HORRENDOUS gpa...should I drop out of school?

[deleted920504]

I have a 3.29 GPA and I'm a junior in college. Midterm grades just came in and I have C's in all my classes. The only thing that is keeping me from withdrawing completely is that I'm in research and it's going very well and I'm set to present at the national ACS conference in the spring and maybe publish a paper. But I feel like I am trying my best and can still only swing Cs, so maybe it would be better to take a break. However, withdrawing from school could put a nail in my coffin. I'm frustrated with myself, because I'm studying day and night and still just can't do it. Maybe my brain needs some time to grow up and I should leave, or maybe college isn't right for me. But I'm so excited about my research and I'll lose that if I quit. What should I do? Should I drop out? Should I finish the semester with a B average? Should I choose a non-college career?

Haven't taken the MCAT yet but probably won't be because my GPA is too much of a red flag.

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[Magus5454]

Sounds like you are trying to do much plus research

 

[Magus5454]

Yeah true I'm taking 18 credits and doing research-I'm probably going to drop a class with a W. It will be the second W of my college career but probably better to raise my grades...I guess. That is if I should continue.

Don’t drop out. Go talk to someone, be it your parents, a counselor, etc.

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

I have a 3.29 GPA and I'm a junior in college. Midterm grades just came in and I have C's in all my classes. The only thing that is keeping me from withdrawing completely is that I'm in research and it's going very well and I'm set to present at the national ACS conference in the spring and maybe publish a paper. But I feel like I am trying my best and can still only swing Cs, so maybe it would be better to take a break. However, withdrawing from school could put a nail in my coffin. I'm frustrated with myself, because I'm studying day and night and still just can't do it. Maybe my brain needs some time to grow up and I should leave, or maybe college isn't right for me. But I'm so excited about my research and I'll lose that if I quit. What should I do? Should I drop out? Should I finish the semester with a B average? Should I choose a non-college career?

Haven't taken the MCAT yet but probably won't be because my GPA is too much of a red flag.

Whatever you do, don't drop out of college. Finish your degree. A degree in biology with a 3.0 is still better than no degree at all. You have a lifetime of work ahead of you. If medicine doesn't work out, get an MBA or MS in computer science from your state school.

 

[soysizle]

I think your best bet is to put off research indefinitely while you finish your UG. You might have to do some postbac work, you could try doing research then. You said you got your midterm grades, maybe there’s still a possibility to pull some B’s? Try to salvage your gpa to the best of your ability. Once your overall gpa is below 3.0 it’s hard to come back from that. I think grades will almost always be more important than reasearch in the eyes of adcoms.

 

[ChiDr]

Let me quote Kenny Rogers.
"You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run"

This is not the time for the last three lines. Don't give up on yourself. Finish, do some soul searching, search out ways to improve, work your tail off, get help, get more help if needed, and reassess. Don't give up on yourself.

 

[Kawi347]

3.1 with multiple acceptances. Don't give up you'll be fine. Just lighten your load a little bit.

 

[holdthemayo]

3.1 with multiple acceptances. Don't give up you'll be fine. Just lighten your load a little bit.

^ This is your answer. C's won't cut it for med school, but it's not like you are failing out, you just have too much on your plate. Cut back on credits, talk to someone at your school, figure out what you need to do to succeed. If you drop out you are saying goodbye to medical school and your research.

 

[8jsi37]

3.2, 3.1 sgpa, multiple acceptances. If you take your MCAT seriously and do well then you will at least be able to get into DO programs.

hi! what was your mcat and are you an urm? If you feel more comfortable, you can dm me.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

It's not good to see a junior churning out only Cs. It's also troublesome to see you put yourself to 18 credits when you don't have the capacity to perform. I'm not saying this lightly when I would call these glaring red flags. Yes, some people get in with 3.1, but they typically have mitigating factors such as their bad grades are old or have established an upward trend the last 2 years.

I think right now is a time when you have to explore what you want out of your career. If it is medicine, clearly 18 credits and research is not the way to do it. You'll have to cut back to 15 units where at least 6 units are fluff classes. You will either have to abandon the research or cut the units even further until you can do well in both. Also, if you enjoy research, you should consider a PhD. It may be easier for you to do. Lastly, I don't agree that a biology degree is worth more than no degree. You likely are going to an average school, and a biology degree is worth as much as toilet paper. It might be better to change majors to engineering or something else if you choose to quit medicine and don't want to do a PhD.