Stressed out 2nd semester sophomore. Is it over for me?

[chaii]

I am a second semester sophmore bio major. My current GPA is a 3.34. This semester I am looking around a 3.4 gpa unless I can get a 96 on my cell bio final and get an A and depending on how my last orgo exam went and how I do on the final I might still be able to make an A in orgo. Hopeful at best.

I am worried now that I will be a junior in the fall with my GPA being a 3.3-3.4 and having not taken the mcat yet im scared my stats are too low for med school. I dont understand why I keep messing up, I study hard, spend hours studying and reviewing but I always end up getting frikin B's.

As much as I try I always get B's its hurting my psyche and my GPA. My question is it too late for me at this point with a 3.3-3.4 gpa? Or do I still have a chance with to bring my gpa up?

I dont know if I can because classes are only getting harder. Next semester im taking Orgo2&physics2 (my last 2 prereqs), biology of cancer, and genetics. I enjoy my major but I just keep getting B's no matter how hard I try. It's stressing me out I don't know what to do at this point? My gpa is low and ive tried everything to get more A's

I am also worried if I dont get into medical school I'll be left with a useless bio degree. ughh

Responses greatly appreciated



/Dear Diary

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[Pacna]

You're just not studying enough, man. GPA is about time spent studying. Don't worry. Many people have this problem. It seems like this should be enough time, so they change nothing and repeat the cycle.

Also, your GPA is fairly competitive for DO school. Nail the MCAT and you'll do fine.

 

[bambam92]

I refer you to Eric Thomas: one of the most motivational speakers for myself..here is one of his vids..but check them all out. Take up his mentality for life and you will kill it.

 

[TheNeuroman]

You still have 2 years to pull it up. I was almost in the same situation as you and ended up pulling close to 4.0s the rest of my college career when I actively wanted to make a change.

Introspection and adaptation speaks volume my friend. You can do it.

 

[Doctor Dream]

I am a second semester sophmore bio major. My current GPA is a 3.34. This semester I am looking around a 3.4 gpa unless I can get a 96 on my cell bio final and get an A and depending on how my last orgo exam went and how I do on the final I might still be able to make an A in orgo. Hopeful at best.

I am worried now that I will be a junior in the fall with my GPA being a 3.3-3.4 and having not taken the mcat yet im scared my stats are too low for med school. I dont understand why I keep messing up, I study hard, spend hours studying and reviewing but I always end up getting frikin B's.

As much as I try I always get B's its hurting my psyche and my GPA. My question is it too late for me at this point with a 3.3-3.4 gpa? Or do I still have a chance with to bring my gpa up?

I dont know if I can because classes are only getting harder. Next semester im taking Orgo2&physics2 (my last 2 prereqs), biology of cancer, and genetics. I enjoy my major but I just keep getting B's no matter how hard I try. It's stressing me out I don't know what to do at this point? My gpa is low and ive tried everything to get more A's

I am also worried if I dont get into medical school I'll be left with a useless bio degree. ughh

Responses greatly appreciated



/Dear Diary

Agree with Mr. Nick Fury, it's all about the study habits and confidence man. You definitely still have time to get your GPA up to at least a 3.5, which is solid for DO school. What I would do if I were you is analyze where you're going wrong on your exams and getting B's consistently. Do you overlook little facts and details when you study? Are you not elaborating enough on essay questions? Are you working through the exams too fast? Etc.

What I do that works for me is review material every night that it's presented in class, and then a few days before the exam I'll crack open my lecture notes and make sure I know them literally front to back. If you review a little every night and study a few days in advance and know your notes inside and out, I'd be shocked if your grades didn't improve. Your confidence will improve too, which makes test taking all the easier.

 

[chaii]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will try my best to find why I keep getting B's and thanks for the motivation.

Some of you have said I still have a shot at being competitive for DO, what about MD? Realistically is there still a shot for an MD acceptance?

 

[Doctor Dream]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will try my best to find why I keep getting B's and thanks for the motivation.

Some of you have said I still have a shot at being competitive for DO, what about MD? Realistically is there still a shot for an MD acceptance?

Absolutely you have a shot, you've still got the rest of this year and at least another year, depending on when you plan to apply!

Acceptance to MD is much more than just your GPA (although it still plays a big factor)

Things that will play a factor if you're competitive for MD in order of importance...
1. How much you can boost your GPA the next two years (shoot for about 3.5-3.6 to be realistically competitive)
1. (Tie) your MCAT score
2. Amount of clinical experience (shadowing, internships, scribe, CNA, etc.)
3. Research
4. Volunteering (clinical and non-clinical)/leadership
5. Other things that make you cool and stand out, ie: hobbies, experiences, etc.

