I have always been very bad at biology, but now it seems even when I study a week ahead, use quizlet to make sample test, and even printed out all the slides and look over them multiple times, I still fail or at best pull a D. What can I do? I’m on the verge of failing my Bio Lab and Biol lecture and just last year I was on the provost list. Like i said before, I feel like the severity of my depression getting much worse as my anxiety is hurting me, but I don’t even know what to do. I probably failed my lab midterm today and tomorrow I have the lecture test. I feel like half of what I study is stuff thats not even on the stuff I read so what can else can I do? I’ve already at least an hour on this one subject every day leading up to this so what else can I do?
First and foremost seek out counseling for the depression. Taking care of yourself and your mental health is job one.
In terms of biology have you seen the teacher for extra help, used online resources (ex. Khan academy) etc.? Perhaps look into withdrawing from the class and re-taking when you are in a better place in terms of managing your depression and anxiety.
Have you gone to professor office hours? Have you gone to the campus tutoring center? Have you joined a study group? Book an appointment at the counseling center right away. Talk to your parents so they can help you. Look online for stress-reducing techniques that will tide you over until you can get some help. There are some easy ones that are quite effective.
You have at least come here looking for suggestions, but you should have sought help as soon as you realized you weren’t doing well, and even before. You don’t seem to be studying effectively. Are you taking notes in class? Are you partying, or letting yourself be otherwise distracted? Look online for some guidelines about effective study habits, and do all the things I suggested above.
My parents would be the worse people to tell about my problems and I don’t party at all. I barely leave my apartment. I just study and play games. I just can’t remember anything I ever study so I feel like I’m studying for no reason.
Ration your video game time. Get out and meet people.take a break. Make flash cards. And I will ask you again if you are doing any of the things I mentioned?
One symptom of depression is inability to concentrate. Please do as I suggested.
-1 ) Go to Counseling Center and address depression
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GO TO CLASS, BUY THE BOOK, READ THE CHAPTERS, AND DO THE HOMEWORK!
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Go to Professor’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 Prof’s office hours. If they have any “help sessions” or “study sessions” or “recitations” or any thing extra, go to them.
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Form a study group with other kids in your dorm/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 whatever. Watch videos on line about the topic you are studying.
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Go to the writing center if you need help with papers/math center for math problems (if they have them)
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If things still are not going well, get a tutor.
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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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If you feel you need to withdraw from a class, talk to your advisor as to which one might be the best …you may do better when you have less classes to focus on. But some classes may be pre-reqs and will mess your sequence of classes up.
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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 college.
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How much time outside of class do you spend studying/doing homework? It is generally expected that for each hour in class, you spend 2-3 outside doing homework. Treat this like a full time job.
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At first, don’t spend too much time other things rather than school work. (sports, partying, rushing fraternities/sororities, video gaming etc etc)
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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 etcetc) then immediately go to the counseling center and talk to them. Talk to the dean of students about coordinating your classes…e.g. sometimes you can take a medical withdrawal. Or you could withdraw from a particular class to free up tim for the others. Sometimes you can take an incomplete if you are doing well and mostly finished the semester and suddenly get pneumonia/in a car accident (happened to me)…you can heal and take the final first thing the next semester. But talk to your adviser about that too.
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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 professor 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 prof 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 professors office hours…not the day before the assignment is due.
You might think that this is all completely obvious, but I have read many stories on this and other websites where people did not do the above and then are asking for help on academic appeal letters.