Up until now, I have been doing well in my post-bac (3.8 GPA), but this summer, I decided to take Physics. Mistake. The 8-week course is crushing my spirit. I have in a request for a late withdraw, but it’s not likely to come through until after the final and may not be granted at all. This is going to be an ugly mark on my transcript and it has really shaken my confidence in my ability to learn. I’ve put so much time into this class (Khan Academy, Tutors, SmartThinking, supplemental books) and still feel completely behind and in the dark. When I try to ask the instructor for help, he gets frustrated and says I should know this by now and ramping up my outside of class efforts actually led to a decline in my grade. UGH!
So my questions are these:
Does anyone have any great suggestions for studying Physics?
Does anyone have any happy stories about overcoming a really bad post-bac grade?
Will someone please reassure me that this is not the end and that smart people can make terrible mistakes and still come out on top?
I have a big F on my transcripts from when I took organic chemistry. I thought it was the end of the world as I knew it!
I didn’t know how to study properly for that class, and didn’t realize it until almost the end when it was too late. Yes, I was frustrated. Who wouldn’t be?
Instead of seeing it as a failure I took it as an opportunity. I took the class again, learned new study techniques, got a tutor, became antisocial for that semester (priorities :), and got a big A on it. That bad grade will always be there on my permanent transcripts for all to see, but there is also an A that says I didn’t give up. Admissions officers see that, and that is definitely more valuable than giving up.
Here I am, seven years after I graduated college and one very expensive Kaplan MCAT course later, and I’m still trying to get into med school. It has been a long (looong) run, but I haven’t given up. I just got my MCAT results yesterday, and the effort has paid off. Life has gotten in the way, but this is the year that I will get into medical school. I am closer than ever to wearing that white coat, and so are you.
So — sounds like you’re just starting the fun and games —
Studying for physics – well, depends – are you in Physics I (newtonian mechanics, etc.) or Physics II (wave theory, electrics, etc)? – General tips – write down the Givens and recognize the pattern of how you work through a problem – As I always did and tell my teenagers, in math/physics/chemistry – write down each step in a monotonous fashion and do NOT skip calculation steps in your head. That will cause you to screw up. So, if you’ve got a problem of Wile E. Coyote falling off a ledge after chasing the Roadrunner, setup is what it’s all about – what’s the constant of gravity, what are you equations for terminal velocity, etc. Once you set it up, be very pedantic about how you solve it…and work a whole bunch of problems…Physics 2 just sucks – Magnetism almost got me and I was glad to get out with a C.
Happy stories – Well, I had 7 F’s on my undergrad record, hadn’t been to school in 20 years, took my classes one at a time in various community colleges, didn’t do well on the MCAT (25P?) and was admitted off the wait list on my first application cycle…now a board certified attending physician —
Don’t sweat it — this is more about how bad you want it and what you’re willing to do to get there — recognize also that God blew open all of the closed doors in my path through medicine so don’t think it was my sterling personality and intellectual ability that got me to where I am today – check the blog to see the struggles —
And lastly – make doggone sure this is what you want – most premeds have no real idea of what they’re getting into as most have never had to cover a patient that was riding the fence on being an ICU admit or pulling out and remaining on the floor overnight…and no, med school/residency will not give you the answers on what to do since medicine is one huge grey area with a whole lot of Monday morning quarterbacks checking your every move…
Understanding the equations and general problem setup was key for me in the kinematics portions of physics. The best (and perhaps most frustrating) part is that all the information you need is known/given. If you can figure out how to display that information by drawing out the situation, you’ll not only gain a better picture of the problem but also be able to visualize the step-wise equation chain you’ll need to solve the problem. I was an engineering undergrad and still had issues relearning the kinematics stuff 13 years later. Kaplan helped a lot though.
Keep your head up. I thought phys 2 was way easier than 1, at least at my school. I still remember seeing everyone look stupid contorting their hands and wrists to do the EM problems. O chem on the other hand…good luck!!
