I think I failed my first Bio exam

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SoonerFromTexas said:
I don't understand how you can support so many "nontraditional" views and be so opinionated/unsympathetic at the same time. It's who you are, but it is still interesting. Haha.
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what is to be sympathetic about? Many, many thousands of kids who start off pre-med do not even come close to applying. I find it progressive to recognize that not everyone is capable of doing everything. That isn't to say everybody doesn't deserve equal rights but there are some things that others just can not do just like there are things you and I cannot do. We grow up being told we can become anything we want but in actuality that is a gigantic lie. If every person who started off pre-med had the natural potential to become a doctor there is no way you or I would have ever made it to med school. We'd be in a group of upwards of a million students applying for a very limited number of seats. There is the possibility that OP is smart and that he had a bad test but this is very easy subject matter to master and use in context. Playing the odds it is logical to assume that he won't make it. Additionally, this website isn't a place where you go to elicit sympathy from your peers. He asked for other's opinions of the situation. If he only wanted his hand held and to be patted on the back his mother is only a phone call away.
 
I don't think you need to be particularly intelligent to be a doctor. Hard work, people skills, and an eye for opportunity are good enough. That said, I don't think the OP is a ******* since he's good at math and chemistry. It's more likely that he just has a tough teacher. Besides, he probably didn't even do as badly on the test as he thought he did.
 
Timewinders said:
I don't think you need to be particularly intelligent to be a doctor. Hard work, people skills, and an eye for opportunity are good enough. That said, I don't think the OP is a ******* since he's good at math and chemistry. It's more likely that he just has a tough teacher. Besides, he probably didn't even do as badly on the test as he thought he did.
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Sure you do. Also, I don't believe I was singularly referring to intelligence as the sole factor necessary to become a physician.
 
ppfizenm said:
what is to be sympathetic about? Many, many thousands of kids who start off pre-med do not even come close to applying. I find it progressive to recognize that not everyone is capable of doing everything. That isn't to say everybody doesn't deserve equal rights but there are some things that others just can not do just like there are things you and I cannot do. We grow up being told we can become anything we want but in actuality that is a gigantic lie. If every person who started off pre-med had the natural potential to become a doctor there is no way you or I would have ever made it to med school. We'd be in a group of upwards of a million students applying for a very limited number of seats. There is the possibility that OP is smart and that he had a bad test but this is very easy subject matter to master and use in context. Playing the odds it is logical to assume that he won't make it. Additionally, this website isn't a place where you go to elicit sympathy from your peers. He asked for other's opinions of the situation. If he only wanted his hand held and to be patted on the back his mother is only a phone call away.
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She actually isn't..think before you make assumptions like that
 
jay2324 said:
She actually isn't..think before you make assumptions like that
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I actually did. Didn't think anyone was callous enough to actually use the my mother is dead excuse anymore though.
 
ppfizenm said:
what is to be sympathetic about? Many, many thousands of kids who start off pre-med do not even come close to applying. I find it progressive to recognize that not everyone is capable of doing everything. That isn't to say everybody doesn't deserve equal rights but there are some things that others just can not do just like there are things you and I cannot do. We grow up being told we can become anything we want but in actuality that is a gigantic lie. If every person who started off pre-med had the natural potential to become a doctor there is no way you or I would have ever made it to med school. We'd be in a group of upwards of a million students applying for a very limited number of seats. There is the possibility that OP is smart and that he had a bad test but this is very easy subject matter to master and use in context. Playing the odds it is logical to assume that he won't make it. Additionally, this website isn't a place where you go to elicit sympathy from your peers. He asked for other's opinions of the situation. If he only wanted his hand held and to be patted on the back his mother is only a phone call away.
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I am not saying I completely disagree with you, but I think you could of been a little less harsh. I agree that there is too much "hand holding" in today's world. However, being too blunt may cause someone to think they can't do something they really can.
 
