<p>So this year has been full of disappointment after disappointment. I got my first C fall quarter then got a C+ winter, to get a C- and D this spring quarter in math and chem courses. I went to AAP tutoring, Swartwood review sessions and even TA hours, still failing to fulfill my expectations. This was the first time in my academic career that I decided to share my academics with my parents and now my mother has lowered her expectations for me and my dad has become critical and snobby. I guess I just needed this to vent, and see if anyone has some constructive criticism, some encouraging words, or some inspiring stories to share. Please help me learn what to change if you've gone through a tough first year and bounced back or if you just were awesome from the beginning. I feel so alone, because lets face it, Bruins are pretty incredible.</p>
<p>I feel you. </p>
<p>The best lesson I learned this year is that as long as I can legitimately say I put my best effort then there’s no reason to be unsatisfied. You’ve clearly exhausted all resources and if you’re working as hard as you can then you shouldnt be too hard on yourself. </p>
<p>That said, don’t ever do swartwood again. I remember trying that out first quarter. I was so exhausted from that 4 hour information overload session that I did terribly on the midterm. I would only recommend them if you are completely lost in the subject, like you either never been to lecture or you’re just braindead the whole time. Reteaching the whole course is not the best method of review -you gotta do problems.
Also, try out covel tutoring. They only meet once a week (less if your tutor is a lame-o). The point Im getting at is that you could be too reliant on tutoring since I know AAP meets more than once a week.
From now on, try independently studying. Learn the material by reading the book, going online to get a different perspective, etc. Do the problems AFTER reading the material so you can have a better grasp. The professors didn’t learn from the course textbook, they used a variety of textbooks and other materials to master the subject and they expect you to do the same if you want an amazing grade. If you’re doing it right, you should only need to go to TA office hours up to about 4 times within the whole quarter.</p>
<p>Take the summer to unwind. Relax.
There’s nothing you can do about first year anymore - keep going. </p>
<p>[insert “Hang in there, tiger” motivation poster here]</p>
<p>Thanks so much. I will definitely put in more time independently. Good luck to you next year and have a great summer!</p>
<p>sapphire, I’m almost in the same situation. (Except, my main problems are with math and physics.) </p>
<p>My whole freshmen year seems to be an academic disaster and whether I really belong in the sciences is an increasingly lingering thought in my mind. I still haven’t quite made any career changing actions yet and I can’t give you any credible advice since I obviously haven’t learned to “play the game” yet, but just know you aren’t alone. I know it feels that way. Everyone seems to doing well, except you. It’s rather frustrating when you go to a counselor looking for advice, and all they can recommend is look for another major. And sometimes when you compare yourself to when you were in high school, it only makes everything seem even worse. </p>
<p>I think the only thing students like us can really do is just really take a look at our study habits and our goals. Try to see what we’re doing wrong or not as effectively, and actually correct it, which is the hardest part. Are we too reliant on others? Are we not relying on others enough? Are we wasting our time on facebook? There’s always a reason why we might not learn as well as the others that can’t just be differences in “talent”. And if we did try “everything”, ultimately, we have ask ourselves how badly do we want this. Is it worth it?</p>
<hr>
<p>“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson</p>
<p>^^^ yes, yes. Keep on keepin’ on Sapphire. You’re not alone in this. You will improve. </p>
<p>I like to think, that if we want something bad enough we will get it. In truth, this is not reality for many people. But the fact we are privileged enough to have made it this far probably does mean it is true for us. Take a breather, relax this summer, maybe figure out what topics and subjects your enjoy the most, and go into next year with confidence that you will do well. The transition from high school to unviersity probably was difficult in many, many ways. You will be more used to it next year.</p>
<p>I know a few people like you. Believe me, you are not the only one struggling. </p>
<p>I agree with sid3000, it looks like you are much too dependent on tutoring. Try studying yourself. Do not rely on others to teach you the material. It is you that must take the initiative. I don’t have any statistics, but if I had to guess, I’d say that the vast majority of people getting A’s and high B’s are not involved in much tutoring, if any. </p>
<p>Don’t panic. Don’t let it get you down. First year is always tough. You CAN rebound if you have the determination to do so. Good luck.</p>
<p>Think of it this way: No one will remember your GPA after you graduate college.</p>
<p>Everything you’ve work for, your university and GPA will only matter for the first few years of your career. After that, no one will ask about your GPA ever again. </p>