2 and 3 can be interchangeable in importance, depending on what school you're looking at going to.

A big piece of advice I've gained from others on SDN is to not only take part in all the activities mentioned above, but learn and grow from them (sounds cliché, but hear me out). You want to be able to relay to adcoms how these experiences shaped your decision to become a doctor, pursue a certain specialty, or how they're going to make you a better doctor. A lot of people looking to go in to medicine just check the volunteer, clinical experience and leadership EC boxes off their pre-med list and go on their way, which isn't the best way to approach it.

A last piece of advice I can give you is to get involved with opportunities you enjoy and are passionate about. Not everything you do in your spare time should be directly medicine related. Adcoms want to see a humanistic side to you too, if you have EC's that show you like to play music, dance, etc. you'll fair better than the lifeless robot who interviewed before you and talked about nothing but how he spent his whole undergrad living in a lab. Not only that, but you're more likely to get excited and involved in EC's that you think are just plain cool or fun and might even take on a leadership role or two along the way.

I'm a second semester sophomore too, and I feel for ya OP, the med school route is not for the weak-hearted. The MD door hasn't closed for you by any means, and DO is doable as well. Best of luck!

 

[NNPham]

@chaii I am in the same situation as you, we still have time to raise our GPA. Let's work hard!

 

[medicalmnt]

@NNPham @chaii same here with you bud.

calculated my "realistic" GPA at the time of my applications and ends up being about ~3.6
I know exactly how you feel about those B's. My freshmen year killed me too. Going to focus heavily on the EC, MCAT, etc. Hopefully a 3.6 in 2years will still be competitive for MD schools. Still learning how to actually study.

good luck

 

[TheNeuroman]

Some advice from someone who accomplished what you all are trying to do.

1. Take notes in class in a notebook, and then type those up those notes after class. The process of retyping them is studying in itself.
2. A week before an exam, start studying. Just a little each day. It does wonders.
3. Have confidence and faith in yourself. It sounds cliche, but you are capable!

 

[Eli_23m]

I don't know if it helps, but I'm in the same EXACT position as you man !
Sometimes it's good to know that you are not alone in this, and that many students who are currently in a medical school were at some point in our position too.
But we shouldn't be our own worst enemies ! As long as we are still determined and ambitious and know what we want, we can do it

 

[moisne]

It was long over. Anything less than a 4.0 and a 38+ on mcat condemns you from med school.

... No really, just study and do better next semester...

 

[Dr. 96985]

I too am in that position! I bombed my freshman year because my dad had cancer and I was stressed and couldn't focus. But I am very determined to get into Med School. I just hope they understand my situation.

 

[caffeinemia]

I too am in that position! I bombed my freshman year because my dad had cancer and I was stressed and couldn't focus. But I am very determined to get into Med School. I just hope they understand my situation.

This pre-med is already writing his/her personal statement. I love it. To be honest, they probably will understand if things improve over the next 3 years.

 

[Afford]

You can always take a gap year, so you have 2.5 years of grades vs 1.5 years of grades to boost it up. When I was in college, all the premeds always said that engineering was the hardest major, but I actually thought biochem/biology was the hardest major because those majors were always filled with premeds and the curve was usually not that good in those classes. On the other hand, most engineering students didn't care that much about their grades, so the curve was much nicer. You can get into med school with any major. You can always switch majors to something that requires less classes, so you have more time to study per class. Also, you can try hiring tutors for your classes, so you can work on your weaknesses.

 

[lelz]

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[soccerusa]

I think another thing to add is to plan out your schedule in a way that will allow you to be as successful as possible. I saw that you were taking Orgo 2, Phys 2, genetics and another biology course. To me this is poor planning. If you aren't performing at the level you would like, take a lighter load. I was always amazed at how much easier things were when I only had 2-3 science classes each semester. Treat this like a game - there is an optimal strategy that will allow you to maximize your abilities.

I also would echo what others have said. In my experience, there is no class (maybe with the exception of some upper div physics) where a herculean effort will not result in an A. I am talking about rewatching each lecture several times if it is recorded, rewriting notes every day, spending entire weekends focused on reviewing the material from the previous week. I liked what the guy in the video above was saying. I think if you accept nothing less than perfection, you will get pretty close.

Another thing to remember is that we have all been there. I have only met a few people for whom acing premed classes is easy. It always requires work and sacrifice.