Freshman Year: the Ups, the Downs, and How to Avoid My Mistakes (Before You Make Them!!)
If I had to encapsulate freshman year in just one word, I would say it was pretty much a “hurricane.” So much. So fast. A roommate I had never met before, in a dorm room roughly the size of a prison cell (no exaggeration). Selecting a major and picking classes without even knowing what I should be looking for in a class or a professor. Not a minute passing by without something fun to do, someone knocking on my door with a new place to explore. Meeting people in the first few weeks of college is the easiest thing in the world. Pretty much everyone is both excited and anxious for the start of this new chapter in their lives. This causes the vast majority of incoming freshman to be very friendly and outgoing for the first couple weeks, since no one has really settled into their friend groups yet. Chances are that the people you happen to meet first will not end up being your close friends down the road, but then again you never know. Go with an open mind and be as social as possible, and I promise this will be an awesome time for you. That being said, it’s equally easy to let coursework drop further down from its already precipitously low position on your to-do list.
The perpetual struggle
I’m not going to lie to you, it wasn’t until a couple months into that first semester that I actually spared somewhat of a serious thought towards classes or grades. I was immature, just wanted to have fun, and was naïve in thinking that I really wouldn’t have to work hard at all. In high school I was a straight “A” student. I never worried about grades, and I thought this would simply carry over to college. And damn was I wrong! The first round of tests in Freshman Biology and General Chemistry were a minor wake-up call, and alerted me to the fact that I couldn’t get by without studying anymore. However as I stated above, I was immature and still not yet ready to allot more than the bare minimum amount of time to studying. If it was a choice between reviewing Gen Chem equations for tomorrow’s quiz and a pick-up basketball game, I’d pick basketball. If there was a new movie released, I’d go with friends to the midnight showing despite the fact that I had a 9am test the next morning. In short, my freshman self was an idiot. As a pre-med Biology major, I knew full well at the time that for medical school the GPA to shoot for was around a 3.7 on the 4.0 scale. However I finished the first semester with a 3.5, and somehow managed to goof off even more the second semester, rounding out my freshman year with a total GPA of 3.4. My first year of college having just ended, I knew I’d have to fight an uphill battle and really get my act together over the next 3 years.
Looking back, there are tons of things I wish I knew that could’ve made my life supremely easier. First things first, let me break down the whole list of “pre-med” course requirements to avoid any potential confusion. Regardless of your major, everyone who wants to apply to medical school must take the following classes (some schools have slightly different criteria, but for the most part this is what they require; if in doubt, check the school’s website):
one full year of Biology with labs
one full year of General/Inorganic Chemistry with labs
one full year of Organic Chemistry with labs
one full year of Physics with labs
one full year of English
one Math class, can be Calculus or Statistics
When I say “one full year”, what I mean is two classes in sequence, for example Physics I and Physics II, not just any random Physics classes. Also keep in mind that these are the MINIMUM requirements, and most applicants will have taken much more than these. The reason is two-fold. A large portion of pre-meds are science majors, so just by virtue of their own majors’ requirements for graduation, they will have taken more of these classes. Another reason is that medical schools calculate two different GPAs for each applicant: your Cumulative GPA (all your college classes together) and your Science GPA (combination of Math and Science classes only). By taking more of these above classes, applicants can increase their Cumulative and Science GPAs substantially, provided of course that they get “As” in the classes; otherwise it can end up hurting you on both your GPAs. So don’t sign up for Quantum Mechanics unless it seriously interests you!
Which brings me to another point: what’s the best way to decide what classes and/or professors to take? I will say this out of all honesty: take courses that actually interest you. This should be your number one criteria (of course if there’s a boring class that’s part of your graduation requirement…no way around that unfortunately, you gotta take it). That being said, talk to people that have taken a class you’re interested in. Find out the level of difficulty, the amount of work you’ll have to put in, and how the professor is in terms of teaching and grading. There’s no shame in taking a so-called “easy” class, because at the end of the day every pre-med is playing the same game to boost their GPA. The more “As” you get, the higher your GPA and the better your chances of acceptance. A high GPA alone will not get you into med school, but it certainly can’t hurt. A low GPA on the other hand can, so always shoot for the “A”. Another piece of advice regarding classes: some courses like basic Statistics are going to be pretty easy relative to your other classes at almost every university, and Stats will fulfill the Math pre-med requirement and count for both the Cumulative and Science GPAs. So classes like this aren’t a bad idea to take.
