Hello everyone, some of you may have seen my last post regarding my struggles with science courses. I have not been doing well in them as a first year UMich student. As of right now, I can only achieve an A- in biology (gonna be real hard though) and I am planning to drop orgo (do not want to get a C / D). The thing is if I late withdraw, the W will not go on my official transcript because at UMich, there is a grace period for first year first semester studets only. Instead, it will go on my unofficial transcript. In other words, it will look like I never took the course when applying to med schools. I will also still be full time (13 creds), but my bio grade may be an A- / B+. I am worried that my light semester coupled with a not so decent grade in an intro bio course will impact my future in being accepted into med school. Additionally, I came in thinking of majoring in biology. This whole situation has been very stressful and I would just like some thoughts on the matter. I feel like a disappoint and guilty about wasting credits and wasting my parent’s money.
I mean it’s either drop the course or have a C/D on your transcript.
Also, intro bio courses tend to be one of the hardest you’ll have to take. So honestly, one A-/B+ isn’t going to kill you.
Yes you can drop orgo, but you cannot avoid it. So here are few points you should consider and evaluate yourself.
Are you prepared for med school? You need to be strong in all aspects of BCMP classes in addition to your major. If chem is not a strong point, you will have a problem in med school.
Is Ann Arbor too hard for you? There is no way we can evaluate for you, this is what you have to do. Prestige does very little in med school admission, you will get into a med school with any decent 4 year university.
If you withdraw be sure you will still have enough credits to be considered a full time student – otherwise it may impact things from housing to financial aid.
You’re overthinking the impact a B+/A- in freshman bio will have on your (eventual) med school application.
Drop ochem if you’re not doing well, but don’t drop bio. Put you best effort into doing as well as you can and if that’s a B or B-, so be it.
You’re a science major so you will have plenty of time to improve your sGPA.
As for the guilt you feel over disappointing yourself and your parents–please get some counseling to learn better coping skills. (in your prior thread I included links to UM’s counseling services.) Life has many disappointments in store for you and it’s healthier if you develop those skills now rather than having your entire life come crashing down over something more serious than a B in a college class. Resilience is a quality common in all successful people–including successful med school applicants.
One thing you might consider is volunteering/community service with people who who are less fortunate than you. Volunteering gives you chance to get outside of your own head and realize how truly fortunate you are.
I would also suggest having a serious conversation with your parents and let them know you are struggling at college so they aren’t blindsided when they find out you’ve dropped a class and that your final grades may not be what you (and they) hoped for. It won’t be an easy conversation, but it is necessary one.