So I am currently a little over halfway through my first semester of college and it has been subpar. Things have not been doing so well and I am worried about my GPA. First, some background. I have wanted to be a veterinarian since the third grade. So vet school is the goal after 5 years. My school has a program where you can get a bachelors and masters in 5 years. Anyway, back to the reason why you are here, I was accepted into the first year honors program at my school and I was going to try applying to the university honors program. Unfortunately, I am worried that I will not be accepted into it. You need a 3.5 minimum GPA and I won’t know mine until the end of the semester but I am struggling in my classes. I am taking 17 credit hours, 5 of them are 1 credit pass/fails and although they do not impact GPA, I’m doing well in them but they can be a big time commitment. I have three 3 credit classes, a 2 credit, and a 1 credit class as well. These 5 classes are actually graded and I am struggling with them severely. (Keep in mind I had over a 4.0 in high school and was able to balance school with being a track athlete, being heavily active as an FFA officer and member of many team competitions, heavily active in over 7 other school activities as an officer or committee member, had a part-time job at a kennel, volunteered all day on Saturdays at two different animal shelters and a horse therapy riding stables and I didn’t go if I had a huge project or tests, and getting a little over 10 hours in a week as an intern at a vet clinic) I currently have an A in my 2 credit class, A- in a 3 credit, B+ in another 3 credit, B in my other 3 credit, and B+ in my one credit. Needless to say, I am failing in my effort to become a university honors student. It’s not like I am not studying or not trying, you can ask anyone who knows me and they will say that I will forego sleep to make sure everything is done. On top of it all, every single class has a test this week and my 3 credit English class has a 1250 word essay due. I feel like I am not going to be accepted into the university honors program as I won’t have the GPA requirement and I doubt they make exceptions. I guess what I’m asking is, do you think that it is still relatively possible to bring my grades up in time to get in? If not, what other ways can I improve my chances to get into vet school? How much weight does being an honors student hold on a vet school application? I should mention that the honors program also offers - during the spring semester - a chance for students to get hands-on experience in research - and as a freshman! I have already applied for this opportunity and another research program through my school but I just think that not being a part of the honors program when I was for one semester will look odd on a vet school application and will prohibit me from getting in. Please let me know if you have any advice. Thank you and I appreciate you reading this horribly written cry for help.
Drop any ECs you have right now. Don’t go out, don’t go home, just study.
Use the writing center if your college has one for every written assignment you have due for the rest of the semester.
If there is any tutoring or office hours available for the two 3 credit classes where you are below an A-, take full advantage of it. If there isn’t any tutoring, consider hiring a tutor for either of those classes (especially if they are math or STEM). Form study groups with classmates if you think it will help.
Keep an eagle eye on the syllabus, and try to get every point you can.
If you have any problems with procrastination, consider going straight to the library after dinner every night (not back to your dorm or apartment, where it is more tempting to waste time).
Wait – you took TEN classes? No wonder you found your limits. B’s are not bad for the amount of work you took on, but next semester scale back! There is no prize for working yourself to burnout. I’m guessing it’s past withdrawal deadline, but if not, drop some of those 1 credit classes.
If you’re stuck, do as in post #1 and just work through it and get the best grades you can.
As soon as you can catch a break from the work, go to academic advising and learn what a reasonable schedule looks like and what you should do to prepare for vet school. I’m not an expert, but the schedule you describe sounds extremely unwise.
Why did your adviser let you sign up for classes like that?
Also it isn’t just about credits, but what classes you take.
How can you be pre-vet without takign the pre reqs ?
You will need at least one year of general biology or zoology with labs, one year of organic chemistry with labs, one year of inorganic chemistry with labs, one year of general physics with labs, one year of English, one quarter in statistics, one quarter in college algebra or pre-calculus, and one quarter of genetics. Be sure and check with each veterinary school to find out their individual requirements for admission.
And vet schools do not care about Honors or not. They want to see grades. S17 is in the honors college and has a B in Honors English. It is a great class but the teacher is an extremely tough grader. The writing lab said his paper was excellent and he got an 80 on it. He talked to an advisor he has at the vet school (at his college) and they told him don’t take any more honors classes. His lowest other grade is a 97. Get high grades and concentrate on the pre-vet reqs (of which English is one). He is hoping to bring that grade up and all his others are high As. He has 16 credits and 6 classes (two 1 hour) and three of those classes are pre-vet requirements (first semester freshman). Since he is in the college he can get the research edge and early registration but just won’t take more classes and won’t have the certification on his degree which is fine with him.
I would scale back the effort spent on the pass/fail classes. Just be enough to safely pass. Then devote the free up time to the the other classes. Then if that is not enough, spend less time on the remaining 1 credit class. A low grade in a one credit class will not hurt as much as a lower grade in a three credit. Maximumize the grades where it counts.
Above all don’t sign up for that courses agin. Some times one credit classes can be a time suck.
Your adviser should be fired. There are no prizes in college for taking the most classes. Quality is important. Maybe talk to the Dean and explain your situation. Ask if you can perhaps withdraw from your pass/fail classes, because you were given poor advice.
You’ve received good advice above. 17 credits is manageable, but 10 classes, even if some are pass/fail is not. Don’t do that to yourself again. With a more manageable schedule next semester, you should be able to improve your GPA. I also agree that for your girls, only seek honors if it’s the only way to get the necessary research experience, but I bet you can outside of the honors program.
Thank you guys for the input. I was able to talk to the honors college before the end of the semester to see if I could still retain membership in the program if my GPA was under a 3.5 and they were more than willing to work with me. I also went to the office hours of the teacher’s classes I was struggling in and was able to bring those grades up to A’s. I have learned my lesson and am now only taking seven classes - two of which are credit for research - this semester so I am finding it a little bit more manageable. Thanks again.