screw up freshman year GPA, Any chance at medical school?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>here are my stats for the end of my freshman year at a 4 year cuny college.</p>

<p>current GPA: 2.85</p>

<p>1st semester:
Effective speaking: B+
islamic Art: C
English composition 1: B
Precalculus *W (withdrawal) *</p>

<p>2nd semester:
Intro to philosophy: ** B-**
History since 1865 ** B-**
Precalculus C
Biology 1 ** B+**
Intro to psychology A</p>

<ol>
<li><p>i am a smart individual and i realize my laziness have got the best of me this year. If i strive for all A's from this point forward, and take 14 units each semester, would i still have a chance at medical school? Of course factoring in MCAT scores, EC's and teacher's recommendations. </p></li>
<li><p>My school is relatively easy and i plan to transfer out in 2 years into a 4 year university with my associate for liberal arts and science. if i manage to pull of all A's from a university (assume is harder), will medical school overlook my poor performance my freshman year at a easy school?</p></li>
<li><p>what are my other options to raise GPA? i heard MD school expects around a 3.6 average. will summer classes help? should i stay in school a extra year? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>thank you in advance!!!</p>

2

<p>CH GPA Cumul.GPA<br>
28 2.85 2.85 Freshman
14 4 3.233333333 Sop-1st
14 4 3.425 Sop-2nd
14 4 3.54 Jun-1st
14 4 3.616666667 Jun-2nd
14 4 3.671428571 Sen-1st
14 4 3.7125 Sen-2nd</p>

<p>To apply to medschool, it means that you have to keep a perfect GPA every semester now. Can you do it? Also, your Precalc & Biology grades are poor – can you do well in MCAT?</p>

3

<p>Won’t it take you 5 year to graduate if you only take 14 credits each semester?</p>

<p>Otherwise, you’ll only have 112 credits at the end of senior year.</p>

<p>Laziness just doesn’t end at a drop of a hat. What are you going to do to eliminate that problem.</p>

<p>Instead of studying, what were you doing after classes?</p>

4

<p>thank you for your thorough responses guys ^</p>

<p>initially, i plan to take 5 classes per semester but judging from how i perform this year, taking more classes would mean worser grades. i can attempt another semester of 5 classes to see how i’ll do if i focus solely in school but it will be extremely risky for my grades. (not saying i can’t handle it)</p>

<p>I’d admit, this year, i had more free time to myself, more social life, more entertainment. I honestly look to change that and will keep myself occupy by volunteering at local hospitals, seeking research programs, join school activities and find a part time job. </p>

<p>@toughyear, I won’t make the same mistake as i did in high school by not preparing for the SAT’s early. i’d definitely look into getting ahead and prepping as much as i can for the MCAT. </p>

<p>my 2nd question hasn’t been answer, anyone care to answer :)</p>

<p>My school is relatively easy and i plan to transfer out in 2 years into a 4 year university with my associate for liberal arts and science. how does medical school look at easy cuny 4 year college vs top suny colleges like binghamton, usc, etc</p>

5

<p>bump?</p>

<p>anyone care to answer :(</p>

6

<p>I’d admit, this year, i had more free time to myself, more social life, more entertainment.</p>

<p>Then the problem wasn’t that you took too many classes. AND…taking fewer classes will just result in MORE free time to goof off. Kids do better when they don’t have time to goof off.</p>

<p>*My school is relatively easy and i plan to transfer out in 2 years into a 4 year university with my associate for liberal arts and science. how does medical school look at easy cuny 4 year college vs top suny colleges like binghamton, usc, etc
*</p>

<p>they’re going to view them as about the same. You need a high GPA at either type of school and a strong MCAT…and ECs, etc.</p>

<p>Back to your issue of goofing off…Let me give you hints to avoid some of this…</p>

<p>Arrange your schedule so that you have a full day on campus, but you also have some scheduled breaks in between that can be kind of “forced” study/homework times. If you can be disciplined enough to go to a quiet place on campus (library??) and use those times to study or do homework, you will do better in classes. </p>

<p>I discovered this tip one semester when I had a large break in the early afternoon on M,W,F. At first, I was annoyed at the thought of this odd break. But, I soon discovered that it was the means for getting better grades and being better prepared for tests. </p>

<p>Do not procrastinate and use those breaks to do homework that is due right after those breaks are over!! Nor should you avoid studying for a test and then use those blocks of time to cram for a test that will follow that break. </p>

<p>Read ahead…get involved with study groups…take advantage of your school’s free tutoring.</p>

<p>Usually kids like you get into trouble because you’re back at your dorm or in the student center in the early/mid afternoon and begin goofing off with friends, video games, etc. It can be hard to break away from all the fun and hit the books. </p>

<p>When your last class of the day is over, head over to the library, computer lab, or wherever you’ll find a quiet non-distracting place. (If necessary, grab a bite to eat first) Finish up your homework/studying. Then you can play. :)</p>

<p>Don’t return to your dorm until all your work is done.</p>

7

<p>Be cautious about enrolling in summer classes. Do not take any of your pre med required classes during the summer. Use the summer to take gen ed courses and for getting the necessary volunteer hours/research lab experience/ medical shadowing in.</p>

<p>Also if your school is an “easy” [your words] 2 year school, and you do take all your Bio pre-reqs there, it’s recommended to take at 1-2 semesters of higher level bio at your 4 year college. Med schools want to be able to compare your pre med grades against others pre meds in a competitive environment.</p>

