Is it just me or is my professor a jerk?

<p>That actually sounds like a pretty broad and basic question.
Nothing I'd be particularly surprised with. If you went over what a positivist believes (either in class or in the text), you should have had no problem reminding yourself what Auguste believed extrapolating his views to today.
That's kind of like telling someone in a general psychology class that B.F. Skinner is a behaviorist and then asking what he would think of current scientific research in the area of evolutionary biology. It's a critical thinking question, but the knowledge your answer would be based on is VERY fundamental to the field.</p>

<p>I appreciate it I am about to start working on "critcal reading" for the rest of the day. and citygirlsmom please tell me what you meant. bye everybody.</p>

<p>I think that what citygirlsmom meant is that you may not be making the most of your study time. "Studying" and "studying effectively" are quite different. Students who were able to breeze through HS often have the most trouble with the latter concept.</p>

<p>Obviously, different people work at different paces, and different courses will come with different workloads (your joke about sociology being so easy is a little ironic here, all things considered), but if you really are spending all day everyday studying, and you're still struggling, then it sounds like you have a problem: maybe your course load is too tough for you, maybe you're not studying effectively, whatever. This is only speculation, of course, so please take it as such...none of us can possibly know or assess your exact situation.</p>

<p>First, you need to get used to a college workload. Yes, you could read the chapter and ace the quiz in high school, but guess what? So could most other kids in your current class. For most of you, that will no longer be enough. Your surprise at this type of quiz/question indicates that you're not yet too familiar with the demands of Chapel Hill. So, pay attention to the type of questions on these quizzes. Save the quizzes (they may be handy come finals time). As you become more familiar with things, start imagining these types of questions as you do your reading. I'm sure that in HS, you'd occasionally make special note of some info, thinking "This would make a great multiple choice question." Well, you'll start to think similarly in college, it'll just take some time! Read the comments on your quizzes and homework...see where your trouble lies. Are you not remembering factual info? Try flashcards, writing chapter summaries, taking notes as you read, quizzing yourself. Do you know the facts, but struggle with the type of quiz question? Go to office hours and talk to your professor, meet with a tutor, find out where you're going wrong. Do you know the facts and understand the questions, but not write enough for your teacher to follow your thought process? Figure out what's missing and start expanding your responses.</p>

<p>You need to learn to study effectively. One of my friends studies by rewriting all of her notes. For some reason, it's just what works for her...she rewrites them and the info sticks in her mind. She could study for 8 hours by doing flashcards and reading the chapter, but it would be less effective than 2 hours spent rewriting notes. Another person might have the exact opposite experience. It'll take some time, but figure out what works for you and go from there.</p>

<p>As for whether or not your professor is a jerk, it doesn't much matter. She's still your professor and you still have to take the quiz, so tough it out. If her expectations are normal, you'd better get used to them. If they're above normal, then learn to meet them and you'll be in great shape for future classes. Regardless, best of luck with the rest of this course and your time at Chapel Hill...I'm sure you'll figure everything out :)</p>

<p>ETA: In your shoes, what I would probably do to study (and this is based on what I did do in a social psych course) is read and highlight the book chapter and then type up an outline. I'd include basic definitions, concepts, and individuals, and make note of any connections that stood out to me. I'd spend a little bit of time reading back over my chapter highlights and then a fair bit of time studying my outline. I'd mentally quiz myself by making sure I could remember the definitions and concepts, and I'd "play around" for a little while by imagining questions (based on past quizzes) and thinking up answers. If I had a friend in the class, I might also meet up and spend some time quizzing each other or working out any tough spots. Questions like the one you struggled with come more easily if your mind is already used to playing around with the info at hand. Another perk of chapter outlines is that they can be a big help come test time, especially if you have a cumulative final. For the record, this probably sounds like a lot of work for one little quiz, but that's another part of studying effectively. It took a few years of studying this way to really hone it, so now it's actually a great time-saver for me. Writing outlines used to be a major time suck, though. It's just a matter of finding what works and sticking to it, not copping out.</p>

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First, she told us to read a whole chapter by next class, I was like ok no problem. Then she told us we would have a quiz that only had five questions. Then she told us that she wuld never give multiple choice questions. ***?

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Um, what's wrong with that? Reading one chapter at a time is normal and she expects that you know and understand the material... isn't that the point? Essay style questions are normal too... it's easier for the prof to see how much you really know vs some silly multi-choice thing. </p>

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Dont you think she should have atleast gave us a study guide?

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Study guide? This ain't high school kid. It's your responsibility to do the work and ensure that you know the material you've been assigned. The prof isn't going to hold your hand. </p>

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I mean come on this is my future you're playing with woman!

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No! You're playing with your own future. You've got to learn the material, period. There are no easy slick ways to get good grades without doing the work. </p>

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I just started college and I got a 20 on my first quiz! I'll admit I cried.

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Welcome to college... you're not going to ace everything. Yes, it is a shock for many new college students... college can be hard. Try to learn from your previous mistakes to do better in the future. </p>

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What can I do to retain all of the informaton that I read in a chapter so I can tackle any question she brings my way. grrrrrrrr.

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Try forming study groups with others in your class to discuss the material, quiz each other, and such. </p>

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If college is like this then I wont have any social time. I already think the way people promote college like it is fun is totally bull crap. Am I the only one to go through these motions?

