Should I quit while i'm ahead?

[nikok]

So this is my story from point A till' where i'm currently standing.

I'm 19, and the only relationship i currently have is school and my part time job at a pharmacy. i graduated high school two years ago by the hair, never cared much back then, i thought of hs as a vacation. I went on the a random college studying civil engineering technology thinking, that's the field i want to work in, but by the end of the year, figured out it wasn't for me. so during summer of '11, i was in a crossroad to what i want to do with my education, and i remembered that i always had a deep fascination with anatomy, biology, and generally medicine. when my mom developed breast cancer, i went with her to see a gyno, and he was a superbly awesome guy, the topic of conversation came up about myself and school, so i explained to him my situation (that i always wanted to work in medicine but i thought i wasn't smart enough), and he gave me a pep talk, and after that, i said to myself that nothing and no one will tell me otherwise about my intentions of being a doctor one day.

I was always good at science growing up, and remembered i was really good at biology in hs. during the summer i applied to a university majoring in bio, and got accepted. honestly speaking, i've never felt the joy i experienced when i got accepted. i know.. nothing to impressive, but to me at the time, i felt like i had just won an oscar. anyway, my first semester i had bio 1, pre-calc, hist 1, eng, and orientation seminar. beginning of the semester i was on target, i was doing everything i had to, but about midway, i started working at a pharmacy (money is really tight, i need the job), and my schedule became very hectic. i was simply overwhelmed and by the end of the first semester i hadn't studied much and ended up with a 2.4 gpa. i LITERALLY felt heartbroken. my initial response was that my future is ruined, but i let that thought dissipate and immediately went to thinking how can i get past this.

I don't think im a "stupid" person, im acually pretty "intelligent" but studying, and school, that is my problem, i never "studied", and this semester really woke me up. now to get on with my point, btw sorry to who ever is reading this and is thinking "and there's 5 minutes of my life gone".. the other classes idc as much, but bio 1 i got a C. i learned that its not a matter of what you know, but more of do you know the test. in my bio class i was always answering questions, but when the test came, game over. the prof. was a new teacher, us being her first class. and i feel like her teaching habits were not greatly effective, but then again, it must be me looking at my other classes.

can i get out of this hole iv'e dug myself into? i can literally feel the joy i would be feeling of walking down the stage upon graduation med school. but with my grades atm all i see is disappointment when receiving the rejection letters... for my second semester, i am currently enrolled in bio 2, chem 3(general/inorg. chem 1), calc 1, and hist 2. but i'm thinking this is too much for one semester when juggling school and work. so i'm thinking if i should drop bio 2 replace it with a core req. like political science, take chem 3 now along with calc 1 and his 2. then take chem 4 during the summer, and retake bio 1 beginning of spring '12, or just take bio 2. along with orgo. im really confused and stressed to the point where i think im going to rip my hair off. and one last note. if anyone has the same or similar problem with having a "anti-studying personality" (i have ADHD), please help me out. i also have work to worry about. thanks for tolerating my above thesis , lol, and thanks to anyone who helps me out.

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[Charles Darwin]

Having an "anti-studying personality" is no excuse for poor grades. With that being said, it's up to you to change the situation you're in. You certainly have the passion for medicine, but do you have the work ethic? That's for you to decide.

Plenty of people have worked full time jobs while taking classes and have gotten into medical school. I'm sure you can too if you change your attitude towards studying.

 

[nikok]

Studying is 100% my downfall and there is no doubt in my mind about wanting to become a doctor. The passions is there, I just need to find the drive to study. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, but I don't wan't to use that as n excuse. I definitely feel like when I study, my mind and body are not coordinating, I want to study, but find it hard to, at this point, i'm not to sure whether is is ADHD, or many years or poor studying habits. what ever the case may be, I will try my hardest for this up coming semester, but my question about these classes still stands. *edit* what would you do? Considering the circumstances.

 

[V5RED]

So this is my story from point A till' where i'm currently standing.

