have1goal Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I just don't get it. How is it that people were able to significantly improve their GPAs from 1st/2nd year to 3rd/4th year? On this forum, I see a lot of stats like: 1st year: 2.50 2nd year: 2.60 3rd/4th year: 4.00 Aren't 3rd/4th year classes much more difficult, and require the extensive knowledge of core courses from 1st/2nd year to get 90%+ in? So if you got 60s-70s in 1st year how were you able to get all 90s in 3rd/4th year? I'm finishing 2nd year and I want to make this transition but don't know how. I'd like to go from ~3.59 in 1st/2nd year to 4.00 in 3rd/4th year. In my courses, its either I get 70%-79% or 95%-100%. Only 3/18 courses I've taken are 80%-89%. So either the course is easy or difficult for me, not in between. I guess part of my poor performance is due to the fact that I've been studying hard, not smart... I don't know if its necessary to go back to my high school study habits of ~6 hours/day everyday. I currently study ~5.5 hours/day 5-9 days before the test/exam. Note that when I am studying, I am learning everything from scratch as I don't learn anything in lectures for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGo1990 Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 People become more efficient at managing time by 3rd year. People learn how to study + learn effectively, and class sizes get smaller. People keep up with the workload instead of cramming. People ask more questions to the profs, use office hours/email. People get used to the style and manner of questions being asked, develop good test taking skills by the time they're in 3rd year. People work harder than they did in first and second year (sometimes a bad first/second year GPA is a solid slap in the face). People start taking more specialized courses they're interested in rather than generic first year science courses. People learn to take a few bird courses to lighten the workload. People learn how the GPA system works. Sacrificing a potential 4.0 for a 3.9 is worth it when you're pressed for time and decide to study for another exam since you're looking at a potential 78 in the course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarStrike Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Heh, I think one of the keys is learning to be efficient with your time and very dedicated. I'm in pharmacy and I find it really tough to keep up with the workload throughout the year. With 9-10 courses each semester and midterms, projects, assignments, research, etc. creeping up after the 1st few weeks of school its tough to study for exams, keep up with lectures, volunteer and work, let alone have time for leisure. However, with that being said, many people handle this just fine and take on research projects as well as party over the weekends. At the end of the day it boils down to efficiency and maybe aptitude....If there is a "magic formula" I would love to hear it haha. People become more efficient at managing time by 3rd year.People learn how to study + learn effectively' date=' and class sizes get smaller. People keep up with the workload instead of cramming. People ask more questions to the profs, use office hours/email. People get used to the style and manner of questions being asked, develop good test taking skills by the time they're in 3rd year. People work harder than they did in first and second year (sometimes a bad first/second year GPA is a solid slap in the face). People start taking more specialized courses they're interested in rather than generic first year science courses. People learn to take a few bird courses to lighten the workload. People learn how the GPA system works. Sacrificing a potential 4.0 for a 3.9 is worth it when you're pressed for time and decide to study for another exam since you're looking at a potential 78 in the course.[/quote'] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnb88 Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 I just don't get it. How is it that people were able to significantly improve their GPAs from 1st/2nd year to 3rd/4th year? On this forum, I see a lot of stats like: 1st year: 2.50 2nd year: 2.60 3rd/4th year: 4.00 Aren't 3rd/4th year classes much more difficult, and require the extensive knowledge of core courses from 1st/2nd year to get 90%+ in? So if you got 60s-70s in 1st year how were you able to get all 90s in 3rd/4th year? I'm finishing 2nd year and I want to make this transition but don't know how. I'd like to go from ~3.59 in 1st/2nd year to 4.00 in 3rd/4th year. In my courses, its either I get 70%-79% or 95%-100%. Only 3/18 courses I've taken are 80%-89%. So either the course is easy or difficult for me, not in between. I guess part of my poor performance is due to the fact that I've been studying hard, not smart... I don't know if its necessary to go back to my high school study habits of ~6 hours/day everyday. I currently study ~5.5 hours/day 5-9 days before the test/exam. Note that when I am studying, I am learning everything from scratch as I don't learn anything in lectures for some reason. The truth is, for everyone, it is different. I didn't learn what worked for me until my first (current) year of my 2nd undergrad. Moving away from home worked wonders for me- a 0.5 increase in my GPA (not even kidding). I'm studying a little smarter I suppose and I no longer balk at skipping class (there's two classes I've gone to maybe 2 or 3 times this semester because I've discovered I learn nothing from the lectures and my time is better spent working essays/assignments, catching up in other courses, working on that course, or sleeping). Frankly though, for me, it was simply moving away and leaving the home-stress behind that did wonders. I honestly didn't realize how much environment really plays a huge role in everything you do (getting rid of the anxiety I felt at home has helped in more ways than just my GPA!). Do you get distracted easily (with pm101, fb, youtube, or anything else)? Go to Starbucks or find a comfortable place on campus and take your notes to study. Some people make notes from what they read.... others that doesn't work well for. Some people make flashcards (although I've found this only works for rote memorization-type or definition/date type courses). Do you look longingly outside wishing you were out there instead of inside studying? Then go outside to study! Find a tree (or chair, or patch of grass) and plunk yourself down and study- that way you're outside enjoying studying instead of inside dreading it. Another important thing to do is to cater your studying to the type of exam you'll be writing. For example, multiple choice exams lend themselves to knowing specifics (in general). Short or long answer questions are more concept and application related. Each type of exam needs a different type of studying. Learn from the midterm(s) the style of questions asked and cater your studying to being able to predict the types (or at least styles) of questions the prof asks. For math/physics/chem- DO THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS. I can't stress that enough. Also, if you have a lot of other commitments, you may need to drop (or cut back on hours) one or two (if possible). As much as you may love doing something, if it's interfering with your studying/homework, it's not worth it. You could have all the amazing ECs in the world, but if your GPA is subpar, you'll be fighting an uphill battle getting in (trust me). The most important thing is to find what works for you. All of this that I've said may not work at all for you. It's about doing what you feel comfortable doing and what works for you. It can take awhile (as I discovered....) and sometimes the tiniest thing you didn't think was affecting your performance actually was. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMagic Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 Try a study group or just a friend who will go over the course material with you. For me after each session when I go home to study it sinks in much easier, and it's way different than listening to the professor lecturing. I always studied by myself, but I don't know this year with study groups it just clicked with me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 The truth is, for everyone, it is different. I didn't learn what worked for me until my first (current) year of my 2nd undergrad. Moving away from home worked wonders for me- a 0.5 increase in my GPA (not even kidding). I'm studying a little smarter I suppose and I no longer balk at skipping class (there's two classes I've gone to maybe 2 or 3 times this semester because I've discovered I learn nothing from the lectures and my time is better spent working essays/assignments, catching up in other courses, working on that course, or sleeping). Frankly though, for me, it was simply moving away and leaving the home-stress behind that did wonders. I honestly didn't realize how much environment really plays a huge role in everything you do (getting rid of the anxiety I felt at home has helped in more ways than just my GPA!). Do you get distracted easily (with pm101, fb, youtube, or anything else)? Go to Starbucks or find a comfortable place on campus and take your notes to study. Some people make notes from what they read.... others that doesn't work well for. Some people make flashcards (although I've found this only works for rote memorization-type or definition/date type courses). Do you look longingly outside wishing you were out there instead of inside studying? Then go outside to study! Find a tree (or chair, or patch of grass) and plunk yourself down and study- that way you're outside enjoying studying instead of inside dreading it. Another important thing to do is to cater your studying to the type of exam you'll be writing. For example, multiple choice exams lend themselves to knowing specifics (in general). Short or long answer questions are more concept and application related. Each type of exam needs a different type of studying. Learn from the midterm(s) the style of questions asked and cater your studying to being able to predict the types (or at least styles) of questions the prof asks. For math/physics/chem- DO THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS. I can't stress that enough. Also, if you have a lot of other commitments, you may need to drop (or cut back on hours) one or two (if possible). As much as you may love doing something, if it's interfering with your studying/homework, it's not worth it. You could have all the amazing ECs in the world, but if your GPA is subpar, you'll be fighting an uphill battle getting in (trust me). The most important thing is to find what works for you. All of this that I've said may not work at all for you. It's about doing what you feel comfortable doing and what works for you. It can take awhile (as I discovered....) and sometimes the tiniest thing you didn't think was affecting your performance actually was. Good luck! I'm going to +1 this. So much of what you've written also applies to me! Leaving away the stress, not attending lectures that are unproductive. And like you said, I didn't realize this until my later years. Finding what works for you is so important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asasas Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 i just started to cheat....just kidding by then I knew all the easy classes and the easy instructors, so I just took those classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehockeykid Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 bird courses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Femto Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Things that have worked for me: - be very aware of how you are managing your courses. Do not do unnecessary amounts of work for a class that you have a 95 in if you are also borderline 80 in another class. - Mid-terms are very important. In fact, I would say more important than finals in many cases. Work as hard as you can early in the semester to establish your position, and reduce stress levels later. I find mid-term season way harder than any other point in the semester, so i learned to prepare adequately for this. - know your profs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asta Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 My GPA went: ~3.30, ~3.30, EPIC FAIL, EPIC FAIL, -year working-, 4.0, 4.0, 4.0. I had to switch my mentality from 'not really caring about school, not going to lecture & cramming the night before' to 'go to school, do the readings, participate in class, know the profs'. I switched programs & schools and went to a school with smaller class sizes. I got involved in school and decided to really apply myself. I had always managed to get really good grades in high school with very little effort - I carried this same mentality to my first year of university and did so-so. I don't spend all of my time working on school, but I put in significantly more effort than I did before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blizzah Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Class averages in first and second year are C and C+ Third and fourth year are generally B to A- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prion Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Also a lot of pre-meds are probably weak at math/physics. The first year calc/physics and chem(mostly math) can make some serious dent on one's GPA. Luckily you don't really see those courses much in upper years for most bio related majors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MASTERdeBATOR Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 i just faked that i had ADD so i didnt have to take a full course load as explained in my application for UBC med Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGo1990 Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 i just faked that i had ADD so i didnt have to take a full course load as explained in my application for UBC med Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditde Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 i just faked that i had ADD so i didnt have to take a full course load as explained in my application for UBC med Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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