First semester fiasco.

<p>I'm returning to cc after a full semester after beginning college. Despite all the advice and all the forewarning I guess there are somethings a frosh must learn on his own. I ended up taking a super advanced Chem class and messed up an easy A elsewhere. At the end of the first semester my gpa stands at a measly 3.19, if I can pull a 4.0 next semester I may have the possibility to keep my honors designation. Now my question is how do I stay in this current bent of mind to study my ass off? And does this gpa ruin my chances for med school? I didn't join any club or activities 1st sem either, how do I repair that? I'm not very social so its gonna be a big problem. Roommate is not very bright either, I don't have the company that I had in HS, no one here cares about getting an A lol. What should I do, I'm considering nursing school if I don't get that 4.0. Help me out of this rut I've gotten myself into. CC has done that once before and I hope you guys help me out yet again :)</p>

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What should I do, I'm considering nursing school if I don't get that 4.0.

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<p>that's idiotic....but if u want to give up that easily i certainly won't stop you</p>

<p>Hey I'm a freshman in the same boat except my gpa is much worse. I was really worried, but now am slightly over it. I still don't know exactly how I "messed up" this "badly". I worked and studied a lot. But also I made some mistakes, which I intend to fix for next semester. </p>

<p>It's all up to you. If you think you can handle being pre-med then stay in premed, but know that you'll have to work hard to bring up your gpa.</p>

<p>If you don't think you can do it, then you should switch out. </p>

<p>Whichever thing you decide to do remember to have a backup plan.</p>

<p>Anyway good luck with everything!</p>

<p>thanks guys, the thing that bugs me is that there are others who are taking easy classes to get 4.0s. I would do the same but I came to college to learn not just rehash what I already know. Why is it so hard for med schools to understand this? They want us to have 4.0s, which leads many to take easier classes that in turn equal a lower quality of education. Maybe I'm wrong but the system is screwing those who are smart but not exceptionally smart.</p>

<p>If they are taking easy courses it's only for a while. They will have to face hard classes some time soon.</p>

<p>You can also play that same game and take a few easy classes. Also, wait until they get to the MCAT.</p>

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thanks guys, the thing that bugs me is that there are others who are taking easy classes to get 4.0s. I would do the same but I came to college to learn not just rehash what I already know. Why is it so hard for med schools to understand this? They want us to have 4.0s, which leads many to take easier classes that in turn equal a lower quality of education. Maybe I'm wrong but the system is screwing those who are smart but not exceptionally smart.

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MCAT score is very important not just GPA.</p>

<p>OP, your comments show that you don't quite have a good grasp on med school admissions. Which is understandable, of course, for a freshman. Of course you should try to make As in your courses, but don't think that not having a 4.0 automatically disqualifies you. (And don't think that nursing school exists for med school aspirants with lower GPAs.) GPA padding with a bunch of easy classes is not as successful as you might think. Med schools want applicants to have good GPAs PLUS challenging courseloads, meaningful involvement in extra-curriculars, a good MCAT score, clinical experience, etc.</p>

<p>Your GPA Is a 3.19? You are FAR from screwed. This is the first semester; you will have seven semesters afterwards. Do you really think a mediocre (but by no means terrible) GPA that only counts for 12.5 percent of you GPA will completely disqualify you?</p>

<p>Yes, you could have done better. But you also could have done much, much worse.</p>

<p>Work on your study habits. Are you taking too many science classes? Try to balance your courseload between science/humanities, hard/easy. How was your scheduling? I would not go overboard with credits. If I do, I would take a class I don't really care about pass/fail. Figure out what you can, and cannot handle.</p>

<p>thanks for all the support guys. Now how do I join meaningful extracurricular activities? I'm an INTP and I generally prefer to do stuff on my own. I don't mix very well and I have an accent. I know these are all excuses but do you have any recommendations that would help me in this regard.</p>

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I'm an INTP and I generally prefer to do stuff on my own.

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<p>You know that this is not an excuse, and that's a good thing. There is no room in medicine for prima donnas or lone wolves - everyone is working in a team environment these days. Use your time in college ECs to learn how to work with others. Join some sort of activity where time is split between team work and solo work.</p>

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There is no room in medicine for prima donnas or lone wolves

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<p>LMAOOO.</p>

<p>10char</p>

<p>Hi. I am new to this thread and I have also been stressing out over my grades from first semester. I took all honor classes (Chemistry, Intro to Genetics, and Vector Calculus) and ended up with a 3.1 GPA. Should I continue with the honor classes next semester or should I move down to regulars and raise my GPA, especially since I would be taking Genetics next semester with the hardest teacher and differential equations?
Thanks</p>

<p>herostar</p>

<p>Unless you are a math major, why are you taking that level of math classes? There's no need for honors math classes and if you have AP credit for calculus, which I would assume, you don't need more calculus. Most med schools only require one semester to one year of math actually taken in college. If you have the AP calculus credit this can include things like statistics.</p>

<p>The MCAT certainly doesn't require that much math either.</p>

<p>just my $0.02</p>