I’m a 10th grader currently taking honors chemistry. I’ve been struggling a lot this year with that particular class and it’s bringing down my GPA. It’s too late to drop/ go down to regular chemistry. I’ve always wanted to be a vet, but since I apparently suck at chemistry I was wondering if that’s still an option. Can you be a veterinarian if you suck at chemistry?
Right now, doing what you are doing, you are sucking at chemistry.
Why not do something different?
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GO TO CLASS, READ THE CHAPTERS, AND DO THE HOMEWORK!
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Go to Teacher’s office hours early in the semester and Ask this question: “I know this is a really difficult class-- what are some of the common mistakes students make and how can I avoid them?”
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If you have problems with the homework, go to Teacher’s office hours. If they have any “help sessions” or “study sessions” or any thing extra, go to them.
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Form a study group with other kids in your class.
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Don’t do the minimum…for STEM classes do extra problems. You can buy books that just have problems for calculus or physics or chemistry whatever. Watch online videos (e.g., Khan Academy) about the topic you are studying.
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If things still are not going well, get a tutor. Your National Honor Society will have some. Or ask a teacher for a referral.
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Read this book: How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport. It helps you with things like time management and how to figure out what to write about for a paper, etc.
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For tests that you didn’t do well on, can you evaluate what went wrong? Did you never read that topic? Did you not do the homework for it? Do you kind of remember it but forgot what to do? Then next time change the way you study…there may be a study skill center at your guidance office.
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How much time outside of class do you spend studying/doing homework? Is it enough?
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If you run into any social/health/family troubles (you are sick, your parents are sick, someone died, broke up with boy/girlfriend, suddenly depressed/anxiety etc etc) then immediately go to the guidance counselor and talk to them.
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At the beginning of the semester, read the syllabus for each class. It tells you what you will be doing and when tests/HW/papers are due. Put all of that in your calendar. The teacher may remind you of things, but it is all there for you to see so take initiative and look at it.
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Make sure you understand how to use your online class system…Login to it, read what there is for your classes, know how to upload assignments (if that is what the teacher wants).
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If you get an assignment…make sure to read the instructions and do all the tasks on the assignment. Look at the rubric and make sure you have covered everything.
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If you are not sure what to do, go EARLY to the teacher’s office hours…not the day before the assignment is due.
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Take advantage of any “re-do” tests you may be able to take…your teacher wants you to learn the material. Future material depends on it so you need to have the foundation. By explaining what went wrong you really understand it. Take advantage of this.
My teacher doesn’t hold study/extra help sessions. She will help you if but only if you ask her to. What happens if my schedule won’t allow me to get extra help? It’s filled with extracurriculars, and when I’m not doing those I am doing tutoring/volunteer hours for NHS. The rest of my time I spend studying/doing homework but I’m often tired by then so it’s not the most quality time. I’m thinking about getting a study book so I could study on my own time. Any recommendations?
I also find that I’ll know the material well enough to explain it to others, but on the test I’ll panic and get it wrong. What should I do?
Your school work needs to be your priority. Make getting the extra help your priority.
Look at the pre-reqs required for vet school. Chemistry is a big part of what you will need in college - inorganic, organic, and bio-chem. I’m posting Cornell’s since on another thread you said your were interested in their program: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/education/doctor-veterinary-medicine/admissions/requirements/prerequisite-courses The reality is you do need to be strong in the sciences for vet school.
Veterinary school is a tough route, both from an academic point of view an also from a financial point of view. Getting accepted to veterinary school is probably harder than getting accepted to medical school. Veterinary school is just as expensive as medical school. However, veterinarians do not get paid nearly as well as doctors.
One thing that you need to learn is how to handle tough courses. This is a good time to start the effort. One mediocre grade in high school chemistry will not stop you from getting into a university with a very good animal sciences undergrad program.
For college, your GPA and SAT/ACT are the most important factors in admission. So if you have to skip some EC meetings or stay after school or ask appointments for help, do it.
I assure you, that learning how to recognize you are not doing well, reaching out to the resources you have, and changing how you study is a MAJOR skill that you need when going to college and doing well.
I don’t know how many letters I read from college students who are appealing academic suspension who spent an entire semester or even a year not doing those things. If I got an F on a test, you bet i would get a tutor or talk to the professor or watch videos on line or SOMETHING different.
You need to make extra time for chemistry. If that means you drop an EC or drop back on something else, so you have time to get extra help, then you do that. You say your goal is to be a vet - you have a lot of chem in your future. You need to figure this out now.
In addition, you may want to think about getting some help re: the panicking on these exams. There are techniques that you can look up online that help with exam anxiety. Try to incorporate one of them next time. Then the time after that, incorporate a second one as well. See if you can get this under control.