<p>Hello,
I am a freshman at UC Santa Cruz, and am having a major panic attack.. mostly because of my stupidity.</p>
<p>So, i guess i can say i kind of got caught up in the lovely social aspect of college.. and my grades practically suffocated and died.</p>
<p>My school runs on a quarter system, in which I took Chem 1A, Calc 11A, and a Social Justice Class.. I received a C in chem, a c+ in calc, and a b- in social justice.</p>
<p>My question to you is... am I eternally screwed???</p>
<p>I have now figured out the rigors to academic life at ucsc... and have kind of gotten a rude awakening... if I straighten myself up and actually study seriously instead of goofing off, do I still have a chance of getting in a decent/more than decent med school??</p>
<p>Thank you,
Juniorita</p>
<p>1) No not screwed. Just don't make these grades a habit.</p>
<p>2) All US medical schools are decent. Worry about getting into more than one place before you start considering if one is better than the other.</p>
<p>3) You don't have to give up all your social life. Strive to find the right balance. You'll be happier if you do.</p>
<p>I more or less agree with BRM. To your advantage, this was the very first semester, so if you're asked you'll have any number of reasonable excuses for why you didn't do well. That being said, you really don't have much of a margin for any more serious goof-ups. Take this semester to heart and buckle down.</p>
<p>I most definitely agree with that! =] no more screwing around with grades..</p>
<p>thank you for your advice!</p>
<p>Ask yourself why you got the bad grades... did you do it because you thought premed classes are boring? If you don't like being a pre-med, I'd consider something else.</p>
<p>1st semester is tough and w/ the B- in a gut like social justice it looks like your study habits and time mgt need some work. You're nor screwed, but you better get on the right track. Visit your learning center and get some study tips, also save organic for the summer, somewhere other than a UC (in case you bomb the class and still want to do premed).</p>
<p>I still want to do premed.. always have, always will.</p>
<p>Of course you are wondering.. if i want to do it so badly, why did i eff up my grades??</p>
<p>I honestly sat down and figured out why I did so badly. It wasnt that I wasn't interested [exception is calculus.. i hate it so much!]. I actually was interested in chemistry and wanted to learn more. But I didnt set up a standard time for me to whole-heartedly study with no distractions. Also, i chose to stay on the weekend instead of going home.. and well, you know how friday nights are. Partied a bit [ sober.. but still i was out till 5 am] and slept in on saturday.. and studied a bit on sunday. So i got too involved in social stuff and lost track. </p>
<p>The first thing I am going to do when i get back is figure out when I am free and to allot times for me to study, chill, and do some volunteer work.</p>
<p>I do better in school when I am organized, and this past quarter, i was anything but organized.</p>
<p>Thanks again e for your advice people</p>
<p>I have another follow-up question.</p>
<p>Would you encourage/recommend me retaking chemistry and calculus this summer to improve my GPA?</p>
<p>Would it be a waste of time?</p>
<p>And also, if I do retake the classes and receive a better grade in both of them, will my improved GPA be calculated for the science GPA, or will my previous old stinky grades be calculated into the science GPA?</p>
<p>Most schools won't let you retake courses in which you received a passing grade (by this I mean, if you had taken the courses pass/no pass, your scores would have caused you to pass). For most schools with a +/- grading system a C- is no pass, while a C is passing. If your school doesn't give out - grades, then a C is still probably passing.</p>
<p>You can check and see with your school if they'll even let you, but I'd recommend that you just move on to your next set of courses.</p>
<p>Well, i was actually planning on retaking the classes over summer at a community college. Again, i will talk to my counselor and figure that out.
thanks!</p>
<p>It's not like they'll get erased from your record. Plus, talk about your no-win situations. If you get an A, the reaction is: "She's retaking, and at a community college. Of course she aced the course." But if you get so much as an A-, the reaction will be, "Geez. She's taking it at a community college AND it's her second time through, and she still can't handle it? What's wrong?"</p>