I got a "B" on a midterm. How will this affect me later?

[aman_07]

Well, I have just gotten my first ever university exam back and received a not so good mark of a B. I know that this average throughout your undergrad is not going to suffice if you want to apply for medicine, so I was wondering how I can do better on the next one?

Is this mark of only a B really going to matter 3 years from now when I am nearly done my degree? Or for calculating my GPA? I was really disappointed to see this result, but any advice/tips on how to do better in general on midterm and final exams and just be able to acheive A+ from now on in!?

Thanks.

[Chowchilla]

i can't decide if you're a troll or not ... but no, that B is not going to kill your chances and no, it won't matter 3 years down the road. a B is a pretty decent mark and there are plenty of people who'd love to be in your place. just relax and try your best. that's the best advice you'll get.

[aman_07]

What is a troll?

 

BTW, I was being SERIOUS with my original post. From all the amazing stats I have seen on here, it seems like I will have a tough time keeping up to the nearly flawless averages with just a bunch of B's on my transcript.

[patch]

Relax

 

First of all it’s only a midterm. I don't know how many times I’ve bombed a midterm and end up with an A+ after the final. Even if you end up with a B, you be fine, dilute that class over 3 or 4 years and it disappears. If you were failing I might be concerned.

 

Good Luck

[ahma99]

yo man iam in first year also.. dont worry about a B its all good just study in a way that would make u feel that u did all u could to prepare for this test and there is nothing else that could screw u up... unless offcourse the prof gives random questions ( which happens )

 

and one more thing... plz dont aim for an A+ ... always aim at A- or A ... and u will get that A+.... that was a trick that my bio prof told us... if you are aiming for straigh A+ 's you are trapped into the first year "I wana go into medicine" hysteria... and THAT is a problem

 

 

good luck.. well iguess i need the luck too man

 

peace

[aman_07]

yo man iam in first year also.. dont worry about a B its all good just study in a way that would make u feel that u did all u could to prepare for this test and there is nothing else that could screw u up... unless offcourse the prof gives random questions ( which happens )

 

and one more thing... plz dont aim for an A+ ... always aim at A- or A ... and u will get that A+.... that was a trick that my bio prof told us... if you are aiming for straigh A+ 's you are trapped into the first year "I wana go into medicine" hysteria... and THAT is a problem

 

 

good luck.. well iguess i need the luck too man

 

peace

 

 

Cool, thanks for the advice guys.

 

 

ahma, How's first year going for you and what school are you at?

[muchdutch]

What is a troll?

 

BTW, I was being SERIOUS with my original post. From all the amazing stats I have seen on here, it seems like I will have a tough time keeping up to the nearly flawless averages with just a bunch of B's on my transcript.

 

troll:An electronic mail message, Usenet posting or other

(electronic) communication which is intentionally incorrect,

but not overtly controversial (compare flame bait), or the

act of sending such a message. Trolling aims to elicit an

emotional reaction from those with a hair-trigger on the reply

key. A really subtle troll makes some people lose their

minds. (from dictionary.com)

 

also, although there are many people here who post phenomenal stats, I'm willing to bet that there are those out there who don't have all A+'s (like me!) and have gotten into/will get into medicine anyway.

[daryn]

At this point in time, I wouldn't worry about how the mighty B on a midterm would affect your chances. I would worry about how I can get that A as final marks and how I can become the all rounded good student instead.

[p0tus]

Hey,

 

Don't worry too much about that one B. I got into med school with a D, 2 C's and a few of B's. Don't stress out too much...easier said than done I know! We've all been there Study hard and do your best. If you have decent grades and are a well balanced person (some say you need a little luck as well) you will get in.

[Smurfette]

I've gotten a midterm in the 50s (I don't even know what letter grade that is) and ended up with an A in the course. Don't worry about it. Just make sure you study extra hard for the final exam. Treat it as a wake up call that you don't know the material as well as you think you do.

 

I don't exactly agree with the statement of aiming for an A- or an A and getting an A+. I think it's a better idea to go in with aims of LEARNING as much as possible and to trying the best that you can. And then to be fairly confident that if you do that, you will be okay in the long run without any expectations of particular marks. I find that when the focus changes from marks to learning, you tend to do better, get more out of your courses, and refrain from becoming too competitive and hysterical.

[LackingPhysics]

Hey!

 

Believe me, for your FIRST university exam ever a B is REALLY good...you should be proud! Many people end up with failing or near failing marks right off the bat and so be happy you're not in that position.

 

I totally agree with aiming for an A- or A. Last year (second year), I was hoping for as many As as possible, but I never thought I could get A+s and then I ended up with 21 credits worth of A+s. This year, I have set my sights too high and I'm ending up getting A-s just because I'm so stressed out. In fact, this thread has just made me realize that I need to calm down! Thanks for posting that Ahma99.

 

I also agree that focusing on LEARNING is best because that will ultimately help you when you're actually in medical school (and that's what we're in university for, right?), but I think it's fine if you have hopes in the back on your mind of doing really well.

 

Good luck!!

[Kuantum]

I got a B on my very first university English essay and ended up with an A in the class. Its more of a wake-up call. Just don't make it a habit.

[TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

I'd like to know which classes you can get a 50 on a midterm in and still end up with an A+ overall! For that matter, I'd also like to know which classes you can "bomb" the midterm on and wind up with an A+ overall! Were they one of those classes where you get to throw out one (or more) of your exam marks? Or were they one of those classes where if you whine enough to the prof, he or she will either alter the weighting of the exam or just bump you up anyway, despite your initially inept performance? Then again, there's always the possibility, of course, that what someone means by "bombing the midterm", that means that they only got a B+ on it. Or an A-. Or an A.

[LackingPhysics]

I've barely passed a midterm and ended up getting an A+, but that was only because if you could do 20% better on the final than the midterm you got the midterm mark thrown away.

 

It would probably be pretty hard to truly "bomb" a midterm and get an A+ overall, but who knows? Some courses have a very low midterm weighting and if you do well on the final/assignments you can do very well with a low midterm mark.

[007]

It is totally ok to get a B on a midterm in first year. I know several people who didn't do great in first year (high 70's avg with some marks in the low 70's) who then did a great job thereafter as they figured out how to study and how to balance studying and partying and ended up getting into several med schools. You want to minimize the number of courses/year that you get low marks on and then show better marks in your upper year courses. Remember that some schools take your best 2 or 3 years and others may allow you to drop your lowest course each year in calculating GPAs for admission.

[TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

I echo what 007 said. A 'B' is a good mark, especially for a first university midterm and is by no means "bombing". It puts you in a good position to improve your study and work habits/quality and in doing so will undoubtedly put you in a good position to improve your grades later on in the year once you figure out "the game" of university studies. You're in good shape, especially compared to those who did not fare as well on your exam!

[The Law]

Don't worry about it man... as you go on in university, you'll learn to study better. A B is not bad at all, especially if the midterm isn't worth very much... even if it is... don't worry, you'll survive!

[tmacgirl]

A B is pretty good for your first test, most people fail the first test.

If you feel you can do better then start reviewing how you studied. Do you feel that you started too early/late, did you focus on understanding/memorizing, did you use all the tools availabe to you such as websites/past test/etc.

I got all of these questions when I visited my academic advisior. The advisor and I went through all this. Maybe you should set up a meeting.

But remeber a B on the first test in pretty darn good...!!!

[patch]

Hey,

 

I'd like to know which classes you can get a 50 on a midterm in and still end up with an A+ overall! For that matter, I'd also like to know which classes you can "bomb" the midterm on and wind up with an A+ overall! Were they one of those classes where you get to throw out one (or more) of your exam marks? Or were they one of those classes where if you whine enough to the prof, he or she will either alter the weighting of the exam or just bump you up anyway, despite your initially inept performance? Then again, there's always the possibility, of course, that what someone means by "bombing the midterm", that means that they only got a B+ on it. Or an A-. Or an A.

 

In my situation, I got a C- on a midterm, then aced the final and got an A+. This was a fairly difficult class for some (first year calculus) so I assume that there was some generous scaling going on post-final but the midterm fully counted. This was probably the biggest jump I’ve had from midterm to final but I’ve also had many other less extreme yet similar situations.

 

Moral of the story: It’s not over till its over. Learn from your mistakes and do better next time.

[Smurfette]

Hey,

 

I'd like to know which classes you can get a 50 on a midterm in and still end up with an A+ overall! For that matter, I'd also like to know which classes you can "bomb" the midterm on and wind up with an A+ overall! Were they one of those classes where you get to throw out one (or more) of your exam marks? Or were they one of those classes where if you whine enough to the prof, he or she will either alter the weighting of the exam or just bump you up anyway, despite your initially inept performance? Then again, there's always the possibility, of course, that what someone means by "bombing the midterm", that means that they only got a B+ on it. Or an A-. Or an A.

 

I got 50-something (57%?) in one midterm worth 25%. I aced (100%) both the other midterm (worth 25%) and the final exam (50%). That would technically give me a mark of 89%. I ended up with 93% because there was some slight scaling (for the whole class - not just for me).

[TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

I got 50-something (57%?) in one midterm worth 25%. I aced (100%) both the other midterm (worth 25%) and the final exam (50%). That would technically give me a mark of 89%. I ended up with 93% because there was some slight scaling (for the whole class - not just for me).

Ah the good old bell curve! Sadly, I never got to benefit from its neverending kindness when I was an undergraduate! Seems that my faculty didn't believe in it. Oh well.

[muchdutch]

Your faculty wasn't the only one Timmymax. Don't feel lonely...

[booty911]

I have just started my first semester at university in nursing. I'm doing really well for first year in all my courses, but I recently just received my English midterm back, it was only worth 15% of the year but still...I achieved a whole 30% on the exam.

 

English has always been my weak point in school, I am capable of high grades in everything else but when it comes down to English literature, I am useless. At least it's early in the year and it's only my first year at least.

[The Law]

I have just started my first semester at university in nursing. I'm doing really well for first year in all my courses, but I recently just received my English midterm back, it was only worth 15% of the year but still...I achieved a whole 30% on the exam.

 

English has always been my weak point in school, I am capable of high grades in everything else but when it comes down to English literature, I am useless. At least it's early in the year and it's only my first year at least.

 

Okay, well take it from there... and work on it.

Approach the course differently. It's your first year in university. It's not going to be easy. Don't give up though, think about what you can do to get better... and go out and do them. Don't get discouraged no matter how hard it gets, you'll get through it! There is plenty of room to improve your mark, so take advantage of it!

[aman_07]

How about a B as a final mark in a course? Several B's ?

Is this adequate for medicine?