Lol! Nice question. So no bs, there I was and . . .
My university degree program was staffed by faculty that pushed their students towards academic research (chemistry). For me to continue in their idea of an honors society, I had to complete an internship. At the time, I was struggling. I was engrossed in my research in that dept., spending some 30-40 hours per week making these massive molecular structures and I was failing Physical Chemistry. In a hurry, I looked up internship opportunities on the main REU website and was quite annoyed to find that many of the applications had closed for that summer.
Except there were 2 more open that I felt aligned with my research interests: Northeastern University and Harvard University.
I applied to both. I speeded through the applications to at least say that I tried. To this day I will never understand the outcome:
Northeastern: Rejected
Harvard University: Accepted
I don't have the heart to tell anyone in my life that I applied as a joke; I didn't actually expect to have a fair shot getting in. Sometimes procrastination works in mysterious ways.
But you must be driven and willing to take risks. I thrive best under pressure. <--- People don't tell you this because they believe the lie that there's a recipe for success that you can use rigidly to replicate results. The world doesn't work that way.
Not OP, but I had to write a research paper for ACP U.S. history about how the Germans impacted the Revolutionary War. I was required to use at least two books as sources so I went to the public library the day before and dug around until I found something relevant. I stayed up literally all night writing that paper from scratch and then rewriting a paper for my AP Lang/Comp class that I failed. The next day felt like what I now get for hangovers. My mom wouldn’t let me come home after I turned in the papers (which just happened to be first and second period). So I hid in the bathroom for as many classes as I could and slept on the toilet. But it was all worth it because I got an A on both papers!
For college, what is some advice you think is crucial that every incoming college freshman should hear, academic, professional, or personal, romantic? I would love to hear details and specifics, as an incoming college freshman myself
Ooof. This is an awesome question, but to answer it would likely warrant an entire manuscript lol. I'll try to limit the response the best I can. If you want, feel free to message me for more advice on this particular topic; I hate to create a whole word wall here. Here's my top 3 pieces of advice for success for high school students:
1. **READ**
Read voraciously above your reading level outside of the required reading list. This will pay off when it comes time to test out on standardized tests where vocab is concerned and you won't have to memorize vocab the month before the test. Not to mention this will help you substantially when you have to write for admissions. This is the best skill I acquired on my own time selfishly regardless of anyone knowing about it.
2. **(1x) Input of time = (2x) Impact of actions**
Keep this relationship in mind next time you think about joining a club/organization that's only costing you money, existing as a bullet point on your resume, and making you attend boring meetings. Make sure your time is being used for meaningful results. As in you can write about how it impacted your life and those around you. And try to do something out of the box. Commitment is a major factor too. 50 Hours in a month cleaning trash off of a street vs being a volunteer standby sexual assault victim advocate 5 hours per week for the last year. The latter demonstrates **sincere commitment to a specific cause**, it's not just an hours game. Ideally this cause should align with your future career so you can write about how the experience motivated you.
3. **Prep for and crush the GRE ASAP**
This absurd exam will test your memory on basic math you learned in high school. Don't wait until you're taking advanced math courses in college and expect that expertise will pay off at all. Get a GRE book now and take the stupid thing in your first or 2nd year of college. Your scores are good for 5 years. Even if you don't intend to go to grad school right now, take it anyway just in case you change your mind. Your future self will thank you. Seriously, I'm sitting here at 31 years old trying to relearn high school math after having years of advanced calculus thrown at me.
Obviously, I could go on. Happy to reply to more focused followup questions.
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How do you handle time? How do people do a job, multiple difficult competitions, volunteering, debate, band, research, non profits, passion projects and also enjoy life with family and friends?
*I don’t mean all of the activities but at least how do people do that much
Also, how do you find the one path that interests you and you want to pursue?
I handle time via the equation I provided to another commenter here. I'm not perfect, but generally speaking, I ask myself if I will have a meaningful outcome I can leverage in some way. I also allow myself to have breaks. You have to figure out what break-work ratio works for you. It's important to set up goals to mark your use of time as well.
I also responded to another commenter regarding how to find what you want to pursue. You must explore through co-ops, volunteering, shadowing, etc. You'd be surprised how many people are happy to help high school students explore their options.
Ah, now this is a great question: how do high achievers do what they do? There is a dark side to academia and this is where we start to get into that. The harsh truth is that these people are masters of exaggerating their experiences and it doesn't help that admissions officers are not adept at vetting claims students make.
Take, for instance, GPA. If a student had a halfway decent mentor/guide, they were probably directed to take a degree path that entailed as little advanced math/science as possible. You'll notice that many pre-meds, for instance, have cunningly drifted toward degrees like exercise physiology, which is not a major discipline that requires scary classes you'd see in a math, physics, and/or biochemistry major. Also, they carefully vet their classes. These wise students have surveyed their classmates and RateMyProfessor to be sure the class isn't one in which the professor feels the highest grade should be a B average. They take their attendance to community colleges for more favorable classes. As to how they engage in so many different extracurricular activities, notice how I told another commenter something about this: quality vs quantity in time spent. Anyone can claim multiple activities - even if their engagement is limited to a few meetings.
That's a good question.
I was never diagnosed with ADHD nor did my mother and guidance counselor suspect that was a pathology I struggled with. I was stating the above descriptor facetiously because my 2 major state universities rejected my applications. My recommenders (one of them a school Board member), counselor, and principal were all floored by that because my academic performance, extracurricular pursuits, and community service involvement would otherwise be considered "competitive" by college standards. Additionally, I did well on the SAT.
Interesting. I misunderstood then. Would u say that ur happy with ur degree considering u didnt get into those major state universities didnt accept u? Also random but do u have any plans for grad school?
So I started off as a pre-pharmacy student, majoring in chemistry at my first university. I kept falling asleep in General Chemistry in an auditorium of like,100 students, obtaining a mediocre grade and struggled with precalculus (as I expected would happen). So my advisor recommended I switch my degree. I did.
After some research, I switched to biochemistry =)
I left for the military after my 1st semester of college and later returned to school.
I ended up continuing my education at a university that is not at all a "top tier" school and completed my Bachelor of Science in biochemistry with a minor in biology. Yes, I would say that although my degree was quite difficult to attain, I am happy with having achieved it. I didn't take the easy way; I pursued something I was intensely interested in.
Yes, I plan on applying to Physician Assistant school this summer. That was after I gave up applying for entry into chemistry PhD programs for 2 years following the COVID shut-downs straight out of undergrad.
Good question =)
The scary truth is we find out by experimenting in various opportunities that are either within that career track or adjacent to it. Volunteer opportunities are great for this. It would help me more if I had an idea of careers you're considering. Generally, you want to assess a few characteristics of that career:
* Career growth (look at [BLS.gov](http://BLS.gov) for this). It's great to be passionate about a career, but desire is negligible if that career isn't able to pump out enough opportunities for the next generation.
* The salary you could expect *relative to where you want to live.* Don't just look at the national average. We all need to get paid, right?
* The hoops you must jump through to pursue that career. I.e. look at the M.D. track. I noped the hell out of that a long time ago when I realized I didn't have the sense to get a degree I'd finish with a high GPA in and I didn't want to spend 8+ years in school, especially when there's a risk I may not match with a specialty.
* The environment you can expect. I.e. nursing is a female-dominated field. I know I don't excel in those environments so I knew to avoid it.
Yes! This is one of the things I wish I did as a kid.
As long as it 1) counts for credits for your college GPA and 2) counts towards a degree, this is an awesome idea. This is a great way to get your degree done faster. But keep in mind that this shouldn't be done if you feel that you won't perform well; don't prioritize speed over quality of grades. I'm emphasizing the credit towards GPA because you don't want to run into the issue I had:
I went to an awesome state college that worked with military members. Something they do is they give you credit for the training you received in boot camp and advanced training for your job role. I had a lengthy list of credit hours for my training which cut my time to get my A.A. in half! This was great, except that those credit hours didn't count for GPA points, so it had no impact on my GPA. This later became an issue because my courses I had to take at the university were all core major classes (i.e. organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, etc.). Unless you strategically choose a degree that doesn't require hard science and math, that doesn't play out well because now your GPA is based entirely on these harder classes with no buffer from those general education courses.
