Struggling in school

[nolansmummy]

I am currently a junior, working on my dietetics degree, but i'm seriously struggling. My gpa is 2.7 right now, which isn't that great i know. I need at least 2.75 to get into my dietetics program, and 3.0/3.5 to get into a masters program .
I go to class, do homework, read the material, and yet i just don't' get it. It just doesn't click at all. I have tutors too, if anyone is going to suggest that.
I feel like i'm too dumb for college I really goofed off in H.S ( graduated in 98) and i am paying for it big time! It doesn't help that my husband is going to school full time and barely does any work and rarely studies and has a 3.5gpa while i really struggle to pull B's every semester.
?

I'm not dropping out, and i'm not giving up. I can't switch schools, or change my degree. I struggled for years deciding what i wanted to do with my life, and i know this is it. I'm working my arse off to pull up my gpa from a really bad semester two years ago, and its just so frustrating!



I read here and people talk about how they have a 4.0 and i'm in How do you do it? Tips, tricks, commiseration, anything. I'm just feeling really low thinking about fall semester coming up and need to vent.

[CarrieMF]

Some people just have an easier time at school than others.

Are you taking a full load? can you cut back on the number of classes you're taking? Do you have alot of uninterrupted time to study/do homework?

[sparklett]

It could very well be that your coursework is just plain HARD. You've probably had to take lots of chemistry courses, yes? Back when I was working on my BS in biology, chemistry (and honestly, most of the biology classes) were ridiculously hard. I was happy with an C in organic chem and had to take calculus twice to get through the math requirements with a C.

Since then, I have found that I do LOTS better in courses that emphasize interpretation of ideas, NOT memorization of facts. That's just how I learn. Give me a humanities class, I'll get an A. Give me a math, chemistry, or anatomy course, and I'll be happy with a C.

For your situation, how do you feel about the fundamentals of your coursework? Do you feel like there's gaps in your knowledge that should be filled? You say that you goofed off a bit in high school (didn't we all?). I find that even now, 15 years after high school, I'm still drawing on some of the stuff I learned there. Tutors are good, but sometimes if there's a real gap in the fundamentals, it might help to take the class again or take an open courseware course to help you out a bit. (If you don't know about open courseware, it's free online classes from places like MIT where you can experience the course without having to get credits or pay. I've found that it really helps to browse open courseware when a refresher or a different perspective is needed.)

For me, being able to maintain a 4.0 is simply becuase I take courses and enroll in programs that suit my learning style. I love writing essays but I hate memorizing facts. To be honest, I'd probably crash and burn in a dietetics program.

Something you might consider doing is sitting down with your counselor and determining if there's any way you can see if you have an undiagnosed learning disability. My husband has dyslexia and he requires certain kinds of help to get through his classes. As long as he gets this support, he is a 4.0 student. Without it, he suffers.

I'm not sure if any of this was helpful, but I really wish you luck. Believe me, you are NOT too dumb for college.

Think about it like this: what do they call a med. student who got Cs in school? Doctor. What do they call a guy who got Ds in school? Mr. President.

[Ophelia]

Do you know if you have ADHD or some type of learning disability? I did fine in school until the classes got hard (mostly math and science) and then I went to college for 1 year and flunked out.

I had the same issue, would read the books, study, etc. and still have huge problems taking tests, etc. I only found out this year (now that I am 39) that I have ADHD/inattentive. I'm not hyper but it causes memory problems and I get overwhelmed very easily.

I know there are surveys out there that you can take to find out what way you learn best (visual, verbal, etc). That might help too.