I'm 19, and the only relationship i currently have is school and my part time job at a pharmacy. i graduated high school two years ago by the hair, never cared much back then, i thought of hs as a vacation. I went on the a random college studying civil engineering technology thinking, that's the field i want to work in, but by the end of the year, figured out it wasn't for me. so during summer of '11, i was in a crossroad to what i want to do with my education, and i remembered that i always had a deep fascination with anatomy, biology, and generally medicine. when my mom developed breast cancer, i went with her to see a gyno, and he was a superbly awesome guy, the topic of conversation came up about myself and school, so i explained to him my situation (that i always wanted to work in medicine but i thought i wasn't smart enough), and he gave me a pep talk, and after that, i said to myself that nothing and no one will tell me otherwise about my intentions of being a doctor one day.

I was always good at science growing up, and remembered i was really good at biology in hs. during the summer i applied to a university majoring in bio, and got accepted. honestly speaking, i've never felt the joy i experienced when i got accepted. i know.. nothing to impressive, but to me at the time, i felt like i had just won an oscar. anyway, my first semester i had bio 1, pre-calc, hist 1, eng, and orientation seminar. beginning of the semester i was on target, i was doing everything i had to, but about midway, i started working at a pharmacy (money is really tight, i need the job), and my schedule became very hectic. i was simply overwhelmed and by the end of the first semester i hadn't studied much and ended up with a 2.4 gpa. i LITERALLY felt heartbroken. my initial response was that my future is ruined, but i let that thought dissipate and immediately went to thinking how can i get past this.

I don't think im a "stupid" person, im acually pretty "intelligent" but studying, and school, that is my problem, i never "studied", and this semester really woke me up. now to get on with my point, btw sorry to who ever is reading this and is thinking "and there's 5 minutes of my life gone".. the other classes idc as much, but bio 1 i got a C. i learned that its not a matter of what you know, but more of do you know the test. in my bio class i was always answering questions, but when the test came, game over. the prof. was a new teacher, us being her first class. and i feel like her teaching habits were not greatly effective, but then again, it must be me looking at my other classes.

can i get out of this hole iv'e dug myself into? i can literally feel the joy i would be feeling of walking down the stage upon graduation med school. but with my grades atm all i see is disappointment when receiving the rejection letters... for my second semester, i am currently enrolled in bio 2, chem 3(general/inorg. chem 1), calc 1, and hist 2. but i'm thinking this is too much for one semester when juggling school and work. so i'm thinking if i should drop bio 2 replace it with a core req. like political science, take chem 3 now along with calc 1 and his 2. then take chem 4 during the summer, and retake bio 1 beginning of spring '12, or just take bio 2. along with orgo. im really confused and stressed to the point where i think im going to rip my hair off. and one last note. if anyone has the same or similar problem with having a "anti-studying personality" (i have ADHD), please help me out. i also have work to worry about. thanks for tolerating my above thesis , lol, and thanks to anyone who helps me out.

I would have been more okay with having read that wall of poorly written text if you had not literally overdramatized so many sentences.

I think I can summarize your problems in a much more concise fashion:

You never learned how to study in high school because you were lazy. This has carried over into college since you now have no study skills.

You have financial difficulties, so you are trying to hold a job while going to school.

In your first semester back in college, you did very poorly due to lack of studying.

You can answer questions in class, but this is probably because the teacher has just gone over the topic. When presented with an array of topics on an exam you flounder because you did not study. You then put some of the blame on the teacher for not preparing you well enough.

There are many methods of study that people use. Here are some of the worst methods:

-Repeat something over and over in hopes of memorizing it.
-Read the answers in a solutions manual and then convince yourself that the answer is correct
-Study the material you are comfortable with much more than the material that you are uncomfortable with
-Use flash cards and simply memorize the cards
-Only try to learn the bare minimum without understanding why that information is correct

Here are some of the methods that have worked well for me. Bear in mind that I have been diagnosed with ADHD and still have achieved all A's(and one A- in writing) since deciding to return to school in 2009.(edit: I am not taking any medicines to improve my ability to focus. I usually have Netflix running or rock music playing while I study so it doesn't feel like I am spending so long focused on one thing. I also take notecards to the gym which seems to help.)

