<p>I just finished up my freshman year at one of the HYP's and I would be really grateful if I could get some feedback.</p>
<p>I received a B (3.00) in first semester of Orgo (my school has lots of grade inflation, the average grade in the class was a B+, so I was in the bottom half of the class with about a 50% test average), which I took last spring. That semester (2nd sem of freshman year), I also did rather poorly in my other classes. I earned a B in multivariable calculus and got a smattering of A-'s in the rest of my classes. </p>
<p>I know freshman year is supposed to be a little rough since we're all adjusting, but first semester I somehow lucked out with picking classes and actually got a 4.0 overall then. Getting a 3.5 overall gpa second semester was rather frustrating and demoralizing after that, and especially doing poorly in orgo and math took its toll on my confidence level, since I considered myself to be a science/math geek in high school. I blame my less than stellar second semester grades on a mixture of arrogance/overconfidence from first semester and taking on too many classes/credits with orgo. </p>
<p>Will a B in orgo and one poor semester keep me out from med school?</p>
<p>I am informed enough to know the obvious answer is of course not, assuming I get my act together in the following semesters. My actual question then is, how do I do this?</p>
<p>How do I recover from the feelings of hopelessness my second semester grades give me? I need to push aside the self-doubt and worry and regain my confidence to a certain extent in order to do well sophomore year. How can I do this? And specifically, how do I do well second semester of orgo when I so clearly didn't learn everything as well as I could have first semester? I have seen several lists of orgo study strategies, but how can they help me if I already messed up first semester? Clearly I'm lacking mastery of essential skills and concepts upon which second semester will build, so aren't I also screwed for second semester by virtue of already having failed to do well first semester?</p>
<p>The average in Orgo at D’s school was in 60’s %, your class has much stronger students. In reagard to rough freshman year, D. commented that classes got much harder after first year, although her first Bio was weed out killer. You will do just fine, but be prepared to work your … off. There is no other way. But on a positive note, you are just like everybody else, they all work very hard, in HYP or at state schools. Kids who do not, just fall out of pre-med track.</p>
<p>OP, the first couple of premed classes tend to be weeder classes at HYP (either in a math class like multivariable calculus or in a “major” chemistry class like orgo I/II).</p>
<p>My guess is that there are likely no lack of students who have actually taken a similar or even more advanced class in high school (at his/her local college) and they repeated it for the second time. BTW, did you come from one of the most competitive public or private high schools in a major city? It is often the case the kids from these highly competitive schools are more used to this kind of competitive environment in freshmen, while the kids from a rural area or a smaller city more likely unfortunately need a semester or two to get used to this kind of environment.</p>
<p>However, I knew one student (a rank-one or rank-two student from a very competitive high school) who got a B in multivariable and then got into Harvard Law 3.5 years later (not in the medicine though, which is more competitive). There is another premed student (also a rank-one from a very competitive high school) who suffered a B in orgo I and then got into one of the ivy medical schools (I personally do not think it is important to get into a high USN ranking school) – but I heard he spent almost two-thirds of his study time on a single subject, orgo II, during the next semester in order to make sure his orgo II grade would be “good.” DS said it seems he almost never stopped studying his orgo II that semester, DS thought he should study as much as his friend (but he did not as he still wanted some of his social life.) BTW, that kid ends up getting BS/MS, maybe because he wanted to “remedy” his tiny “misstep” in freshman year. Sigh…what else can you expect for these neurotic premeds in such a “premed factory”! BTW, very few premeds at this school take a BA in biology. One almost-4.0 BA and social science double major was rejected by many ivy medical schools because of his lack of research/volunteer experience (Do not know his MCAT though, but he used to be a 2400 SAT scorer.)</p>
<p>Although these are only 2 anecdotal examples, all I want to point out is that there is still some hope if you do well in the next couple of premed weeding classes.</p>