Mindset over grades

[Youngm2194]

So first off I decided I wanted to go to med school after this summer due to a research experience at an Ivy League med school. Freshman and sophomore year of college were not good, but not completely terrible. I had a 3.0 after these two years. This semester I'm getting grades back, and they're much better due to my better study habits etc. A- in organic chem 2, A in bio of neurovascular disease, etc. I did get a B in marine biology and it made me upset. I got screwed over on a group project that mostly made me get a B since my exams were As. I'm in the mindset that I need a 4.0 now to recover from my first two years. I'm even upset that my Orgo 2. A- wasn't an A....literally though, if I got a 3.9 science gpa for the rest of college my cumulative science gpa would be a 3.38. Not competitive at all but not terrible. How do I get out of this mindset though with me getting upset over an A- and one B? I know they're not bad in reality but I feel like I need perfection to have any shot in the future. Any one else experience this? I know I'll have to do a post bacc or something to be competitive but maybe I'm getting angry at my past self.

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[torshi]

Patience is key. Just know at the end of the day you will make it somehow, the only person that can prevent that from happening is yourself through the mere thought of failure and a lack of self-esteem. I remember beginning out quite neurotic, but relaxed and figured I wasn't perfect, however, I had the opportunity to counter less than stellar grades with other parts of the application. If you value something enough to not give up, it's nearly impossible to fail, honestly. God bless a free society.

 

[Goro]

Upward trends are always looked highly upon. Americans love a good come-from-behind story.

So first off I decided I wanted to go to med school after this summer due to a research experience at an Ivy League med school. Freshman and sophomore year of college were not good, but not completely terrible. I had a 3.0 after these two years. This semester I'm getting grades back, and they're much better due to my better study habits etc. A- in organic chem 2, A in bio of neurovascular disease, etc. I did get a B in marine biology and it made me upset. I got screwed over on a group project that mostly made me get a B since my exams were As. I'm in the mindset that I need a 4.0 now to recover from my first two years. I'm even upset that my Orgo 2. A- wasn't an A....literally though, if I got a 3.9 science gpa for the rest of college my cumulative science gpa would be a 3.38. Not competitive at all but not terrible. How do I get out of this mindset though with me getting upset over an A- and one B? I know they're not bad in reality but I feel like I need perfection to have any shot in the future. Any one else experience this? I know I'll have to do a post bacc or something to be competitive but maybe I'm getting angry at my past self.

 

[ProudMD]

So first off I decided I wanted to go to med school after this summer due to a research experience at an Ivy League med school. Freshman and sophomore year of college were not good, but not completely terrible. I had a 3.0 after these two years. This semester I'm getting grades back, and they're much better due to my better study habits etc. A- in organic chem 2, A in bio of neurovascular disease, etc. I did get a B in marine biology and it made me upset. I got screwed over on a group project that mostly made me get a B since my exams were As. I'm in the mindset that I need a 4.0 now to recover from my first two years. I'm even upset that my Orgo 2. A- wasn't an A....literally though, if I got a 3.9 science gpa for the rest of college my cumulative science gpa would be a 3.38. Not competitive at all but not terrible. How do I get out of this mindset though with me getting upset over an A- and one B? I know they're not bad in reality but I feel like I need perfection to have any shot in the future. Any one else experience this? I know I'll have to do a post bacc or something to be competitive but maybe I'm getting angry at my past self.

Given a strong MCAT and an excellent application overall, a 3.38 sGPA will not keep you out of most MD schools.

I know many peers who got into top 30 schools with a sGPA in the 3.3 range. Focus on your grades, knock the MCAT out of the park, and develop an excellent application in every other way.

 

[Youngm2194]

And that B I was worried about randomly got curved to an A- now even when the teacher explicitly stated she doesn't curve....so my gpa is a 3.8, definitely an upward trend

 

[TexasSurgeon]

So first off I decided I wanted to go to med school after this summer due to a research experience at an Ivy League med school. Freshman and sophomore year of college were not good, but not completely terrible. I had a 3.0 after these two years. This semester I'm getting grades back, and they're much better due to my better study habits etc. A- in organic chem 2, A in bio of neurovascular disease, etc. I did get a B in marine biology and it made me upset. I got screwed over on a group project that mostly made me get a B since my exams were As. I'm in the mindset that I need a 4.0 now to recover from my first two years. I'm even upset that my Orgo 2. A- wasn't an A....literally though, if I got a 3.9 science gpa for the rest of college my cumulative science gpa would be a 3.38. Not competitive at all but not terrible. How do I get out of this mindset though with me getting upset over an A- and one B? I know they're not bad in reality but I feel like I need perfection to have any shot in the future. Any one else experience this? I know I'll have to do a post bacc or something to be competitive but maybe I'm getting angry at my past self.

I worry too. It's just human nature to worry about the pressure like that. Just worry enough so that you can focus instead of freaking