PUT LAST SEMESTER IN PERSPECTIVE

There is an infinite variety of questions, but you could break all answers down into two categories: answers you act on and those you don't. (In fact, you could say that all things fall into two categories: the category of things that can be put into two categories, and the category of things that cannot--but then again, you could say a lot of things.)

For example:
Question:
"Was the author, Franz Kafka, born in 1947?"
Answer:
"No, he was born in 1883!"--The chances are good you will not use this answer to frame a course of action.

On the other hand, imagine that you go to a relative with a request.
Question:
"Can I borrow the car?"
Answer:
"Yes! I just filled up the tank and put $500 in the glove compartment. Here are the keys. It's all yours."--It is likely that you would act on this answer.

What does this have to do with anything? Simply this: Your grades are the answer to the question, "How did I do?"More importanly, your grades belong to the category of answers that you need to act on.

Your spring grades could be the most important tool that you have to make sure that the fall of 2002 will be better than the spring of 2002.

However, the chances are very good that if you are like most students you made your fall schedule before you received your spring grades.

What does that mean? Now, that you have had plenty of time to recover from the exultation, despair, or just plain indifference that your grades first caused, it is time to reevaluate your plans for the fall.

How do you do this? Your spring grades should raise questions in your mind--a set of diagnostics that can help you to ensure that your next semester will be better than the last one. This will bring your closer to the future you are trying to build for yourself.

Let us now take a look at some of the questions that you might ask yourself.

• Should I take fewer science courses in the fall, or more?

  Imagine this picture:

  You took only one science course in the spring, and you got an A in it. Currently, you are registered for only one science course in the fall. If the rest of your grades were also strong, you might consider adding another science course.

  On the other hand, what if you took two or more science courses in the spring and got some less than ideal grades? This could mean that you should trim your load of science courses for the fall, re-balance things so that you can improve your grades.
  

• Should I keep my old choice of a major or change it?

  After last semester, you might have discovered that you do not like Biology or Anthropology courses as much as you thought, or that there is some other field of study that you like more. Don't be afraid to follow your interests! Remember that you do not have to major in Biology or Biochemistry if you want to become a doctor, a dentist, a physical therapist, a respiratory therapist, or enter any other of the health professions.

  Read our advising piece about choosing a major. Check the Bulletin. Talk to professors at the departments that interest you. Keep in mind that the earlier you are in your academic career, the easier it is for you to change your major. Depending on when you want to graduate, a point will come when it is too late to change.
  
  

• Should I change my class schedule?

  Maybe you are not a morning person, and the alarm clock has not yet been invented that is loud enough to get you out of bed at 7:00 AM. Perhaps you need to commute home at a certain time in the afternoon to take care of a younger brother or sister. Make appropriate changes to your class schedule so that it blends nicely with the rest of your life, and makes it easier for you to reach the high level of performance you want to achieve.
  
  

• Should I change my work responsibilities?

  If you can, it might be a good idea to devote less time to a part-time job and more time to your studies. Sometimes, students need to look for a job that allows more flexible hours or which is less draining. Career Services and The Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment can be good resources.
  
  

• Should I retake any courses?

  In general, you should retake any prehealth course in which you got a C- or below. Prehealth courses should be taken for a letter grade.
  
  

• Should I change the way I study?

  The fact that the answer to this question is almost always a resounding "yes" masks the fact that the details of how you should change things are often difficult to figure out.

  • Try to go over your notes carefully right after the lecture is over to make additions and corrections to what you have written down.
  • Use departmental help rooms more frequently.
  • Set aside some time to study each subject every day, and stick to your plans. Make a reasonable yet ambitious schedule you can follow every day.
  • Use practice tests that are available on class web pages.
  • Use your professors' office hours to ask questions.
  • Tutoring is a good resource to use.
    
    
• Did I leave myself enough time to work on other things?--such as research, volunteer work, extracurricular activities?

  You might have to take care of priorities beyond just doing well in classes. Ask yourself these questions.

  • How much health-related experience did you get last semester?
  • Were you involved with a club to develop your professional and leadership skills?
  • If you are interested in a career in research have you gotten much research experience?

  Eventually, you might need to weave these activities into your schedule, depending on just what your plans are. If your class load is so demanding that it leaves you little time for anything else, this could be difficult. In that case, rethinking your schedule could be a good idea.
  
  

• Do I still really want this?

  You could say that college is a time when you discover what you like to do. Your plans might change, and your interests might grow in a different direction. Very often, some of the most interesting and competitive applicants to medical school and other health professions are people who took the time to study something else, and maybe even work in a different career field for a few years. On the other hand, every year many of the people who do not get accepted to medical school, dental school, physical therapy, physician assistant programs, and other fields are people who are not highly motivated by their goals. It is always a good idea to know what motivates you and to act on that knowledge!