<p>Hi guys. I just recently finished my freshman year in college and Cs in math and physics really wrecked my overall gpa of 2.73. Is there any hope I can make it to even a decent med school or should I just give up?</p>
<p>If you can get at least a 3.8 for the next 3 years you can. There’s DO too.</p>
<p>^^ Actually most med schools will base their decision primarily on what happens during the first 3 years of college. Think about you apply to medical school in june/may after your junior year. Most kids are starting to get accepted by the october/november of their senior year (before 1st semester grades from senior year are even in). If you are one of those kids who is not accepted by decemb. of senior year, then yes your 1st semester gpa for senior year will be factored. If you are one of those kids who does not get accepted your senior year at all, then yes, your overall gpa after 4 years will be included, whenever you reapply.</p>
<p>In the OPs case the course of action would require three strong GPA years, so applying during/after senior year and taking a Gap year off or doing post grad would be in order.</p>
<p>Does the problem concern you not using enough effort in class or just a tough curriculum? And also what college are you attending?</p>
<p>Like eadad said, you’ll probably want to finish strong and take a year off to apply. Med schools will tend to give you a little leeway on your freshman year grades (but only a little), and look very favorably on a strong upward trend. You’ve got plenty of time to establish that.</p>
<p>And also, DO schools will take the more recent grade if you retake a course and do better - easy way to bump your GPA if you need it at the end of undergrad.</p>
<p>I think the main reason for my poor grades is the tough curriculum. I really wasn’t mentally prepared for the work I had to put in to the classes either. I did a little better second quarter but still nothing great. I’m preparing myself for next semesters classes this summer and hopefully I can get my grades up.
Also, what exactly is a DO?</p>
<p>DO stands for Doctor of Osteopathy - it is another type of physician very similar to MDs (allopathic physicians).</p>
<p>The education for DO’s is slightly different to MDs in that they take additional courses in something called OMM (Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine). They are licensed by different boards, but have the same unrestricted medical license as allopaths.</p>
<p>DO schools (of which there are only something like 30-40… can’t remember the exact numbers) are considered easier to get into than MD schools - their average numbers are usually lower than their MD counterparts. DO schools tend to put a lot of weight on life experience, ECs, etc. rather than numbers. But again, the differences are usually pretty small, especially for the older and most respected DO schools like PCOM.</p>
<p>Do some research and see if you can live with the DO philosophy. Its just another way to do med school.</p>
<p>Oh, and to follow up on my previous post, DO schools use a different application than MD schools (the AACOMAS), and unlike the MD application service, the DO one will use your more recent grade on a course you’ve retaken when calculating your GPA. The MD application averages both grades into your GPA.</p>
<p>So this is just an easy way to bump your GPA if you need to.</p>
<p>It’s a doctor with a slightly different degree. Because DO programs are somewhat easier to get into than MD programs, they sometimes run into some bias from their peers. But all career options are available to DOs.</p>
<p>(The bias that a DO experiences is much less than the bias an American who went overseas for an international MD experiences.)</p>
<p>Yeah azn that’s probably a good idea. I started highschool with the intention of focusing on school, doing homework as soon as I get home, etc. </p>
<p>I found that it’s substantially easier if you create an most importantly STICK TO a strict schedule. Of course allow for emergencies and such but try making one with your counselor? Like what you do right after your lecture, during spare time, everything.</p>
<p>And bluedevilmike, I definitely agree with the bias towards the second group you mentioned, the ones who got their MDs overseas. I’ve heard some pretty strong opinions especially towards those who went to medical school in the Caribbean, mostly due to financial issues.</p>