how does one succeed in undergrad?!?

[SOAPsucks222]

I just transferred to The University of Texas at Austin this spring semester. Previously, I attended a junior college in Dallas. In my 2.5 years there, I was a full time student along with playing varsity college baseball and I made all A's--except for 2 classes, B's. I like to consider myself a very good student and many respectable colleagues of mine have told me some of the most complementary things about my intelligence. These people are physicians and prestiged Nurse Practitioners whom I worked for. (I worked as a Scribe in a Neurology clinic).

Here, 5 weeks into the semester, I am incredibly discouraged. Im taking Bio 2, Chem 2, upper division Psyc, global health and Chem Lab. The workload is nothing short of OVERWHELMING. I am in shock. My test grades have been B and 2 Cs thus far. i can't help but ask myself how on earth i could have let this happen. I need As!

Any advice to succeed in undergrad? I am a VERY MOTIVATED STUDENT, very passionate about my dreams of practicing medicine. Any insight helps!

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[Gilakend]

First off, you can still recover. Bs or Cs on one test does not necessarily mean you're doomed for that class.

Study smarter. It is not always motivation that is the issue, sometimes it is your approach. Take an honest look at everything you do, is anything wasted time while studying? Are you learning and reviewing the material or just reading it? For bio it is mainly memorization so put in quality study time, I like to use flashcards (I used to use quizlet when I was in bio 1 and 2 but now I use Anki for anatomy). For chem it is pretty much practice until you understand it then practice some more. Chem lab at my school is honestly just a colossal waste of time, it was consistently 3+ hours of work a week for a 1 credit hour class. So I'll let someone else chime in on that one. As for the others they are probably prof specific on how to study, review early and often for tests. Once you learn a good system its definitely manageable. I take 20 credit hours right now including physics 2 w/ lab, orgo 2 w/ lab, anatomy and pathophys, science writing, and research class while working, campus involvement and volunteering and so far all my exams have been good. I'm not a genius or study 24/7 its just knowing HOW and WHEN to study. I used to (and still do, honestly) waste MASSIVE amounts of time doing useless things like clicking around on YouTube for an hour or picking up my phone all the time when I'm trying to study. By cutting out things like this and just getting good quality studying in I've been able to spend less time studying and have more time for other things. I'm sure other people will give great advice in this thread, I think it might just take you some time to figure out what works for you.

One last note, don't become so consumed by classes that you forgot how to be a college kid. Exercise, hangout with friends, go to a party, get involved on campus in something you enjoy. Not taking breaks is a good way to burn out. Best of luck.

 

[TexasPostBaccPreMed]

Reading this sounds like deja vu. I transferred to UT from a junior college back in the day. I was also a full time student athlete and had a 4.0 at my juco, was really involved in extracurriculars and the honor society, and even worked part time on top of it all one semester. Transferred to UT and took bio 1, chem 1, calculus, and some other random class while rushing a sorority. Tanked my GPA. It was quite a wake up call. My advice to you is NOT to do what I did, which is basically nothing. I was literally frozen, had never made bad grades before and didn't know how to deal with it. Didn't ask for help and didn't change my study habits really. I think I ended up with two Ds and two Cs, and years later I'm making up for it with GPA repair. Figure out how to make good grades, and figure it out fast. Just drop any other obligations and dedicate your time to studying. The bar is set a LOT higher compared to your junior college. If it comes down to it and you can't turn it around, drop a class or two if you absolutely have to. I know a lot of people will disagree, but a couple Ws (especially if you don't have any so far) is a lot better than ruining your GPA to the point that you are an auto-reject for all medical schools. You can explain the Ws as you having a hard time adjusting to a new school and city. Trust me. Don't let it ruin your GPA!

Basically just realize the classes are a lot harder and will require more intense studying. Since it's only the first round of tests of the semester you can still turn it around, but let this be a wake up call!


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[StarbucksMD21]

Reading this sounds like deja vu. I transferred to UT from a junior college back in the day. I was also a full time student athlete and had a 4.0 at my juco, was really involved in extracurriculars and the honor society, and even worked part time on top of it all one semester. Transferred to UT and took bio 1, chem 1, calculus, and some other random class while rushing a sorority. Tanked my GPA. It was quite a wake up call. My advice to you is NOT to do what I did, which is basically nothing. I was literally frozen, had never made bad grades before and didn't know how to deal with it. Didn't ask for help and didn't change my study habits really. I think I ended up with two Ds and two Cs, and years later I'm making up for it with GPA repair. Figure out how to make good grades, and figure it out fast. Just drop any other obligations and dedicate your time to studying. The bar is set a LOT higher compared to your junior college. If it comes down to it and you can't turn it around, drop a class or two if you absolutely have to. I know a lot of people will disagree, but a couple Ws (especially if you don't have any so far) is a lot better than ruining your GPA to the point that you are an auto-reject for all medical schools. You can explain the Ws as you having a hard time adjusting to a new school and city. Trust me. Don't let it ruin your GPA!

Basically just realize the classes are a lot harder and will require more intense studying. Since it's only the first round of tests of the semester you can still turn it around, but let this be a wake up call!


