Pre-Medical Physics Major Chances

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Knobinator

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Hello Comrades,

I am currently a sophomore at a mid-sized public university in Arizona. I am currently studying Physics and Spanish (Dual Major) with minors in Math and Chemistry.

My first year went fairly well, leaving me with a cumulative gpa of 3.53 (3.75 first, 3.33 second). However, I kind of screwed the pooch this last semester, earning a measly 2.86. This leaves my current cumulative at 3.33. It may be worth mentioning that my two C's were not in premedical classes, but rather in differential equations and optical physics. This last semester was miserable for a variety of reasons, but between the death of a best friend, the ending of a longterm relationship, and the workload of 3 new jobs, I'm not entirely surprised by the way things came out.

What can I do? I'm currently a TA in the Physics Department, a Resident assistant, the head of an undergraduate research endeavor which I hope to publish in the next 2 years, and am president of a philanthropic cancer club on campus.

I'm taking 16 credits next semester (13 of them science) and I know I could conceivably bring myself to a 3.5. However, will the combination of my average 2nd semester and sub-par 3rd semester take me out of the running for top/mid tier MD schools?

Thoughts, opinions and advice are all welcomed and appreciated.

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Just ace the other semesters and do well on the MCAT.

Also look into the AACOMAS grade forgiveness policy for retakes.
 
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Keep in mind that many medical schools value an upward trend in GPA.
 
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I'm taking 16 credits next semester (13 of them science) and I know I could conceivably bring myself to a 3.5. However, will the combination of my average 2nd semester and sub-par 3rd semester take me out of the running for top/mid tier MD schools?
It depends on how long you take college coursework, getting As to to repair your GPAs before applying, how strong your MCAT score is, and how substantial your ECs turn out to be.
 
You have time to bring your GPA to 3.7+. If you do that and ace the mcat, you will have a chance for top tiers. But remember to get clinical experience and shadowing too.

Plus, even if your semester this year was bad, AMCAS breaks down GPA by year so the semester alone won't be visible.
 
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