<p>I'm currently a freshman in college, and just finished my first semester. I didn't do too well, mainly because of laziness and procrastination, and understand that I must do better. My gpa for the semester was a 2.8, and I got a C in my chemistry class! If I were to pull it together will this first semester be too devestating to me(especially since I got a C in gen chem)? Thanks</p>
<p>Your medical admissions chances are in no way 100% jeapardized. Like yourself my first semester...actualy my entire first year...was very rough. But I stuck with it, and have done very well ever since. </p>
<p>If you are in this type of situation, med schools like to see an upward trend, if possibly an instant turn around in grades. If the rest of your grades in college are okay then I don't think the first semester would be that big of a deal. People do realize that some people do have a rough time adjusting to college and so a lot of the times your first sem is not under that much scrutiny. </p>
<p>When application time comes around though you should be as honest as possible and not hide what happened. Be truthful, explain why you slacked off and procastinated. Was it just the freedom? was it too much of a change? you get the jist. </p>
<p>Trust me. It's not over. I've gotten MUCH worse than a C in gen chem my freshman year and now 2 years later I'm finishing up my Jr year in a perfectly fine situation. But needless to say, you gotta get it together</p>
<p>One note, while an upward trend is certainly better than not, it doesn't have quite the impact that it seems to carry in undergraduate admissions. </p>
<p>Certainly, it counts because most freshmen are taking the gen chem sequence, a math class, and usually at least one bio course, grades that count in both your overall and your BCMP GPAs. So because of the relative weight schools place on those science grades, effectively counting them twice, freshman year is important.</p>
<p>Freshman year counts as much as any other year. An upward trend is nice but typical. You'll see a lot of applicants with 3.3 their freshman year and 3.8 their junior year. Don't expect to stand out from any other applicant due to an upward trend.</p>
<p>Basically the motto is never stop working hard if you want a shot at med school.</p>
<p>Of course you see people with 3.3 freshman year and 3.8 junior year. You see that everywhere</p>
<p>...but you don't often see people with 2.6-2.8 freshman year and 3.8 junior year. It shows that you held on, perservered through a troubled time, and quite possibly learned a great deal from that first year. </p>
<p>Most people with a 2.8 Freshman year give up. It happens all the time. It makes people realize that either A) medicine is not for them cause they genuinely don't like it or B) Give up just cause they don't wanna put up with it anymore. </p>
<p>Do the best you can to raise your grades as much as possible. If you can make an instant turn around, that is much better. Like If you get a 2.8 Freshman year but your sophomore GPA is like 3.8, that's a total turn around and totally makes ur first year seem like a fluke.</p>
<p>To be honest, I'd rather have a 3.3 freshman year and a 3.8 sophomore year than a 2.6 freshman year and a 3.8 sophomore year.</p>
<p>dude what is ur point. all i can say to that statement is no duh lol</p>
<p>Obviously the people who got the 2.8 didnt do so on purpose.</p>
<p>Thx for the responses guys! I know it'll be difficult, but I'm gonna try my best. I'm just glad I'm not completely gone yet lol.</p>