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The best advice I can give you honestly is that your not alone. The best thing you can do is just go over mistakes and make sure you don't make them again. Revamp your study methods or study more. Also, it doesn't hurt to think positively. Everyone has a rough patch in their academic life. Its your job to overcome it by working harder and realizing your mistakes.
 
ppfizenm said:
My point isn't that it's an intro bio class which is harped on later. the point is that this is very easy subject material. You don't need to spend hours sitting in a corner to learn it. Punnet squares are common sense. And guess what. This isn't the only time you are going to see this. The HW theory of equilibrium and Mendelian genetics are tested on the MCAT along with other gen bio concepts. You may not be stupid and a B will not kill your chances for med school, but you make it sound like you found this info very challenging. What is going to happen when you start learning about the intricacies of the endocrine system or how the concentration gradients of the kidney work to remove wastes from the blood? If it is the strict memorization you have a problem with how are you ever going to remember all the cranial nerves and their functions?
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I dunno where you went to undergrad, but my gen. bio was extremely difficult. Purely knowing the material would get you a 50-70%. Proper tests require analysis, not regurgitation. This can make an "easy" class like biology quite difficult. I know valedictorians that got Cs. I got a B- and was proud. Any subject can be made difficult, and the difficulty varies heavily between schools, and more importantly between professors. We have no idea how this person's test was.
 
Vandy Premed said:
I dunno where you went to undergrad, but my gen. bio was extremely difficult. Purely knowing the material would get you a 50-70%. Proper tests require analysis, not regurgitation. This can make an "easy" class like biology quite difficult. I know valedictorians that got Cs. I got a B- and was proud. Any subject can be made difficult, and the difficulty varies heavily between schools, and more importantly between professors. We have no idea how [hard] this person's test was.
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I agree with this.
 
ppfizenm said:
what is to be sympathetic about? Many, many thousands of kids who start off pre-med do not even come close to applying. I find it progressive to recognize that not everyone is capable of doing everything. That isn't to say everybody doesn't deserve equal rights but there are some things that others just can not do just like there are things you and I cannot do. We grow up being told we can become anything we want but in actuality that is a gigantic lie. If every person who started off pre-med had the natural potential to become a doctor there is no way you or I would have ever made it to med school. We'd be in a group of upwards of a million students applying for a very limited number of seats. There is the possibility that OP is smart and that he had a bad test but this is very easy subject matter to master and use in context. Playing the odds it is logical to assume that he won't make it. Additionally, this website isn't a place where you go to elicit sympathy from your peers. He asked for other's opinions of the situation. If he only wanted his hand held and to be patted on the back his mother is only a phone call away.
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Most of "those" kids who don't make it close to applying are the ones who, freshman year, thought that being a doctor like on House and making a lot of money would be cool. Then, after joining a greek organization and failing their first test, they switched to something else.

Edit: So you shouldn't compare OPs chances of becoming a doctor to an overall statistic.

A good doctor isn't someone who buries their head into a book and studies 24/7. A good doctor is someone who manages time well, studies when they need to, is reasonably intelligent, and has an innate curiosity about medicine and the body.
 
Double Trouble said:
Most of "those" kids who don't make it close to applying are the ones who, freshman year, thought that being a doctor like on House and making a lot of money would be cool. Then, after joining a greek organization and failing their first test, they switched to something else.

Edit: So you shouldn't compare OPs chances of becoming a doctor to an overall statistic.

A good doctor isn't someone who buries their head into a book and studies 24/7. A good doctor is someone who manages time well, studies when they need to, is reasonably intelligent, and has an innate curiosity about medicine and the body.
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Lmao. How does you characterization of "those" kids alleviate OP's chances of failing victim to statistics? There is no thought process between the two that could lead you to make this assumption.
 
Vandy Premed said:
I dunno where you went to undergrad, but my gen. bio was extremely difficult. Purely knowing the material would get you a 50-70%. Proper tests require analysis, not regurgitation. This can make an "easy" class like biology quite difficult. I know valedictorians that got Cs. I got a B- and was proud. Any subject can be made difficult, and the difficulty varies heavily between schools, and more importantly between professors. We have no idea how this person's test was.
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Nice thinly veiled shot at my undergrad. Believe it or not, most accredited colleges try to challenge their students conceptually. I would never be proud of a B- in gen bio btw.
 
ppfizenm said:
Lmao. How does you characterization of "those" kids alleviate OP's chances of failing victim to statistics? There is no thought process between the two that could lead you to make this assumption.
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So you don't think if people really want something, they will try harder and care more?