-Use Mnemonic devices to remember things. For example, I remember that the elbow region is called the olecranal region because cranal sounds like cranial. Cranial means head. I imagine a cartoonish Mexican hitting someone in the head with his elbow as he shouts "ole!". Combining those things has forever locked olecranal in my mind. You probably already know some mnemonics such as PEMDAS or Kings Play Chess On Folding Glass Stools.
-If I make flash cards, I memorize them backwards and forwards. In other words, I make sure that if given a definition, I can recall the word, and if given a word, I can recall the definition. I also tend to have a mental discussion of each card's topic and visualize it so that I have multiple avenues of memory for the thing I am trying to remember. I also never make a flash card until I already understand the topic. The flash cards are to improve recall, not to be an initial learning device.
-I study the material I hate because that is the stuff I am weak on. Once you are strong on a topic it is mostly stroking your ego to study it. Reviewing is fine to keep the information fresh, but the real studying should be for the topics you are not yet comfortable with.
-Read the relevant parts of your textbook so that you can understand the topics presented in lectures better. A lecture is usually not as in depth as a textbook. If you understand the basis for what you are taught in lecture, you are likely to understand the lecture material better on an exam. This is especially helpful if you have a teachers like mine who word their questions to test whether you actually understand the material rather than having memorized a definition.
-Relisten to lecture tapes. If your school does not provide audio of lectures, ask your teachers if you may record the lecture. Be sure to ask for permission before recording lectures since you risk severe penalties if you do this without permission.
-For math heavy courses and for organic chemistry, do as many practice problems as you can to prepare for exams. The solutions manual will be very helpful to check your answers or if you get impossibly stuck on a problem. Trying for 5 minutes and failing is not impossibly stuck.

 

[tantacles]

Use Mnemonic devices to remember things. For example, I remember that the elbow region is called the olecranal region because cranal sounds like cranial. Cranial means head. I imagine a cartoonish Mexican hitting someone in the head with his elbow as he shouts "ole!".

These are useful for us non-ADHDers too. I will probably never forget the olecranal region now that you've brought it up in this post.

 

[aSagacious]

Moving to the 'what are my chances' forum.

 

[nikok]

I would have been more okay with having read that wall of poorly written text if you had not literally overdramatized so many sentences.

I think I can summarize your problems in a much more concise fashion:

You never learned how to study in high school because you were lazy. This has carried over into college since you now have no study skills.

You have financial difficulties, so you are trying to hold a job while going to school.

In your first semester back in college, you did very poorly due to lack of studying.

You can answer questions in class, but this is probably because the teacher has just gone over the topic. When presented with an array of topics on an exam you flounder because you did not study. You then put some of the blame on the teacher for not preparing you well enough.

That just about sums it up. I apologize if it came out overly dramatic, that's just the way I like to write and for the poorly written text, i'll put more consideration on topics I post up on the web, especially if i'm the one asking for help, lol. Thanks for the tips on studying, i'll be sure to use your advice when the new semester comes rolling in. As for not using prescribed medication, I used to take Adderall XR for a month in High School and during that time I felt I can concentrate much better with the drug, but after I had done some research online, I was afraid that I may develop a dependency so I quit taking them, and I still feel the same way. I don't want to depend on anything but myself, ADHD or not.

Do you have advice on my classes for the next semester? Do you think I would be better off retaking BIO 1 during the spring term rather than taking BIO 2 now.

 

[Total180]

I didn't read all of the responses, but if no one has mentioned it, I would recommend applying for loans (at least for the next few semesters while you build your study habits). Better to be in debt than to have to pay for extra semesters of school to increase your gpa to the point where you can apply to med school. I mean, either way you are using the money, but if you don't take out loans and you mess up again, you are going to spend more money and more TIME fixing it. If, after a few semesters of doing well, you feel like you can handle studying and having a job, then you can try it again. But, for the time being, it seems like you need to be able to focus solely on school. Good luck!

 

[flodhi1]

Studying is 100% my downfall and there is no doubt in my mind about wanting to become a doctor. The passions is there, I just need to find the drive to study. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, but I don't wan't to use that as n excuse. I definitely feel like when I study, my mind and body are not coordinating, I want to study, but find it hard to, at this point, i'm not to sure whether is is ADHD, or many years or poor studying habits. what ever the case may be, I will try my hardest for this up coming semester, but my question about these classes still stands. *edit* what would you do? Considering the circumstances.