<p>The only situation in which grades even matter is for grad school (or if you’re an engineer). If you don’t make the cut, then it really doesn’t matter how you perform as long as you graduate.</p>
<p>Also, it’s not too late to transfer out of UCLA. It’s only your first year. Your university matters significantly less than people around here tend to believe.</p>
<p>Hey there Sapphire, I understand how you feel. My first quarter at UCLA was pretty rough too. I completely underestimated how smart the students at UCLA were. I barely studied for any of my classes and instead spent most of my time having fun. After receiving my first quarter grades I told myself I would try a lot harder for the next two quarters. And for the most part things have worked out pretty well. Basically I realized that in order to get through UCLA’s science and math classes I had to dedicate a lot of my time to learning the material and learning it well. You know the saying for each hour of lecture there should be a minimum of 3-4 hours of self-studying; that saying I believe is very true especially when I comes to taking south campus classes at UCLA. Okay so enough about me haha…I know that you utilized many of your resources available to you and I commend you for that. But from what you wrote, it seems as if they do not help too much. Have you tried reading the textbook? I know that textbooks are boring but for the most part it explains concepts so much better and more completely than do the professors. Furthermore I personally find it very satisfying when I teach myself a difficult concept. Finally I just want to say just keep on trying and never give up. Use this summer to relax and come back strong for your sophomore year. Good luck.</p>
<p>Semi-relevant and hopefully will give you a boost:
[YouTube</a> - 40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wRkzCW5qI]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wRkzCW5qI)</p>
<p>Sounds like that C in fall really hit you hard psychologically. I think you panicked after that and you put too much pressure on yourself after that and you cracked.</p>
<p>By the sound of it, you fought really hard to escape your rut. That really shows your character and drive to succeed, so don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good enough.</p>
<p>That being said, from what you’ve told us, I don’t think those tools were effective in your case. Time to make a call: was all that time in tutoring, office hours, and discussion really worth it? Think back to each of those events and really ask yourself how much they helped. If they did, continue to utilize them. If not, you’ve gotta rethink your strategy.</p>
<p>Everyone’s different, so even though those tools work for others doesn’t mean they’ll work for you. As said above, take the summer to relax and recuperate. However, you also have to think about what happened.</p>
<p>Don’t think about HOW you did poorly, think about WHY you did poorly and figure out how to fix that. There’s no point in kicking yourself for such things; they’ll only slow you down. **** those classes, **** those professors, and **** the rooms they were taught in. Those aren’t important anymore. What is important is getting up and kicking the everliving **** out of everything else that is coming your way.</p>
<p>tl;dr Don’t think about the fact that you failed to meet your expectations, think about and figure out what went wrong. Rethink and revise your strategy.</p>
<p>/Armchair psychologist</p>
<p>EDIT: holy **** I wrote a lot, sorry if I rambled :X</p>
<p>^ I wouldn’t say **** the rooms because you may end up taking an exam in there for a later course and you wouldn’t all that negativity looming =p</p>
<p>Although at times I would say **** your parents because they’re too consevative to understand current competition (at least mine are). </p>
<p>/unqualified therapist</p>
<p>
my favorite quote of all time 
I agree with every post here… try studying on your own for a couple of hours, and really try and UNDERSTAND the material instead of memorize (unless it’s an LS class). and you should really check out covel tutoring (not 'cause I’ll be a faciliator next year, woohoo) but because they’re REALLY helpful! </p>
<p>and don’t think you’re alone… for all you know some people could be lying… just IGNORE what other people say and focus on yourself… you can do it, always remember that. if you’re going to compare yourself with others all the time, then how will there be room for improvement? </p>
<p>good luck and relax this summer!</p>
<p>you guys are awesome! if i could, i would hug you all and bake you all cookies-have lovely summers</p>
<p>@sid3000</p>
<p>Haha, you get the point though :P</p>
<p>Just saying you’ve gotta accept when bad things happen and figure out what caused them to make sure they never happen again.</p>
<p>[I</a> need advice. (Biology major) : ucla](<a href=“http://www.reddit.com/r/ucla/comments/cbiy1/i_need_advice_biology_major/]I”>Reddit - Dive into anything)</p>
<p>you’re not alone. i agree with most of what’s been said: maybe relax a little with the tutoring. i think i remember your posts from cc from around last year, you did FSP, yeah? I did…and tutoring was very helpful then, but i weaned myself off of it after fall quarter, and my grades definitely improved.</p>