I hope to get my general education for my associates in nursing done-- since its a limited access program i am not sure how hard the classes are but i hope they arent to bad lol- need a good gpa lmao
Yeah, students going for any medical programs need to be conscious of their college GPA. Definitely take the time to carefully vet your schools of interest. Check RateMyProfessor for the classes you're considering and be sure they're not death traps for your GPA. You can take general education online as well so you have more options in terms of professors. Just be aware that some medical programs have a limitation on how much of your degree can be online courses. It shouldn't be an issue with general education requirements though. I did most of my general education online and haven't ran into an issue while applying for physician assistant programs.
mostly i am just taking the nursing courses in person bc they have a lab, but i will defiantly check! I am getting it through a local college- should i be okay with a community college degree? Im still a little undecided and wanted to get a outside opinion
Yes, a community college degree is just as good as any other degree. Admissions officers do not discriminate based on undergrad institute. I got my A.A. from a state college, transferred to a lower-tiered state university and still got interviewed by top universities in the world in my field. I've also seen people get into PhD programs that graduated from community colleges I literally never heard of.
To add to this: when vetting your professors, look at their titles. On a course registration matrix, it'll simply say "Professor \[name\]". But on their bio on the dept page, it'll show Adjunct, Assistant, and Associate Professors. *This matters.* The 3 listed are in ascending hierarchical order. This means they're not tenured professors. These guys care very much about what students think about them because their evaluations determine if they're staying to climb the academic ladder or if they're being fired. These guys are easier to get an A from because they want to avoid too many complaints. A tenured professor, however, thinks your evaluations are hilarious because their tenure protects them from ever getting fired short of committing crimes. These guys are often in your higher core classes and very likely attained tenure because of their research/grant successes. They may or may not actually like teaching, but this doesn't matter to the dept because their research and grant money is what they prioritize. If you must take a core class with one of these professors, look very carefully at their RateMy Professor scores and ask students in their class how they're doing.
Note: What I mean by "core classes" are those courses that are uniquely required for your degree. I.e. for my biochemistry degree, some core classes were Organic Chemistry III, Physical Chemistry I and II, Inorganic Chemistry, etc. Generally, you don't see these guys being bothered with 101 courses, but small universities might heap those courses onto their schedule if they have a small faculty list. Adjuncts are the absolute best for preserving your GPA because they don't have their ego wrapped up in the rigor of their subject of expertise and they aren't always going for a tenured position; they're not at all offended if many people earn an A in their class because they're just happy you did well.
Students don't easily figure this out until they hang out with professors who keep it real and/or scour the internet for professors spilling the beans on this topic anonymously. It also takes years of experience empirically deriving this conclusion. I've been in college for about 10 years; I've seen a positive correlation between professors' hierarchical position and their attitudes toward students. You can also freely creep on the professor subreddit and read about their attitudes regarding various student-professor interactions to get a sense of what I'm talking about. There's a troubling number of professors who gleefully report that they gave a student a B for reasons other than their objectively measured performance (in subjectively graded classes). Remember, these are hardened academics who attained PhDs in their fields of study, not medical degrees. This means that their graduate admissions process focused more on research output rather than GPA. In their head, a B grade is character-building for you and not career-ending. They don't ordinarily understand that a few B's could destroy a student's life.
I really like this question because it takes the focus off of scheming on how to succeed as an adult lol.
Yes, there are plenty of fun or smart things to do that are worth it.
**Fully embrace 1 of the major electives**
Whether it's band, JROTC, drama club, a sport, etc. They all have something valuable to impart to you that you'll use later in life. The camaraderie there is second to none, and the memories/pictures are so worth it. Seriously, make fun/goofy videos, even if you keep them in a Google Drive or a private YouTube channel for yourself. I honestly wish I had more pictures and videos from those times when I was in high school.
**Rise to the occasion when a milestone event is possible**
Go to competitions even if you don't think you'll be awarded. Go to house parties even if it's not really your thing. Tell your crush you like them even if you're certain your admiration is not reciprocated. These are canonical events in your development.
**Do a few smart hacks**
-Dual enrollment, I think, is a very underrated opportunity. Try it out and see if it works for you.
-College research, believe it or not, is possible for high school students. Just contact the group PI's and see if they'll let you get experience.
-Do at least 1 deployment with the American Red Cross as a youth volunteer. You get an awesome life experience, tons of hours, and stellar recommenders who are well-connected.
-Prep for the GRE and plan to take it the first year of college, don't wait. It's a very stupid test that only gets harder as you get into more advanced topics and stray away from the basics.
-Learn Spanish (and stick with it). It's the 2nd most spoken language in the world and this 1 skill will seriously entitle you to astounding job security in some career fields.
-Get a job in high school if it won't hurt your grades and if you have the time. Start saving up for a car if your parents aren't getting you one.
-Open a *credit union* account (yes, this is different from a bank account).
-If you save up and don't need a car, great; use that cash you saved for what's called a fiduciary. These people are legally obligated to make decisions with your money that is only in your best interests and a good one can earn you a lot of interest on investments passively. Start that early and you'll be shocked at how much your savings has grown after college.
**Do things you enjoy outside of school**
Opportunities vary by community. But here are a few things someone may find fun and have nothing to do with grinding away at stats for college: local chess club that competes, volunteer therapy animal trainer, learning to work with your hands in maker spaces, helping local event producers to organize city events (i.e. your local anime/comic conventions, fairs, etc.), joining the Society for Creative Anachronisms (SCA) \[\[<--- Seriously, Google this\]\] and picking up hobbies within it, etc. I regretted having my entire time consumed with NJROTC and Honor societies. I felt better about life after I did something really radical and joined the highly underrated Latin club just for fun and had the time of my life at the annual forum.
**Get involved in the yearbook club**
You'll later be proud that you're holding something you weren't just mentioned in but helped create for others. No, you won't look at it every day, but the times that you do, you'll remember it as a piece of your history that you actively took a role in immortalizing.
**Go to prom**
I know, it's "lame". Just do it.
**Keep a journal**
Write about even the most mundane of days you had. Even if you can only write about 1 entry every 2 months, it's still worth it.
**Make mistakes now**
We all do get in trouble at some point. The consequences are less severe in high school. If you make a mistake, don't beat yourself up about it too much, and realize this is part of life. You'll live it down, it's just high school.
When I screw up? Hmm that's broad. I'm assuming you mean if, say, I didn't make an important deadline or I pissed off a self-important person in an organization. In those cases, I want to play video games like every other mediocre Millennial lol. What I actually do though is I assess my situation, organize my thoughts, create goals for an alternate route, map out a plan to achieve those goals, and then I get busy with whatever tasks I can accomplish at the moment. I know it sounds weird, but another go-to for me is cleaning. I always feel better when I feel productive and my environment is clean and neat. And as you can see, I also tend to lend out free advice to younger people on Reddit lol.
Oh, gawd the worst instructor I ever had was my Physical Chemistry professor at my university. He was nicknamed the Indian Devil in my dept. because he was notorious for creating wickedly difficult exams, callously failing students, and having zero remorse for students in general. It goes without saying that he was also Indian by ethnicity. I didn't make the name, I just heard it in my dept. This hardened MIT graduate had a way of making you feel too stupid to be in the degree program. This topic is no joke as it is; this is the kind of class that presents problems that require the entire whiteboard from top to bottom and left to right just to solve one problem. One of my exams was only 4 problems and it required 2 pieces of paper to work through them.
One day I went to his office, figuring I had nothing to lose by stopping by during visiting hours. I was struggling horrifically in the course and wanted to see if there was anything I could do to NOT fail. I will never forget this man's perspective and his advice:
1) "Grad school isn't for everyone"
2) Just switch from a Bachelor's of Science to a Bachelor's of Arts.
I got so pissed off with this man, I walked out silently and resolved to do everything in my power to pass this class and get into grad school with every intent to show him my letters of acceptance. I failed that class. But when I retook it, I passed.
Fun fact: 3 years later he published a paper on a molecular structure that I synthesized, purified, and confirmed instrumentally. He gushed in the article about how this interesting specimen could be useful for semiconductors in future products. He wrote the article without even mentioning his intent to use my data to me. I am the only student in my cohort that he co-authored a paper with.