Additionally, don’t buy any textbooks until after your first couple classes. A lot of your professors will “require” specific books but never once use them, preferring instead to teach via a laser-pointer and their PowerPoint slides (which actually make for great note-taking if you print them out before class or download them on your laptop and type directly on them). So wait on the book purchases, or you may find yourself with a $300 paperweight sitting idly on your desk.
Another thing you should do is make friends or at least get acquainted with a few upperclassmen early on, because this can make your life MUCH easier. They have already taken the entry level classes that you’ll have to, and thus can tell you which professors are better. A good professor can make or break the class. They can also pass down their old notes, quizzes, and exams, which are absolute 24-karat-gold in college. These are great study resources and a lot of professors re-use a significant amount of questions from older exams, so the more you can get a hold of the better. This doesn’t mean you should study less for the tests, but why not give yourself every advantage possible? Also be willing to spread the love and distribute any resources you get your hands on to your classmates. Don’t become the selfish, cutthroat, gunner-douche pre-med stereotype. Believe me, there’s enough of those already, and no one likes or respects them. Collaboration is better than competition.
On a different note, some freshmen are already stressing out about the MCAT, asking all kinds of nervous questions: when should I start studying for it? Which classes will best prepare me to do well on it? Should I be taking a prep course now? What was your study schedule like? And on and on. One kid, while still in his FIRST SEMESTER OF FRESHMAN YEAR, asked me if he was late in starting to prepare for the MCAT. I thought to myself, “this kid can’t actually be serious??” DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT THE MCAT RIGHT NOW!!! As a freshman, the MCAT should be the last thing on your mind. In fact, it shouldn’t even be on your mind at all. You’ll have all the time in the world after sophomore year is over to stress out, study, and do well on that dreaded exam (click here for my section on the MCAT and how to dominate it).
But for now, just look at this beautiful picture and chill out
As a freshman you should be more focused on getting to know your professors, and making sure they know you. Many professors that you have during freshman year will also teach upper level courses, so chances are you’ll see them again. It’s to your advantage to be on good terms with your teachers not just for future classes, but also for Letters of Recommendation when you’re applying to medical school. Someone would have a pretty tough time writing anything significant about you if the only interaction you’ve ever had is just occupying a seat at the back of their class. Your rec letters can be powerful tools, serving as petitions on your behalf to med school admissions boards; yet this will only happen if you establish strong, meaningful relationships early. This is difficult for a lot of students, who say they feel “intimidated when talking to their professors.” It honestly surprises me how many students have this fear. And it needs to go away because it’s totally ridiculous! Your college professors are just normal people like you, and for the most part are extremely nice, down to earth, and helpful. After all, they took a teaching job because this is what they love to do, and from my experience professors love talking to students. They are also very intelligent and can give you stellar advice, not only limited to their subjects of expertise, but about life in general. They’ve spent their entire careers interacting with people roughly your age, and can probably relate with whatever you’re going through. Now before you jump at me and complain about that one horrible Gen Chem or Physics professor you had, I will concede that not all professors fit into this wise and graceful mold. Like in any vocation, some people were just not meant to be teachers. If you happen to stumble across one of those professors who is arrogant/a terrible teacher/plays favorites/would rather do research than talk to students, just know that these are the exceptions rather than the norm. You’ll run into people like this throughout life. It isn’t worth stressing about. Just endeavor to befriend the majority of your professors that are awesome, and it’ll work wonders for you.
Man I really wish someone had told me these things before my freshman year, or hell, even halfway through it! My first year was definitely a lot of fun, but between constantly partying and socializing with friends, training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 5 days a week, having a stint on the TCU wresting team, and all the other random shenanigans that presented themselves, I definitely did not allocate enough time to my schoolwork. And it’s not as if I was failing out or anything drastic like that; what burned me the most was I knew I could do far better than the 3.4 GPA that currently sat on my transcript. That's why I stressed the importance of time management in the prior section. Once I started balancing time between my different responsibilities during sophomore year, it did wonders for me. So don’t learn the hard way like I did, take my advice and apply it now!