A bit of a struggle but...

<p>Which is why I suggested the non-trad option. It would give him time to master the skills he need to succeed in college first. Then he can catch up with his science and math coursework and all the other necessaries post graduation.</p>

<p>At Berkeley the minimum was 13 semester hours and my DD always strove to NOT overload, especially playing a sport and being a slow reader with an LD. She never did 18, though her sister had that same attitude, "I’ll show ‘them’ how strong I am’ Didn’t work, did not work at all. Every other kid is smart, too, and most of them are motivated. You should set up a schedule that allows for mastery of the material.</p>

<p>I think Cal DD could have taken one more class per term many times, but found her set up to be successful and she is doing fine in med school (with fewer ECs, of course). I don’t think you HAVE to take 16-18 units, but probably no less than 4 classes.</p>

<p>I’m concerned that it’s going to take too long for this student to get thru his degree and pre-med pre-reqs with the right GPA …and also score high enough on the MCAT, since he’s already indicated that he doesn’t score well on standardized tests. </p>

<p>I just can’t imagine med schools taking a chance on a student who needs to take science classes a couple of times in order to get good grades.</p>

<p>Well, now that you brought it up—there’s the issue with SAP and student loans. With 3 classes that are either D,F, or W, he’s only successfully completed around 5 of 8 classes. I though Staffords required that a student complete and pass 2/3rds of all classes attempted. That’s going to be an issue also.</p>

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Yes, and if the student receives any institutional or state aid, it might end after 8 total semesters.</p>

<p>At this point, after all the reading and researching I’ve decided that:</p>

<p>[1] I will apply AFTER I graduate / DURING senior year
[2] I will take the MCAT DURING / AFTER senior year</p>

<p>So those two right there knocks out taking the MCAT’s during junior year and applying during junior year.</p>

<p>Next:</p>

<p>[1] After I get used to the system, I plan on a few semesters where I will take 21 credits.
So suppose I use my entire sophomore year to get used to things, from junior to senior year I can take 18-21 credits to speed things up.</p>

<hr>

<p>I have begun to consider other careers and alternatives although it saddens me because medicine is the number thing I really want to do. I can’t really picture myself doing anything else. This really is a big blow for me. A really big blow. It hurts me more because I really feel and even will go as far as to say I KNOW I can do this but it’s just a few things that have gotten me down this bumpy road.</p>

<p>My other plan(s):
[1] Do well in upper level sciences, EC’s, MCATs, good personal statement, and interview and try to bring my GPA to at least a 3.5 by the time I apply.</p>

<p>[2] Go for a post-bac</p>

<p>[3] Pharmacy, Dentistry or Medical-engineering / researching
(not as enthusiastic about these careers as I am about being a physician though)</p>

<p>mom2collegekids: I understand that. But after this poor display, what if I’m able to show that I can handle the science work and I excel in it? No more failing / withdraws after this semester, really good MCAT, good EC’s do I still have a shot though? </p>

<p>I’m really discouraged now. I’ve bought some books and have even decided I will NOT get a summertime job this year so I can spend the entire summer thoroughly learning and studying the basic material which is becoming a stumbling block for me right now. Rather than taking Chem and Bio I was also thinking of taking the basic Bio and Chem (the general versions) and then from the Spring semester I will begin taking my science courses. </p>

<p>As much as I feel like and want to cry about this situation, something in the back of my mind, and inside me just gives me this little nudge that it’s not too late and that there is STILL a chance. That’s what’s keeping me going and making me not want to give up. Because if there is no hope for me to get in med school now what’s the point of being here in college?</p>

<p>@ docarson, Do not take 21 semester hours and do not engage in any ECs such volunteering and shadowing. You are in no position to handle anything but the minimum course load consistent with being a full time student. 12 hours of As and Bs are infinitely preferable to 21 hours of Ds and Fs. ECs, shadowing and volunteering are a waste of valuable time that you need to use studying. I did no ECs, never volunteered and never once shadowed but still was accepted into medical school because I spent my time studying to obtain a good GPA and MCAT score. I had a very difficult undergraduate major, Astrophysics, and did not have time for anything other than studying.</p>

