<p>Long story short, my GPA is WELL below what it should be. Let’s say, 2.3ish range, kind of on the edge of academic probation (<2.0). I was a typical CC kid in HS - high achiever. But I used confusion/lack of passion/laziness/lack of direction in college as an excuse to not just stagnate, but tumble. </p>
<p>A variety of events have caused me to decide it’s time to kick my butt into gear. But I can’t help but feel a little screwed. My second semester sophomore year peers are applying for internships - who would want me? </p>
<p>I’m thinking as it nears time to start the semester, it would help to hear some suggestions about how to become competitive again. I know that if I ever want to get into the law schools or professions I had dreamed of in HS (straight out of college, that is), I am going to have to work much more than twice as hard as I would have had to before I dug myself into a pit. What are ways to go the extra mile?</p>
<p>Besides doing the work and getting the grades, of course, I’ve decided to:</p>
<p>-make sure to come to class on time/sit in the front row/ask well-timed and smart questions/go to office hours - not only would it help me take advantage of my education, but good recs may help offset my poor GPA.<br>
-I’ve also committed myself to being a better employee. I’ve heald a lackluster campus job for a few semesters, but really putting in some extra effort might actually turn what I previously thought of as a dead-end waste of time into a resume booster (I am thinking of recs for summer jobs that are a step up/etc.)
-In addition, it would help to try and rekindle my interest in old activities I used to enjoy, like jazz, sports, and “freelance” writing; not just to improve my mood, but to get involved with campus life in some way.<br>
-I’m also continuing to volunteer, and I think I should explore other volunteer opportunities in areas I care about.<br>
-Finally, although I am taking it easy this semester with the average load of credits, if I am able to suceed I will add a winter or summer class, or maybe an extra class in the Fall to help boost my GPA.</p>
<p>So, what are some other ways to go the extra mile?</p>
<p>Before you even worry about “the extra mile,” have you sat down & really analyzed what went wrong? The steps you are taking are all positive, but it’s very important to also think of whether there are other factors contributing to the decline–time management? Other distractions? Study groups/buddies? It’s really important to have as accurate and comprehensive a view of what went wrong so you can make all the necessary adjustments to thrive this semester. </p>
<p>I’m sure your school has a counseling/student services office where they can help you get more insights on how to get back to where you know you can as well as the campus resources to help you get & stay on track. Use these services–your tuition is paying for it and that’s what they are there for and very good ad.</p>
<p>I’ve thought long and hard about this, gone to counselers/other campus resources, etc.</p>
<p>One thing I need most is a goal, and a way to succeed at it. So if my goal is to make myself competitive again for law schools and such, now I would just like some more advice about how to get there.</p>
<p>OP agree that all the positive steps in the world won’t help you unless you also target the things that made you loose focus. You seem like you don’t want to deal with the cause, just the result and that is not really a proactive step. Having a goal is great but didn’t you have one before? Why did you loose sight of it?</p>
<p>Your lack of passion, dropping of activities important to you and failure to show up for class may indicate many things but depression and excessive partying are the two that spring to mind. Regardless my advice is to seek help in figuring out how you got off track and then take the steps you need to pull yourself back to where you want to be. Best of luck</p>
<p>In my previous post I have just stated that I have gone to counselers and used the school provided services, as well as thought about this on my own. I am neglecting to talk about the causes for my decline here NOT because I am ignoring it; rather, I believe that conversation is better suited to other audiences, aka friends/family/professionals. So please try to stay on topic, thanks. I don’t mean to sound harsh; I just want the focus in this thread to be on the question I posed.</p>
<p>I’m going to take a practice LSAT soon - I think my scores will put me above average, since I tend to test (and prep for tests) really well.</p>
<p>This is probably job 1 in getting yourself out of your hole. And accomplishing this will take your focused attention and time. Before you start thinking about the “extra mile,” you should think abut how to get to the mile marker first.</p>
<p>You decide which posts you want to respond to, so this comment is pretty rude and unnecessary, imho. </p>
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<p>I find it strange that the posts continue echoing this same sentiment, when I have said repeatedly that I am proactively thinking AND dealing with this issue, with the help of counselors, school resources, family, friends, and my own introspection. </p>
<p>It has been suggested to me by various people to counteract some of my feelings of being “screwed” - doubtless one of the things keeping me from exercising my full potential in my work - by putting myself out there and going the extra mile, allowing myself to feel like I am competitive in some way.</p>
<p>It’s just one thing, it’s just one part, but it IS a part. So please try to help me answer the question I posed in my post.</p>
<p>When trying to get out of a hole, it’s very important to stop digging.</p>
<p>Improvements come from successes and it’s frequently more constructive to come away with a bunch of small successes than it is to try to score a big hit. In many cases, basic fundamentals matter a lot towards execution. As others have written, you need to fix any underlying problems first.</p>
<p>Your thesis is that if you spend more time doing other things (that are not study related), the time that you do spend studying will be “quality time”? </p>
<p>Look, I’m not saying that you have to dedicate your life to the library. In fact, people who do nothing but study often burn out and don’t do as well as their time commitment would suggest. But there’s a balance between work and play that has to be struck. </p>