<p>i know its super overwhelming to think about how many hard classes there are left to take on the road to a BS, but at least now we know what to expect. i think you and i both should just take the advice that people have said–chill this summer and refocus.</p>
<p>come back strong in fall and study new ways. don’t beat yourself up over the negatives and try to think positively. find classes and majors that interest you most and remind yourself every day that you got into UCLA because you’re an effing genius and the admissions people knew you could do it…because you can! you had your heart set on science for a reason, so just…find it and cling to it and you and I and everyone else in our huge boat of prior-disappointment will make it through. :] Best of luck!</p>
<p>@dashgirl- your grades improved without tutoring? But they helped in FSP? I am participating in TSP starting next month so I am curious what helped you & what didn’t help… :)</p>
<p>Honestly, don’t worry sapphire. I know ALOT of people that are in the same boat as you. The sciences are REALLY hard and competitive and not everyone will get B’s and A’s. I know so many friends who switched majors or are in the sciences and still continually getting not-so-great grades. It’s just really competitive here. Alot of the times, I just feel like being a science major is not the thing for me but you do have to understand that it was never easy to begin with either so you just have to work even harder even at times when you feel like all that hard work is for nothing (or for that C or D on the midterm). Don’t give up! As long as you have an upward trend in your grades you should be okay! on the same note, this is also a time to reflect and see if the sciences is really for you. If you’re having doubts, maybe you should change majors? However, if you’re determined enough and are optimistic and willing to put in even more effort in your future classes you should be okay.
Don’t worry, everything you wrote hit a soft spot because that was exactly how I was feeling all of last year (midterm after midterm) for chem… however after MUCH thought I decided that I’m going to stick to it beacuse I’ve always wanted to work in the health care field and I know it’s def not easy or else everyone else would be doing it and excelling but obviously that’s not true. I have two really good friends who have great studying habits and are really smart but I found out recently that evne they got occasional C’s. If this is what you really want, work harder! don’t get discouraged!</p>
<p>I read a book called “What Smart Students Know” by Adam Robinson last summer because someone here recommended it. I think it really helps guide you to develop the best study habits possible. I was miraculously able to pull off good grades for the first two quarters (but then everything went down hill with hardinger…). Anyway, you should pick that up at the library and see if it helps.</p>
<p>There’s also this site called zenhabits.net/ace-exams that has some interesting information. You’re probably familiar with most of it, but I realized that I actually didn’t use most of their strategies; I just knew OF them and kinda ignored it. </p>
<p>A particularly memorable quote from the article: “Computers just need one attempt to store information perfectly. However, in practice rote memorization means reading information over and over again. If you had to save a file 10 times in a computer to ensure it was stored, youd probably throw it in the garbage.” - Always makes me smile :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, that was mikemac on the “tips for succeeding…” thread. I read some of that book last summer. imo that book will only work for north campus courses, but if you find that it has helped you, than (as Adam Robinson himself said) “you can’t argue with success.” (but he was talking about all-nighters when he used that phrase).</p>
<p>@ashiundar–thanks for that website; I’ll have a look</p>
<p>on a different point:</p>
<p>As Futureucladoctor said, the textbook can be much more important than the lectures. One particular fault of mine (that I realized rather late) has been that I’ve been under the feeling that right after a lecture, I should be able to understand the material, and if not, then something went wrong. So I know now that the prof has to be amazing for that to actually be true. Sincere effort on your own accord is the only way.</p>
<p>At my orientation (this was 2009), Prof. Wesel told us a short story about when Bill Gates was a kid. His parents wondered why he always seemed tired during the day. As it turned out, he was sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night to snag computer time. Personally, I feel like it’s that attitude that you need in order to keep you going: “There may be stumbling-blocks along the way, but I want the end-result so badly that I am wiling to sneak out in the middle of the night in order to pursue it!”</p>
<p>And as my ap physics teacher used to say, “You need a sense of humor to get through it.” And one other time she said you needed a classmate’s phone number in every science class. But that’s really all that she said you needed: a sense of humor and a classmate’s phone number. And imo, it’s all the better if that classmate happens to be a cute girl. Then you would be study partners with benefits.</p>