Scared I wont get into good colleges

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

So to start off I have very Indian parents and they want me to get into a very good college. My GPA isn’t the best: 3.5 (uw) and I just finished sophomore year. For an Indian, that’s like really bad. My parents are obviously disappointed and I am trying to get it up in junior year, but I don’t know how much my GPA will even go up. I will also be taking the SAT in August, and I wanted to know that if i get a good score on the SAT will it balance with my low GPA? I also do a lot of extracurriculars as well, and took one ap in sophomore year (ap bio) and got a 4 on it.

BTW I want to go into the medical field, and it’s very competitive for a lot of schools, so I am concerned about my GPA. I really want to get into seven year programs, but it looks like a reach for me because most people have a perfect GPA for it. I just don’t want to disappoint my parents and I also want to get into a good college, but my GPA is what I am very worried about. Is 3.5 too low for a sophomore who will in the future try for pre-med/seven year programs? I heard it’s extremely competitive these days, especially for good schools. Please help!

2

I’ll be blunt, you will not get accepted into a 7 year med program with a 3.5 GPA. You’ll need to prove yourself at the college level getting a 3.7+ GPA which you aren’t managing to get in high school. Doesn’t mean you can’t change your trajectory but I don’t see a 7 year program, aim for a 4+4 and work hard in college.

3

“I’ll be blunt, you will not get accepted into a 7 year med program with a 3.5 GPA.”

I am pretty sure that this is entirely correct.

There are a lot of universities that have very good premed programs. If you have a strong junior year, then you should be able to get into a university (such as an in-state flagship or #2, or if you are in California more like in-state #6 or #7 or #8) that has a good premed program. The problem is that once you are in the premed program, you will be alongside many students who came out of high school with an unweighted 4.0 GPA and who also are hoping to get to medical school.

I think that you need to put in a lot of effort to see how much you can pull up your GPA next year, and then see where you stand a year from now.

4

You have time. Focus on doing your best and bringing your grades up along with doing well on your SAT/ACT. There are plenty of great schools that you can get into. BS/MD program are a big stretch for everyone so don’t be discouraged if that isn’t the trajectory you take.

5

Yes, you are fine. A seven-year program will almost certainly not work out. But that’s okay. Only a truly minuscule % of med students attend on that type of program, really only a little above 0%.

Here’s the most important thing. There are many, many outstanding schools with outstanding students, faculty, and staff. Think about it this way: take any state flagship. I’m going to draw Oregon’s name out of a mythical hat. Some of the best OR students will go out of state for college. Many, many will stay in state, often for financial reasons, and attend the state flagship in Eugene. Imagine half the top students, or something like that, in the whole state of Oregon are in Eugene. When the school has a faculty position open, it probably gets hundreds of applications from top professors/PhD students who are thrilled to work at a state flagship/major research university. The same with staff positions. How many talented people do you think want to live in Eugene, a cool city, and work at a major university there. The school has lots of students who will work hard and go on to med school and other professional schools and grad schools. Now think, how many schools are ranked higher or are similarly ranked to the University of Oregon.

You seem like a capable student. Your parents sound like education is important to them. So you have a lot going for you. So what to do going forward in your high school career? Work hard–go to class, do your homework, study for exams, put some effort into papers and other projects. Treat everyone with dignity and respect–we are all working hard and we all have challenges that may or may not be evident. Also, at this stage of your life the most important thing you can do is to be self-reflective and learn who you are. What motivates you? What makes you feel passionate? Who makes you a better person? Figuring that out will help you in the college admissions process AND in life. And have some fun and enjoy the gift of youth.

Again, you are fine. You will have many great choices, where you will meet terrific, inspiring people. Trust that, and even high school can seem okay. Good luck!

6

Have your parents join this website and ask questions/post in the parents’ forum and the pre-med forum so that they can guide you properly (added benefit, it means they’ll learn not to stress you induly.)

In particular, your family will need to understand that they’ll have to decide what matters most to them: a prestige college or your becoming a doctor. In the US, unlike in most countres, the path to med school is very counterintuitive, where strong students are better off attending a college a bit below their profile in order to maximize their chances.

BS/MD programs aren’t the best path in general.