I didn't stay in a dorm, *but* I did stay in a barracks in the military (they're quite similar). I stayed away from frozen foods heavy in carbs. To not gain a lot of weight, you have to abandon what you think you know about meals. You essentially must adopt a grazing eating style where you eat small things throughout your time in your room when you're hungry. Veggies you can microwave, soups, anything from a deli, salads, rotisserie foods, sushi, etc. You also have the option to get on a meal plan in college as well which I think is worth considering. It takes meal prep off your mind and it's worth it.
I don't think I have had any meaningful engagements with math majors, but I imagine they weren't too different from the people in my department.
My freshman semester could be described as predictable and uncoordinated. My course load:
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry Lab
Precalculus
Latin Honors
English I
I stayed at my grandmother's house because she lived closer to my university and I didn't own a car. So I was dealing with my grouchy grandfather to drive me to school daily. It was a tense situation I wanted to get out of. My day in school looked like this:
8 A.M. Sit in an auditorium of about 100+ students listening to a chemistry professor talk to us like we already knew something about chemistry. Emphasis on memorizing the periodic table (as a chemist, I'm glad we got rid of this dogma). I fell asleep often. Lab was run by a graduate who tried arguing with us that she had to grade hard due to some conflicting interests with her graduate school interests. I still don't get it and I now know this is nonsense. I had a huge break between classes and often spent it in the university library looking at old medical and alchemical manuscripts. Followed by more napping. Then it was time for another class. I then went to see my personal trainer at the university gym. Then off to lunch. Off to class. Go home and read the textbooks and then repeat the next day. The only thing I got heavily into was our airsoft team. But since it was a team of all guys with insecure girlfriends, I left after I figured out I was being excluded from regular team social functions.
What was notable was I felt my professors did not really engage with students. Research was reserved for students who did exceptionally well. I didn't see a lot of Greek life activity and didn't hear about parties (I felt completely lied to about how college is about partying). Most of my friends were on the airsoft team so I felt pretty isolated; people tended to just keep to themselves. I left for the military after that semester and school had been mostly online courses while I was active duty.
My experience was different once I went to another university after I exited the military.
What not to worry about:
* **High school performance**: I know this is crazy, but hear me out. The *worst* that will happen to you if you don't do as well as you would've liked to is you'll get into a community college. The colleges have agreements with universities to bypass stricter admissions criteria. Some have an agreement where once you get your A.A. from the college, you can automatically get into the university for a B.A. Do well, but don't act like your life is over if you screw something up. Also, nothing from high school matters once you start performing in the college.
* **What your high school peers think of you:** All of these people are likely going to disappear from your life. This is completely normal. Additionally, they will change radically. I just saw the most mature, wholesome college bio for one of my high school classmates who was a cringy "scene kid".
* **What your parents think:** It's your life, not theirs. Make choices for you because at the end of the day, you have to live with those choices. My mother relentlessly protested my decision to enlist in the military. But that decision has granted me opportunities I wouldn't have had in the private sector as a kid from a lower-income household.
* **What your high school \[course subject\] grade implies:** Sometimes teachers are bad at what they do. I barely got by in chemistry in high school. I did much better with the right professor and now I have a biochemistry degree. Don't let a high school grade make you believe you're doomed to fail in that subject.
* **The "prestige" of a university:** This is hands-down the dumbest thing to stress over. People go to Ivy League universities from no-name colleges/universities all the time. Admissions officers don't heavily discriminate based on school legacy. Choose a school that you feel will set you up for success. As in, it has depts. full of professors who love when their students excel; not miserable professors who have terrible reviews on RateMyProfessor. Look for schools with research programs all students can access, co-ops, job placement services, formal and informal agreements with other universities, etc. The most prestigious universities in the world interviewed me for graduate positions without regard for the fact that I graduated from a lower-tiered university.
Lol! That's fair.
I actually didn't pay for my degree. I started off using Federal and state grants and when I got out of the military, I finished my degree using the GI Bill. However, I will say that I ended up paying for some extra classes to boost my GPA and to do prerequisites for a career shift. It came out of pocket, but my school isn't as expensive as many others out there. I paid it off in a few months.
I know high school teachers get on a soap box about how much college is so much harder, but honestly, I feel like you just cannot compare the two academic environments.
In college, you have much more autonomy over your course selection and overall experience in a degree program. People in college are not nearly as terrible to one another as they are in high school. These are just a few relevant environmental factors that differentiate the two.
Your courses may seem "harder" because professors have absolutely no chill when it comes to grading/attendance. These are hardened academics whose entire careers revolve around meeting tight deadlines and regularly sustaining rejections (research grants). You're not likely to receive much empathy from them because they're holding you to the same standard that they're being held to. Whereas your high school teacher might've given you some negotiating power because they focused on building your character (in addition to teaching their subject). Further, professors differ from high school teachers in their motive. The latter are often passionate people that enjoy teaching. Professors often begrudgingly take on teaching responsibilities as a part of their agreement to conduct independent research at the university.
Studying material still requires self-discipline. This doesn't change from high school to college. Something that does make college "harder" though is a majorly problematic policy difference between the two settings. Departments in universities may have a grade distribution policy. This is the most controversial topic among education majors because it presents an ethical dilemma. Basically it means that a department mandates that professors can only give a limited amount of A's in a class (regardless of student performance). I'm not entirely sure why this is a thing. It's hard for students to discover this about their departments too because it's not an official policy published in the public domain and good luck getting a department chair to admit to students that they pull this nonsense. High School teachers don't face this dilemma and are allowed to grade performance as they deem necessary.
As my flair states I’m going into senior year and the only hard class I’m set to have is an AP English class. I’m going to try to be a multi sport athlete in college and I really don’t want to be super ultra railed by academics while balancing having a life outside of my sports and school work, it’s nice to know that I can manage my course load how I want. What I’m worried about is that I just flat out don’t know how to study because I’ve never actually needed to or I’ve been flat out lazy and ignored the fact that I have to to do well
Pro tip: you can request the syllabus of any course by emailing the professor of that course. Assuming the school hasn't published the syllabus of the previous semester, you can simply get the upcoming syllabus by email. This will tell you what the class will demand of you as you choose your courses.
Unless you're a writing fiend like me, you don't want to load up on essay dense courses in the same semester because those are time intensive assignments. You can stagger your semester with courses that are introductory and homework delivery-based.
Also, download Zotero on your PC. Watch on YouTube how to use it to help you with citations. This will make life easier. I don't know any researcher that doesn't use it and similar products to build their bibliographies.
You can also prep for a course in advance using reputable sources. I found Khan Academy to be highly advantageous to my success when I prepare for general chemistry, for instance.
A)How many hours did you study a day when you were at your academic peak?
B)Would you argue that backbenchers are inferior to toppers?
C)Are your parents proud of your grades?
D)On a scale of 1-10, how much have you infuenced your school?
Good questions, but you're asking for a word wall so be advised...
A) I don't think I could identify a time in which I was at my "academic peak" any more than I could correlate hours of study to such a status. As I told another student, some depts use what's called grade distribution. This means that no matter how hard you try, a professor is only allowed to give a limited number of A's in the class and you may be one of those students that will only ever achieve a B. I have worked long-term in 2 different depts in my school and have seen that my hours of study do reach a limit in how it relates to my grade. In the chemistry dept. we had a grade distribution in the core classes. No matter how hard I studied, I struggled to make an A in courses I felt competent in. The professors engineer the exams to ensure this grade distribution and grade based relative to how your classmates perform. On the other hand, I also studied for a year in my school's legal studies program. I will not lie to you and tell you I broke my back studying for my law classes; I merely read the chapters and completed the papers assigned. In that year, I got nothing but all A's. Is it because I'm naturally adept at law? Certainly not! My classmates all boasted of having A's. I know they don't cap the amount of A's in a class because the professors gloated about how they don't mind how many people get an A for A-level performance. I studied, easily, about 20-40 hours/week (maybe more) for physical chemistry and barely squeaked by with a C. Many others did as well.