The OP has shown more concern about his future career in medicine to others who are in the same categorization of being premed ("those" kids). "Those" kids bring down the percentage of premeds in each class.
 
ppfizenm said:
Nice thinly veiled shot at my undergrad. Believe it or not, most accredited colleges try to challenge their students conceptually. I would never be proud of a B- in gen bio btw.
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Holy crap, do you think everyone is out to get you? Chill out man 😛

And do you realize just how incorrect that statement about conceptualizing stuff you made was?
 
Double Trouble said:
So you don't think if people really want something, they will try harder and care more?

The OP has shown more concern about his future career in medicine to others who are in the same categorization of being premed ("those" kids). "Those" kids bring down the percentage of premeds in each class.
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No, I don't think hard work is enough. It is important, but wanting something bad enough does not make it come true. See other posts about potential and what not. I don't feel like explaining it again.

posting on an internet forum really displays his effort.
 
ppfizenm said:
No, I don't think hard work is enough. It is important, but wanting something bad enough does not make it come true. See other posts about potential and what not. I don't feel like explaining it again.

posting on an internet forum really displays his effort.
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Posting on the internet = googling a premed relevant topic, finding SDN, caring enough to make an account, and caring enough to make a thread.

I agree with you that hard work isn't enough. But his mindset certainly makes a difference. It's not all white and black, effort does pay off in the long run even if he bombs one or two tests, or gets a B in a class.

And whats with all the snarky remarks like "I don't feel like explaining it again" and all the other posts on this thread?
 
Vandy Premed said:
I dunno where you went to undergrad, but my gen. bio was extremely difficult. Purely knowing the material would get you a 50-70%. Proper tests require analysis, not regurgitation. This can make an "easy" class like biology quite difficult. I know valedictorians that got Cs. I got a B- and was proud. Any subject can be made difficult, and the difficulty varies heavily between schools, and more importantly between professors. We have no idea how this person's test was.
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exactly
/thread

it is as hard as your professor makes it and at my school it is definitely a weed out class. That being said, i think i managed a mid 70ish grade on the first exam now after seeing my multiple choice portion so i can live with that....but i will definitely improve. Thank you all for your positive remarks (for the most part), at least i know i am not the only person who felt like **** after their first below average grade....
 
ppfizenm said:
No, I don't think hard work is enough. It is important, but wanting something bad enough does not make it come true. See other posts about potential and what not. I don't feel like explaining it again.

posting on an internet forum really displays his effort.
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face it, your gonna be a rude doctor if you ever even make it. I feel sorry for your future patients. No i don't want anyone to baby me but i also cant stand when someone tells me, or anyone else that they cant do something...did it ever occur to you that a lot of people drop their pre med status to become something they find more interesting? "Not all pre meds end up being doctors because they cant do it" thats a false statement right their....I know some people who went to Rice and dropped pre med after taking the mcat and scoring above a 40 just to switch to Kinesiology....
I dont quite though.. I don't care what you say. You should just stop commenting on this thread because you are getting annoying.
 
Why don't people wait until the OP actually knows how well he did on the test before saying he isn't cut out for it? I doubt people like ppfizenm are best suited to make that call. For all we know, he thought he failed but actually got a good grade with the curve. Being overly negative now isn't being realistic, it's just pointlessly mean.
 