OP, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Some of the main qualities that are searched for in a Physician are commitment, compassion, Integrity and hard work. Now you might have the passion of becoming a Physician but don't we all? however your lack of hard work will plague you. I see tons of posts on student doc about how kids would supposedly sacrifice a limb to become a physician but they still don't work hard and their grades show it. You still have time, I know studying might be boring at first but remind yourself the reason behind all the studying and hard work.... it's to become a physician. That idea alone made me study hours on end, I was diagnosed with ADHD too. However, I quit taking the medication and studied 12 hours a day on my own by using techniques such as taking a 10 minute break after studying 50 minutes.

EDIT:- To answer your main question no don't retake Bio 1 yet just move on. Usually when you get a C you just move on especially this early in your academic career. You don't want to start retaking things after your first semester. The grade of a C might seem bad right now but if you start getting As from now on, especially later down the road in upper division classes then the C in Bio 1 won't even matter.

 

[nikok]

I didn't read all of the responses, but if no one has mentioned it, I would recommend applying for loans (at least for the next few semesters while you build your study habits). Better to be in debt than to have to pay for extra semesters of school to increase your gpa to the point where you can apply to med school. I mean, either way you are using the money, but if you don't take out loans and you mess up again, you are going to spend more money and more TIME fixing it. If, after a few semesters of doing well, you feel like you can handle studying and having a job, then you can try it again. But, for the time being, it seems like you need to be able to focus solely on school. Good luck!

Thanks allot for the response, and i'm definitely going to take this into good consideration for the upcoming fall semester.

OP, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Some of the main qualities that are searched for in a Physician are commitment, compassion, Integrity and hard work. Now you might have the passion of becoming a Physician but don't we all? however your lack of hard work will plague you. I see tons of posts on student doc about how kids would supposedly sacrifice a limb to become a physician but they still don't work hard and their grades show it. You still have time, I know studying might be boring at first but remind yourself the reason behind all the studying and hard work.... it's to become a physician. That idea alone made me study hours on end, I was diagnosed with ADHD too. However, I quit taking the medication and studied 12 hours a day on my own by using techniques such as taking a 10 minute break after studying 50 minutes.

EDIT:- To answer your main question no don't retake Bio 1 yet just move on. Usually when you get a C you just move on especially this early in your academic career. You don't want to start retaking things after your first semester. The grade of a C might seem bad right now but if you start getting As from now on, especially later down the road in upper division classes then the C in Bio 1 won't even matter.

I agree, thanks for the response. However, should I hold back on chemistry 1 until fall? Because this spring i'm enrolled in Calculus 1 and Bio 2, I feel that if I take Chem 1 as well (three tough classes), it's going to put to much of a strain on myself, i'm not trying to use this as an excuse, but three Pre-Req. classes during my second semester while working, I think it's going to be a bit overwhelming. i'm concerned on this topic because if I start chem next fall, I won't be finished with the Inorg. and Org. Chem until the end of my junior year.

 

[flodhi1]

Thanks allot for the response, and i'm definitely going to take this into good consideration for the upcoming fall semester.



I agree, thanks for the response. However, should I hold back on chemistry 1 until fall? Because this spring i'm enrolled in Calculus 1 and Bio 2, I feel that if I take Chem 1 as well (three tough classes), it's going to put to much of a strain on myself, i'm not trying to use this as an excuse, but three Pre-Req. classes during my second semester while working, I think it's going to be a bit overwhelming. i'm concerned on this topic because if I start chem next fall, I won't be finished with the Inorg. and Org. Chem until the end of my junior year.

That's fine, take Chemistry later on. Obviously you're stressed out and you have a lot of pressure on you. So, relieve all of that by taking less classes. I think Calc 1 and Bio 2 will suffice for Spring semester. Do not take a lot of credits until you get yourself straightened out especially when it comes to study habits. Don't let anyone on SDN tell you to take more credits because in the end of the day a 4.0 in 8 credits is a lot better than a 3.0 in 12 credits. I wish you the best of luck and please let me know if you need anything

 

[nikok]

That's fine, take Chemistry later on. Obviously you're stressed out and you have a lot of pressure on you. So, relieve all of that by taking less classes. I think Calc 1 and Bio 2 will suffice for Spring semester. Do not take a lot of credits until you get yourself straightened out especially when it comes to study habits. Don't let anyone on SDN tell you to take more credits because in the end of the day a 4.0 in 8 credits is a lot better than a 3.0 in 12 credits. I wish you the best of luck and please let me know if you need anything

Thats exactly what I had in mind, thank you so much for the help, it's greatly appreciated and congratulations on your acceptance!

