If you could redo undergrad, what would you change?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
this, in this order, is what I would tell 18 y/o me:
-break up with your boyfriend because that relationship's gonna DRAG YOU DOWNNNN (and don't marry him 4 years later, either)
-go to the in-state school that offered you an 11k scholarship instead of the **** one in the "big city" OOS
-DON'T LIVE OFF CAMPUS WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND. you will get really sad and isolated.
-don't live 55 minutes from your school by train
-go to class even when you're depressed. stay on campus and do your HW because you won't do it when you go home.
-don't enroll at University of Phoenix when you get put on academic suspension

oooor just skip going to college at 18 altogether because you're gonna ruin your cGPA for 26-year-old you

(but I guess all this made me who I am today? right? right???)
 
Not spend so much free time watching tv and hang out with my friends more.
 
1. Majored in something else, like literature. Love me some good books!
2. Made more friends. When the few you have move away, you realize how much harder it is to make new friends now that we are all adults.
3. Been more outspoken.
4. Most importantly, had more confidence in myself. I wasted so much time being sure that I wouldn't make it and crying about my dreams being dashed before I even applied. I let others bring me down and convince me I stood no chance.

Now I'm happy, confident, outspoken, an accepted medical student, and reading all the books.
 
Should have waited until sophomore year to take science. I wasn't ready as a freshman and I had to do a lot of gpa repair to rectify one horrible term.

Too many kids dive head first into the pre-med track and end up hitting a wall due to a lack of academic preparedness/maturity. Given the weight of gpa, it's best not to do it until you're absolutely ready.
 
I would have actually tried harder in high school and maybe actually studied for the SATs. Would've had more options for undergrad and not taken a heavy pre-med course load. Might have been able to actually save my low GPA :/
 
While I've made some amazing friends, I would've branched out more socially and talked to girls more. There's a point of diminishing returns for studying, and once you get there it's important to spend time doing other things
 
I was a complete f*** up in all walks of life during my first two years of college. 🤣Literally changing anything would have been an improvement.

That being said, I wish I would have at least had my academics together.
 
Not get into research!!! Honestly. Research ruined my life lol.

As a freshman one day I was like "oh hey, research looks cool, this is new to me, this is amazing, I can't believe students do this."

Then, i got hooked so bad and hard and for 5 years I've done research. As a freshman I did 30+ hours. I thought it was normal, and it tanked my gpa

I was so good at answering exams, but after research all I could think about was how to design my experiments, and how to get results and apply new things I had read in journals. I thought classes were bs and not helpful, especially ecology.

But now I suddenly realize that gpa is the only thing people care about
 
Oh this is going to be fun!

1.) Choose to live on-campus in a dorm freshman year, even though admin told me that I'd have to spend the first month sleeping on cots behind curtains in the lobbies of the dorms because they didn't have enough student housing for freshmen.
2.) Choose a random roommate, not that one friend from high school who I liked doing drugs with and who couldn't get into the state school and ended up flunking out of CC.
3.) Join clubs and hang out with people from school rather than smoking cigarettes with the "cool kids" from high school who didn't want to get involved with campus activities.
4.) Do less drugs freshman year.
5.) Not change my major from Physics to Creative Writing because I couldn't get into Calculus II my first semester of freshman year.
6.) Get a job and take out extra loans so I could afford to do a semester abroad for the exotic foreign language program I was able to get into.
7.) Join a band and get serious about playing shows rather than getting stoned and jamming in our garage.
8.) Go to more football games.
9.) Actually study and not just wing-it come exam season.
10.) Actually Give a F*** the first time around.
 
Change my major to something easier. MCB did nothing for me but lower my GPA. I really wanted to major in Community health
 
applied to some joint BA/MD programs, majored in public health + poli sci instead, space my sciences more, been more chill lol
 
I would change my major to business. And take my academics more seriously at the onset instead of being a joke until junior year when I decided to step it up.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Major in philosophy. And for gods sake, actually try to do well freshmen year even though gen-eds are boring af.
 
I'd tell myself:
1) Step out of your comfort zone and join more clubs that interested you, get into art!!
2) Don't date that guy that is going to isolate you from friends/schoolwork. Don't move in with him off campus after a month. Don't stop all of your commitments because of him. He's unhealthy and you eventually will be too. Dump him after the second year.
3) Don't brush off physics/orgo because you'll "never go to medical school". Lol you fool - karma got you on this one.
4) Double major in biology and psychology.
5) Keep volunteering at the hotline.
6) For the love of god exercise! Especially when your cute friend wants you to be his gym buddy and teach you.
7) look for jobs before you graduate.

But honestly, despite all that I think I'm doing okay! Learned a lot of lessons.
 
-Dont drop courses because you have a B... so effing stupid..
- Join that society you really love.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
If you could go back and tell yourself anything before your first med school interview what would it be?
Replies
9
Views
2K
pablo213
pablo213
Mr.Smile12
2024 USNWR undergrad rankings (if you cared)
Replies
0
Views
1K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
S
Adcoms, what percentage of interviewees would you say can't hold a conversation?
Replies
35
Views
4K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Lunar_Cr3m3Puff
  • Locked
What made YOU choose your medical school?
Replies
15
Views
2K
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
M
Undergrad classes that would be helpful for medical school
Replies
9
Views
961
LunaOri
LunaOri
Top