<p>I am a freshman going into my spring semester. I received an F in my math 171 class and my advisor is through the College of Engineering. I really am in panic mode because I have never failed a class ever not even in high school (which is the same for most students) and I am wondering what my options are. </p>
<p>There are a couple big problems for me, first and foremost I am wondering what effect this might have on my chances in med school? I will remind you all that I am a freshman and this was my first semester, so I do have quite a few credits left and I know that I am capable of getting all A's next semester with my courses.</p>
<p>Another problem is what I should do as far as applying to my engineering major. What math course should I take this spring semester??</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter what the university does. Medical schools calculate their own GPAs (through a central service) and they count the original F plus the grade when the class is retaken.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies!
I emailed my adviser and she said that the math 171 grade is not calculated into my STEM GPA when I apply to engineering. I would like to major in biomedical engineering. </p>
<p>Now my medical school concern - so although the university and the college of Engineering won’t count the F in my STEM GPA, medical schools still might?</p>
<p>I emailed the math adviser and she said an option for me was to take math 221 this spring or take math 114, then math 221 next fall. </p>
<p>Do those sound good?
Again, I struggled with the first part of the course, did well the second, and obviously did terrible the on the final.</p>
<p>with that said, do you think that my chances at medical school are completely shot? I mean the best that can come from this class is a C, granted I receive an A when I retake the course and as an engineer, I will have many math and science classes to make up for it; however, will medical schools automatically disregard me?</p>
<p>A little background info on me: I am participating in research as a freshman and I will continue being active in some form of research all four years, I also volunteer at the hospital, and I am on a dance team on Madison, as well as a board member of a cultural student org on campus. All of these things as well as study hard for my MCAT score and turn my GPA around are things that I am passionate about. With that said, will that F completely destroy my chances at medical school?</p>
<p>In response to your question about whether this will automatically rule out medical school, no single item on your record will ever do that. However, when applying, you will be up against people who have never gotten below a B, so you will need to have the rest of your application convince a medical school that they should take you over the thousands of applicants who have never failed a class. In other words, it will be a problem, but it can be overcome.</p>
<p>All the more reason to drop a class before the last day (I believe it’s in the 9th week of classes) if the wheels have come off, or if he/she is even on the verge of a bad grade. D2 is presently a sophomore, in a science major, and had taken 17 hours this past fall. Come October she had a low C in Microbio. We advised her to cut her losses, drop the class, live to fight another day & re-take it in the spring, which is what has happened. She survived the rest of her classes, kept her GPA respectable, and will hit Microbio hard come January.</p>
<p>I work with a brilliant lady who was a UW-Madison grad in the sciences about 10 years ago, and she told me she dropped/retook 4 or 5 classes over her undergrad years for various reasons, mostly from not knowing upfront how much out-of-class time some classes require. She said it was all about managing her GPA as well as juggling work & unpaid volunteer work, all of which were line items on her resume.</p>
<p>It’s well-known that math & the sciences are a bear at Madison. B’s are actually pretty good. The trick is to avoid C’s and lower.</p>
<p>A 100 level math course is generally precalculus- most freshmen planning on engineering or medical school will be taking calculus without needing another math course first. Sounds like a course needed to meet university math competence requirements.</p>
<p>Also- plan on an engineering major if you actively like it and plan to use it. Do NOT try to use it as a premedical major thinking it willl help you get into medical school or make medical school any easier. Biomedical engineering may be one of the popular engineering programs that is hard to get into due to numbers wanting it and available facilities.</p>
<p>Do what you have to to meet your math goals for your potential plans. Along the way you will do better or change your plans- most entering students change their majors as they discover more about available options and themselves. Good luck.</p>
<p>thank you very much for offering your advice. I truly appreciate it. My parents are quite bent on the idea of me majoring in BME for that exact reason – that it would be some sort of gateway to medical school, or that it would help my chances. I have thought otherwise since the second week of school! On that note, is there really any major you know that could help chances into med school without the degree of difficulty that BME provides? Of course the word “difficulty” is used loosely here. Thanks again!</p>
<p>D1 is currently a 1st year med school student, and she majored in integrative physiology with a psych minor at another Big Ten school. Most of her present classmates majored in the sciences, but there are a handful of English & psych majors as well. Whatever path one takes for the undergrad education, the key is knowing all the stuff that will get you past the MCAT. Your parents are partially correct in that a BME major might prepare you better for it, but the other side of that coin is that a lower GPA within BME would be detrimental to your chances. Medical schools factor all that in.</p>
<p>Get on the UW-Madison website & research, research, research. If you are convinced that medical school is still the goal, find a path that contains classes you have a passion for, and grab it. This University is known for alternative avenues.</p>
<p>The best major for medical school is the major you want. That is the major your heart will be most in and therefore the one you are most likely to enjoy and therefore do best in. ANY major is good as long as you take the required courses to get in, get good grades and do well on the MCAT, etc. Sciences are common because most people who choose medical school also have the most interest in those fields. Do not try to game the system- you will be unhappy, frustrated and not as likely to meet your goals. btw- is it your goal, or your parents’ goal for you to be a physician?</p>
<p>What do YOU really want to major in? Ask yourself and plan your courses accordingly- even for next semester. Have a talk with your advisor. Perhaps take some free career planning aptitude and interest tests through the counseling or advising center. </p>
<p>Some students get steered into career paths by well meaning parents. The student needs to ignore those parental wishes and discover the field they like best and are best suited for. It may take courage to ignore your parents and also time/energy to figure out what you really want. Many entering freshmen think they want to go to medical school but the chances of getting in are only around 1 in 3 for those who still want it later and apply. You need a plan B, and it may as well be the major you want, not one that you think is the easiest path to medical school. </p>
<p>Medical school (and residency) is a ton of work. You should be preparing for it by learning to work hard in college as well as taking the toughest courses you can handle. Those who don’t want to work hard will not make it- too much competition from those who do work hard, and not as good a background knowledge or study habits. Looking for an easy path won’t get you there.</p>
<p>jnm123- your D has it so much easier than I did eons ago simply because there are so many more women in medical school and practice than in my generation- those '70’s watershed years. The tales of discrimination I could tell (and my chemistry honors pharmacology research woman professor said still existed in the sciences as well decades later).</p>
<p>If I’m not mistaken, wis75, my D’s M1 class is at least a third female, maybe closer to 40%. And you’re right–it IS a ton of work, certainly more than I was capable of during my undergrad days! She developed excellent study habits & at least to my knowledge rarely pulled all-nighters. Plenty of 2-3AM’s tho!</p>
<p>And it ain’t so easy these days for man, woman or beast–the competition is fierce to be admitted to an MD as well as a DO program. Sometimes it appears to be the luck of the draw to a certain extent–what applicant quality is necessary to fill a spot in a class when most stats are fairly equal.</p>