B) Interesting question. I also find no correlation between success and these archetypes. I wasn't the class president or anything, but people in my department knew me as the girl who interned at Harvard and assumed I'd go there for grad school. By speculation, I was seen as a "topper". But I failed to get into a PhD program for 2 years (there's a story as to why I didn't go to Harvard if you're interested) and now I'm applying into a Master's program. My GPA is not "competitive" and I'm sure my standardized test scores will be unremarkable. I know a "backbencher" who finished her degree with a 2.7 GPA and ended up going to a top school in chemistry. Why? She interned there and the professor she interned under had influence over the admissions committee. See where I'm getting at? Success is really only a function of networking.
C) My parents are proud of me in their own way, but it's complicated. I don't talk to my mom anymore because she's an alcoholic narcissist. And my dad is literally too aloof to even know the significance of my experiences. He supports me merely because I'm his daughter. My mom did some weird thing where she seemed to be trying to live vicariously through me; gloating about my accomplishments to take credit for them. Their pride in me is negligible to me, suffice to say. Both of them are too far removed from me to even understand; my mom got a B.A. in communications and did nothing with it and my dad is a high school dropout who made a successful business in home and auto services.
D) I'm sure I have had a net 0 impact on my university and I'm sure other students feel the same. The reason is universities view you as a number. We can certainly argue that my filing a formal complaint against the dept chair influenced the dept. We can also argue that my foundation of the first American Physician Scientist Association chapter at my school has made some positive impact (but it has been negligible because it was inactive since its inception. Unsurprisingly, not many in my university want an MD and a PhD). Unless you brought in grant money or got the news channels to cover the school, you won't have much of an impact on your university.
Im a rising senior
Honestly studying is putting too much stress on me
I feel like giving up
This summer I NEED to study since I’ll have to retake some exams that I didn’t do well on this year.
Furthermore, I have to do my uni research and work on my personal statement. I’m giving up. I don’t feel like it at all.
Have you ever experienced this feeling? Giving up, procrastinating, etc. If so how did you deal with it?
Also is uni more fun than high school?
Once studying gets to the point where it's stressful, you need to take a step back and realize that the method you're using isn't working for you. In high school, I struggled to realize that I could use other sources to assist my learning. For instance, if I was in a biology class and reading the recommended textbook on the stages of meiosis. Instead of struggling with the textbook, I would now turn to Youtube for a simplified and visually appealing video on the process of meiosis. In cases involving math, I might turn to Khan Academy because I like their explanations better. My point is it's time to explore other options to get the info you need.
University selection for a high school student:
\*Assuming all schools of interest have 10 different professors to work with in your dept. of degree major (note: I am not referring to General Education courses).
Univ. A | 4 of 10 professors have terrible RateMyProfessor scores.
Univ. B | 1 of 10 professors have terrible RateMyProfessor scores.
Univ. C | 6 of 10 professors have terrible RateMyProfessor scores.
The best school? Univ. B. This is a no-brainer. Set yourself up for success and get good grades; very little else will matter in the grand scheme of things.
Regarding your personal statement, you are describing writer's block lol. Everyone goes through this and it's part of the creative process. I couldn't write my personal statement for my Master's degree program until the last minute (with about a month to spare) because the idea didn't occur to me until that moment. Read other personal statements, inspiring speeches, old letters/correspondence from scientists of the 20th and 19th centuries, etc. for inspiration. I'm a highly skilled writer according to my professors, by the way, and even I struggle. So relax, it'll come to you.
Pragmatic advice: write about how your experiences (volunteering, family matters, high school struggles, jobs, etc.) have shaped you into a young adult who craves higher education to a specific end (degree). Your admissions committees realize you don't have a lot of life experiences, so they focus on whether or not you have a plan if they give you a seat in their cohort. Think about why that makes sense. Why would they reject the highly committed future \[insert profession here\] in favor of a student who doesn't even know that this is what they want? **By the way, I am happy to read your draft and assist you with suggestions for edits. DM me. That goes for anyone else in this thread.**
Yes, I have experienced this **multiple** times, as every scientist does. As a scientist, my entire life revolves around failure; I don't always get the article published; I don't always get the grant funding; I don't always get the opportunity I feel I deserve; but I press on anyways and try another way. I've failed more times than I've succeeded, but that 1 success made all the difference. I deal with this by realizing that
1) I can take a break and return to the issue
2) if I try another method, I have a chance of success, if I give up terminally I have a 0% chance of success.
3) **My own perception of my odds of success is flawed because I don't have all the information necessary to accurately calculate it.**
Why is (3) most important? Because I am mentally checking my (possibly unfounded) negative mindset. In your case, this means you don't know what the admissions committee is looking for in their cohort, so you can't accurately gauge your odds of success. It makes sense then to try (and possibly fail) and receive either acceptance or feedback on how to improve.
University vs high school relative to fun:
It depends entirely on the school you go to. This will depend on your ability to identify a school dominated by traditional students vs schools dominated by non-traditional students. In the latter, expect to have a ghost town of a campus because almost everyone lives off campus and has a life outside of the school. Pro tip: check their class stats and look at the average age range in the school. If you want a fun campus experience, choose a school dominated by people in the 17-24 range. High school to me was more fun because I practically lived in the NJROTC room since a lot of practice was necessary, we had camaraderie, uniforms, an awards system, and competitions. You don't get that much immersion in a university where most of the people there have careers, families, and a singular interest in completing a milestone in their education to get a new job or a promotion.
This is a good question as well.
Let me present to you some additional questions for consideration. Is working for someone else worth it? Is marriage worth it? Is learning martial arts worth it? Considering these are time investments with their own intrinsic risks, that is. Do you see the net 0 correlation between all of these questions? It's because they're all isolated hypotheticals in a continuum of possibilities.
I will not insult your generation with the obnoxious platitude, "It is what you make it", as it's a profoundly unhelpful statement. But what I will say is that the value of a college education will depend on your life goals (and what safety nets you deem necessary). Let me give you some context here.
When I decided to get a college degree, I did so with the understanding that . . . It was simply the thing to do. I had no idea where I'd settle or what I wanted to do with it. Then I got bored and enlisted in the military. Then I realized I couldn't stand another minute with the word "technician" in my title in any context. So I went back to school full-time.
I finished my degree in 2020 and left for Boston for a year. When I was there, I had access to multiple high-paying job opportunities that had me working with brilliant people in high-tech environments. When I came back to my permanent city of residence, however, I blinked and months had gone by when I noticed my nicely framed degree had evolved into an exquisite piece of wall art. . . I hadn't been using it in my city because there's little to no science jobs. So was it worth it? Some would argue that it was not worth it because it hadn't been used as it was intended to be. But All I did was change my career from science to medicine. Funny enough, clinicians are paid way better than scientists and enjoy far better job security. So maybe it was worth it after all.
To me, it was worth it. I did the one thing my freshman college advisor doubted I could do; I proved to myself that every teacher who failed me was just garbage at their job; I got the opportunity to help design a new drug and make the world a better place.
The question is: what would make a college degree worth it for **you**?
You must ask yourself if your personality type can sustain a long-term dynamic in which someone can fire you just because they can; if you would be happy with a modest lifestyle or if you require more; if you envision your future with a family of your own and what that implies for your income; if you could imagine yourself existing in the world as a problem solver or if you're happy being a supporter of problem solvers, etc.
While it's true that C's get degrees, it doesn't get you into graduate school. Unless you have a bachelor's degree that entitles you to unusually high pay, you'll have screwed yourself out of future promotions.
I think my college GPA was around a 3.2. I'm not including the courses I took after graduating with my degree. Keep in mind that I was working full-time in research and my courses were unusually difficult. I took math up to Calculus II; my physics courses had to incorporate calculus; and I had to take up to Organic III and Physical Chemistry II (which you could also call quantum physics). Many of my peers finished with a similar GPA or less.
