Lets be honest, my first semester has been fairly unimpressive.
Chemistry 1 (4) : C+
Physics 1 (3) : B+
Physics Lab 1 (1) : B+
English 1 (3) : C
Psychology (3) : B
and the second semester is not going as great as i intended. So I am wondering what extracurriculars I can do to make up for my lack of academic prowess? I want to get certified as an EMT but I also want either a job or at least significant volunteer work at a hospital. Any tips? pointers?
Also i have a question about study habits. How do you guys study?
Wow you sound just like me my first semester... for a while I just thought I wasn't as smart as other people or other people may just naturally "get" things better than I do. While the former is most certainly not true, Just based on brain chemistry and how we are all actually virtually Identical in that sense, but the latter may actually be true ( psychologically speaking) and yea I may have to study THAT much harder than the next person to get an A, and Yea it sux but the end of it all is an A
Before you take a test sit down and check out the material that you see may very well be on the test, I know I used to make a habit of coming across somehting I dont understand and would skip it, passing it off as somehting that most certainly wont be on the test, come test day, BAM! there is is. Master anything and everything your prof. may so as much mumble in class. Something that really kicked my ass in gear was
If the next person can get straight A's why cant I?
Coming out of high school I had no idea what I wanted to do and got a 1.7 my first semester because I really didnt want to go to college and did it only to please my folks ( not to mention had a VERY well paying job that forced me to travel quite a bit) thank god I didnt take ANY pre reqs that semester..
After taking a semester off to do some SERIUS partying in New York, I made me become a more grounded person, Last semester Got a 4.0 with Chem Stat Calc Speech and Yoga ( woot ftw1
) and this semester I dont expect anything less.
You have to know what you want in life, because while its true that C's do get degrees, they don't get you into medical school. So my best advice to you is, figure out how bad you want it. How bad do you want to be a doctor, if you want it bad enough, nothing will stop you from getting there. No one is better than you are.
In terms of EC's. You could listen to these jokers who are telling you not to do it and focus on grades, which would be a good idea, if simply not having enough time was an issue for you, you need to simply change your study habits. so yea while that might mean a little time management so be it. How ever along with excelent grades, med schools like seeing volunteer work done over a period of time, so you may want to go to your local hospital or clinic and inquire about their volunteer program ( or even go online 90% of hospitals have this info online) and lucky for you most places like starting a person off with 1 four hour shift a week anyway..
Ok, didnt mean to write you a book here but I hope it helps!
So know you can get a 4.0 and nobody is stoping you except for you. You are your own worst enemy.. do something about that. God Speed