<p>Doing nothing obviously didn’t work for you. Now you’re swinging the pendulum to doing everything. I would be very surprised if that will work for you. Find a balance.</p>
<p>Once again, feeling like I am going the extra mile IS part of fixing the underlying problem. For me, it helps me succeed at the basics to do those things. This is not just my opinion, it is also the opinion of professionals. Going to office hours, choosing one activity that interests me to get involved with, etc. are not “doing everything”. Nor are they “anything besides studying” - I think office hours/asking good questions IS a good study habit. And besides that, of course I would pick and choose which “extra mile” things to pursue. I would just like to hear some options.</p>
<p>I understand if you feel unable to answer the question posed or would not like to answer the question. But please let’s stop rehashing this, as I feel like I have explained myself pretty adequately.</p>
<p>The opinion of professionals is nice, but I can give you the experience of my own, my husband’s and my daughter’s experiences covering the gamut from college to graduate and law school. </p>
<p>Well, good luck on that GPA. I’m out of here!</p>
<p>Just to clarify again, suggestions may be study related, such as researching a topic on my own to become more interested in it, going to office hours to forge a relationship with my professor, etc.</p>
<p>Also to clarify, I do not wish to implement ALL of mine/your suggestions. Rather, I’d like a pool to choose from. I.e. this semester I decide to pick an activity that interests me. Next semester I decide to try to do some research with a professor. Next semester I apply for internships. Etc. It is not an all at once thing. But I am sure you CC parents have some interesting suggestions for ways to get engaged, competitive, etc. that I have not thought of, and maybe I’d like to try one of those.</p>
<p>Just summarizing again because ellemenope didn’t seem to understand my situation/intent.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’ll find this helpful, but I think you need to find ways to have fun too. Figure out how much time you can allow for fun and some parameters on what you’ll do. My most successful diet was the one where I allowed myself a tiny dessert each night and a free pass to eat my dh’s waffles every weekend. </p>
<p>Another suggestion - see you just made it yourself and I agree it’s a good one - try to get to know one or two of your profs this semester. Go to office hours and have a conversation. Find out if they ever hire research assistants. Your best bet for meaningful summer work is probably something on campus - if you can make a favorable impression this term.</p>
<p>Contrary to other posters’ opinions I do not party often (maybe once or twice a month!). I’m a cripplingly shy person actually. I don’t do much for fun. I think picking one organized, fun, and social activity will be helpful.</p>
<p>For this summer I was hoping to land a job with visitor services on campus, or as a waitress, something customer service oriented since my current job is just grunt work that doesn’t really advance me as a person, I don’t think. But it would be great to find a research opportunity that I could do in addition to maybe a light work schedule in a customer-service oriented job. Do you think professors would want somebody with my GPA to do research? By the time I have “proved” myself during the semester with my work, will it be too late to ask about research positions?</p>
<p>Forgive me for not understanding that you plan to do things a little at a time. Your original post said: “Besides doing the work and getting the grades, of course, I’ve decided to: [list of 5 things]” Only one thing talked about a future occurrence and nothing in your post seems to suggest that you were going to take a scaled approach with your activities.</p>
<p>In light of your subsequent qualification, I would suggest that you add some physical activity–playing intramurals, running, bicycling, walking, etc. Physical activity can help with mood elevation and mental alertness. (Professionals agree about this.)</p>
<p>Intramural sports (especially if you are at a college with dorm intramural teams) is a way to gain fitness and make friends.</p>
<p>Getting into “the hole” is easier than getting “out of the hole”…that’s just an unfortunate fact that many have to learn. Everyone is trying to tell you to get some balance and I agree. Basically, you are correct…you need to go to class, you need to do the reading/labs, etc and you need to do them well and consistently. OK, you know intellectually what that means and how much effort you have to put into it. So do it. Take a class load that you can handle, take classes that you know you will do well in to gain confidence. Take care of the basics. Do your job if you need to for work/study or whatever and put some effort into it. You don’t need to be the superstar, but put in some effort. My advice would be to pick one EC and one volunteer activity that you care about if these types of activities are important to you. Take a step back and concentrate on the important tasks…forget adding more “stuff” or more “noisee” into your life until you are on the path to GPA recovery. Make sure the kids you hang with the most are tracking where you want to be in life…if not…back off the slackers or the partiers or whatever distractions caused your dilema in the past. Plan your time…if you want to play on Thursday, then make sure on Wednesday you finish your work for Friday. Learn to say “no.” All your friends are in school. They “get” it if you say “no, I can’t do that because I have a paper to write.” They won’t “dis” you and if they do, they aren’t friends. Each semester or quarter or tri-mester is a new beginning. Take it one at a time. This is one time in life where it is best to keep the focus narrow. Think of your goal lines in terms of each semester/quarter rather than two years down the road. Knock out one semester. Then knock out the next and the next. The end will take care of itself. You are on the right track…just don’t get derailed by trying to fix something in 2 weeks that took 20 weeks or more to happen. Keep your sights short and focused and you will succeed over time. There is an expression walk before you run.</p>