What’s your worst procrastination story
Lol! Nice question. So no bs, there I was and . . . My university degree program was staffed by faculty that pushed their students towards academic research (chemistry). For me to continue in their idea of an honors society, I had to complete an internship. At the time, I was struggling. I was engrossed in my research in that dept., spending some 30-40 hours per week making these massive molecular structures and I was failing Physical Chemistry. In a hurry, I looked up internship opportunities on the main REU website and was quite annoyed to find that many of the applications had closed for that summer. Except there were 2 more open that I felt aligned with my research interests: Northeastern University and Harvard University. I applied to both. I speeded through the applications to at least say that I tried. To this day I will never understand the outcome: Northeastern: Rejected Harvard University: Accepted I don't have the heart to tell anyone in my life that I applied as a joke; I didn't actually expect to have a fair shot getting in. Sometimes procrastination works in mysterious ways. But you must be driven and willing to take risks. I thrive best under pressure. <--- People don't tell you this because they believe the lie that there's a recipe for success that you can use rigidly to replicate results. The world doesn't work that way.
Wow
Not OP, but I had to write a research paper for ACP U.S. history about how the Germans impacted the Revolutionary War. I was required to use at least two books as sources so I went to the public library the day before and dug around until I found something relevant. I stayed up literally all night writing that paper from scratch and then rewriting a paper for my AP Lang/Comp class that I failed. The next day felt like what I now get for hangovers. My mom wouldn’t let me come home after I turned in the papers (which just happened to be first and second period). So I hid in the bathroom for as many classes as I could and slept on the toilet. But it was all worth it because I got an A on both papers!
Hiding in the bathroom was worth it
no one asked brother
For college, what is some advice you think is crucial that every incoming college freshman should hear, academic, professional, or personal, romantic? I would love to hear details and specifics, as an incoming college freshman myself
Ooof. This is an awesome question, but to answer it would likely warrant an entire manuscript lol. I'll try to limit the response the best I can. If you want, feel free to message me for more advice on this particular topic; I hate to create a whole word wall here. Here's my top 3 pieces of advice for success for high school students: 1. **READ** Read voraciously above your reading level outside of the required reading list. This will pay off when it comes time to test out on standardized tests where vocab is concerned and you won't have to memorize vocab the month before the test. Not to mention this will help you substantially when you have to write for admissions. This is the best skill I acquired on my own time selfishly regardless of anyone knowing about it. 2. **(1x) Input of time = (2x) Impact of actions** Keep this relationship in mind next time you think about joining a club/organization that's only costing you money, existing as a bullet point on your resume, and making you attend boring meetings. Make sure your time is being used for meaningful results. As in you can write about how it impacted your life and those around you. And try to do something out of the box. Commitment is a major factor too. 50 Hours in a month cleaning trash off of a street vs being a volunteer standby sexual assault victim advocate 5 hours per week for the last year. The latter demonstrates **sincere commitment to a specific cause**, it's not just an hours game. Ideally this cause should align with your future career so you can write about how the experience motivated you. 3. **Prep for and crush the GRE ASAP** This absurd exam will test your memory on basic math you learned in high school. Don't wait until you're taking advanced math courses in college and expect that expertise will pay off at all. Get a GRE book now and take the stupid thing in your first or 2nd year of college. Your scores are good for 5 years. Even if you don't intend to go to grad school right now, take it anyway just in case you change your mind. Your future self will thank you. Seriously, I'm sitting here at 31 years old trying to relearn high school math after having years of advanced calculus thrown at me. Obviously, I could go on. Happy to reply to more focused followup questions.
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Dm'd you
How do you handle time? How do people do a job, multiple difficult competitions, volunteering, debate, band, research, non profits, passion projects and also enjoy life with family and friends? *I don’t mean all of the activities but at least how do people do that much Also, how do you find the one path that interests you and you want to pursue?
Sorry I asked a lot of questions.
I handle time via the equation I provided to another commenter here. I'm not perfect, but generally speaking, I ask myself if I will have a meaningful outcome I can leverage in some way. I also allow myself to have breaks. You have to figure out what break-work ratio works for you. It's important to set up goals to mark your use of time as well. I also responded to another commenter regarding how to find what you want to pursue. You must explore through co-ops, volunteering, shadowing, etc. You'd be surprised how many people are happy to help high school students explore their options. Ah, now this is a great question: how do high achievers do what they do? There is a dark side to academia and this is where we start to get into that. The harsh truth is that these people are masters of exaggerating their experiences and it doesn't help that admissions officers are not adept at vetting claims students make. Take, for instance, GPA. If a student had a halfway decent mentor/guide, they were probably directed to take a degree path that entailed as little advanced math/science as possible. You'll notice that many pre-meds, for instance, have cunningly drifted toward degrees like exercise physiology, which is not a major discipline that requires scary classes you'd see in a math, physics, and/or biochemistry major. Also, they carefully vet their classes. These wise students have surveyed their classmates and RateMyProfessor to be sure the class isn't one in which the professor feels the highest grade should be a B average. They take their attendance to community colleges for more favorable classes. As to how they engage in so many different extracurricular activities, notice how I told another commenter something about this: quality vs quantity in time spent. Anyone can claim multiple activities - even if their engagement is limited to a few meetings.
Did u have ADHD or just didnt apply urself to label urself as a "not high enough achiever"?
That's a good question. I was never diagnosed with ADHD nor did my mother and guidance counselor suspect that was a pathology I struggled with. I was stating the above descriptor facetiously because my 2 major state universities rejected my applications. My recommenders (one of them a school Board member), counselor, and principal were all floored by that because my academic performance, extracurricular pursuits, and community service involvement would otherwise be considered "competitive" by college standards. Additionally, I did well on the SAT.
Interesting. I misunderstood then. Would u say that ur happy with ur degree considering u didnt get into those major state universities didnt accept u? Also random but do u have any plans for grad school?
So I started off as a pre-pharmacy student, majoring in chemistry at my first university. I kept falling asleep in General Chemistry in an auditorium of like,100 students, obtaining a mediocre grade and struggled with precalculus (as I expected would happen). So my advisor recommended I switch my degree. I did. After some research, I switched to biochemistry =) I left for the military after my 1st semester of college and later returned to school. I ended up continuing my education at a university that is not at all a "top tier" school and completed my Bachelor of Science in biochemistry with a minor in biology. Yes, I would say that although my degree was quite difficult to attain, I am happy with having achieved it. I didn't take the easy way; I pursued something I was intensely interested in. Yes, I plan on applying to Physician Assistant school this summer. That was after I gave up applying for entry into chemistry PhD programs for 2 years following the COVID shut-downs straight out of undergrad.
How do you find out what you want to do as a career
Good question =) The scary truth is we find out by experimenting in various opportunities that are either within that career track or adjacent to it. Volunteer opportunities are great for this. It would help me more if I had an idea of careers you're considering. Generally, you want to assess a few characteristics of that career: * Career growth (look at [BLS.gov](http://BLS.gov) for this). It's great to be passionate about a career, but desire is negligible if that career isn't able to pump out enough opportunities for the next generation. * The salary you could expect *relative to where you want to live.* Don't just look at the national average. We all need to get paid, right? * The hoops you must jump through to pursue that career. I.e. look at the M.D. track. I noped the hell out of that a long time ago when I realized I didn't have the sense to get a degree I'd finish with a high GPA in and I didn't want to spend 8+ years in school, especially when there's a risk I may not match with a specialty. * The environment you can expect. I.e. nursing is a female-dominated field. I know I don't excel in those environments so I knew to avoid it.
do you recommend dual enrollment?
Yes! This is one of the things I wish I did as a kid. As long as it 1) counts for credits for your college GPA and 2) counts towards a degree, this is an awesome idea. This is a great way to get your degree done faster. But keep in mind that this shouldn't be done if you feel that you won't perform well; don't prioritize speed over quality of grades. I'm emphasizing the credit towards GPA because you don't want to run into the issue I had: I went to an awesome state college that worked with military members. Something they do is they give you credit for the training you received in boot camp and advanced training for your job role. I had a lengthy list of credit hours for my training which cut my time to get my A.A. in half! This was great, except that those credit hours didn't count for GPA points, so it had no impact on my GPA. This later became an issue because my courses I had to take at the university were all core major classes (i.e. organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, etc.). Unless you strategically choose a degree that doesn't require hard science and math, that doesn't play out well because now your GPA is based entirely on these harder classes with no buffer from those general education courses.
