<p>I am currently a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am majoring in biology and seem to be in a dilemma - I may finish my freshman year with a 2.8. I am currently enrolled in 13 credit hours and have made 2 A's, 2 B's, and 1 D. I am extremely worried about my D in my math class. I want to know how bad this will affect my chances of getting into medical school. I also want to know how I can raise my GPA, I am extremely worried. Thanks. </p>
<p>There’s not a secret to raising your GPA: get good grades in your courses. Getting those grades? You have to figure out why you struggled this semester. Did you go to class and take advantage of office hours and tutors? Did you stay on top of homework and “optional” assignments? How did you study? There is always a challenge transitioning to college from high school that can make the first semester harder, but you can’t let it defeat you; you need to figure out how to adjust to the academic and social independence.</p>
<p>As for med school, your chances aren’t shot yet, if you do extremely well from here out. But you cannot afford another semester like this.</p>
<p>Essentially, for med school, you’d need near straight A’s now on.
(Even B’s aren’t acceptable - you need AT LEAST 3.6.)
It’s a matter of figuring out what happened, then correcting course for next semester.</p>
<p>What happened for the Bs and the D?
Did you go to office hours regularly? Did you know your TAs enough thanks to relevant participation, that they could recognize you when you passed each other on campus? Did you go to the tutoring center every time you got a B or lower? Did you do all the readings, problem sets, labs, and extra credit? Did you spend about 2 hours on homework, per class period? Did you ever skip class? Did you check your syllabus before every class? Did you feel overwhelmed and didn’t tell anyone? Did you party too much and had trouble studying on weekends? Did you have trouble managing your other commitments and your academic duties?</p>
<p>What classes did you take in High School - did you have Calc before or not?
Are you going to retake the class (I STRONGLY suggest you do if you’re allowed to).</p>
<p>Which classes are you taking next semester?</p>
<p>As already mentioned, there is no ‘secret’ to raising your GPA. Good grades=good GPA. It’s as simple as that. If you want to raise your GPA, you have to work to get better grades. To get into med school, GPA is key. You’ll likely have to live with the Bs, because it would be silly to retake them. You can retake the class that you’re getting a D in, and get a better grade though. You’ll likely have to anyway so you can move on in your math sequence. </p>
<p>I’m a little confused. You’re a freshman and it’s only December and finals just ended. Are you finishing first year or first semester with 2.8? I am currently enrolled in 13 credit hours and have made 2 A’s, 2 B’s, and 1 D. So are these your first/second semester courses?</p>