<p>Hi everyone,
So I go to UVA as a first year undergrad and I am hoping to declare a foreign affairs major along with completing my pre-med requirements at UVA. I've recently been having trouble deciding between med school or law school (mostly bc of parental pressures to do med school) and I've been interested in international law and foreign affairs for quite a while.
my problem is that I kind overloaded myself 2nd semester in terms of course load (very poor choice on my part) and ended up getting a really bad average. This put my total average for the year at a 2.99 (3.0 basically).
This was an extreme shock for me as a got a C+ in the science class and lab I took and a C in calculus, while I still pulled off an A in my lit class and a B in my comparative politics class.
This was a huge shocker esp. coming from having a 4.0 in high school (I know college is a lot different) but I'm hugely disappointed in myself for having done so badly. My pessimism has kind of taken over now and I keep wondering whether this will jeopardize my chances for getting into law school or med. in the future. I've definitely learned from this mistake and I'm trying to lighten my courseload next semester so I can boost my GPA and then just learn how to time manage etc. better from now on,
what do you guys think? Does my 2nd semester average hurt my chances of getting into a good law school?</p>
<p>We can’t all be doctors and lawyers.</p>
<p>You’re worried and you’ve only just finished first year? relax. If you do well, it should even itself out. besides, grades aren’t everything</p>
<p>iamunsure-a little harsh maybe? I’ve kind had my heart set on one or the other…</p>
<p>brokenbutterfly-thanks for the assurance, I naturally tend to worry a lot about grades like this whether it be from getting a B+ in high school calc or a C+ in a college class.
It just kind of feels hopeless right now because I’ve done so badly and I feel like admissions people won’t understand or look down on be for that one semester-this definitely has made me vow to never get grades like that again</p>
<p>Yeah I’m sorry about that. I didn’t actually mean you couldn’t get into law or med school. I just find it a bit depressing how the ideal path in life seems to become a doctor or lawyer, where as it takes more than doctors and lawyers to create the vibrant wonderful world we live in.</p>
<p>I guess my point was a philosophical one not one of condemnation. But if it really is what your heart desires go for it.</p>
<p>Otherwise I agree with brokenbutterfly. All is not lost. If it’s truly what you want you must commit to it and get yourself together and do well from now on.</p>
<p>Yes, your GPA this semester will hurt you when applying for medical school or law school. You will be up against people who got straight As in the same classes you took, at the same caliber schools. However, it’s only one semester out of eight, and there’s still time to improve. One bad semester does not take you out of the running for every medical or law school out there–your GPA has time to recover and there are other factors (standardized test scores, recommendations, extracurriculars, essays, interviews at some places) that all form part of the package. At this point, your grades for the semester are final, so there’s no point worrying about them; just do your best for the rest of college and see what that qualifies you for.</p>
<p>And I agree with the others–there are many jobs other than law and medicine! Those two jobs are very different–what draws you to them? Regardless of whether you can get into law/medical school, there might be other jobs that you find more suitable and enjoyable.</p>
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<p>Don’t make vows that aren’t entirely in your control.</p>
<p>Well what draws me to law school is mostly a deep interest in international affairs, human rights, and international law. I’ve done a lot of things like debate, Model UN, and have been a part of a lot of IR organizations since high school and the idea of writing, debating, and representing issues that concern me are what really make me think law school. I know there are other fields out there in which I can do the same but unfortunately i’m from a traditional family thats kind of instilled in me to choose a career that I can also be well off in. Medicine is something I’ve kind of been driven towards since a young age, I’ve done every type of volunteer/pre-med related apportunity I could get, including research that I’m doing at UVA’ medical research center. While I’m not so into the research aspect, I enjoy the ability to work with patients, with issues that inevitably concern medicine/people, and similarly the ability to help others so directly in the med. field. It was pretty much a shock to my parents/ and still is, that I’m not so sure about medicine anymore. They tend to think my foreign affairs major is a waste that won’t get me any other jobs.
The most confusing part now is that I’m wondering how I can channel all my interests into a field that will allow me to be successful on both ‘well off’ manner and in terms of happiness.
I guess this is where my failure in 2nd semester ties in. I just feel like this semester will limit what I can do with all my interests esp. if this means I have a very little chance of getting into a good competitive law school. any thoughts?</p>
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Actually there are plenty of trash schools out there so that we can all be lawyers!!</p>