Timewinders said:
Why don't people wait until the OP actually knows how well he did on the test before saying he isn't cut out for it? I doubt people like ppfizenm are best suited to make that call. For all we know, he thought he failed but actually got a good grade with the curve. Being overly negative now isn't being realistic, it's just pointlessly mean.
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ppfizenm seems quite qualified. Trust me on this one. I'm pre-med. That's like almost a doctor, which means like almost qualified to admit people to medical school.
 
tantacles said:
ppfizenm seems quite qualified. Trust me on this one. I'm pre-med. That's like almost a doctor, which means like almost qualified to admit people to medical school.
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Alright, I'll trust you, if only because you're a fellow LoD fan 👍
 
jay2324 said:
i think i jut failed my bio exam. This is my firsts semester at UT austin and my first bio exam was definitely the hardest test i have every experienced. Just wondering, has anyone else every failed a bio exam and how did you bounce back from it? I need advice because I am really upset with myself....
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if you don't mind me asking are you in bio311c or bio311d and who do you have? i can give you some advice coming from someone who got a 100, 100, 99 on my midterms (no joke).
 
jay2324 said:
i think i jut failed my bio exam. This is my firsts semester at UT austin and my first bio exam was definitely the hardest test i have every experienced. Just wondering, has anyone else every failed a bio exam and how did you bounce back from it? I need advice because I am really upset with myself....
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if you don't mind me asking are you in bio311c or bio311d and who do you have? i can give you some advice coming from someone who got a 100, 100, 99 on my midterms in bio311c (now in bio311d).
 
jay2324 said:
face it, your gonna be a rude doctor if you ever even make it. I feel sorry for your future patients. No i don't want anyone to baby me but i also cant stand when someone tells me, or anyone else that they cant do something...did it ever occur to you that a lot of people drop their pre med status to become something they find more interesting? "Not all pre meds end up being doctors because they cant do it" thats a false statement right their....I know some people who went to Rice and dropped pre med after taking the mcat and scoring above a 40 just to switch to Kinesiology....
I dont quite though.. I don't care what you say. You should just stop commenting on this thread because you are getting annoying.
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Lolz. Don't feel sorry for them. 1. Anecdotal evidence is not evidence. Even if you are being veracious the vast majority of the time I would say you are wrong. 2 . Only just getting annoying? I was hoping for pain in the @as at this point.

Note. That was not an arlttempt to curse and get around the filter. Merely a misspelling.
 
jagibbs07 said:
if you don't mind me asking are you in bio311c or bio311d and who do you have? i can give you some advice coming from someone who got a 100, 100, 99 on my midterms in bio311c (now in bio311d).
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im in bio 311d

any advice would be greatly appreciated
 
Well it's just one test and there's nothing you can do now to change what you got so just move on. I just failed my first Orgo 2 test a couple of days ago but I realize that the only thing I can do now is to get ready for the next test. Good luck with Bio!
 
which prof do you have? maas or moon? i hear moon is easy
 
ppfizenm said:
Lolz. Don't feel sorry for them. 1. Anecdotal evidence is not evidence. Even if you are being veracious the vast majority of the time I would say you are wrong. 2 . Only just getting annoying? I was hoping for pain in the @as at this point.

Note. That was not an arlttempt to curse and get around the filter. Merely a misspelling.
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Oh someone is getting their clever points tonight.
 
zhao is the easiest i hear, but thats beside the point. did you make an A in bio311c? what do you do to study? i personally reread chapters at least once and study lecture notes. so far its worked for me.
 
jagibbs07 said:
zhao is the easiest i hear, but thats beside the point. did you make an A in bio311c? what do you do to study? i personally reread chapters at least once and study lecture notes. so far its worked for me.
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Well I guess I should be reading the chapters. I try to skim through them because my teachers gives us learning objectives to answer...so I figure what's the Point in reading the chapter if all she is gonna focus on is the learning objectives?
But ya I looked over my class notes, still didn't help to much. Who are you taking for 311d?
 
Double Trouble said:
Oh someone is getting their clever points tonight.
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I think someone already won. If you and jay want to back slap in the locker room go for it. enjoy the conciliatory towel whips. Don't hit too hard boyzzz
 
ppfizenm said:
I think someone already won. If you and jay want to back slap in the locker room go for it. enjoy the conciliatory towel whips. Don't hit too hard boyzzz
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Why do you think everyone is out to get you? You are rude. Admit that you can't/won't be a good doctor. No patient is going to put up with you attitude. Believe it or not, you actually have to like people and be nice to them when you are a doctor. Your here acting like we hate you or something, do you say this stuff to cover up for being depressed or something? Geez calm down, get some friends...do something but stop posting negative and childish responses in my thread.
 
ppfizenm said:
I actually did. Didn't think anyone was callous enough to actually use the my mother is dead excuse anymore though.
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It's not an excuse. I'm serious.

