I did very well in high school (well enough to get into Berkeley and USC but I didn’t go because of financial reasons) and I am used to getting straight A’s with the occasional B. But my first semester at my state school was a disaster. I didn’t pass three classes and got one C and 2 A’s (the 2 A’s were in my comp sci class and I’m just naturally good at that stuff I guess). I didn’t take my first semester seriously because I thought my state school classes were going to be easier than all the AP classes that I took. As it turns out, you can’t play video games for hours and study for tests the day before and do well in college. I thought my study habits in high school would work in college but by the time I realized that I was in trouble it was too late. Now I am stuck with a 2.0 GPA my first semester. However, I learned my lesson and I am going to kick ass second semester but I am worried that my terrible first semester GPA will prevent me from getting into a good grad school for comp sci. Is this normal? Will grad schools understand that college is a huge transition? I am planning to retake the classes that I didn’t pass over the summer, but they will still be on my transcript.
I don’t think not unusual is the same as “normal” but, it is in fact, not unusual for students to struggle for a variety of reasons during their first semester of college. Learn from your mistakes, correct your bad habits, and try to do better from now now. If you do well from here on out, it is unlikely to keep you out of graduate school, but for now, take one day at a time, and get up every morning, do the best you can that day, get up the next day and do your best again. And think about scheduling some time for fun, just don’t let it interfere with your goals.
Thanks for this honest post. You made some assumptions that came back to bite you. You assumed that state university would be easy. You assumed you wouldn’t have to try. You assumed that going to college meant you could do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it. This is all part of becoming an adult, and it’s good that you recognize the need to be responsible going forward.
I think you will be fine, especially if you can do really well from now on. You are not the first student this has happened to. Be aware that there is also what is known as the “sophomore slump,” when students do what you have done, but as sophomores. I think it’s harder to come back from that. Stay on top of your work and don’t get caught up in your new freedoms. Good luck.
Your take on your first semester is actually pretty common. Consider it a wake-up call that you will need to step outside of the “high school study method” box to get the grades you want moving forward. We tend to resist change, so it’s not going to be easy. You seem to have acknowledged the issue (half the battle, truly) - now it’s time to implement. If it means making flash cards, rewriting your notes, rereading chapters, or getting into study groups, DO IT. And @NorthernMom61 is so right: schedule everything, including fun. That way, you don’t feel like it’s all work, work, work, and you will become more efficient with your time.
The bad news is that you tanked your first semester.
The good news is that you seem to have learned your lesson fairly quickly and that you have the capacity to do very well throughout the next 7 semesters and your summer classes.
Take what you have learned, move forward and do amazing things. There is plenty of time to set things right and demonstrate that the first semester was an aberration.
I got a 45 on my first college exam. That first semester was TOUGH! Like you, I figured out what I was doing wrong and ended up doing well. Hang in there!
For me, it was the opposite. I got a really high GPA the first semester due to having easy professors, but then it sunk as the difficulty rose up.
It won’t be hard to recover your GPA. You’ve only taken a few classes. But you need to change your habits and lifestyle to prepare yourself for a better semester before you attend again