Need advice please

[butoto]

Hello,

I am a pre-med from Maine and I need some advice. I am interested in pursuing an MD, but since there is no MD granting school in the state, would any schools out there give me preference like state medical schools give residents preference? Also, would it be a good idea to drop the current intro to bio class im in and receive a W or should I try to stick it through to the end of the semester? The reason I want to drop and take it again next year is because bio and its lab component require much more than I can handle in conjunction with my other classes (intro to chem and its lab component, psych, calc, english). I walked into too much not knowing how to handle my first semester of freshman year with a busy schedule. I want to drop in order to save my GPA from starting out low so I wont have to try the rest of my college career to bring it up.

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[Dr. Retractor]

UVermont gives Maine students IS preference I believe. One W wouldn't hurt you as long as you can provide good reasons. Wanting a better grade is not a good reason. It's artificial inflation of your GPA and adcoms view that poorly.

 

[Serous Demilune]

Tufts Maine Track. Google it.

 

[Boolean]

If you can't handle bio and chem alongside calc, you're in for a rude awakening. Re-evaluate your study habits.

 

[neurotroph]

Hello,

I am a pre-med from Maine and I need some advice. I am interested in pursuing an MD, but since there is no MD granting school in the state, would any schools out there give me preference like state medical schools give residents preference? Also, would it be a good idea to drop the current intro to bio class im in and receive a W or should I try to stick it through to the end of the semester? The reason I want to drop and take it again next year is because bio and its lab component require much more than I can handle in conjunction with my other classes (intro to chem and its lab component, psych, calc, english). I walked into too much not knowing how to handle my first semester of freshman year with a busy schedule. I want to drop in order to save my GPA from starting out low so I wont have to try the rest of my college career to bring it up.

First off, great avatar. I'd recommend dropping it if you're looking at a C or lower. Something I wish I had done freshman year, because now I'm stuck with a grade that's haunted me for the past three years. A W in your first semester is pretty forgivable. There's nothing wrong with wanting to ease into things.

 

[butoto]

If you can't handle bio and chem alongside calc, you're in for a rude awakening. Re-evaluate your study habits.

It wasn't that I couldn't handle them all together per say, it was that my work ethic coming into college was not at all close to where it should have been. Needless to say I have realized my problem and already fixed it

UVermont gives Maine students IS preference I believe. One W wouldn't hurt you as long as you can provide good reasons. Wanting a better grade is not a good reason. It's artificial inflation of your GPA and adcoms view that poorly.

It's not that I'm doing it for a better grade in that class, it's that intro biology, which was voted by the students and faculty at my university the most difficult class offered on campus, requires a lot of time and effort and taking another lab science at the same time is what my advisor told me NOT to do at the beginning of the semester but I underestimated it

 

[butoto]

Tufts Maine Track. Google it.

I actually already knew about the Tufts program, I was wondering if there were other schools that gave Mainers preference. If I apply to Tufts Med but not through the Maine Track, will I still be given preference for being a Maine native??

 

[ski89]

If you can't handle bio and chem alongside calc, you're in for a rude awakening. Re-evaluate your study habits.

I don't know, bio + lab, calc, Chem + lab, psych, and English would be 20 credits at my school. That's not easy as a freshman, especially if you are involving yourself in some good ECs.

Drop bio. It's your first semester and totally reasonable to explain that you bit off more than you could chew.

 

[Boolean]

I don't know, bio + lab, calc, Chem + lab, psych, and English would be 20 credits at my school. That's not easy as a freshman, especially if you are involving yourself in some good ECs.

Drop bio. It's your first semester and totally reasonable to explain that you bit off more than you could chew.

Perhaps we have them weighted differently. OP is going to need to be able to handle hard sciences. As a first semester freshmen, it is a fair point that they may not necessarily possess the skills necessary to handle such a schedule, but they will need to learn to adjust.

 

[ski89]

Perhaps we have them weighted differently. OP is going to need to be able to handle hard sciences. As a first semester freshmen, it is a fair point that they may not necessarily possess the skills necessary to handle such a schedule, but they will need to learn to adjust.

Agreed, it was pretty routine for me to take 3 science classes and one non-science for a total of 16-17 credits. It's all about time management. At the same time though, I would argue that I is WAY more important to get excellent grades no matter how many credits you take. A 3.95 with an average of 13 credits a semester is WAY better than a 3.7 with an average of 16 or 17. In the case of the lighter course load however, it becomes increasingly important to be involved in meaningful ECs.

 

[research5]

How did you guys study for your MCAT i.e. how many hours a day, and what type of study schedule did you guys have?