<p>Right now you have a lot of work ahead of you. Your sGPA is quite low (2.65) and not competitive for medical school.</p>

8

<p>^^^</p>

<p>I think he’s already at a 4 year CUNY…but he wants to transfer to a 4 year SUNY.</p>

9

<p>OK, well, still don’t take your pre-reqs during the summer…</p>

10

<p>You still have a chance at medical school, yes. But if you can’t manage that load and do well, I honestly would not give you a very good chance of getting through the required pre med courses with a good gpa. You don’t have a single one yet, and the only course you have taken that is even a pre req to one is what you have done the worst.</p>

<p>And no, again, in terms of transferring to a “tougher” school and doing better, will not increase your chances. </p>

<p>My suggestion is for you take the courses you enjoy the most and get the best grades possible. Then take a concentrated premed program one year like the one at SUNY Purchase. You need to get in the college performance mode and you are not there yet which is likely to “kill” you when you get the pre med courses. Calc, Chem, O Chem, Physics are gpa busting courses even for very good students. Try to get into the flow of doing well for the next two years and then take a break to a premed program if you need federal/state funds, then take your MCATS or do it after you get your BA if you can afford it.</p>

11

<p>All these answers is definitely motivating me to do better and become successful. Thank you.</p>

<p>Mom2collegekids, you’re definitely a mother figure to me. I’ll be sure to apply your suggestion to my studies. Thank you.</p>

<p>My school is indeed a 4 year college but offers an associate degree. If school rank doesn’t matter in applying to medical school, i guess it is in my best interest to transfer to schools within my area or just stay at my current school.</p>

<p>I was considering taking Calculus 1 this summer because i learn better when classes are held everyday instead of divisions. Why isn’t it recommended?</p>

<p>@cptofthehouse- isn’t biology and pre-calc both pre-med requirements?
everyone recommends to apply junior year to MD school and by that time my gpa will barely meet the standard required GPa, 3.5 (assuming i ace everything). </p>

<p>another question is… i have plenty of electives to take for my associate degree and i plan on using it for a possible double major. would that work? i am really devoted in getting into medical school but i would like some backup in case things dont plan my way. is it hard to pull off? </p>

<p>should i avoid doing ec’s until i am “sure” my GPA is sufficient enough for MD? </p>

<p>srry for the excess of questions, i know my grammars are horrible…</p>

12

<p>One of the most important things you need to do when considering transferring is whether you will be able to develop strong professional relationships with your professors at your new school which you will need to get your letters of recommendation. If you plan to apply after your junior year, you will not have very much time to do that. If you plan to apply after your senior year, this is less of an issue.</p>

<p>Calc might be the one pre-req you could take during summer session. </p>

<p>Double major if you want to, but it will not impress the admission committees at medical schools one way or the other. What are your intended majors?</p>

<p>It’s always better to start your ECs early, IMO. But you can wait until the beginning of your junior to to get seriously involved with them. But I have a question for you–you say you’re “devoted” to get into med school. How do you know if you really, really want this career when you haven’t had exposure to what the career of a doctor is actually like.</p>

13

<p>Have you planned out your 8 semesters’ worth of classes?</p>

<p>you don’t have to apply to med school after junior year. And, since your GPA is soft right now, it probably would be better for you to apply after senior year to add more high grades to dilute those low grades. </p>

<p>Stick to one major, but add classes that you like that will improve science GPA and cum GPA. </p>

<p>I agree with Wowmom that it’s ok to take Calc in the summer…it’s not like it’s Bio or Chem. Hopefully, others will chime in.</p>

14

<p>I would forget about ECs, shadowing and research for the time being. You need to devote all of your time and effort to what should be your number one priority, repairing both your science and cummulative GPAs which is going to take semester after semester of straight As to get to a competitive level.</p>

15

<p>i don’t think the term “devoted” was used correctly by me, i meant my parents expects me to pursue a field revolving around medicine and doctors. I know i should be making the decision but i really don’t see myself being anything more, possibly a businessman? which is why i considered a double major for that field…</p>

16

<p>You know, entering career you know nothing about simply because your parents expect you to is a really crummy idea.</p>

<p>You have time to investigate many academic areas and many other careers. There are jobs you have never even thought of out there. Maybe some that will make you happier than being a doctor ever would. Don’t yoke yourself to an idea just because someone else thinks you should.</p>

<p>Medicine is a really long haul. Go into it for the right reasons.</p>

17

<p>

</p>

<p>Agree and will add that if you really don’t have the drive and determination that comes with really wanting it, you ‘ll never make it in med school if you are even fortunate enough to get there. Several years back there were one or two people in my son’s MS1 class that dropped out after the first semester because their parents’ wish for med school for them didn’t match their own. It’s a tough and expensive lesson to learn.</p>

18

<p>Whatever you end up doing, you’ll need strong, grammatically-correct writing skills. Right now you have major deficiencies. Use a few courses to improve your English.</p>

19

<p>your stories sounds like me after freshman year but if i were you i wouldnt give. since then ive gotten mostly A’S and my gpa is rising every semester. hope the best for you</p>

20

<p>correction- Bio 1, i actually got an B, not B+</p>

<p>Update:</p>

<p>retook precal in the summer- A</p>

<p>sophmore 1st sem grades</p>

<p>calculus-B+
General Chem 1 B+
Bio 2- B-
literature- A</p>

<p>I guess i don’t have a chance now? My science cum GPA looks horrible :(</p>