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Did you end up making it to medical school?
-Also a discouraged transfer student

 

[TexasPostBaccPreMed]

Haven't applied yet. I changed my major after my first couple semesters there and then graduated, worked for a few years in an unrelated field, and I'm doing a post-bacc now. We'll find out! But looking back, it would've been a hell of a lot easier had I done things right the first time around. Don't be too discouraged, plenty of people bomb a few exams and still get into medical school. But figure out how to turn it around quickly and for the time being, really just cut out all other activities and focus on grades if this is what you really want. Don't let yourself get suckered into the SDN-mindset of having to do a million ECs while taking 20 credit hours. Plenty of time for ECs later, and you can always do a gap year. It's much harder to retake classes and do GPA repair. This is a marathon, not a sprint...as they say.


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[SOAPsucks222]

Reading this sounds like deja vu. I transferred to UT from a junior college back in the day. I was also a full time student athlete and had a 4.0 at my juco, was really involved in extracurriculars and the honor society, and even worked part time on top of it all one semester. Transferred to UT and took bio 1, chem 1, calculus, and some other random class while rushing a sorority. Tanked my GPA. It was quite a wake up call. My advice to you is NOT to do what I did, which is basically nothing. I was literally frozen, had never made bad grades before and didn't know how to deal with it. Didn't ask for help and didn't change my study habits really. I think I ended up with two Ds and two Cs, and years later I'm making up for it with GPA repair. Figure out how to make good grades, and figure it out fast. Just drop any other obligations and dedicate your time to studying. The bar is set a LOT higher compared to your junior college. If it comes down to it and you can't turn it around, drop a class or two if you absolutely have to. I know a lot of people will disagree, but a couple Ws (especially if you don't have any so far) is a lot better than ruining your GPA to the point that you are an auto-reject for all medical schools. You can explain the Ws as you having a hard time adjusting to a new school and city. Trust me. Don't let it ruin your GPA!

Basically just realize the classes are a lot harder and will require more intense studying. Since it's only the first round of tests of the semester you can still turn it around, but let this be a wake up call!

Dang those similarities between us are pretty crazy... Thank you for your advice. I'm tying to change my habits. How's the post-bacc program? I've always wondered what those are like.

 

[Turkishking]

Read ahead of class, read before class. And prioritize time well.

 

[Goro]

Go see your school's learning or education center for help in time mgt, test taking skills, learning styles, etc.

I just transferred to The University of Texas at Austin this spring semester. Previously, I attended a junior college in Dallas. In my 2.5 years there, I was a full time student along with playing varsity college baseball and I made all A's--except for 2 classes, B's. I like to consider myself a very good student and many respectable colleagues of mine have told me some of the most complementary things about my intelligence. These people are physicians and prestiged Nurse Practitioners whom I worked for. (I worked as a Scribe in a Neurology clinic).

Here, 5 weeks into the semester, I am incredibly discouraged. Im taking Bio 2, Chem 2, upper division Psyc, global health and Chem Lab. The workload is nothing short of OVERWHELMING. I am in shock. My test grades have been B and 2 Cs thus far. i can't help but ask myself how on earth i could have let this happen. I need As!

Any advice to succeed in undergrad? I am a VERY MOTIVATED STUDENT, very passionate about my dreams of practicing medicine. Any insight helps!

 

[leonardoson]

Had this same experience transferring to a private Uni. I will echo what people have already said. The expectation of the quality of work is raised, and I wasn't ready for it. Did not receive the grades I was used to after the first round of tests, and I was overwhelmed completely from the workload. You will get used to the workload, and it will make you a smarter and better student. It's a shock at first, then you come to realize that everything people say about community college is true, and that you have become an actual college student. Stay strong, dips in GPA for transfers are typical, but they level back out to the mean you were used to.

Edit: I had to allot more time to studying and doing homework, and became more focused while I'm completing schoolwork.

 

[MareNostrummm]

I didn't transfer (started undergrad as a freshman) but ended up with almost all C's when I tried to take the intro physics, bio, and organic chemistry lectures with labs all at the same time during sophomore year. Yet I still ended up scoring well (128 C/P and 129 B/B) on the science sections of the MCAT... Most people in college can't handle that many weeder science classes at once , especially if you weren't warned how difficult it would be going into it. I think I bombed the first midterm of most of the classes and had a huge uphill battle since there.

The people that I knew with A's were usually just taking 2 science and 2 kicker easy classes (GEs).. some people are able to handle it though. You can do it with upper division classes but not so well with the intro series.

 

[medDaisuki]

I'm in the same situation...my exams in this semester are grouped together like all the time. I have three exams and one quiz next week. I was trying to withdraw but it has already been almost half of this semester. I just need to work as hard as possible and try to get A- instead of B


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[caffeinemia]

Dude, Abigail Fisher be pissed you took her spot. Or was that UT Houston?

Either way, I do recommend dropping a lot of activities and doing more time in the library or with tutors/office hours to get help. Yeah, science tracks are never fun or easy.

 

[TexasPostBaccPreMed]

Dang those similarities between us are pretty crazy... Thank you for your advice. I'm tying to change my habits. How's the post-bacc program? I've always wondered what those are like.

I'm doing a DIY post bacc at a different university, not a formal one. So far so good!


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