I am currently enrolled as a freshmen at SJSU majoring in Biological Sciences. I am enrolled in Biology 1A (5 units), Chemistry 1A (5 units), and English 1A (3 units). My issue is the difficulty and course overload Bio and Chemistry have to offer. I had no idea what I wanted to major in when going through application processes and now I am scared to fail both Bio and Chem! English, being a GE is not an issue with me and I most definitely can pass. Bio and Chem on the other hand…wow. I’ve never been so stressed out and worried in my life. I want to switch into something that fits me more personally and I believe that is Business Administration! In the spring I plan to take all general educations and maybe one lower division business class. I feel as if academic probation is coming very soon for me…Any advice on what to do? How to get over this stress?
How far into the semester are you? There may still be things you can do. It’s been… what? A month? You still have time.
Talk to your professors/TAs in biology and chemistry, and ask if they have any advice to help you catch up on the material. See if your school has a tutoring center or recommendations for tutors in either (or both) subjects. Are you just overwhelmed with the amount of work? Or are you having trouble understanding the material?
Meet with your advisor to talk about your situation and any options you have (What happens if you get put on academic probation and will that affect any aid you are getting? Is it possible to change the grading option to P/F? Can you withdraw from one of the courses and what happens if you drop down to part-time status [which dropping a class will likely do]?)
You have to go to the tutors. They should have free tutors somewhere on campus. You have to go daily to keep up. See if you can get previous notes. Sometimes the DSS office has notes for their clients. You may want to ask if you can have copies.