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To get good grades and to secure a spot in a top post-graduate position or med school you're going to have to work hard. Yes, that means you might have less free time than you like, but the end result is worth it. If you manage your time well and study well then you should still have plenty of time to have fun too.</p>

<p>P.S. Judging from the poster's ID, I assume they want to go to med school... well if you're complaining about lack of free time and the amount of hard work required for college then you really in for a shock if you get into med school. Just a thought...</p>

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<p>Took the words right out of my mouth.</p>

<p>One of the things you need to do is to make YOUR OWN study guide. The process of making one will help you learn the material effectively.</p>

<p>Does highlighting the material in your book seem to help? because I never needed to do so. I'm thinking about highlighting key facts that stick out to me and then writing them down as a study guide.</p>

<p>Study guide? Did you get those in high school? The last time I got study guides was in middle school!</p>

<p>"Study guide? Did you get those in high school? The last time I got study guides was in middle school!" Thats what I keep hearing around. But I will adapt! My future dependds on it!!!!!!</p>

<p>this chapter studying stuff is getting better baby!!!!!!! lol</p>

<p>Some people find highlighting helpful, others don't. My mind wanders pretty easily, so if I can focus on finding stuff to highlight, it keeps me on track. I also find that it's helpful later on, like when I want to skim the chapter for a bit of last-minute study. It gives my eyes somewhere useful to go. Ditto finals...it lets me review important info without having to reread every single chapter. </p>

<p>May as well give it a shot and see if it helps you. Nothin' to lose :)</p>

<p>(If you're indifferent, the single consideration you might have is whether or not you'll be selling your books back. If you sell them yourself, you might be able to get a higher price for an un-marked book. If you sell them to the bookstore and this is important to you, check to see whether they'll take highlighted books. Mine did.)</p>

<p>I just found out that you dont have to be a pre med major to get into med school. I had no idea. My friend just went to law school and got his undergrad in Arts. I did not know this was possible.</p>

<p>At most schools, pre-med isn't actually a major, but a "track" or a simple declaration of intent. Many pre-med students are actually Bio or Chem majors, but I also know pre-med students with Foreign Languages, Dance, and History degrees.</p>

<p>What you do have to do to go to med school is fulfill a particular set of courses (mostly in the sciences). What it usually means to be a pre-med student is not to be a pre-med major, but to be someone who's fulfilling the courses necessary for med school. There should be a pre-med advisor at your college who can make sure that you're on the right track.</p>

<p>Academic</a> Requirements — UNC School of Medicine</p>

<p>Here is where UNC spells it out for you.</p>

<p>What your professor did was reasonable, and that's the way things are done in good 4-year colleges, the type of colleges that are competitive, and attract high achieving students with decent SATs. Community colleges and 4-year colleges that are third tier or so would operate the way that you were expecting. </p>

<p>Students who either attended very competitive public or private high schools or took AP classes at schools where most students got 3s or better on the APs had the kind of instruction in high school that you are getting now.</p>

<p>Since this kind of instruction is new to you, I suggest meeting with the professor during office hours to get her suggestions for how you can study for her tests. Another option would be to use your campus' study skills, learning or counseling center, which could coach you so you get the skills to do well on the kind of exams that you're now struggling with.</p>

<p>College kids do have social lives, but what they do for their social lives depends on what college you're attending. Some colleges are big party schools. At some, students' social lives are based on football and basketball events. Some colleges have Greek-based social lives. At some other colleges, students' social lives are based around very intense participation in ECs.</p>

<p>Have you tried participating in ECs? Usually, that's the best way to get to know students and to make good friends. Like minded people socialize together. Perhaps there's a premed society that you could join?</p>

<p>Yeah I thought about joining that society so I can mmet people with my same interest. The sad thing is I went to a school with a bunch of ghetto kids with poor training so it was hard to enjoy my experience there. But at chapel hill everybody is so focused and this is what I've been waiting for. I havent declared a major yet but I will very soon. I'll try to make my own way into medical school. Everybody else has like science majors and such I'm just gonna go left to add to their diversity. I am just so freeking competitive and refuse to let anybody out smart me. I'm sure alot of yall feel the same way. lol</p>

<p>Do talk to the prof so she can tell you how to study for her exams. Don't be shy about using her office hours.</p>

<p>I've taught college, and have had some students who, like you, were very smart, but had not come from very good high schools, so didn't have the study skills some other students had. When those students used my office hours to get tips, such students typically eventually outperformed students who had come from the better high schools. Why did that happen? To go from a weak high school to college takes even more motivation and brains than it takes to do that from a strong high school.</p>

<p>If for some reason your prof isn't helpful (most profs are helpful, but there are always exceptions....) use the college's counseling or learning center for help.</p>

<p>It's also always a good idea to organize study groups made up of other highy motivated students. That's one of the best ways to do well in college. Some research that I have seen indicated that some of the students in college who have low grades are working harder than are students with higher grades, but the students with low grades aren't as efficient with their studying, and aren't doing things like using study groups.</p>

<p>The earlier you get into the premed society, the better. It also would be good if you did some kind of community service because med schools want to accept students with demonstrated interest in helping others. This helps weed out students who want to be doctors only to earn lots of money.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>