****ing up first year of college

[Chewbacca]

Pretty bummed right now. For my first semester I got 2.7, and now I am expecting to get like a 2.3 for my second semester. It's a 3 year bachelor, meaning 33% of my final GPA would be 2.5. Honestly, sometimes i just feel like quitting. I have aspirations to go to medschool but I just can't find the motivation to study my ass off for the exams. Getting into medschool is pretty tough here, they require really high GPA's otherwise they probably won't even consider interviewing you.

What are your views on this? Honestly I just felt like ranting.

 

[Magorien]

I have aspirations to go to medschool but I just can't find the motivation to study my ass off for the exams.

What are your views on this?

That with an attitude like that, I wouldn't want you practicing medicine on me.

Suck it up and strive to succeed with your ambitions, or find something else to do. Possibly something involving asking people if they want to go supersize. And I'm not talking about plastic surgery.

 

[Swissky]

Whatever you do, don't quit. You will most possibly get a "I'll start again next year" attitude which won't really lead anywhere. My only advice is to endure, I did and I'm finishing up school in just a few months.

 

[Almalexia]

What are the motivations for your aspirations for med school? Personal interest, the prospect of a stable and prosperous career, or family pressure/influence? If its the latter two, it kind of takes a particular kind of person to push through such difficult studies without the first. Especially with something like medicine.

That said, do you have any other scholarly/career interests?

 

[Chewbacca]

I find the human body just very interesting, that is why I am hoping to pursue this interest further in college. I am also interested in biomedical sciences.

I am just mostly really afraid that I will continue to keep ****ing up and that I end up with a bachelor and that I won't get admitted to any master. Is this a valid concern?

 

[Almalexia]

Yeah.

 

[Bluehawk]

I dropped out of university in my second year and now I'm dead. My body hasn't clued in yet, but my mind is six feet under.

 

[Untitled.]

That's because you drown yourself in the Sears catalogue and internet porn. Your death is like throwing away a Barbie doll or trashing a car. You're such a product. 

 

[Phonemelter]

My GPA was hovering just over a 2 after my second year, including one semester with a 1.9 that put me on academic probation, but ya know what? Only one of the 30 jobs I applied to asked about my GPA. Sure, my situation was probably a little different because I didn't have plans for med school (I did think about grad school at one point though), but probably half the people at my uni thought the same as you before getting wrecked by Orgo. And you know what? Many of those students have still gone on to nab great jobs / positions in areas they were interested in. Hell, I changed my mind five times over the course of college before figuring out what I wanted to do, after thinking I knew for sure what that was in my first year. In fact, I changed majors in my 5th semester and didn't decide what I really wanted to so with it until my 8th and final semester. So don't get too hard on yourself - the sooner you realize academics are not the most important aspect of college and that it's all about making connections, exploring your interests, and just having a god damn good time, the better you will end up.

 

[Llew2]

I dropped out of university in my second year and now I'm dead. My body hasn't clued in yet, but my mind is six feet under.

Actually laughed. 

 

[Chewbacca]

My GPA was hovering just over a 2 after my second year, including one semester with a 1.9 that put me on academic probation, but ya know what? Only one of the 30 jobs I applied to asked about my GPA. Sure, my situation was probably a little different because I didn't have plans for med school (I did think about grad school at one point though), but probably half the people at my uni thought the same as you before getting wrecked by Orgo. And you know what? Many of those students have still gone on to nab great jobs / positions in areas they were interested in. Hell, I changed my mind five times over the course of college before figuring out what I wanted to do, after thinking I knew for sure what that was in my first year. In fact, I changed majors in my 5th semester and didn't decide what I really wanted to so with it until my 8th and final semester. So don't get too hard on yourself - the sooner you realize academics are not the most important aspect of college and that it's all about making connections, exploring your interests, and just having a god damn good time, the better you will end up.

Thanks for this, makes me feel a little bit better about myself.

I wish to go to grad school. I don't know, I tell myself that they when they look at my grades that they may think like 'oh he just had a bad year' if I actually do get good grades for the next semesters. But idk. **** I feel kinda worthless.

 

[Phonemelter]

I don't know where you're from, but grad school right out of college isn't often the right choice - many professors I know wish their students had a little more experience and believe it's best fort them to first gain some "real world" perspective. A couple of my friends made the mistake of going into it right away and found out too late that it wasn't what they were interested in after all. Even if you do decide it's the road you want to take, I think your grades in later semesters would be more important. I asked my advisor once about my early grades and he said "So what? Any professor worth a damn won't care that you got C's in a subject they've never thought about in years - your major GPA and the classes you've taken / research you've done that relates to them is what they should care about."

