<p>Im a pre med at University of Pittsburgh and im taking Bio and chem and a Seminar in composition. i took my first bio test got a C took first chem test gotta D and got my first paper back from seminar in comp. and it was a C+ I feel like i shouldn't even go on anymore but all i wanna do is be a doctor. Bio and chem go sooo fast u cant even keep up and i didnt have a good science foundation like every1 else who is straight from APs in HS. i feel sooo discouraged. What should i do since its only gonna get harder? How can i be successful? i study like craazy but come off short. Please help</p>
<p>First off, chill. It’s your first round of exams in your freshman year. This happens. Bask in the huge win tonight!</p>
<p>You’ll need to study more efficiently. Read relevant part of the text beforehand so you’re more familiar with what the professors cover in class. Record notes to fill in what you might be missing. Keep up with homework. Study in groups. Go to the TAs and professors when you’re not grasping concepts. There’s a number of ways you can improve how you study for a test, you just need to find what fits you best, and that’s up to you.</p>
<p>A lot of people have rough transitions, but you must find a way to adapt. Keep your head up.</p>
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<p>Why did you get those grades? Ask yourself. Did you study the wrong things? Did you study the right things, but not put in enough time? Some other reason? If you want better grades in the future, you need to answer these questions.</p>
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<p>Consider asking your teacher to have a meeting to discuss your paper. Ask about your shortcomings and what you could do to improve next time.</p>
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<p>Well, why do you want to be a doctor? Why don’t you want to do anything else?</p>
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<p>No use complaining about these things - you just have to find a way to cope. (AP is not really that helpful - it doesn’t cover enough breadth or depth.) Do you review what happened in class at the end of each day or each week? If you do that, it’ll help you stay caught up. Have you gone to your professors’ or TAs’ office hours for homework help or help with concepts you don’t understand?</p>
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<p>Again, you need to take a look at your study techniques. What worked for you in high school may not work in college. What works for one class may not work in another.</p>
<p>Don’t worry,</p>
<p>A lot of people are not doing well. Pitt is really hard for the sciences. I am also premed frosh here at Pitt (I might even be in your class), and I found Bio very hard. The best thing to do I think is get some one on one time with professors on exactly what you should be doing. Clearly you can put in the effort, but maybe in needs to be redirected in a way that is foreign because we just got out of High School.</p>
<p>Go to the Academic Support Center or whatever it is that they call it at Pitt. They will be able to help you. That’s what they’re there for, and I guarantee that you are not the first student they’ve seen who’s in this position. Studying in college is different than studying in high school. You may simply need to learn different techniques.</p>
<p>Good luck to you, and remember that it is not weakness to ask for help from those who can give it to you.</p>
<p>Try checking academic advising and try to find help…I doubt your grades are from a lack of ability, you probably just aren’t studying efficiently. Learn from what you did wrong on the first round.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better…I got a C on my first chemistry exam, but still pulled an A in the class. I had to really work hard, and I went to review sessions every sunday…but ultimately chemistry ended up being one of my strongest subjects all the way through college, including organic and biochem.</p>
<p>Don’t give up, stay focused and give it your best shot.</p>
<p>These courses are usually set up so that the class avg is in the 50s or 60s, so you have a chance at redemption if you ace your other exams. </p>
<p>As far as your exams go, I’d talk to your teachers or ask friends who have taken the class and done well. This is really important since some tests will be straight off the lecture notes, or others will be really similar to the hw problems, etc.</p>
<p>When you say you got a C, is that curved or uncurved?</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your raw score, look at that pretty Gaussian graph we call a normal curve and see how you stand there. 1 Standard deviation above the mean is usually an A. I scored C’s on most of my Chem exams, and ended up with an A in the class (The means were in the 50s and 60s).</p>