<p>Even if medical school does not happen for you, you should definitely not think that there is no point in going to college. Although I am a doctor today, Medicine was not my first choice for a career. I had always wanted to be an astronomer but while I was able to get a BS in it, I also came to the conclusion and accepted the fact that while I had a Mathematics aptitude that was sufficient for undergraduate Math, Physics and Astronomy courses, I just did not have the ability to do Math at the PhD level which is required to become a professional astronomer. It is tough to give up a dream but there are many satisfying careers that one can aspire to if their first choice is not attainable.</p>

<p>It’s not suprising you got those grades cause it’s only freshman year, and considering all my college friends, they had a hard time adjusting to college life with all the academics, courseload, & social life. Idk if you’d agree with me, but maybe it’d be a better idea to finish your general ed and get that out of the way. Thus you can focus on your major and pre-med preqs during junior/senior year, when you’ve already adjusted to college life, and also more serious about your academics. Whatever works best.</p>

<p>I have been doing some more thinking recently and I have considered what everybody has told me. </p>

<p>I have started looking engineering as a back up career. And my schools offers this engineering program where you do 3 years here and 2 years at an engineering school which will give you a B.A and a B.S.</p>

<p>The thing is though, if I decide to go with the engineering, I will have to start next year.</p>

<p>And then I was thinking of taking a full year of gen-eds (18-21 credits) fall and spring and even finishing up the bulk of my music minor requirements. Which would mean I could take the generic Bio and Chem (the non pre-req once) and get some of the basics down. Then junior and senior year, I would have to take 4 science courses including courses pertaining to my major. By then I would have been privately studying Bio and Chem and working on any other issues I need to handle in order to prepare myself for these science courses.</p>

<p>What do you guys think? Engineering or go on with the pre-med? With the engineering I wouldn’t have to worry too much about my bad gpa in the pre-reqs. It will be almost like a fresh start. I also hear my school replaces courses that are taken and re-calculate them into your gpa. So I can up my cumulative gpa even though I wouldn’t do much to my science gpa. With a good cumulative gpa, decent/low science and good MCAT, do I still have a shot?</p>

<p>My heart is really into the medicine rather than engineering though</p>

<p>Engineering is another a very difficult major. Some will argue it’s even more difficult than pre-med. It also has numerous science requirements with an emphasis on physics and chemistry–and for engineering, the coursework will be the calculus-based versions, not the algebra-based versions pre meds take. Additionally engineering has tons of required upperlevel math --significantly more than biology/pre-med. How good are your math skills? They need to be excellent to survive as an engineering major.</p>

<p>Most engineering transfer programs are 3+2 programs. 3 years undergrad as a math or chemistry major plus 2 years of engineering coursework elsewhere. It will be vitally important to discuss your schedule with your college’s advisor who handles the engineering transfers to make sure you take the correct coursework. Engineering pre-reqs are very specific.</p>

<p>I think your plan to concentrate on your gen eds is good idea. I’m not sure if taking 18-21 credits in the fall is. It’s more important to learn to succeed in college than to over-reach because you’re in a hurry or have unrealistic expectations of yourself. Go slow, master your math courses ( if you’re going the engineering route because in engineering those are your foundation skills), learn how to study effectively, and how to write papers cogently. </p>

<p>RE: grade replacement. AMCAS (the centralized application process that medical schools use) does NOT allow grade replacement, even if your school does. You will have report ALL your grades and those will be calculated into your AMCAS/official cum GPA and sGPA. Unfortunately you will never be able to leave your poor freshman grades behind if you’re going the med school route. </p>

<p>I think if you really, really want to do medicine, I think your best option is to do a post-bacc program (formal or informal) and apply after graduation. Non-traditional students in medical school aren’t that uncommon anymore.</p>