 

[kurczak]

Pretty bummed right now. For my first semester I got 2.7, and now I am expecting to get like a 2.3 for my second semester. It's a 3 year bachelor, meaning 33% of my final GPA would be 2.5. Honestly, sometimes i just feel like quitting. I have aspirations to go to medschool but I just can't find the motivation to study my ass off for the exams. Getting into medschool is pretty tough here, they require really high GPA's otherwise they probably won't even consider interviewing you.

What are your views on this? Honestly I just felt like ranting.

Yes, that's the only thing you're doing here. Nothing wrong with it per se, but it doesn't get you very far either.

You obviously know the facts, you just wrote them down. You know the problem, you just wrote it down. You also know the consequenecs, again, just wrote them down.

But you are still not motivated. There's not much anyone here can do about it. There's only choices, you can continue to just let life run and see what happens.

Maybe it works out. But probably it won't. Probably you'll hit your head on something. And maybe that will scare the **** out of you and will provide the long awaited negative reinforcement and you will bounce from the button. Or maybe the impact will be too much and you will never recover. Maybe your life will still be "objectively" okayish, but you will know you're on a downward spiral and more than that - you won't even mind. Some people are hardwired that way, they are even happy once they embrace their "fate" and hey that's more than a lot of people can say.

Or you'll throw this year behind you, because there's nothing you can do about it. You will start the new year as best as you can. Willpower or focus come to some people easily and naturally. Neither you, nor me are one of those people. For us this is like cardio training for people after a second heart attack - you either do it, or you die. But if you overdo it, you die also. Nobody can run a marathon straight away after years of potato couching. You start small and slow, you train your muscles and heart willpower and focus one step at a time, but every day. You forget about medschool. That **** is far, far away. You have two long years ahead of you, so there's no point pollluting your mind with things that are out of reach for you now. You do these small steps anyway. Do what needs to be done and do it now however small and "unimportant" it seems. Your brain will learn from this and you will get "addicted" to getting things done. Every morning look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself out loud you can do this. And if you do those things, tell yourself out loud that you did a great job. And if you don't do them, tell yourself out loud that yeah that was not great, but no worries, you'll get it tomorrow. I know this sounds cheesy and cringeworthy, but it works. Not right away, but it builds up eventually. 90 pct of getting things done is self-fulfilling prophecy. So, do that, but not because med school, but because that's what you have to do to survive. Besides, in the end you might not get to med school anyway, even if you do your best. This is life, not a fairy tale and if you attach yourself too strongly to specific goals, you just set yourself for a mental bust.

 

[ColonicAcid]

I feel as if further education into unis and stuff like that should be enjoyable. Yes, sure, it's a big step up from A levels (here in the UK atleast) and a shock as well as you no longer have the guidance from your parents/etc if you move away (which I did.). But if you don't enjoy the subjects that you do even if it's your best subject then you've begun your journey at the bottom of mount ****ing Everest. Can some people climb Everest? Sure. Can everyone do it? Absolutely not. When I did Biochemistry I absolutely adored it, and I still do. Did I still have to put effort in it? Yeah sure, but that's life. Did I enjoy putting that effort into it? Yeah, at the end of it I'm far more knowledgeable than I was at the start of it.

In some ways the education system is ****ed in pretty much forcing people to go to University. Ask yourself if you truly have gone to University because you want to expand your knowledge of your chosen field or if it's because society (through your parents and school) has drilled into you that you need a university degree to get a good job? Because whilst most certainly the socio-economic aspect of it has changed to that but the actual courses itself are still pandered to the fact that its for people who want to expand their knowledge. If you're there because you need to be there to land your dream job and you don't really care about the subject than in  the eyes of the course you are incompatible. In America Grad schools are becoming the old colleges as having a bSC is no longer a big deal. In that way, grad schools have become the "I really enjoy this subject and I wish to explore each nook and cranny of it" that universities used to occupy.

I just noticed my last paragraph is a total mess in terms of general coherent thought and I apologise if the message I was trying to convey got lost in it, but basically, if you don't enjoy what you're doing currently at Uni, and you feel that studying is more a chore than an actual pursuit than I would seriously consider looking at other options. I'm sure you can find ways to go into Biomedical sciences without going through the University route. I don't know fully about it America but I know for a fact that it is possible in the UK. And if you went into university with the mindset that it was a requirement for later rather than you really, really want to know more about that subject that in my opinion it was the wrong choice to make.