 

[dwdrums2112]

OP, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Some of the main qualities that are searched for in a Physician are commitment, compassion, Integrity and hard work. Now you might have the passion of becoming a Physician but don't we all? however your lack of hard work will plague you. I see tons of posts on student doc about how kids would supposedly sacrifice a limb to become a physician but they still don't work hard and their grades show it. You still have time, I know studying might be boring at first but remind yourself the reason behind all the studying and hard work.... it's to become a physician. That idea alone made me study hours on end, I was diagnosed with ADHD too. However, I quit taking the medication and studied 12 hours a day on my own by using techniques such as taking a 10 minute break after studying 50 minutes.

EDIT:- To answer your main question no don't retake Bio 1 yet just move on. Usually when you get a C you just move on especially this early in your academic career. You don't want to start retaking things after your first semester. The grade of a C might seem bad right now but if you start getting As from now on, especially later down the road in upper division classes then the C in Bio 1 won't even matter.

Good read and good words.

 

[TriagePreMed]

LOL you even have house as your avatar. You know what you are? You're a pseudo-intellectual. You probably had good grades in high school and didn't even try. Now that you're in college, you are seeing it doesn't pay off, but you have the golden excuse to keep your behavior up: you're intelligent, but you haven't applied yourself. That automatically makes it okay because if you wanted you'd get straight A's, right? You're smart enough for that IF you applied yourself. I bet you also go every day thinking "I could study right now, but just let me do this ONE thing first" and never end up studying. Plus you have ADHD to blame if at the end of the day the truth is you can't handle classes.

Here's the hard truth: You are not out of the medical school race. Why is this a hard truth? Because you start with the premise of "quitting" while being "ahead," which you are not. It's so much easier if that boat sailed, but when the boat is there and is sailing off and you have the chance to do something but know it's all your fault if you don't, that hurts. That is your reality. Time to change if you ask me.

 

[nikok]

LOL you even have house as your avatar. You know what you are? You're a pseudo-intellectual. You probably had good grades in high school and didn't even try. Now that you're in college, you are seeing it doesn't pay off, but you have the golden excuse to keep your behavior up: you're intelligent, but you haven't applied yourself. That automatically makes it okay because if you wanted you'd get straight A's, right? You're smart enough for that IF you applied yourself. I bet you also go every day thinking "I could study right now, but just let me do this ONE thing first" and never end up studying. Plus you have ADHD to blame if at the end of the day the truth is you can't handle classes.

Here's the hard truth: You are not out of the medical school race. Why is this a hard truth? Because you start with the premise of "quitting" while being "ahead," which you are not. It's so much easier if that boat sailed, but when the boat is there and is sailing off and you have the chance to do something but know it's all your fault if you don't, that hurts. That is your reality. Time to change if you ask me.

I'm not exactly sure whether to take your words as a great way to learn from someone who from the looks of it has far greater experience, or a flat out smack in the face. However being that I try and stay as optimistic as possible, thanks for your input, for the MOST part, you're right. But not exactly about about High School, back then I barley got by and you're right on the money about applying my self, that's my biggest problem. When I try and study, the outcome is great. My problem is how to stay motivated and stay concentrated while studying, if i even get to that point. As for the ADHD topic, ask anyone diagnosed with it, it's a struggle, whether they take medication for it or suck it up and study, it's a constant struggle. Imagine speaking to someone and at the same time literally picking the words you want to use in your head while 10 other overwhelming thoughts are racing around, it's like trying to shoot a bullet with and arrow at that point. Please don't use this as an opportunity to start a "well I did this and that" war, i'm just stating my point of view and how it's a struggle for me, a struggle that I want to overcome with the advice from anyone willing to help me out. I'm at the point in my academic career where many of you might have encountered in High School, in college (as me), or maybe never at all. I'm just asking for some advice from anyone who has gone through what i'm currently going through and if there's anything they're willing to share on how to overcome poor study habits while unfortunately having ADHD without taking Adderall. My college adviser's can't relate, my neurologist just wants to prescribe Adderall, and my friends don't know much about the subject to help at all.

