Please help?!?! Bad Semester

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>I'm just looking for objective outside advice, please don't automatically jump to conclusions about me or assume I'm lazy. I'm a sophomore and a biotechnology major and I'm having a REALLY rough semester. I'm not trying to make excuses but I have had a rough personal life this semester. I don't party and while I am a procrastinator, I do try to get my work done, so it's not that I am not trying, I'm just losing motivation quickly. I just got diagnosed with depression, had to miss a week of school because a family member died, my now ex-boyfriend was sent to rehab and this all has happened within a period of 2 months. I am taking hard classes this semester, working part time and I'm in over my head. I'm taking Trig, Chem II, Anatomy and a Gen Ed. I am doing poorly in Trig, Chem II and Anatomy. </p>

<p>I have tried attending SI and review sessions to no avail, my chem SI consists of the TA asking the students to explain concepts which then they proceed to explain wrong and confuse the entire class (so not helpful). I am not a super strong chemistry student so I am really frustrated. My chem professor is also not approachable because he literally YELLS at you if you ask him a question during lecture. And when I say YELL I mean screams on the top of his lungs. And the questions aren't exactly irrelevant but he makes it out to be that way. Not conducive to learning at all and I merely just go to class listen and leave. </p>

<p>My Trig class is all online which I hate and I don't even really know how to study for the tests. There are practice tests which I complete, but I don't think I'm getting the material down. </p>

<p>For anatomy, my lab is 3 hours a week. The lab practicals are impossible. My teacher will literally flip the models upside down or spell things wrong to throw you off on purpose. Not to mention we have a minute to answer two questions at a time and there's about a thousand other implications. I study and study and study for this class and still am never prepared for either the lab or the lecture exams. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. </p>

<p>Needless to say, I am freaking out because my GPA is tanking. Is there anything you would suggest that I do to bring up my grades? How can I prepare for finals so that I can do my best and get the highest grade possible? I have less than 7 weeks left and I have one more test in Trig and 2 more tests in Anatomy & Chem. I also plan on taking a summer science course that I need for my major, but that will boost my GPA.</p>

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<ol>
<li>Make studying a higher priority (more time)</li>
<li>Find something you enjoy doing and it will give you more energy for studying</li>
<li>Don’t take all the hard classes in one semester</li>
<li>Transfer schools</li>
</ol>

<p>??</p>

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<p>chemistry II is fairly easy, i’m assuming you are around buffers and ph’s at the moment because it is mid semester. I’m not trying to sound like an d****, but a lot of people that say they studied hard (i said that excuse myself freshman year), really just say they do and never really go by it. At least studying correctly that is.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>drop your part time job, use it to study</p></li>
<li><p>For chemistry, have you tried reading the book? I’ve came across a lot of chemistry books and each time they were fairly easy to read and follow. They all generally have sample problems of every type of question. Have you looked through them? Have you attempt to understand why do they do those equations in that circumstance? Have you tried doing the problems in the book and checking to see if you did it correct? Now have you read the material before the teacher goes over it in class?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Unfortunately, many times this is a no, and this is why most people do badly in this class. A lecturer is not needed to get an A in this class, but it helps things sink in. If you do still believe u are having a hard time after doing that, or need extra help, you are welcome to private message me for further guidance on that.</p>

<ol>
<li>For anatomy, you can’t really study it, you have to understand it. I hope you realize by now almost every body part (actually, every body part) is derived from latin. You don’t need to know latin, but its nice to understand everything has a meaning why they are named the way they are. I suggest getting those cheat sheets that are laminated that names every body part, what the prefix and suffix means for each part, it will make things go a lot smoother.</li>
</ol>

<p>The problem with studying is unlike highschool, many people believe that you read the book, you can figure it out, you get an A. That is not exactly the case because things go faster pace. Take some time to start from the beginning, read the section, answer problems from that section. If you are able to answer everything with relative ease, go on to the next part until you catch up. Weekends will be lost doing this, hell I lost my spring break doing this, but the grade in the end will be worth it.</p>

<p>edit: and ignore schaden, every major worthwhile will have a point where you want to bash your head into the wall. For engineers its every semester (yay :frowning: ) and transferring, your GPA might reset in the new school, but employers will still look at your overall gpa</p>

<p>edit again: oh ya, and lastly, do you attend class? i truly believe if you attend class and at least jot down notes half asleep you wont get anything lower than a C, i mean things do sink in even when your spacing out</p>

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<p>feel free to ignore me but I think I’m a lot more objective than the last post.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your suggestions marc. i appreciate your response.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It must be nice if you can afford school without an outside job, but I’m paying for my education by myself and even with a scholarship and loans I need money to live off of if I want to eat.</p></li>
<li><p>Thanks, I have been trying to skim over the info before class but maybe I should do more before class in order to keep up. </p></li>
<li><p>I don’t really have a problem with the latin, it’s the innervations and all the follow up questions that my professor asks. He asks about clinical implications, we have to know what the doctors are testing for i.e. a pt presents with a winged scapula and she had a radical masectomy…which of the following is the cause of the winged scapula?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>we have to know that it’s the long thoracic nerve and not the deltoid muscle because she had a masectomy and that wouldn’t injure your deltoid muscle (the other cause of winged scapula) do you see now why it’s so difficult. you not only have to know the parts, but how they work and the clinical practice.</p>

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<p>Thank you too schaden for responding, but I have already transferred schools once and don’t want to do it again or else I will never finish. I’m gonna talk to my advisor about th courseload, maybe they have guidance on how to balance things out. </p>

<p>And you’re right, just have to make studying a higher priority.</p>

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<p>you have one bad semester so an option is to transfer schools? you do realize many schools allow you to retake classes and get the next grade for it. Or you can transfer, keep the low gpa, possibly lose some credits transferring schools, and essentially start all over again with friends. Makes lots of sense…</p>

