I'm a little nervous...

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>Well, I'm premed and I'm JUST starting my junior year and I'd like your thoughts on my stats.</p>

<p>I was sick my freshman year (mono) and I ended up with a 3.2something. I did well in Chem though and other classes, what brought it down were 2 math courses (one of calc, one of pre-calc, I think) - I got Cs. I'm just not a math person.</p>

<p>I worked my butt off in soph year and got a 3.6 that year. What's funny is that I got all As but Physics I - I got a C! I'd probably get close to a 4.0 if it weren't for that! Again, it was very mathy. I don't understand it. I do fine with math in my science courses but I found the math in physics to be hard. I did MCAT questions for physics and got them mostly right so I don't know. They were pretty easy.</p>

<p>I'm taking Org I and II this year. I'm a little nervous but I like Chem so we'll see. </p>

<p>More info about me:
-Neuroscience major, minor in Classical languages
-lots of history with Spanish (went abroad in high school)
-in a couple of honor societies for both biology and latin/greek language accomplishments
-hospice worker for the past 3 years straight with 2 different organizations
-just started working in a nursing home and plan to do that for the next couple years in addition to hospice
-worked in a foreign wound clinic, treating wounds for over 200 women
-research with a doctor (will be published soon)
-research at school - individual animal research, paper, thesis, etc.
-shadowing</p>

<p>Both of my parents became docs at the med school (not top 25 but still really good) I'd like to attend because I REALLY like their primary care programs, especially with the older folks. That is what I want to do. I know several doctors who work there at the school and that's who I have done research with. I really like them and we seem to get along well.</p>

<p>So I don't know...I guess I'm just looking for advice. Do you think I'm doing okay thus far? How do medical schools look at freshman year grades (mine not good) but then see really good improvement over the next years? What about physics and calc?</p>

<p>I plan to MURDER Physics II this year. The teacher this year is a LOT better. I will do well in that course and I will improve. :D</p>

<p>Oh, I also wanted to add, I plan to apply across the board but I want to get into Uni of Roch. It's in my state too and I'm going to a liberal arts college which seems to send a lot of people to Uni of Roch med school.</p>

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<p>I have it straight from the mouth of a med school dean of admissions that they give you a bit of leeway on freshman year grades because they understand people have to adjust to college. And an upward trend looks really good.</p>

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<p>Whats your overall GPA? Science-only GPA? Even knowing all this its hard to say without your MCAT score. When do you plan on taking that?</p>

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<p>Well obviously from the freshman year alone, it’s low. It’s around 3.3 or so. Soph year was 3.6 total. Science only gpa is like 3.8.</p>

<p>I still have my junior and senior year. I haven’t taken the mcat yet but I will.</p>

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<p>You’ll be fine with those scores as long as you maintain/improve through junior/senior year.</p>

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<p>Thanks a bunch Icarus. I plan to do well.</p>

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<p>just wondering - how do you have a science gpa of 3.8 when you got 3 C’s (2 math, 1 physics?)</p>

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<p>Cause I’m not counting the math in my science gpa. Just the physics.</p>

<p>The med school I’m looking at a well as a few others don’t require calculus at all. Just stats. So that’s why I didn’t include it.</p>

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<p>I mean, I go As or A-s in my other courses, both science and classics.</p>

<p>The real thing that kills me is that math. Conceptually, i get physics so I did fine on the mcat practice questions. But complicated math is just not my thing, I guess.</p>

<p>I love all my other science courses and so I’m using those to make up for my math shortomings.</p>

<p>I don’t know - I’m weird.</p>

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<p>Science GPA is not the premed requirements. It’s all classes which qualify as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Math.</p>

<p>You can’t aim for one particular medical school. The odds of admission into one medical school are way too low for that, no matter who you are or what your qualifications are. You need to be targeting a broad spectrum of schools. This is especially true when it’s so early that you don’t know what your numbers are.</p>

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<p>Oh oops. I wasn’t counting the math. Just all the sciences I have taken, and didn’t count stats either (which I did well in, oddly enough).</p>

<p>I’m planning to apply to 20+ schools. What’s wrong with really wanting 1 school though? I will go wherever and be fine but I’d really like that school. Is that bad? I know I’m not going to get my hopes up.</p>

<p>I think I would have a good shot in the future because I have connections with the faculty and have done research with them on my own. That’s all. I will apply broadly though.</p>

<p>I don’t feel that it’s entirely out of my reach. It’s not like I am wanting to get into Harvard or anything.</p>

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<p>I mean, I just want to go somewhere where I can go learn primary care. Roch has an awesome program for that, as well as geriatrics. I’d love to go into that. In fact, I’d go to any school that had that. But roch is my fave.</p>

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<p>The point is that you shouldn’t be making any decisions that aim for any particular school at the expense of others. Even though the one school you like doesn’t happen to ask for calculus, you will have to apply to 20+ schools, some of which almost certainly will.</p>

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<p>I know, that’s why I took calculus, just 1 sem though. The other sem was pre-calc. </p>

<p>I will apply very broadly and not sacrifice other schools for the one I like. I am following the general premed requirements, not just for that one school.</p>

<p>I mean, maybe I shouldn’t be fretting, since it’s a C and I’ve never gotten anything lower than that.</p>

<p>I tried, I really did. I feel stupid but I am terrible at math. I will not blame the teacher or anything.</p>

<p>I just hope I can show that I am great at sciences and the admissions people will see my science success and go off of that, not my math.</p>