Hi
So i just finished my fist year of undergrad and ended up with a C in into to bio and C- in general chemistry.
And my GPA for this semester is below 3.0
I really really want to get into medical school and has been my dream since when i was little.
Pleas help, do i have chances for medical school or not and if ill get in and how i can improve my GPA
thanks
You’re off to a bad start, but your GPA isn’t fatal–yet. But you need to step up game significantly if you want med school in your future. No more Cs.
Only time (and better grades) will tell if you still have a chance for med school.
You’re going to need to retake gen chem since med schools require a C or better in pre-reqs to fulfill admission requirements.
Why do you think you’re having difficulty with your science classes?
Do you have have poor preparation for college science classes? Do you have an inadequate math background? Do you have poor study habits? Test anxiety? Did you party too much? Did you skip out on lectures? Recitations? Not read assignments ahead of lecture? Not seek help when don’t understand a concept? Fail to turn in assignments on time? Or at all? Cram at the last minute for tests?
All of the above are lethal for med school hopefuls.
What is your plan going forward to improve your grades?
Tell us more…
What were your high school stats?
What type of college do you go to? Private Univ? State univ? LAC, community college?
Why did you get the grades you did?
Thank you for your comment.
I will retake gen chem however, my school does not replace our old class grades but the retaken ones will just be added on.
I didn’t party or anything this semester. But what i think i’ve faced is that i did not obtain the correct study habits. I will work on that next semester and will try to get a 4.0
I was a pretty well student in high school. Do med schools view my high school too?
I’m in a public university.
I really just think i need to make better study habits.
In my post, i meant to say i just finished my first semester of undergrad** sorry i was having an anxiety.
AMCAS will use all your grades when computing your GPA anyway–both the original and the retaken grade. Allopathic med schools (MD) don’t allow grade replacement.
The learning/academic support center at your college probably offers a study skills seminar/class to help students learn how to adjust to college workloads. Look into that.
Your college also has a tutoring center that offer free tutoring for all basic and intermediate level classes–like gen chem and intro bio. It’s a free service–use it!
Is English your second language?
No, med schools don’t see your high school grades. I was wondering what your high school GPA and SAT/ACT test scores were. What were they?
Yes. I will be definitely be taking advantage of those sessions next semester. Thank you very much.
So i’ve moved to america about 8 years ago so i guess we can consider it as my second language?
My high school GPA was a 3.7 i think and my ACT score was a 27.
Ok.
Good idea to attend those tutoring sessions. Sounds like you got behind this last semester and didn’t know what to do.
That said, your premed classmates may be stronger students than you are. You may find it very difficult to get the A’s you need.
Is your state Univ one of the top publics in your state? Or is it a directional/local state school?
Try your hardest, but also have a Plan B. There are many careers in medicine. Being a physician isn’t the only one.
Yes. The college i attend is ranked number 4 out of 83 colleges in my state.
So, i want to change my major because i want to maintain a good GPA. Do you think its possible to have a 3.8 GPA with that?
So, do you guys think i should rethink about wanting to be a physician. i.e give up??
or continue and work hard from now on?
It’s too soon to give up. There is still time to improve your grades and get your GPA into a range where med school is a possibility. But every pre-med needs to have a Plan B–because every year 60% of med school applicants don’t get accepted to med school.
You can change your major if you think it will help you get a better GPA or if a different major will offer you better career opportunities, but remember you will still need to take all your med school pre-reqs: bio, ggen chem, ochem, biochem, physics, math, stats, sociology, psych and writing. Sometimes it can be hard to fit in all those pre-reqs and still finish your major requirements and any GEs required by your college for graduation.
There are many careers in medicine in the US, all of which pay well and have good prospects: DO, PA, NP…
Look into those. Make them your Plan B and C.
They’ll require a lot of experience (like med school) so look into becoming an EMT or CNA to get hours (+ you’ll get paid).
Don’t wait till you get a B - go to the “tutoring” or “science center” (or whatever it’s called at your school) and review even the first week’s material. The goal isn’t to pass, but to be among the top students. It’s a different mindset and you have to ajust. Make it a habit to go to Office Hours weekly and ask questions (either because you didn’t understand, or because you found a point especially interesting).
Make a balanced schedule: 1 difficult class, 2 medium classes, 2 easy ones. If chemistry is especially difficult for you, it’ll be your “difficult” class.
If it offers you hope, S finished first year with GPAs below 3.2. He’s an MD. Yes you’ve dug yourself a hole, but you don’t need to give up now. Med schools like to see upward trends. You may want to consider waiting until the end of your senior year to apply. You could take things at a more relaxed pace and hopefully do better. Don’t get me wrong you’ll still need to take a FT class schedule. By waiting you would have more time to prep for MCAT as you will need to do well. DO degree is an option. By waiting to apply it would also free up time to participate in ECs. You could have a college life. Good luck.
Thank you so much for all of your inputs. It really helped.
^^All the good advice from above.
May I point out the reason m2ck ask you for the HS grades, especially SAT/ACT scores. That is because study show correlation between the SAT/ACT score with Mcat score. Your ACT score is not high, with that score, you should spend more time in studying the Mcat so to get an HIGH score for med school. Get outside help if necessary. If you fall into the “statistics” your hope in MD or even in DO school are not bright.
What do you mean by ‘fall into the “statistics”’??
Statistics show that there’s a correlation between act score and mcat score- although a bit less with the new mcat. Your act score, combined with your current performance, mean an uphill battle. Not impossible, but a really hard, daily hardcore fight.
It means reviewing material starting from scratch on khan academy and crash course.
It means building a reasonable schedule - slow ND steady wins the premed race.(How many premeds faltered because they took calculus, biology plus lab, and chemistry plus lab during their first semester freshman year - when taking either chemistry or bio starting the spring would have allowed them one semester longer used to the pace and demands of college?)
It means planning seriously for a major that will allow you to work after college. So, not biology.
It means having a plan B and a plan C beside me school.
It means working right now on cna or emt certification - get experience and save money.
Join a lab and assist a professor or talk, then once you’ve shown your mettle do research, in order to have a research position while you take your glide year (take mcat in spring senior year, then the following year go on interviews and do research/work as emt /have a job.)
For now, what does your second semester look like? Will you be able to take a class over the summer (at a college near your home)?