<p>find something you enjoy doing…i enjoy playing video games and drinking, doesnt mean it will help me in my studies, in fact wont it take time off my studies? oh ya</p>

<p>in reality, there will be times when **** hits the fan. I mean it sucks but everyone goes through it, all you can do is buckle down and work through it. </p>

<p>other than making studying a higher priority, the rest are running away from your problems</p>

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<p>Nope transferring is not an option. The only reason I transferred before that was for financial/personal reasons. I got more of a scholarship at my transfer school. Not because I had a bad semester.</p>

<p>And yes Marc, I do attend class.</p>

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<p>and biologynerd, i am by no means able to afford school with no outside job, lol i sell my plasma for $50 a week, that along with a small meal plan (had to include it in my loan, but kind of a necessity), i get by.</p>

<p>before you go to class, read it, take notes, you comprehend more while writing things down rather than just running through things. I always try my best to stay a week ahead of lecture, so that way I would be able to learn things twice and possibly understand it better the second time.</p>

<ol>
<li>thats kind of the part where i said you have to understand it, not just memorize it. Anatomy everything they say is regurgitated off lecture, have you tried bringing a laptop and just jot down everything your professor says?</li>
</ol>

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<p>Sometimes there can be a strong correlation between what goes on outside of class and what goes on inside. To suggest otherwise is ludicrous.</p>

<p>This is either a time issue or a material issue. If you’re not studying for the right material (the material that’s being tested or graded) then you need to find out what that is. If it’s a time issue, then you either need to put in more hours or find a way to want to put in more hours, which is why I suggested finding something you enjoy doing.</p>

<p>Nothing about running away or anything like that. </p>

<p>I’m being objective like you asked, take it or leave it idc.</p>

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<p>I’m not sure I have any real “help” - because you’re trying everything you can. How about some motivation? This might sound scary…use it to encourage change instead.</p>

<p>My daughter changed schools in the middle of her sophomore year. Long story, I won’t go into all the “why"s”…there were MANY - but her GPA also tanked. Chemistry ended up a C+ for the semester…the worst grade she ever got…and it was an A+ the semester before. She also got some Bs…and was straight As prior.</p>

<p>This ONE semester brought her GPA down to an unrecoverable place. Without it…she’s about a 3.85 academically and overall. WITH it, she’s a 3.6975. YIKES. Not even 3.7.</p>

<p>She was a TOP student. Top handful of kids, only one B+ and that was gym- PRIOR to this semester. She’s back to a 3.9 now (4.9 weighted). But these things can happen.</p>

<p>What I can tell you is that she’s NOT achieving what she probably would have, in terms of college admissions (I’m expected denials to ALL her reaches, didn’t get the very top scholarship at her in state uni, and may not get honors/scholarship to her “match”). </p>

<p>GPA is king. You probably know this. So…No one can find a way to help you focus - that’s something you have to find within yourself. PERHAPS you’re truly in over your head (classes are too hard). But what you can do right now is make the best of things and move forward. Realize that THIS time builds your future. So forgo ANY social time until you’ve achieved your desired amount of study. It’s not that long in the span of your life. Another 9 weeks (or so?). You probably can’t visit your BF anyway. He needs tiime to help himself…you can’t take on his problems. You can/will get through this. Remember that…20 years from now…you’ll NEVER look back at it. The past is the past. The grade you’re working with now, is all you can work with. Don’t spend time worrying/regretting. TODAY is the day you take charge of it and put your education on the front burner. </p>

<p>Good for you for seeking help. Good luck to you.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>not even a 3.7</p>

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<p>schaden- rules change when you are behind in class, thats when your ass gets glued to a seat and you stay till you can do everything by heart, and are you seriously that bored to find a grammar error?</p>

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<p>Yea I’m bored but it wasn’t a grammatical error, I just thought it was funny.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your input.</p>

<p>I can see where you’re coming from schaden and I appreciate your advice. You’re right about what goes on inside class goes on outside class. I think it’s a combo of not studying the right material and time. Maybe I need to just sit down and go through everything and then decide based on lecture what I need to spend more time on. Sometimes I feel like I know the stuff, I just can’t put it to use on the test. Idk. But thanks, I do see your point.</p>

<p>And Marc, you’re so right about staying ahead of class. Maybe I just need more exposure for the material to stick. As for anatomy, I write EVERYTHING down and I mean everything. It’s all fair game and I just don’t have time to study everything he says. I’m talking 60+ slides of info (per lecture, that’s 3 lectures a week, about 2-3 weeks in between tests), plus all the clinical stuff and there’s just no way possible for me to go over it all. Not to mention he has a thick accent which is really hard to understand. I’m just gonna do the best I can. I don’t even need anatomy for my major, I took it as an elective thinking it would be useful and because I originally thought it was required. </p>

<p>Thanks R for your input too. I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s struggles but I don’t think it’s fair to say she has no/hardly any chance. I got into my reach school, not because of GPA, but because I had awesome recs from my high school teachers. I tried really hard, was enthusiastic and I was generally interested in what they were teaching me. I was an IB student, but not the one with the highest GPA. I got in because of my essay, my ECs, my ACT score and my recs. Although I understand your points about GPA being crucial, it’s not everything. I really think she should just go for it. You never know what could happen. I wish her the best of luck and I thank you for those encouraging words. That was really kind of you.</p>

<p>And no offense, but marc and schaden I think it’s really silly for you guys to be cutting each other down over a college confidential post. I do appreciate you responding, but there’s really no need to be rude to each other. There are valid points you both made and besides, are you really gonna argue over this when you don’t even know who I am? Just saying.</p>