I'm having a MELTDOWN

[Maddiegirl]

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I'm having a mental meltdown and I just need to vent a moment and would appreciate any support the listeners/readers out there can offer....that said, if you don't have something nice to say then please save it....

I'm having a tough time adjusting to this working full time and taking classes 4 nights a week. I know this is what I signed up for, but what is really bothering me is that I am busting my behind to go to class prepared and the people in my lab groups consistently come to class ill-prepared and drag the entire group down.

I'm sick of being the last group to finish in lab and looking like a jacka** to the professor who thinks I'm not doing enough.

I'm taking intro to physics and biology 101. I've had biology before in college last time around the merry-go-round and this is a repeat because my class is over 10 years old... I swear I don't remember my old labs being so hard! I'm fine with the lecture material, but I'm really having to dig with the labs.

So, when I do all that digging and then come class prepared to look at three other people who had the same amount of time I did, or more, because they do not work full time who are not prepared, it just irritates me to no end!😡

As for the physics, the math is kicking my butt and it's only algebra!

I've taken calculus before, but that was five years ago. So, I'm having to dust off the algebra and refresh myself. That's my main problem with physics, which I've got under control, but it's forcing me to spend less time on the biology. 😱 Which is causing me some stress... I wish I could add about 3 more hours to the day or hey work 3 hours less, but that's not going to happen anytime soon!!

Then the physics lab group is the same way as the bio lab group, except the professor doesn't bother to tell us what the lab is until 5 minutes before it starts and then wants it turned in with all calculation done in an hour!

Add, to that stress: one high school kid taking college classes who is seriously immature and one chick who is so lazy she breaks a sweat breathing and the third person who doesn't show up half the time, and well....it just sucks! 👎thumbdown

Here's hoping I survive this semester and end up with some decent grades!!!

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest! Anyone else had similar experiences?

 

[smilin1590]

I can't say I've had your exact experience Maddiegirl but I've had some frustrating things just push me mentally in my undergrad thus far. The thing I hate is when you are in what seems to be a mentally mind blowing class and you have to study your ass off for a test and the kid sitting behind you (the one you never expect to be in the course in the first place) is all like "ya I went to bed late and am so not ready for this test and he gets the A and you get the C! It makes me angry because how can I work so hard to only know 70 something percent of the material and he just knows it without sleep or study! These, my pre-vet friend are the challenges we face in an academic setting.

I do agree though, I hate when people come to labs all unprepared and you want to get it done because you know everything and you were prepared and you end up staying over time and all you're thinking is "I could be studying".

Maybe this will help you...Everyday you are in undergrad you are one day closer to those vet apps/becoming a vet 🙂

Cheer up babe the time will fly...and hopefully in the meantime your lab partners get their act together
😀

 

[princesspeaches]

I took a 400 level biology lab with a girl who regularly showed up high. Not only was this horrible for her lab partners (i.e. me and 2 other people), but this was very dangerous.

She got into medical school that year and I was wait-listed for veterinary school.

Sometimes there is nothing good about a situation...hang in there though, you'll make it through.

 

[smilin1590]

I took a 400 level biology lab with a girl who regularly showed up high. Not only was this horrible for her lab partners (i.e. me and 2 other people), but this was very dangerous.

She got into medical school that year and I was wait-listed for veterinary school.

Sometimes there is nothing good about a situation...hang in there though, you'll make it through.

That's what sometimes scares me

 

[FutureDVM2016]

Maybe this will help you...Everyday you are in undergrad you are one day closer to those vet apps/becoming a vet 🙂

Cheer up babe the time will fly...and hopefully in the meantime your lab partners get their act together
😀

And to add to this... just remember, the slackers around you are helping you learn because you are having to do more work... 👍

This issue doesnt go away completely, but it DOES get better as you get into the higher level courses... just keep pushing!

 

[princesspeaches]

That's what sometimes scares me

Agreed! Pre-med students sometimes make me afraid to go to the doctor!

 

[snapcall]

I took a 400 level biology lab with a girl who regularly showed up high. Not only was this horrible for her lab partners (i.e. me and 2 other people), but this was very dangerous.

She got into medical school that year and I was wait-listed for veterinary school.

Sometimes there is nothing good about a situation...hang in there though, you'll make it through.

Please, for the love of whatever deity may or may not exist, allow me to retain some tiny shred of faith in humanity and say it ain't so. If you can't truthfully do this, then I'm going to tell myself that she failed out her first year or couldn't pass her Step 1 just so I can feel at peace.

To the OP: I've been in similar situations with lab partners, and for me the key was to not let their lack of motivation interfere with my dedication to the class. It became tempting towards the middle/end of the semester to say "why bother, I know they'll drop the ball just like always." But whenever I put in the effort regardless of what I thought they would do, things worked out much better. Fwiw I got a B+ in that class (it was cell biology lab).

 

[thearsonist]

sorry to hear about your situation. for what it's worth, i was in the exact same situation. my Bio lab partners were absolutely horrible to work with. they didn't show up for pre-lab, barely attended lecture and recitation, and expected me to "fill them in" on what's going on.. it sucked so bad. so i definitely feel your pain. thankfully those days are long over with (at least for now).

 

[Two]

You are not alone here! A lot of us have gone through similar situations, including myself. I am not currently working full time, but my part time job exhausts me since I have to take care of 19 children. I am taking four classes and a lab as well. I am also volunteering on Tuesday nights, shadowing 2 days a week and have to come home almost every night & feed two hungry horses :/ Everyone situations are a bit different, but we are all stressed out to the max at some point. All of us just have to trudge through it as best we can. There is light at the end of the tunnel.....when you have that acceptance letter in your hands 🙂

 

[Maddiegirl]

I just wanted to post a quick reply and thank everyone for the encouragement and kind words. Sometimes it just helps knowing that we aren't alone. Through faith all things are possible! 🙂

It's very scary to think of the high med student!

It's also great to put it into perspective that the less my partners do the harder I work and the more I learn!

That said, I've made some adjustments this week... I "fired" my physics lab group and hopped over to a group with some seemingly responsible members. I offered to get together with my biology group the weekend before lab to "prep" and get on the same page prior to lab. Even if it doesn't help them at least I'll be better prepared to run it myself!

That said, from now on out I will run the labs myself if necessary. I will not let anyone or anything stand in my way of an acceptance letter!

Hang in there gang, another week is almost over! 😛