You need some friends buddy...seem a little upset about something
 
ppfizenm said:
pics or it didn't happen
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I think you should respond to the super serious allegations up above that you're going to be a horrible doctor. I mean, that concerns me because doctors shouldn't be horrible, so if you become one, as the other poster insists you will, there will be one more horrible doctor, and that horrible doctor will be you, a horrible doctor.

U no wut im sayin rite
 
tantacles said:
I think you should respond to the super serious allegations up above that you're going to be a horrible doctor. I mean, that concerns me because doctors shouldn't be horrible, so if you become one, as the other poster insists you will, there will be one more horrible doctor, and that horrible doctor will be you, a horrible doctor.

U no wut im sayin rite
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Maybe I'm such a gunner that I am trying to eliminate the competition in other years and at other med schools as well by raining on pity parties.
 
To bring up an earlier point... It is crazy how different the same class can be with different professors. MyEdu.com has influenced my schedule for years. :laugh:
 
I don't think I have ever really got a 90% on any of my upper division chem classes, thank god for a curve haha what was class average? I normally care less what my test score is, as long as I'm a standard deviation or more higher then my class mean lol

serious though, I think statistically everyone does worse on the first test, it's a way to feel out the prof and see how they ask questions, and what kind of thinks they like to focus on.

I would also recommend whatever book your using to go online to the publisher and do all there interactive quizzes, that will give you a good measure if your understanding the material of the chapters.
 
natorx said:
I don't think I have ever really got a 90% on any of my upper division chem classes, thank god for a curve haha what was class average? I normally care less what my test score is, as long as I'm a standard deviation or more higher then my class mean lol

serious though, I think statistically everyone does worse on the first test, it's a way to feel out the prof and see how they ask questions, and what kind of thinks they like to focus on.

I would also recommend whatever book your using to go online to the publisher and do all there interactive quizzes, that will give you a good measure if your understanding the material of the chapters.
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okay i think ill take this advice as well.
But idk....my teacher really emphasizes on giving scenarios and solving with problem solving thinking... the only problem is that all the answer choices are very close
 
ppfizenm said:
which way?
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I can create my schedule around classes/professors with a higher percentage of A's. Obviously, there are some that are unavoidable. Some classes are just plan difficult no matter the professor.
 
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SoonerFromTexas said:
I can create my schedule around classes/professors with a higher percentage of A's. Obviously, there are some that are unavoidable. Some classes are just plan difficult no matter the professor.
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We didn't get to pick between professors a lot of the time. I had anat, systems neuro (both required), and endocrinolgy (not required but counted towards my major) with a professor who was known for not giving any A's some semesters. I think the only time I really did between profs was for orgo but that was only because I preferred the later class over the earlier.
 
ppfizenm said:
We didn't get to pick between professors a lot of the time. I had anat, systems neuro (both required), and endocrinolgy (not required but counted towards my major) with a professor who was known for not giving any A's some semesters. I think the only time I really did between profs was for orgo but that was only because I preferred the later class over the earlier.
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I am speculating that you go to a smaller school. Probably wouldn't be of much help then.
 
ppfizenm said:
We didn't get to pick between professors a lot of the time. I had anat, systems neuro (both required), and endocrinolgy (not required but counted towards my major) with a professor who was known for not giving any A's some semesters. I think the only time I really did between profs was for orgo but that was only because I preferred the later class over the earlier.
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Well, anatomy, systems neuro, and endocrinology are all easy classes at my school, so they must be easy at every university in the world. I'm drawing the conclusion that you must be stupid.
 
Double Trouble said:
Well, anatomy, systems neuro, and endocrinology are all easy classes at my school, so they must be easy at every university in the world. I'm drawing the conclusion that you must be stupid.
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Some sprsrs allegations being thrown around here, and I just want to thin the ire with a couple of platitudes.

Everyone's a winner!

You all get an A for effort!

I love all of my students equally!

Back to the grind, guys. GO.
 
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