And as for my avatar, I like watching House lol.

 

[Goro]

Sounds like you have a lot obstacles to overcome. Medical school isn't for everyone, alas.

QUOTE=nikok;11998611]So this is my story from point A till' where i'm currently standing.
, lol, and thanks to anyone who helps me out.[/QUOTE]

 

[scarshapedstar]

LOL you even have house as your avatar. You know what you are? You're a former whiz kid who never learned to study and now you're finally over your head because you can't learn by osmosis anymore, due to a combination of changes in your brain and the fact that advanced material requires actual reasoning for a change.

Fixed to be a little less inflammatory and more accurate. I went through a nearly identical experience but my grades dramatically improved when I left engineering for biology, because I frickin' love biology.

It sounds to me like you would be well-served, for starters, by working every practice problem you can find. This gives you something concrete to do, as long as you stay honest about it and make damn sure that you understand the answers. It's entirely possible to understand everything the professor says at the time and then draw one blank after another when the test comes, because you haven't actually filled in your mental map of the material.

So for example, if you're using Campbell & Reese for biology, there's a great companion study guide. In fact if you do a bit of google sleuthing you can probably find .pdf versions of student solutions manuals for your physics and chemistry books... again, only go there if you can't find the answer on your own, but if you have slacker tendencies you must force yourself to delve deep whenever possible. For my physical chemistry classes I found .pdfs of alternate textbooks and older editions so that I had 3 or 4 sets of problems covering the material for a given test.

That's how you study, btw.

 

[nikok]

Sounds like you have a lot obstacles to overcome. Medical school isn't for everyone, alas.

Time to separate the men from the boys.

Fixed to be a little less inflammatory and more accurate. I went through a nearly identical experience but my grades dramatically improved when I left engineering for biology, because I frickin' love biology.

It sounds to me like you would be well-served, for starters, by working every practice problem you can find. This gives you something concrete to do, as long as you stay honest about it and make damn sure that you understand the answers. It's entirely possible to understand everything the professor says at the time and then draw one blank after another when the test comes, because you haven't actually filled in your mental map of the material.

So for example, if you're using Campbell & Reese for biology, there's a great companion study guide. In fact if you do a bit of google sleuthing you can probably find .pdf versions of student solutions manuals for your physics and chemistry books... again, only go there if you can't find the answer on your own, but if you have slacker tendencies you must force yourself to delve deep whenever possible. For my physical chemistry classes I found .pdfs of alternate textbooks and older editions so that I had 3 or 4 sets of problems covering the material for a given test.

That's how you study, btw.

That's a allot more like it, LOL. I'll definitely use that technique when studying, thanks!

 

[TriagePreMed]

Fixed to be a little less inflammatory and more accurate. I went through a nearly identical experience but my grades dramatically improved when I left engineering for biology, because I frickin' love biology.

I'm not very good at sugar coating, but yeah, that's what I meant. lol

"so doctor, what do I have?" "looks like you're quite done for sir, stage 4 lung cancer. hope for 6 months at best." "okay :-(" jk

Attitude does shape how you study, believe it or not. It might be good for the OP to change pace.

 

[cyanide12345678]

I'm sorry but you cannot make work or ADHD an excuse for your grades. The problem really is that you have these excuses that are hampering your ability to study. This should be the semester where you learn your lesson and understand that even if you hate to study, you have to get the job done. I personally know someone who took 23 credit hours (8 classes...6 of which were core engineering classes) and still worked 10 hours a week and managed a 4.0 that semester (Actually had 3 A+s in 3 of the hardest chemical engineering courses ironically). So people overcome hardship, a lot of people do. For some odd reason you're thinking you are "ahead". If you'll keep thinking you're ahead, probably you may never have the motivation to get your act together and start studying (for example, whenever I have an exam, as long as I konw I have sufficient time *ahead* of me, i'll postpone studying for as long as possible). So yea, you need to pull off a 3.7+ in the next 5 semesters.