The best path for you (and most CA pre-meds) is an OOS medium level collaborative college - absolutely not a UC (there’s a pre-med we site column that explains why - look for it on this website). That college should have plenty of resources and support for undergraduates and you should be top 25% there.

Good choices would include Lewis and Clark, Whitman (reach right now), St Mary’s, Westminster Utah, and if you can go away from the West coast, St Olaf, Earlham, Dickinson…

7

What’s your parents’ definition of a very good college, is it basically the top 20 or 25 or us news or top-10? Would the state flagship(s) be considered good?

8

I’m not going to beat around the bush here and get straight to the point.
7 year med program: No
Top Tier colleges: No

Here’s why
The fact that you finished your first two years of high school with 1 AP course and a 3.5 GPA means that your GPA will probably not increase in the next two years. A 3.5 won’t even be considered at the top Ivies. I bet a lot of people have talked about the things that I wrote about above, but I want you to read the part below this.

I live in a community with a lot of Asians (many Indians, probably close to 40% of the population). Being an Indian, I know the high bar that is set by many Indian parents, and often reaching that standard is very difficult, especially with that level of parental pressure. Now I don’t mean to add to any stereotype, but this is what I think. The fact that you wish to apply to a 7year program and become a doctor is not uncommon for Indians. However, I don’t think that you will thrive in this kind of environment. The fact that you took AP Biology in sophomore year and got a 4 will make colleges question your true interest in this field, and your GPA won’t help with that either. Of course, you can desperately try to get an 800 on the Biology subject test to try and redeem yourself, but it won’t work too well in your favor. You’re only a rising junior; I implore you to strongly consider your true interest in this field, instead of taking this up just to please your parents. If you’re looking for a field with many exit opportunities, because medicine may be too difficult, I recommend chemical engineering.

I know that you may interpret this as a crass response, but I’m trying to warn you before its too late. I’ve seen many Indians go down this path without a true interest in medicine. After they can’t get into med school they’re stuck doing research or nursing. Now if that’s what you like, you should go ahead with that, but many of the people that I’ve met end up doing something that they never wanted to. The next two years will make a huge impact on your college experience, so it is imperative that you reflect on your interest in this subject area. I doubt that my response is going to change your mind, but I feel that you need to hear both sides of this before you ignorantly delve into something .

Of course, if you are passionate about this field, and your scores don’t represent your true interest, I think that you’ll need close to an 800 if not an 800 on the Biology subject test, to make yourself a viable candidate. Strong scores in your chemistry and physics classes can strengthen your application so work towards that as well. Good luck!

9

I’m sorry you are feeling so much pressure - continue putting in your best effort moving forward and try to have realistic expectations. A 3.5 uw GPA is strong, so maintaining or increasing that will put you in a good position for some solid schools. Focus less on getting into a “very good college” and more on finding a good fit for your interests and personality.

While some previous comments are a bit brutal, some of what they say is true because the medical field is very competitive. Now is a great time to explore all career options and do some research on career opportunities that are projected to be strong over the next decade. Big data, for example. I had to laugh reading the comment " you’re looking for a field with many exit opportunities, because medicine may be too difficult, I recommend chemical engineering." While ChemE does offer great opportunities it’s not necessarily an “easier” route than medicine.

10

Many of you have given iffy advice without asking any questions of the kid.

At many schools, you’re only allowed 1 AP class total in your first 2 years. At the top HS in the entire Bay Area, you’re allowed 0 AP classes in your first 2 years. My kid had only 1 AP, also AP Bio, in his first 2 years because that was the only AP class allowed.

Secondly, you folks don’t know what his grade distribution was. 3.5 simply means he had as many Bs as As. Were the Bs mainly as a freshman? 9th grade doesn’t count much at a lot of schools. Let’s just say for argument’s sake that his sophomore year was also 3.5, a strong junior year with all As with a few AP classes puts him right there in a decent spot. In California, he would have around a 4.0-4.1 UC GPA which would put in contention with most of the top 2 tiers of UCs.

To the OP, the odds are minuscule to become a doctor even with a 4.0. Make sure you have other career alternatives in mind. We live in an area that is almost 100% IC (Indian and Chinese) so I know exactly how all the parents think. We all want our kids to live up to their utmost potential. A good school is how you make of it.