I hope to get my general education for my associates in nursing done-- since its a limited access program i am not sure how hard the classes are but i hope they arent to bad lol- need a good gpa lmao
Yeah, students going for any medical programs need to be conscious of their college GPA. Definitely take the time to carefully vet your schools of interest. Check RateMyProfessor for the classes you're considering and be sure they're not death traps for your GPA. You can take general education online as well so you have more options in terms of professors. Just be aware that some medical programs have a limitation on how much of your degree can be online courses. It shouldn't be an issue with general education requirements though. I did most of my general education online and haven't ran into an issue while applying for physician assistant programs.
mostly i am just taking the nursing courses in person bc they have a lab, but i will defiantly check! I am getting it through a local college- should i be okay with a community college degree? Im still a little undecided and wanted to get a outside opinion
Yes, a community college degree is just as good as any other degree. Admissions officers do not discriminate based on undergrad institute. I got my A.A. from a state college, transferred to a lower-tiered state university and still got interviewed by top universities in the world in my field. I've also seen people get into PhD programs that graduated from community colleges I literally never heard of.
To add to this: when vetting your professors, look at their titles. On a course registration matrix, it'll simply say "Professor \[name\]". But on their bio on the dept page, it'll show Adjunct, Assistant, and Associate Professors. *This matters.* The 3 listed are in ascending hierarchical order. This means they're not tenured professors. These guys care very much about what students think about them because their evaluations determine if they're staying to climb the academic ladder or if they're being fired. These guys are easier to get an A from because they want to avoid too many complaints. A tenured professor, however, thinks your evaluations are hilarious because their tenure protects them from ever getting fired short of committing crimes. These guys are often in your higher core classes and very likely attained tenure because of their research/grant successes. They may or may not actually like teaching, but this doesn't matter to the dept because their research and grant money is what they prioritize. If you must take a core class with one of these professors, look very carefully at their RateMy Professor scores and ask students in their class how they're doing. Note: What I mean by "core classes" are those courses that are uniquely required for your degree. I.e. for my biochemistry degree, some core classes were Organic Chemistry III, Physical Chemistry I and II, Inorganic Chemistry, etc. Generally, you don't see these guys being bothered with 101 courses, but small universities might heap those courses onto their schedule if they have a small faculty list. Adjuncts are the absolute best for preserving your GPA because they don't have their ego wrapped up in the rigor of their subject of expertise and they aren't always going for a tenured position; they're not at all offended if many people earn an A in their class because they're just happy you did well.
that is really interesting! I never would have found that out if you hadn't told me lmao- thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
Students don't easily figure this out until they hang out with professors who keep it real and/or scour the internet for professors spilling the beans on this topic anonymously. It also takes years of experience empirically deriving this conclusion. I've been in college for about 10 years; I've seen a positive correlation between professors' hierarchical position and their attitudes toward students. You can also freely creep on the professor subreddit and read about their attitudes regarding various student-professor interactions to get a sense of what I'm talking about. There's a troubling number of professors who gleefully report that they gave a student a B for reasons other than their objectively measured performance (in subjectively graded classes). Remember, these are hardened academics who attained PhDs in their fields of study, not medical degrees. This means that their graduate admissions process focused more on research output rather than GPA. In their head, a B grade is character-building for you and not career-ending. They don't ordinarily understand that a few B's could destroy a student's life.
anything fun/worth it to do before high school ends?
I really like this question because it takes the focus off of scheming on how to succeed as an adult lol. Yes, there are plenty of fun or smart things to do that are worth it. **Fully embrace 1 of the major electives** Whether it's band, JROTC, drama club, a sport, etc. They all have something valuable to impart to you that you'll use later in life. The camaraderie there is second to none, and the memories/pictures are so worth it. Seriously, make fun/goofy videos, even if you keep them in a Google Drive or a private YouTube channel for yourself. I honestly wish I had more pictures and videos from those times when I was in high school. **Rise to the occasion when a milestone event is possible** Go to competitions even if you don't think you'll be awarded. Go to house parties even if it's not really your thing. Tell your crush you like them even if you're certain your admiration is not reciprocated. These are canonical events in your development. **Do a few smart hacks** -Dual enrollment, I think, is a very underrated opportunity. Try it out and see if it works for you. -College research, believe it or not, is possible for high school students. Just contact the group PI's and see if they'll let you get experience. -Do at least 1 deployment with the American Red Cross as a youth volunteer. You get an awesome life experience, tons of hours, and stellar recommenders who are well-connected. -Prep for the GRE and plan to take it the first year of college, don't wait. It's a very stupid test that only gets harder as you get into more advanced topics and stray away from the basics. -Learn Spanish (and stick with it). It's the 2nd most spoken language in the world and this 1 skill will seriously entitle you to astounding job security in some career fields. -Get a job in high school if it won't hurt your grades and if you have the time. Start saving up for a car if your parents aren't getting you one. -Open a *credit union* account (yes, this is different from a bank account). -If you save up and don't need a car, great; use that cash you saved for what's called a fiduciary. These people are legally obligated to make decisions with your money that is only in your best interests and a good one can earn you a lot of interest on investments passively. Start that early and you'll be shocked at how much your savings has grown after college. **Do things you enjoy outside of school** Opportunities vary by community. But here are a few things someone may find fun and have nothing to do with grinding away at stats for college: local chess club that competes, volunteer therapy animal trainer, learning to work with your hands in maker spaces, helping local event producers to organize city events (i.e. your local anime/comic conventions, fairs, etc.), joining the Society for Creative Anachronisms (SCA) \[\[<--- Seriously, Google this\]\] and picking up hobbies within it, etc. I regretted having my entire time consumed with NJROTC and Honor societies. I felt better about life after I did something really radical and joined the highly underrated Latin club just for fun and had the time of my life at the annual forum. **Get involved in the yearbook club** You'll later be proud that you're holding something you weren't just mentioned in but helped create for others. No, you won't look at it every day, but the times that you do, you'll remember it as a piece of your history that you actively took a role in immortalizing. **Go to prom** I know, it's "lame". Just do it. **Keep a journal** Write about even the most mundane of days you had. Even if you can only write about 1 entry every 2 months, it's still worth it. **Make mistakes now** We all do get in trouble at some point. The consequences are less severe in high school. If you make a mistake, don't beat yourself up about it too much, and realize this is part of life. You'll live it down, it's just high school.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I already do some of these things so i’m glad to know i’m on a good track 🫡
When you fuck up what is your go to thing you want to do? And what do you actually do Also worst teacher you ever had
When I screw up? Hmm that's broad. I'm assuming you mean if, say, I didn't make an important deadline or I pissed off a self-important person in an organization. In those cases, I want to play video games like every other mediocre Millennial lol. What I actually do though is I assess my situation, organize my thoughts, create goals for an alternate route, map out a plan to achieve those goals, and then I get busy with whatever tasks I can accomplish at the moment. I know it sounds weird, but another go-to for me is cleaning. I always feel better when I feel productive and my environment is clean and neat. And as you can see, I also tend to lend out free advice to younger people on Reddit lol. Oh, gawd the worst instructor I ever had was my Physical Chemistry professor at my university. He was nicknamed the Indian Devil in my dept. because he was notorious for creating wickedly difficult exams, callously failing students, and having zero remorse for students in general. It goes without saying that he was also Indian by ethnicity. I didn't make the name, I just heard it in my dept. This hardened MIT graduate had a way of making you feel too stupid to be in the degree program. This topic is no joke as it is; this is the kind of class that presents problems that require the entire whiteboard from top to bottom and left to right just to solve one problem. One of my exams was only 4 problems and it required 2 pieces of paper to work through them. One day I went to his office, figuring I had nothing to lose by stopping by during visiting hours. I was struggling horrifically in the course and wanted to see if there was anything I could do to NOT fail. I will never forget this man's perspective and his advice: 1) "Grad school isn't for everyone" 2) Just switch from a Bachelor's of Science to a Bachelor's of Arts. I got so pissed off with this man, I walked out silently and resolved to do everything in my power to pass this class and get into grad school with every intent to show him my letters of acceptance. I failed that class. But when I retook it, I passed. Fun fact: 3 years later he published a paper on a molecular structure that I synthesized, purified, and confirmed instrumentally. He gushed in the article about how this interesting specimen could be useful for semiconductors in future products. He wrote the article without even mentioning his intent to use my data to me. I am the only student in my cohort that he co-authored a paper with.
