Somewhat Discouraged...

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Kurk

Kurk

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Messages
663
Reaction score
225
Members do not see this ad.
Yep it's that time of the week again.

I took my second chem exam today, and while I believe that I did better than my first one (B WITH THE CURVE), I can't help but accept that I didn't perform at the level I wanted.

Realistically, I think I have a 3 : 7 chance between an A-/B+ on this second test.

But here's the aspect that made me sulk for the rest of my Friday afternoon:

Upon turning the test in at last minute, as I had needed the full time, the professor looked at me with a smile of enthusiasm and asked "did you get it?", in reference to a particular problem that I had actually demonstrated my ability to do during office hours a week ago.

Well, I didn't get it. Even after doing it in front of him/her, with this particular problem potentially being a bonus question, even after spending an hour in their office introducing myself, getting to know them, sharing my goals and having an in-depth conversation about a variety of random topics, I made a fool out of myself.

I just was unable to do it. It required systems of equations, and I knew that, but I froze half-way and couldn't solve the problem entirely.


I almost feel as though this is something that, 2 years ago, I would've been able to do simply due to intuition, but now my cognitive abilities are plateauing, if not declining, and I'm not as smart as I used to be.


If I ever want to take the LSAT, it's an IQ test that I'm not going to score highly enough on to make it to a top 15 law school (even if my GPA was there too).

I'm likely going to have to eat a B+ in gen chem 1 this semester unless I make high A's on the remaining tests, which is unlikely.

I need the high gpa to get into dental school, but even more-so due to my personality holding me back at interviews.

I'm probably going to start taking some political science classes next semester to see if it comes more naturally to me than the sciences.
 
If you get test anxiety and blank during a test, I'm not sure how law is going to be much better. You still need to be a good test taker and be able to think on the spot with much pressure as a lawyer.

You need to learn skills to cope with any test anxiety and learn to preform well under pressure..... dentistry v law isn't really the issue here. To do well in either, you need to learn how to take tests because eventually you'll want to be state certified....
 
This may be a wild and completely wrong guess... but have you considered that you’re burning yourself out? Continually forcing yourself to do mostly studying in attempt to score highly is producing so much stress on your body and mind that you may just be better off relaxing. As ridiculous of a suggestion as this may be, just take a day off and go get a massage or sit in a jacuzzi or just go lay in the grass and stare at the clouds. Relax as if it’s as important to you as studying or your psychological state, confidence, motivation, and mental ability will begin to deteriorate more and more as you let school consume you. As black and white as life might be sometimes, other times it’s not.
 
Kurk said:
I almost feel as though this is something that, 2 years ago, I would've been able to do simply due to intuition, but now my cognitive abilities are plateauing, if not declining, and I'm not as smart as I used to be.
Click to expand...

Aside from the fact this probably isn't the case considering you're probably somewhere around 19, if you really feel that your abilities are decaying freshman year of undergrad, isn't going to graduate school even worse?
 
Its_Me_G said:
You are a freshman. A B+ in chem is not going to kill you. Stop worrying so much!
Click to expand...
It's not about the B+ ; it's about my abilities in the sciences. Truthfully I'm putting in 70-80% of my max effort daily. On critical days it's 90-95%. I don't know how I'm going to survive a heavier credit load with more difficult sciences. I have to accept that I'm either a slow worker or not fit for the sciences.
 
Kurk said:
It's not about the B+ ; it's about my abilities in the sciences. Truthfully I'm putting in 70-80% of my max effort daily. On critical days it's 90-95%. I don't know how I'm going to survive a heavier credit load with more difficult sciences. I have to accept that I'm either a slow worker or not fit for the sciences.
Click to expand...
.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Kurk said:
This wasn't a "I didn't study enough issue".
Click to expand...
It was a study enough problem. When i learnt chem i was able to do everything in a quarter of the time because I knew everything like the back of my hand
 
Kurk said:
It's not about the B+ ; it's about my abilities in the sciences. Truthfully I'm putting in 70-80% of my max effort daily. On critical days it's 90-95%. I don't know how I'm going to survive a heavier credit load with more difficult sciences. I have to accept that I'm either a slow worker or not fit for the sciences.
Click to expand...

I also thought like this during my first semester of university. I was one of those super intense people that thought "If I can't manage to get all A's this semester, then I have no chance at any grad school because the content is just going to get harder". The content does get harder, but realize that you'll be a better studier too, you aren't in a "weed out class" anymore, and your base level of knowledge also increases by a lot...

I know this sounds super difficult, but don't worry about the future too much. Make an intermediate manageable goal for yourself like get a 3.6 by end of first semester, list out the steps, and then come back to wondering if dentistry is right for you.

Also realize that although you must know some chemistry for dentistry that as a whole dentistry is more biology-based... Gen Chem and Orgo never came easily to me, but I managed to do well enough. Still I didn't let this hinder me from my overall goal of dentistry... since I do enjoy learning about biology, working with my hands, and having the ability to basically work as little or as much as I want.
 
A med student alumni of my school claims that undergraduate was more difficult....
 
Kurk said:
A med student alumni of my school claims that undergraduate was more difficult....
Click to expand...
My advice is to focus on the task at hand. When taking a step back and seeing how much lies ahead of you, it can be incredibly overwhelming. Take each semester one by one and concentrate your efforts on kicking that semester’s ass. If you’re taking General Chemistry, tell yourself you’re going to become a damn Gen Chem expert after those 16 weeks. Just make your best effort to hone in on your weaknesses as a student. Perfect your studying techniques, break up your hours of studying with groups, clubs or organizations that are quality EC’s. If you study alone, try studying with a small group of people who are as dedicated to their future as you are. Build time management skills! They’re hard to come by. I always recommend YOUTUBE! YouTube is hands down the best learning tool that you have available because there is a literally a video on every science subject imaginable.

Anyways, kick some ass on that next test you beautiful troll.
 
Bruh if you're this stressed about undergrad gen. chem, how are you going to survive literally anything in upper level science or dental school?


Just calm it down. Study a little better. Hang out with friends. Go get a new hobby. Just don't stress about your grades all the dang time. You're going to regret it down the road if you do.
 
Kurk said:
It's not about the B+ ; it's about my abilities in the sciences. Truthfully I'm putting in 70-80% of my max effort daily. On critical days it's 90-95%. I don't know how I'm going to survive a heavier credit load with more difficult sciences. I have to accept that I'm either a slow worker or not fit for the sciences.
Click to expand...
hmmm now you are going into a troll zone with this post. IDK.

I got a D in a science class ...and I got into dental school.
Relax, because you are not going to get to dental school if you keep worrying and posting on SDN constantly.
 
Remember, it's okay to make mistakes. Failure does not define who you are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
feeling discouraged from a rejection
Replies
10
Views
2K
dental_b
D
B
becoming discouraged, thinking of applying to PA school
Replies
5
Views
1K
luisfigo
L
D
  • Locked
WAMC: Decided Somewhat Late
Replies
5
Views
1K
macsak
M
L
Low GPA, somewhat okay DAT
Replies
0
Views
1K
Lamiri
L
P
Is an application submitted within the next few days already somewhat late?
Replies
2
Views
605
Bingwen
Bingwen
Top