I Failed My First Grad School Exam...

Yeah, you read that right. And I don't mean in a dramatic "OMG I got a C, I totally failed"...I mean I totally got below a 60%, failed.

This was in my hardest class of my grad program but after speaking with my professor, I was told there was still hope. So I started re-working how I studied. This wasn't like in undergrad where you were just tested on what you knew. This was a medical school level course, and the exam questions were similar to what you would expect on board exams...so not only did you have to KNOW the material, you had to know how to APPLY the material. And that, my friends, was a learning curve to me. I'm good at regurgitating information I learn. But I was never put in the position as if I was the doctor and had to work through a paragraph of information filled with symptoms, treatments, and diagnosis.

But I eventually got the hang of it. I mean, I came out of that class with a B.

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But the path to that as well as my other final grades was tough. There were nights where I fought back tears just to get through a study session. I felt defeated multiple times throughout the semester and really wasn't sure if I could do it. It has been 2 years since I was a full time student so going from taking 1 course at a time in my certificate program to a full 10 credit course load of first year med school courses, whew chile. My hair was falling out, my acne was terrible for 2 months, and endometriosis doesn't let you forget she's there.

I retook biochemistry, a course that was supposed to just be a review as I earned a 3.0 in the course in undergrad, and it was not the easy A it was supposed to be...I had to relearn info a new way in order to pass that professors exams, not how I previously learned it. I learned to appreciate outside sources to supplement my studying. I learned to depend on others for study groups.

But I think the biggest lesson learned this semester is to not let the opinion of others deter you. I had this 2 credit course that everyone you talked to said "I heard it's a lot of work for 2 credits" (any biology student at Michigan State remembers those bio labs...now THOSE are classes that are a lot of work for 2 credits haha). But I decided to stick it out with this class, even though it was taught by the same professor of my hard 5 credit class. For anyone going through this same process, remember that your path is different from the next so sometimes, you just have to do what you think is best for you.

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In the end, I finished the semester with a 3.1. The saying "when you feel like giving up, remember why you started" is what kept me going all semester. It was when I was talking to my professor and he said "you can do it, I have faith in you" that I really felt the wheels turning. And here I am, finished with my first semester of grad school with 2 more semesters left.

And if you're reading this like "sis, I thought you were applying to medical school last we spoke". Yeeeaahhh, a LOT has changed with 2020, don't worry though, I know I've been MIA and I am back with more and updated content on my path to being a physician. Just wait on it.