<p>Hi, all! I am new to this website but didn't really know where to start. I am currently a sophomore (undergrad) just finishing my third semester at a pretty high-ranked and very prestigious liberal arts school. I have been a Bio major the entire time and planned on going to grad school for biology, but with no real idea for what I want to do. Recently, however, I've started thinking about medical school, which I had not considered really at all before.
I'm not sure if I'd have a chance at even getting in at this point, and that's what I'm here for. I am pretty smart (I'm only saying this because this is confidential and I'm trying to lay everything out here) and do really well on standardized tests. I am confident that the MCATs wouldn't be a big deal for me. However, I've been a bit unmotivated during my undergrad so far for a number of reasons, one of which being that I have really had no idea what I wanted to do with my future. Obviously, laziness is another but motivation to achieve something could definitely change that. My GPA was a 3.4 at the beginning of this past semester (for my whole freshman year) and I am expecting it to go down due to low grades in Geology and Calculus 1 (the math was a combination of my fault and a terrible professor). I can certainly bring it back up though. This low GPA so far has me worried the most about my chances of being accepted anywhere.
So far I have under my belt one field-biology course, which I had an A+ in, that was not a lab science and once I receive my grades for this semester I expect to have either an A- or a B+ in my non-lab, introductory cell and molecular Bio class. I am continuing that class next semester and should do fine in there. My freshman year I took two semesters of Gen Chem, so I have 8 hours of that. I had a B the first semester and a C+ the second semester. That was due to my own lack of studying and I'm worried it would really affect my chance of getting into a medical school.
I know I need to take organic chemistry and physics, which I can definitely do junior and senior years. I have four credit hours of English right now and can also get more (I actually took a writing intensive Russian (translated) literature class one semester which might be able to count as English). I also have a background in other science or social science course. I am an Anthropology minor with a course in physical anthropology and a course in cultural anthropology already complete. I received A's in both. I have also taken a Geology class. I am really not sure what grade I will end up with in there though. Either a C+ or a B-, I expect. I have three semesters of Russian down with two A's and a B and will continue taking it for two more semesters.
So my question now is am I too late. Is my GPA already too low? OH! Also --what should I do about math? My school's pre med track "requires" Calc II, but so far on all med school sites I've seen nothing about math requirements. As I have done very poorly in math so far and it is not of interest to me at all I really do not wish to continue taking math courses.
Sorry this post is so long! Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!
-SC</p>
<p>Let me add after perusing this forum section and becoming thoroughly disturbed by everyone being super freaked out and discouraged… I am not looking to go to a top 40 school, because based on all the posts I’ve read that would be virtually impossible for me at this point. I’m looking at decent ones that aren’t as competitive. Particularly UT in Memphis. From what I’ve read it has an average accepted GPA of 3.6 and a class is at least 90% in state, which I think I could qualify for. I hope this makes my circumstances a little clearer. Thanks.</p>
<p>What do you mean you think you qualify for in state? Do you have a Texas drivers license?</p>
<p>(Psst. U of Tennessee. Not Texas. Different orange. )</p>
<p>Haha, oops. Never heard UT used for anything other than Texas but I was a little surprised that there was a Memphis, TX.</p>
<p>Question still applies, do you have a TN drivers license?</p>
<p>I once heard of another UT: University of Toledo (in Ohio?)</p>
<p>No TN license yet but I’m going to undergrad here and registered to vote here. I also live here in the summers and if a license is what it would take for the med school I can certainly do that.</p>
<p>^ If you are a dependent of your parents (most college students are), where your parents live usually decides your state. Where you go to college or where you stay in the summer usually does not matter.</p>
<p>Here is UT-Knoxville’s take: <a href=“http://registrar.tennessee.edu/residency/residency.shtml[/url]”>Student Residency Classification | Office of the University Registrar;