Hi,
So I just recently finished my first quarter in college and I ended up with a 3.53 GPA. My grades where: Math (Calc): B+; Chemistry: A; Chemistry Lab: A-; and English: B+. This is a really big disappointment to me since before finals, I had both English and Math at a solid A but I underestimated how hard their finals would be and thus did poorly on them. Next quarter I am taking Biology on top of these classes so it will be harder to get a perfect GPA. I know that med schools like to see 3.7-3.8+ and I was wondering how badly this first quarter is going to affect my chances at med school.
So given your experience this quarter, why on earth would you take the same load next quarter and than add Bio on top of it? That’s like banging your head on the wall and then asking if you bang it harder will it hurt more. The answer is ‘yes.’ What is the big rush to take all these classes concurrently? It’s not like you get a special prize or extra points for finishing the premed pre-reqs extra fast. Slow down and try a different approach to test prep this time.
A 3.53 is not going to get you into med school unless you are a URM or a resident of a state that only admits in-state students to their schools or you have some exceptional circumstances in your background that make you a uniquely desirable candidate. But it’s only the first quarter, so you have time to rethink your test-taking strategy and pull the GPA up if you don’t jeopardize it by taking too many tough classes concurrently.