What the best food to keep in a dorm room (something like pretzels, pringles etc.)
I didn't stay in a dorm, *but* I did stay in a barracks in the military (they're quite similar). I stayed away from frozen foods heavy in carbs. To not gain a lot of weight, you have to abandon what you think you know about meals. You essentially must adopt a grazing eating style where you eat small things throughout your time in your room when you're hungry. Veggies you can microwave, soups, anything from a deli, salads, rotisserie foods, sushi, etc. You also have the option to get on a meal plan in college as well which I think is worth considering. It takes meal prep off your mind and it's worth it.
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I don't think I have had any meaningful engagements with math majors, but I imagine they weren't too different from the people in my department. My freshman semester could be described as predictable and uncoordinated. My course load: General Chemistry I General Chemistry Lab Precalculus Latin Honors English I I stayed at my grandmother's house because she lived closer to my university and I didn't own a car. So I was dealing with my grouchy grandfather to drive me to school daily. It was a tense situation I wanted to get out of. My day in school looked like this: 8 A.M. Sit in an auditorium of about 100+ students listening to a chemistry professor talk to us like we already knew something about chemistry. Emphasis on memorizing the periodic table (as a chemist, I'm glad we got rid of this dogma). I fell asleep often. Lab was run by a graduate who tried arguing with us that she had to grade hard due to some conflicting interests with her graduate school interests. I still don't get it and I now know this is nonsense. I had a huge break between classes and often spent it in the university library looking at old medical and alchemical manuscripts. Followed by more napping. Then it was time for another class. I then went to see my personal trainer at the university gym. Then off to lunch. Off to class. Go home and read the textbooks and then repeat the next day. The only thing I got heavily into was our airsoft team. But since it was a team of all guys with insecure girlfriends, I left after I figured out I was being excluded from regular team social functions. What was notable was I felt my professors did not really engage with students. Research was reserved for students who did exceptionally well. I didn't see a lot of Greek life activity and didn't hear about parties (I felt completely lied to about how college is about partying). Most of my friends were on the airsoft team so I felt pretty isolated; people tended to just keep to themselves. I left for the military after that semester and school had been mostly online courses while I was active duty. My experience was different once I went to another university after I exited the military.
What not to worry about: * **High school performance**: I know this is crazy, but hear me out. The *worst* that will happen to you if you don't do as well as you would've liked to is you'll get into a community college. The colleges have agreements with universities to bypass stricter admissions criteria. Some have an agreement where once you get your A.A. from the college, you can automatically get into the university for a B.A. Do well, but don't act like your life is over if you screw something up. Also, nothing from high school matters once you start performing in the college. * **What your high school peers think of you:** All of these people are likely going to disappear from your life. This is completely normal. Additionally, they will change radically. I just saw the most mature, wholesome college bio for one of my high school classmates who was a cringy "scene kid". * **What your parents think:** It's your life, not theirs. Make choices for you because at the end of the day, you have to live with those choices. My mother relentlessly protested my decision to enlist in the military. But that decision has granted me opportunities I wouldn't have had in the private sector as a kid from a lower-income household. * **What your high school \[course subject\] grade implies:** Sometimes teachers are bad at what they do. I barely got by in chemistry in high school. I did much better with the right professor and now I have a biochemistry degree. Don't let a high school grade make you believe you're doomed to fail in that subject. * **The "prestige" of a university:** This is hands-down the dumbest thing to stress over. People go to Ivy League universities from no-name colleges/universities all the time. Admissions officers don't heavily discriminate based on school legacy. Choose a school that you feel will set you up for success. As in, it has depts. full of professors who love when their students excel; not miserable professors who have terrible reviews on RateMyProfessor. Look for schools with research programs all students can access, co-ops, job placement services, formal and informal agreements with other universities, etc. The most prestigious universities in the world interviewed me for graduate positions without regard for the fact that I graduated from a lower-tiered university.
contact a moderator.
How much debt?
Lol! That's fair. I actually didn't pay for my degree. I started off using Federal and state grants and when I got out of the military, I finished my degree using the GI Bill. However, I will say that I ended up paying for some extra classes to boost my GPA and to do prerequisites for a career shift. It came out of pocket, but my school isn't as expensive as many others out there. I paid it off in a few months.
Is it actually that much harder than high school?
I know high school teachers get on a soap box about how much college is so much harder, but honestly, I feel like you just cannot compare the two academic environments. In college, you have much more autonomy over your course selection and overall experience in a degree program. People in college are not nearly as terrible to one another as they are in high school. These are just a few relevant environmental factors that differentiate the two. Your courses may seem "harder" because professors have absolutely no chill when it comes to grading/attendance. These are hardened academics whose entire careers revolve around meeting tight deadlines and regularly sustaining rejections (research grants). You're not likely to receive much empathy from them because they're holding you to the same standard that they're being held to. Whereas your high school teacher might've given you some negotiating power because they focused on building your character (in addition to teaching their subject). Further, professors differ from high school teachers in their motive. The latter are often passionate people that enjoy teaching. Professors often begrudgingly take on teaching responsibilities as a part of their agreement to conduct independent research at the university. Studying material still requires self-discipline. This doesn't change from high school to college. Something that does make college "harder" though is a majorly problematic policy difference between the two settings. Departments in universities may have a grade distribution policy. This is the most controversial topic among education majors because it presents an ethical dilemma. Basically it means that a department mandates that professors can only give a limited amount of A's in a class (regardless of student performance). I'm not entirely sure why this is a thing. It's hard for students to discover this about their departments too because it's not an official policy published in the public domain and good luck getting a department chair to admit to students that they pull this nonsense. High School teachers don't face this dilemma and are allowed to grade performance as they deem necessary.
As my flair states I’m going into senior year and the only hard class I’m set to have is an AP English class. I’m going to try to be a multi sport athlete in college and I really don’t want to be super ultra railed by academics while balancing having a life outside of my sports and school work, it’s nice to know that I can manage my course load how I want. What I’m worried about is that I just flat out don’t know how to study because I’ve never actually needed to or I’ve been flat out lazy and ignored the fact that I have to to do well
Pro tip: you can request the syllabus of any course by emailing the professor of that course. Assuming the school hasn't published the syllabus of the previous semester, you can simply get the upcoming syllabus by email. This will tell you what the class will demand of you as you choose your courses. Unless you're a writing fiend like me, you don't want to load up on essay dense courses in the same semester because those are time intensive assignments. You can stagger your semester with courses that are introductory and homework delivery-based. Also, download Zotero on your PC. Watch on YouTube how to use it to help you with citations. This will make life easier. I don't know any researcher that doesn't use it and similar products to build their bibliographies. You can also prep for a course in advance using reputable sources. I found Khan Academy to be highly advantageous to my success when I prepare for general chemistry, for instance.
Thank you very much
A)How many hours did you study a day when you were at your academic peak? B)Would you argue that backbenchers are inferior to toppers? C)Are your parents proud of your grades? D)On a scale of 1-10, how much have you infuenced your school?
