hrs a day in med school is the best decision I ever made lol

 

[Select All That Apply]

I couldn’t retake gen chem, but I did make up for it by doing well in everything else and the MCAT.

@RangerBob He's bombing both Chem and Bio. Its like not making PB and J, but saying there's something salvageable. Have I become too conservative? It's a 56, how generous are curves at other institutions that a 56 is still somehow passable? Do they make the exams easier as they go along at other schools, because the first exam has always been the easiest exam to break when it came to any of the core science classes.

I like your idea of having him explore other pre-reqs like liberal arts requirements... while he audits his core science classes.

 

[deleted859689]

Community college is a joke. I’ve taken Post-bac classes for psych soc, literally went to half the classes and got an A.

If you need personal help on chemistry, PM me and I will be glad to help! Was previously on the Chemistry PhD track before switching to medicine. But in general, Khan academy does a very very good job explaining topics in all subjects. Like people have said Already, use your school resources!!!

 

[907914]

literally went to half the classes and got an A.

TBF like 80% of MED students don’t go to class and they come out with an MD...

 

[deleted859689]

TBF like 80% of MED students don’t go to class and they come out with an MD...

but the lectures are recorded and literally grades in MD don’t matter as long as you do well on the boards right? Undergrad GPA matters and gets you through the door for interviews I thought.

 

[deleted859689]

Also i feel like tests in MD (or DO school) are geared to be similar to the boards. Comparing Medical school to undergrad classes is like comparing apples to oranges. If I didn’t go to class in my 4 year undergrad institution with no access to lectures I would’ve gotten rocked.