 

[Almalexia]

@ the last part of Kurczak's point:

Idk, it reminded me a lot of this speech,



...which is a pretty important point for anyone to realize. So, well said, and nice job channeling Picard? 

 

[Lord Brutus]

I find the human body just very interesting, that is why I am hoping to pursue this interest further in college. I am also interested in biomedical sciences.

I am just mostly really afraid that I will continue to keep ****ing up and that I end up with a bachelor and that I won't get admitted to any master. Is this a valid concern?

It's a valid concern in the US, no idea about Nederland.  I'm guessing it would be worse.

 

[Úlfheðinn]

Yeah, I mean I'd say modern American Grad school , your GPA is a cutoff value, so sure, it doesn't matter if you get some B's and C's, but if your GPA drops below say 3.00 your looking at some problems.

I'm neither a medical student or law student, but my impression is that those programs are even more competitive than say standard many other graduate programs largely because everyone and their mom wants to be a lawyer or medical doctor.

That doesn't mean you don't have a shot, but generally your GPA and standardized test score (GRE/LSAT, MCAT, whatever) are used to filter out the applications that are even looked at.

Although depending on the schools you apply to or professors you want to work with, it can occasionally not be a huge deal, as some professors or schools care less about stuff like that. However, in general I'd say top schools are pretty picky and they also have large pool of highly qualified people to choose from. Basically, at least from my experience/input, undergraduate programs are easy to get in to, think amateur leagues, graduate programs are like the professional leagues, where everyone that gets accepted is probably top of their class, high scoring, etc.

Conversely, if all you have is a good GPA and a good standardized test score, you are also super ****ed. Largely because no one cares if you can memorize a bunch of random facts and ace some classes and different classes/professors/universities have different levels of difficult involved in doing well in a course.



Phonemelter has a great point though, never go to graduate school if you aren't sure.

Secondly, people who do well in undergraduate programs tend to think they should go to graduate school, which is also not a good line of thought. Undergraduate programs have pretty much nothing to do with graduate programs, yes you might use some skills you learned in your undergraduate career, but it's mostly used as a filter to weed out who to look at.



Kurczak also makes a number of great point.

However, I'd also add that no one can magically motivate you to care, if you really want to go to graduate school, you have to work for it yourself, if you can't manage that, then you're **** out of luck because compared to undergrad, grad school means even more reading, even more work, even longer hours, and it puts even more responsibility on you alone.

Graduate school is one of those things that should be done only if you are a) sure you want to go and b) willing to do whatever you have to get into a good program.

It's like the special forces, why would you try to join the Navy Seals or any other elite unit if you're thinking was "man I just really can't motivate myself to go train every day"?

 

[RalliX]

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and do it."
Don't know whose quote that is, but someone else wrote that.
A similar line of thought applies to schooling, and any form of work or dream. Your weak studying breeds doubt and fear. When you get nose deep into the books you feel confident and courageous. If you want to conquer the fear of not achieving your dreams, stop, drop everything you are doing and go study, work on it.

No you don't need to read that interesting book, or watch all those tantalizing youtube subscriptions, or play games with your internet buds.
If you feel fear about your performance there is only one solution, and that is performing. Go and learn, and you will know victory.

You did **** up. That was a year ago, that was yesterday, that was five minutes ago.  It is all on your shoulders. Waiting will catch up with you. Don't tell yourself it will be okay when you know its not.
If you want to stop feeling that gut-wrenching apathy, that fear, that despression, then GET UP.
NEVER GIVE UP. ****ing move, or bleed out quietly and accept that state of failure and all of its consequences.

If this is what you want to do, then do it. If you are on this track, don't half ass it. For the love of god don't sacrifice the future for the present, or the present for the past. If you feel like this isn't your path, wait until you find your alternative before you stop giving 100% for this.


I don't need to say anymore, you don't need to read anymore. If you believe a word I'm saying you should hit the books, or your project.

 

[pentagathus]

Yes, sure, it's a big step up from A levels (here in the UK atleast)  your parents and school)

Really? I've found it a lot easier than A levels so far. Which has made it hard to stay motivated because it shouldn't be easy.

 

[ColonicAcid]

Yeah I'm guessing it depends on what you do. For STEMS atleast you only really see minor-grad stuff at very specific points in the topic, and even then they're very much simplified to a large degree. One of the examples I remember is the Krebs cycle. In A-level it's substituted nearly half the compounds with just "A 5C compound, or a 4C intermediary" etc etc but atleast in university it was needed to learn both all the chemicals and all the enzymes involved in it.