<p>I've had a really rough semester, starting with a death in my family. My grades definitely show for it. I got an A- in both Chem 1 and Chem 1 lab, but received a C+ in a History elective class and Pre-Cal. If I do well every other semester, and bring my GPA up, can I redeem myself?</p>
<p>Is it the cumulative GPA that matters or the semester? Thanks!</p>
<p>It’s the cum GPA that matters for both overall GPA and BCMP (Bio, Chem, Math, Physics) GPA.</p>
<p>You have time to redeem yourself. And it’s rumored that some med schools are more lenient towards poor freshman grades than poor upper level grades</p>
<p>But that C in Pre-calc is worrisome. It means that you have a poor foundation to go forward and succeed in Calc and possibly in other math intensive classes (like physics). Why was your math grade low? Because class was 8 am and you blew it off? Because you had genuine difficulty understanding the concepts? Because you make “dumb” mistake on the exams? Because you lack the foundational skills from prior classes? Because your concentration was poor due to your loss?</p>
<p>You need to consider why you did so poorly in math and take steps to remediate the issue or Calc could be a killer.</p>
<p>(BTW, I do understand about the toll the death in the family takes. My dad died halfway thru my junior year in college. And my children lost their dad during their college sophomore and high school freshman years respectively.)</p>
<p>Thanks so much. Your post really gave me a little spark of hope. My math grade WAS an B+, but I did horribly on the final (D) which was worth 50% of our grade. It’s really inspiring to hear from such a strong person who’s gone through so much. Thank you again; I won’t give up.</p>
<p>I got a C in pre-calc too my freshman year - worked my butt off afterwards, and still made it into med school. 
Don’t give up!</p>
<p>That’s so good to hear, thank you! I really admire you, haha.</p>
<p>2 C’s won’t kill you, but try not to get anymore. Plus, I think medical schools may be forgiving of 2 C’s if it was due to a family emergency. As long as your overall gpa is 3.5+, and your MCAT scores are 30+ you should be able to get in somewhere. You have a lot of time to improve your chances, since you are just a freshman.</p>