<p>I am currently a sophomore by credit (but first year in college) in college and my goal has always been to apply to med school. I am always the student who is a perfectionist and on top of things, but this year I was sick a lot and so I had to drop one course. I am finding that I am obviously not doing well at all. I am not literally failing but by no means am I getting a 4.0 which I always have strived for. </p>
<p>I am really worried because I am afraid that my sub-par grades this first year in college will ruin my chances of getting into med school. I have a lot of extracurricular activities such as being a president of a non-profit club on campus, medical research (I am apart of two research projects in two different areas), volunteer for a cancer organization. I will do all I can to strive for a 4.0 the rest of my years in college and continue pursuing my extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>Also, after I graduate from college undergrad, I was planning to intern for unicef or volunteer in africa to garner some more experience, because I know med schools are looking for an applicant who is mature and actually ready for the challenges ahead. </p>
<p>If everything goes well, I was wondering what the chances are of getting into med school. Also, if anyone out there has had this experience but has overcome it to get into med school, I would appreciate your ideas and suggestions. Thank you! (sorry for the long post)</p>
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I am finding that I am obviously not doing well at all. I am not literally failing but by no means am I getting a 4.0 which I always have strived for.
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<p>How bad is "obviously not doing well at all"? 3.0? 3.5? 3.8?</p>
<p>Part of being a good doctor is understanding realistic goals and expectations. You do not need a 4.0 to get into medical school. If you're anywhere around or above a 3.5 at the end of your freshman year, you're doing fine. You may want to ramp things up next year and do a bit better, but this is not "bad" at all.</p>
<p>Of course, if you're talking about 3.0, then that's another story.</p>
<p>Even a 3.0 wouldn't worry me too much. Plenty of time to get that up to 3.6 by application time. I think a 2.5 should start being scared. And yes, if he's coming on here with a 3.8, then he's in trouble for a whole other set of reasons.</p>
<p>In fact, I would worry less about a 3.0 who's freaking out (appropriately) than a 3.8 who's freaking out.</p>
<p>I just took a look through several books that compile medical school information and most medical schools list the mean undergraduate g.p.a. of incoming first-year medical students as 3.4 - 3.5. Schools also listed the standard deviation from this mean as in many cases being nearly half a grade point. And I'm talking about good medical schools. This means someone got into those schools with a 3.0 g.p.a.
I think people on this forum, and pre-meds in general, worry way WAY too much about g.p.a. and not enough about doing things that are going to set them apart from the flock of other students with 4.0 or near 4.0 g.p.a.
Stop stressing your grades, and start trying to make yourself an interesting applicant. That's my goal.
Good luck.</p>
<p>There's a difference between high achievement and work ethic and overt neuroticism, which is maladaptive. Things like studying for the MCAT for four years, or flipping out over A-'s, or assuming that there are key catchphrases that you must include in every LOR... these are not helpful, these are neurotic.</p>
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@spades. And yet theres no denying that it helps in getting admitted to medschool.
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<p>@spudent14. Perfection indeed, good sir! :)</p>
<p>Once again, BDM has phrased it in a way that I couldn't. As he said, there's a fine line between accepting nothing less than one's best effort and irrationality.</p>