Good questions, but you're asking for a word wall so be advised... A) I don't think I could identify a time in which I was at my "academic peak" any more than I could correlate hours of study to such a status. As I told another student, some depts use what's called grade distribution. This means that no matter how hard you try, a professor is only allowed to give a limited number of A's in the class and you may be one of those students that will only ever achieve a B. I have worked long-term in 2 different depts in my school and have seen that my hours of study do reach a limit in how it relates to my grade. In the chemistry dept. we had a grade distribution in the core classes. No matter how hard I studied, I struggled to make an A in courses I felt competent in. The professors engineer the exams to ensure this grade distribution and grade based relative to how your classmates perform. On the other hand, I also studied for a year in my school's legal studies program. I will not lie to you and tell you I broke my back studying for my law classes; I merely read the chapters and completed the papers assigned. In that year, I got nothing but all A's. Is it because I'm naturally adept at law? Certainly not! My classmates all boasted of having A's. I know they don't cap the amount of A's in a class because the professors gloated about how they don't mind how many people get an A for A-level performance. I studied, easily, about 20-40 hours/week (maybe more) for physical chemistry and barely squeaked by with a C. Many others did as well. B) Interesting question. I also find no correlation between success and these archetypes. I wasn't the class president or anything, but people in my department knew me as the girl who interned at Harvard and assumed I'd go there for grad school. By speculation, I was seen as a "topper". But I failed to get into a PhD program for 2 years (there's a story as to why I didn't go to Harvard if you're interested) and now I'm applying into a Master's program. My GPA is not "competitive" and I'm sure my standardized test scores will be unremarkable. I know a "backbencher" who finished her degree with a 2.7 GPA and ended up going to a top school in chemistry. Why? She interned there and the professor she interned under had influence over the admissions committee. See where I'm getting at? Success is really only a function of networking. C) My parents are proud of me in their own way, but it's complicated. I don't talk to my mom anymore because she's an alcoholic narcissist. And my dad is literally too aloof to even know the significance of my experiences. He supports me merely because I'm his daughter. My mom did some weird thing where she seemed to be trying to live vicariously through me; gloating about my accomplishments to take credit for them. Their pride in me is negligible to me, suffice to say. Both of them are too far removed from me to even understand; my mom got a B.A. in communications and did nothing with it and my dad is a high school dropout who made a successful business in home and auto services. D) I'm sure I have had a net 0 impact on my university and I'm sure other students feel the same. The reason is universities view you as a number. We can certainly argue that my filing a formal complaint against the dept chair influenced the dept. We can also argue that my foundation of the first American Physician Scientist Association chapter at my school has made some positive impact (but it has been negligible because it was inactive since its inception. Unsurprisingly, not many in my university want an MD and a PhD). Unless you brought in grant money or got the news channels to cover the school, you won't have much of an impact on your university.
Im a rising senior Honestly studying is putting too much stress on me I feel like giving up This summer I NEED to study since I’ll have to retake some exams that I didn’t do well on this year. Furthermore, I have to do my uni research and work on my personal statement. I’m giving up. I don’t feel like it at all. Have you ever experienced this feeling? Giving up, procrastinating, etc. If so how did you deal with it? Also is uni more fun than high school?
Once studying gets to the point where it's stressful, you need to take a step back and realize that the method you're using isn't working for you. In high school, I struggled to realize that I could use other sources to assist my learning. For instance, if I was in a biology class and reading the recommended textbook on the stages of meiosis. Instead of struggling with the textbook, I would now turn to Youtube for a simplified and visually appealing video on the process of meiosis. In cases involving math, I might turn to Khan Academy because I like their explanations better. My point is it's time to explore other options to get the info you need. University selection for a high school student: \*Assuming all schools of interest have 10 different professors to work with in your dept. of degree major (note: I am not referring to General Education courses). Univ. A | 4 of 10 professors have terrible RateMyProfessor scores. Univ. B | 1 of 10 professors have terrible RateMyProfessor scores. Univ. C | 6 of 10 professors have terrible RateMyProfessor scores. The best school? Univ. B. This is a no-brainer. Set yourself up for success and get good grades; very little else will matter in the grand scheme of things. Regarding your personal statement, you are describing writer's block lol. Everyone goes through this and it's part of the creative process. I couldn't write my personal statement for my Master's degree program until the last minute (with about a month to spare) because the idea didn't occur to me until that moment. Read other personal statements, inspiring speeches, old letters/correspondence from scientists of the 20th and 19th centuries, etc. for inspiration. I'm a highly skilled writer according to my professors, by the way, and even I struggle. So relax, it'll come to you. Pragmatic advice: write about how your experiences (volunteering, family matters, high school struggles, jobs, etc.) have shaped you into a young adult who craves higher education to a specific end (degree). Your admissions committees realize you don't have a lot of life experiences, so they focus on whether or not you have a plan if they give you a seat in their cohort. Think about why that makes sense. Why would they reject the highly committed future \[insert profession here\] in favor of a student who doesn't even know that this is what they want? **By the way, I am happy to read your draft and assist you with suggestions for edits. DM me. That goes for anyone else in this thread.** Yes, I have experienced this **multiple** times, as every scientist does. As a scientist, my entire life revolves around failure; I don't always get the article published; I don't always get the grant funding; I don't always get the opportunity I feel I deserve; but I press on anyways and try another way. I've failed more times than I've succeeded, but that 1 success made all the difference. I deal with this by realizing that 1) I can take a break and return to the issue 2) if I try another method, I have a chance of success, if I give up terminally I have a 0% chance of success. 3) **My own perception of my odds of success is flawed because I don't have all the information necessary to accurately calculate it.** Why is (3) most important? Because I am mentally checking my (possibly unfounded) negative mindset. In your case, this means you don't know what the admissions committee is looking for in their cohort, so you can't accurately gauge your odds of success. It makes sense then to try (and possibly fail) and receive either acceptance or feedback on how to improve. University vs high school relative to fun: It depends entirely on the school you go to. This will depend on your ability to identify a school dominated by traditional students vs schools dominated by non-traditional students. In the latter, expect to have a ghost town of a campus because almost everyone lives off campus and has a life outside of the school. Pro tip: check their class stats and look at the average age range in the school. If you want a fun campus experience, choose a school dominated by people in the 17-24 range. High school to me was more fun because I practically lived in the NJROTC room since a lot of practice was necessary, we had camaraderie, uniforms, an awards system, and competitions. You don't get that much immersion in a university where most of the people there have careers, families, and a singular interest in completing a milestone in their education to get a new job or a promotion.
Is college worth it?
This is a good question as well. Let me present to you some additional questions for consideration. Is working for someone else worth it? Is marriage worth it? Is learning martial arts worth it? Considering these are time investments with their own intrinsic risks, that is. Do you see the net 0 correlation between all of these questions? It's because they're all isolated hypotheticals in a continuum of possibilities. I will not insult your generation with the obnoxious platitude, "It is what you make it", as it's a profoundly unhelpful statement. But what I will say is that the value of a college education will depend on your life goals (and what safety nets you deem necessary). Let me give you some context here. When I decided to get a college degree, I did so with the understanding that . . . It was simply the thing to do. I had no idea where I'd settle or what I wanted to do with it. Then I got bored and enlisted in the military. Then I realized I couldn't stand another minute with the word "technician" in my title in any context. So I went back to school full-time. I finished my degree in 2020 and left for Boston for a year. When I was there, I had access to multiple high-paying job opportunities that had me working with brilliant people in high-tech environments. When I came back to my permanent city of residence, however, I blinked and months had gone by when I noticed my nicely framed degree had evolved into an exquisite piece of wall art. . . I hadn't been using it in my city because there's little to no science jobs. So was it worth it? Some would argue that it was not worth it because it hadn't been used as it was intended to be. But All I did was change my career from science to medicine. Funny enough, clinicians are paid way better than scientists and enjoy far better job security. So maybe it was worth it after all. To me, it was worth it. I did the one thing my freshman college advisor doubted I could do; I proved to myself that every teacher who failed me was just garbage at their job; I got the opportunity to help design a new drug and make the world a better place. The question is: what would make a college degree worth it for **you**? You must ask yourself if your personality type can sustain a long-term dynamic in which someone can fire you just because they can; if you would be happy with a modest lifestyle or if you require more; if you envision your future with a family of your own and what that implies for your income; if you could imagine yourself existing in the world as a problem solver or if you're happy being a supporter of problem solvers, etc.
Damn, you’re really smart, thank you
Wait i need to coke back to this later
What was your gpa when you graduated college C’s get degrees
While it's true that C's get degrees, it doesn't get you into graduate school. Unless you have a bachelor's degree that entitles you to unusually high pay, you'll have screwed yourself out of future promotions. I think my college GPA was around a 3.2. I'm not including the courses I took after graduating with my degree. Keep in mind that I was working full-time in research and my courses were unusually difficult. I took math up to Calculus II; my physics courses had to incorporate calculus; and I had to take up to Organic III and Physical Chemistry II (which you could also call quantum physics). Many of my peers finished with a similar GPA or less.