On a more positive note, it is only the first semester, and you have a long way to go and there is A LOT of time and opportunity for you to recover. And quite frankly, people may have slightly varying levels of "intelligence", but at the college level and beyond, all you need is hard work. So just invest the time into developing your career. If you don't right now, you will regret it for the rest of your life.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I'm not exactly sure whether to take your words as a great way to learn from someone who from the looks of it has far greater experience, or a flat out smack in the face. However being that I try and stay as optimistic as possible, thanks for your input, for the MOST part, you're right. But not exactly about about High School, back then I barley got by and you're right on the money about applying my self, that's my biggest problem. When I try and study, the outcome is great. My problem is how to stay motivated and stay concentrated while studying, if i even get to that point. As for the ADHD topic, ask anyone diagnosed with it, it's a struggle, whether they take medication for it or suck it up and study, it's a constant struggle. Imagine speaking to someone and at the same time literally picking the words you want to use in your head while 10 other overwhelming thoughts are racing around, it's like trying to shoot a bullet with and arrow at that point. Please don't use this as an opportunity to start a "well I did this and that" war, i'm just stating my point of view and how it's a struggle for me, a struggle that I want to overcome with the advice from anyone willing to help me out. I'm at the point in my academic career where many of you might have encountered in High School, in college (as me), or maybe never at all. I'm just asking for some advice from anyone who has gone through what i'm currently going through and if there's anything they're willing to share on how to overcome poor study habits while unfortunately having ADHD without taking Adderall. My college adviser's can't relate, my neurologist just wants to prescribe Adderall, and my friends don't know much about the subject to help at all.

And as for my avatar, I like watching House lol.

Sorry, I didn't mean to discount how hard it must be to deal with ADHD and having to study topics that heavily rely on concentration. My point was that ADHD, while crippling in its effects, does not sentence you to fail.

I like watching House too. lol

 

[nikok]

I'm sorry but you cannot make work or ADHD an excuse for your grades. The problem really is that you have these excuses that are hampering your ability to study. This should be the semester where you learn your lesson and understand that even if you hate to study, you have to get the job done. I personally know someone who took 23 credit hours (8 classes...6 of which were core engineering classes) and still worked 10 hours a week and managed a 4.0 that semester (Actually had 3 A+s in 3 of the hardest chemical engineering courses ironically). So people overcome hardship, a lot of people do. For some odd reason you're thinking you are "ahead". If you'll keep thinking you're ahead, probably you may never have the motivation to get your act together and start studying (for example, whenever I have an exam, as long as I konw I have sufficient time *ahead* of me, i'll postpone studying for as long as possible). So yea, you need to pull off a 3.7+ in the next 5 semesters.

On a more positive note, it is only the first semester, and you have a long way to go and there is A LOT of time and opportunity for you to recover. And quite frankly, people may have slightly varying levels of "intelligence", but at the college level and beyond, all you need is hard work. So just invest the time into developing your career. If you don't right now, you will regret it for the rest of your life.

The last thing I wanted my posts to imply that i'm using those two factors as an excuse. Sorry if it may have seemed that way, that's the furthest from my intentions.

What I was TRYING to get a hold of was advice on how to keep on top of studying when having ADHD.

As for work, I can't afford to not be working, I need the money. I'm broke and although my parents would help me out if I really needed money, I have a disabled father who can't work and a mom that works her a** off.

Point of the matter is, yes I do have many obstacles and realistically speaking the odds are greatly against me, but to be honest, i'm very happy this semester turned out the way it did; it was a real eye opener.

Sorry, I didn't mean to discount how hard it must be to deal with ADHD and having to study topics that heavily rely on concentration. My point was that ADHD, while crippling in its effects, does not sentence you to fail.

I like watching House too. lol

I'ts cool, and I agree, it's not. I'm going into this semester with no excuses and fully prepared, w.e the case may be, im ready this time.

BTW: I dropped my CHEM 3 class, so this semester I will be taking:

BIO II, CALC I, ENG, and HIS II

(I also have the same bio teacher so i know exactly the kind of work to expect)

EDIT: And yes I realize "quit while i'm ahead" is a poor choice of words in this matter. lol

 

[bajastapler]

I only skimmed your post, but at the end of the day it comes down to how important it is for you to be a physician.

Nurses, Physician assistants, nurse practitioners make just as large of an impact as a doctor.

If you'd rather have some academic breathing room - not saying it's easy to get into these other programs - then I'd choose a different route.