<p>I'm a freshmen student at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and I am freaking out about my grades. During the first half of the semester, I was doing poorly because I was still getting used to my classes and the way they did things at this school. My midterm grades weren't very good. But after that, I really shaped up during the second half and started doing better on my tests.(Except for Chemistry, I poured my heart and soul into this class, but am still doing poorly.)
The best case (realistic) scenario for my grades right now would be (CR=credit hours):</p>
<p>History (3 CRs) A
Spanish (4 CRs) B-
Biology (4CRs) B-
Chemistry (3 Crs) F
Chemistry Lab (1CR) A-
GS 101 (mandatory class freshmen must take 1CR) A- or B+</p>
<p>I currently have a C in both Spanish and Biology right now and coupled with my dual enrollment college credit from high school, my cumulative GPA is roughly a 2.8, will be 3.0 if I can pull a B- in Bio and Spanish when I take the final exam. I plan on doing a grade replacement for Chemistry with a different teacher, so by God's grace it will be higher.</p>
<p>I'm want go to med school and am terrified that my grades right now will affect my admission in the future. Worst of all is that my parents might be upset. I told my mom that other than Chemistry, I might be getting all A's, but now it doesn't seem like it.</p>
<p>Is it possible to graduate with a high GPA even if you had a bad start your first semester of college? Please tell me it gets better!</p>
<p>You freshman year first semester GPA is only for 16 credits. Which means you have approximately 112 credits more to make up. So if your GPA is 2.8 now, which is equal to 44.8 points (2.8*16=44.8). </p>
<p>To get a degree you need about 128 credits. You still have 112 credits to make up.</p>
<p>Let us say your target is a 3.5 at the end of 8 semesters.</p>
<p>Which is 3.5*128=448 points</p>
<p>To do that you need to score 403.2 points in 112 credits overall.</p>
<p>This works out to 3.6 GPA per semester at the rate of 16 credits per semester.</p>
<p>What would I have to do to graduate with >3.6 GPA? Lets say after doing a grade replacement and taking chemistry again, I get a C and replace the F. What GPA would I need to get every semester to graduate with at least a 3.7?</p>
<p>I got all As and Bs this semester. However, I ended up getting a D- for chemistry. My GPA right now is a 3.13
I calculated that doing a grade replacement for chemistry and getting a C+ would put me at about a 3.4. With a 3.13 right now, what would I need to end up with to graduate with a 3.7?</p>
<p>I think the way med school admissions work is that even if your school does grade replacement they will calculate both grades into your gpa for your application. I’m not 100% sure so you should ask on the pre med forum they’re really helpful, I just don’t want you to be surprised when that comes up later. Good luck and good job with all your other classes!</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be rude when I say this…but in all honesty if you are getting a D- in first year chem and a B- in Biology pre med is probably not the field for you. Especially if you are, as you stated above, “pouring your heart and soul into the class but still doing poorly.”</p>
<p>Also, if you are struggling with general chem. O Chem is going to murder you. And again, I am not saying this to put you down or be rude. I have just personally seen a lot of students like you waste years of their time trying to go pre-med or pre-pharm and then realize they can’t cut it.</p>
<p>FdSciandNtrGirl- I’ve actually second guessed my choice to go premed. I have a lot of cultural pressure from my parents. However, I think I just may have had a hard time adjusting to the teacher since The class average was a D. I’ll definitely be reconsidering my major though.</p>
<p>You can’t (and shouldn’t) pursue the pre-med track and become a doctor because of cultural pressures from your parents. Keep in mind you have to do four years of undergraduate work (taking pre-med courses, doing volunteering, research, studying for and taking the MCAT), then do the brutal application process. Getting in is not even a sure thing these days (isn’t it something like ~40% of applicants get an acceptance? not 100% sure) and even if you do, you have to complete four rigorous years of medical school, then residency (I think three years is the shortest duration) before you can actually start practicing.</p>
<p>You need to be 100% sure that YOU want to do this, not your parents. Being a pre-med requires dedication and persistence.</p>
<p>With that said, a D definitely will raise a red flag, but you have lots of time left. That’s the whole point. If you are able to buckle down and study very hard and ace the rest of your courses (or at least most of them), you have a shot.</p>