Really low first semester GPA..please help??

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Hi i just ended my first semester at Penn State main campus and ended up with 1.7 GPA. I know its really really bad but the independence really got to me this semester. I was raised in a really strict family where i wasn't able to do anything without the permission of my parents. So i got kind of overwhelmed with my parents not being with me all the time and skipped most of classes and did not study at all. When i got the wake call it was too late and my GPA went downhill from there. I initially wanted to be an engineering major but was force in a Pre-Med major by my parents. I hate biology and chemistry so i skipped most of lectures and got a D for both of them. I am decent at math but i skipped almost all of lectures and did not turn in any homework and i wasn't there for most of the quizzes so i only managed to pull a C in that class. This is not me i used to study and do all my homework in high school. had a 3.8 cumulative GPA with mostly honors and AP's. My SAT's were fine too. I am on academic probation right now and i am feeling really hopeless and don't know what to do.</p>

<p>Is there any hope for me? If i work really hard and change my major next semester like get 3.3 is there any way i can be around a 3.0 by the time i graduate? Any kind of criticism or advice on raising my GPA is welcome.</p>

<p>Thank you for answering!</p>

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<p>The only thing you can do is: do better next semester.</p>

<p>I mean, that’s really it, and you already know that. You’ve identified where you went wrong this semester, so make sure you do everything differently next semester.</p>

<p>Does your school allow you to retake classes that you received a D in and replace those grades in your GPA? That may be something to look into. You might want to ask your advisor if there are any policies that you’re not aware of that could help you out.</p>

<p>You know that you let the independence go to your head, so next semester you have to hold yourself accountable. Don’t go out with friends unless you’ve finished your homework assignments. Schedule in time to study and stick too it. If you’re having trouble forcing yourself to do the work or go to class, then have a friend you trust hold you accountable. </p>

<p>Go to class, no matter what. Turn in your assignments. Study for your exams. If there’s anything you don’t understand, go to your school’s tutoring center or your TA or your professor right away. Don’t wait until it’s too late.</p>

<p>You know what you have to do. Now, you just have to do it, and hope for the best.</p>

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<p>Retake bio and chemistry, the old grades will stay with you if you ever apply to graduate school but the new grades will replace the old grades on your college transcript.</p>

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<p>I would retake the D’s for sure. I had a D, and I retook it the summer before my junior year and replacing the D with a B raised my GPA from a 2.7 to a 2.86, and since you have less in your GPA, it’d make a world of difference for you. </p>

<p>If you can, change your major to something you like. That increased my work ethic a ton. Go to class, do your homework and study. Hold yourself accountable. I trade off homework time for friend time sometimes and then just stay up really late. Or I’ll go to the library with my friends even if they’re not in any classes with me. It’s all about finding a balance and controlling yourself. Good luck. You can do this.</p>

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<p>It’s not too late and hopefully you got the ‘i’m free’ out of your system. Study, study, study and do your homework. And then turn it in. Good luck. I agree with retaking the classes in summer. Preferably on your own dime but also please if you haven’t talked to your parents suck it up and talk to your parents about your major and your performance.</p>

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<p>I think you’ve already addressed what you need to do: GO TO CLASS. It’s seriously the best way of learning. You can read your textbook all you want, but there’s something special and different about hearing your professor reword and explain things. Plus, you never know when a professor might change a deadline or amend project requirements and descriptions. Just going to class should definitely improve your grades. </p>

<p>When you’re not in class, set up a solid, perpetual system to get you in the habit of studying. The only way to do something thoroughly and well is to do it often and regularly. In college you’re honoring different kinds of skills, and this takes time and practice.</p>

<p>Let’s run through an example day:</p>

<p>You have class from 10-12 and then from 1:30-2:30. Wake up at 8 am, get ready, grab your phone/laptop, and eat breakfast over surfing the web/checking FB/playing candy crush. This is your “you” time of the morning. Do whatever you want and get comfortable. After this, spend a solid 30-45 minutes doing work for your first class. This can be reading the chapter, finishing up problem sets, going over stuff before a test, etc. Start off your day by being productive. </p>

<p>At noon, grab some lunch. Meet up with some buddies in the student union/cafe and have your social time. Don’t let it go for more than 45 minutes. After that, leave for somewhere relatively quiet/workable and get in another 30-45 minutes of work for your 1:30 class. Again, this will help you keep up. </p>

<p>Your last class ends at 2:30, so go to the library from 2:45-4:45 for some hard core studying. Do your hardest stuff first. Have a paper to write? Crank out the first draft. Have a bio test later that week? Go through every chapter and and identity what you need to work on. Turn off your phone and disable distracting websites during this time period. </p>

<p>At 4:45, head over to the dining hall at 5. Meet up with friends and have some more social time from 5-6 in the cafe. Or eat quickly and play video games or something to help wind down a bit. After that, though, either head back to the library, go to your floor’s lounge, go to an empty classroom, go to the student union, or go anywhere besides your dorm and hit the books again. Try to spend 6:30-8 doing more work, be it doing math problem sets, reading, studying for tests; anything. Again, disable distracting sites. </p>

<p>With a day like this, you’ll put 4 1/2-5 hours of studying in with free time after 8 pm, which is prime time for college shenanigans. You spread it out so that it doesn’t really feel like you did that much. You saw your friends, screwed around on the Internet, yet still got work done. </p>

<p>If you can find any kind of efficient, consistent pattern like this, do it. My days are similar to the example day and I feel so accomplished because I made a plan and stuck to it. I treat it like a job that just has to be done. Hopefully you can find something that works for you, too. </p>

<p>Good luck! Hang in there!</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for your help! Really appreciate it, but the first thing Penn state website says about repeating classes is that the grades are not replaced.</p>