11

In the end, a “good college” is one that accepts you, is one you can afford, and is strong in your chosen major. There are MANY schools below the tippy top ones that can satisfy those criteria. Your parents may be temporarily disappointed, but what are they going to do? They can’t MAKE those colleges accept you.

A 3.5 is hard to pull up much in junior year. You only have 2 semesters before apps go in, and junior year is quite challenging academically. I’d say you need to come at this from 2 angles. See if you can pick up your grades a bit next year. And start building a list of match and safety schools that will work for you. Apply to a few top schools if your parents insist, but try to keep some more realistic schools on your list as well.

12

I have spent a lot of time in a lot of health care settings, and have yet to meet this hypothetical demographic of Asian aspiring-doctors who “got stuck in nursing” because they couldn’t get into med school. Nursing is a highly competitive path in its own right, and most people who get into and through nursing programs are successful because they sought out that field in the first place. It very often takes a 4.0 unweighted GPA to get into direct-entry BSN programs, even at schools where the overall admissions standards are more forgiving.

I also think that treating the 4 on the AP bio exam as a deal-killer, without context, is a bit much. An excellent student who takes AP Bio as a sophomore, who isn’t taught by an instructor who provides superlative preparation for the test, and who does not realize that significant self-study might be needed to get a 5, could certainly get a 4 and still be a perfectly viable candidate for med school. By itself, this is truly not a big deal.

But the overall message that many are putting forth here is true - the road to and through med school is a steep one. Sure, there is the occasional student who just wasn’t trying early in high school, and who is actually willing and able to compete with many of the brightest and most ambitious students in the country to get a top GPA as well as top MCAT scores and then still have to beat the odds to be accepted to a US med school. But more commonly, a trend of B+/A- grades in high school is not a predictor of med-school-level grades in college.

Furthermore, the level of sustained high-achievement over many years that premed and medical education require takes a tremendous amount of motivation and effort. The person doing the work has to really, really want to get through all that and have the career that results (which has plenty of its own stresses and difficulties, irrespective of the financial rewards which are frankly not as inevitable as they used to be in past generations). Some may start out doing this because of what their parents want, but at some point you either internalize that strong motivation, or you don’t keep doing it. What someone else wants just isn’t enough reason.

So, think about what you actually want. If medicine isn’t the be-all and end-all for you, then maybe it’s better to let your slightly weak grades in early high school kill that dream for now and get you off the hook. (Doesn’t mean you couldn’t come back around to it for your own reasons at some point. It happens, but for night now maybe it’s a good thing if everybody feels like your big chance at med school has already been blown. Then you can start figuring out something you actually DO want to do. (Of course, improving your grades will make other paths more attainable too.)

It’s not like you aren’t going to be able to go to college, get an education, and have a life, even if you’re a 3.5 GPA student from now 'til forever. Sure, you’ll have more choices and opportunities if you do better. But maybe if you figure out what you actually want, for yourself, then you’ll have a more compelling reason to do better. Think about your strengths - what do you like, what are you good at, how can you build on those things? Med school need not be the metric against which all other life options are measured.

13

Although you may eventually get into med school, you are not qualified for a 7-year program. Almost all of the programs specifically say that need a minimum 3.8 GPA to get in. Your GPA automatically disqualifies you and you will not be one of the few candidates chosen. They are highly competitive, but are not the only way to go to med school.

That being said med school is not the only option for entering a medical field. You could work towards equally challenging careers like nurse, physician’s assistant, or certain types of engineers like biomedical engineers. In short, you are too young to truly know what profession you want; you only know what general subjects you want to study further. Focus on learning instead of getting into top colleges. For now, focus on developing your strengths and gaining new experiences in different leadership roles.

14

@jmek15 I feel that my comment may have been misunderstood, so I just wanted to clarify what I was saying earlier. I didn’t mean to say that @aftmo1 should go for chemical engineering for the sole reason that it is supposedly easier than medicine. I meant to say that if they were unsure about their path, they should consider chemical engineering (due to many exit opportunities both in and out of the medical field), instead of committing to a premed track and later regretting it.

Also when I said that it was easier than medicine, I was referring to a 7 year program. Without a doubt, I think that everyone on this forum would agree that getting into CE programs are still easier than a 7 year program due to more available spots. I apologize if my earlier comments left anyone confused.