Okay, so I am in a very rigorous State University which has got me on my toes right now. Before coming to college I went to a fairly easy highschool that handed out A's like noone's business. After coming here I have found myself falling behind tremendously. I just finished my freshman year and only got Biol 101 done. I am currently taking Anatomy and Physiology this summer session. Unfortunately for me, I fell back with chemistry. Little did i know that chem 101 here requires Math 110 credit. I fell behind o this because i thought my SAT would give me credit but it didnt. that's why i am going to take the SAT subject text next week. The thing is if i do not do well then i wont be able to take chem 101 next summer session. With the new MCAT 2015 addidn 3 new courses to its curriculum including Biochemistry i am falling behind tremendously. What should I do? I still have to take Gen chem 1 and 2, orgo 1 and 2, analytical chem, physics 1 and 2 and biochem. I am really struggling here and need some advice. I personally am doubting myself very much and having anxiety attacks because I do not think i can make it to medical school. Some of my cousins have told be to look broadly and consider carribean schools like they have done. I just don't know what to do right now and feel like trash. I didnt do as well my freshman year either. I finished off with a 3.48 which is mediocre. Please if anyone is out there with sufficient/real advise and wont undermine me please help me out.
Will I make it?
- Thread starter Tnasiri
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First, relax.
You're still at an early point in your undergrad career and a 3.48 is not bad at all. Take it from me, after my first semester of Sophomore year my gpa was a 2.9... I busted my butt and bumped it up to a 3.6 by the time I was done with school. You're at an even earlier stage than this.
No need to panic. Just work hard!
You're still at an early point in your undergrad career and a 3.48 is not bad at all. Take it from me, after my first semester of Sophomore year my gpa was a 2.9... I busted my butt and bumped it up to a 3.6 by the time I was done with school. You're at an even earlier stage than this.
No need to panic. Just work hard!
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It's just the beginning, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, you have PLENTY of time to increase your GPA and to complete your required courses. Your Freshman GPA is not that bad. It's more than fixable. However, this is just the beginning of an incredibly long, rigorous journey. If you're already having panic attacks, I would suggest really taking a hard look at what you're getting yourself into. Trust me, it will certainly not be your last moment of anxiety. Again, I don't mean to be discouraging. I'm speaking from personal experience. Pursuing medicine shouldn't be a "manifest destiny" and thus it is important to deeply question your decision before you take the plunge. If anything, it demonstrates maturity. I would suggest that you speak to your pre-med advisor about planning out your classes. My guess is that you should look into summer sessions for Gen Chem. If you find that you're really struggling in your science courses, you can major in a non-science subject that comes more easily to you. As long as you complete your pre-med requirements, any subject is fair game. This will help you maintain your peace of mind while not sinking your GPA.
A side note about Caribbean schools: Don't do it. Look into DO schools. If that doesn't work out, look into other, equally important, roles in the medical team, like PA school or nursing. Besides, you could very well improve your GPA to be competitive for MD. Of course, you'll cross that bridge when you come to it. You have a long way to go until the point at which you will decide on what schools to apply to.
Don't be anxious or disappointed! Step by step, you'll work your way toward the path you are meant to be on! If you do decide that you unequivocally want to be a doctor, then work with laser-focus to reach your goal. Study as hard as you can for your classes and the MCAT. Start ECs now so you can demonstrate your individual interests, level of commitment and leadership. You're so young. Use this time to explore your interests! Get excited about your future, not anxious! You're going to be fine, my friend! Best of luck and be happy!
A side note about Caribbean schools: Don't do it. Look into DO schools. If that doesn't work out, look into other, equally important, roles in the medical team, like PA school or nursing. Besides, you could very well improve your GPA to be competitive for MD. Of course, you'll cross that bridge when you come to it. You have a long way to go until the point at which you will decide on what schools to apply to.
Don't be anxious or disappointed! Step by step, you'll work your way toward the path you are meant to be on! If you do decide that you unequivocally want to be a doctor, then work with laser-focus to reach your goal. Study as hard as you can for your classes and the MCAT. Start ECs now so you can demonstrate your individual interests, level of commitment and leadership. You're so young. Use this time to explore your interests! Get excited about your future, not anxious! You're going to be fine, my friend! Best of luck and be happy!
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Like the others have said, you are at an incredibly early stage of your academic career. If you really buckle down and commit to the work that it will take to earn an A then you can do it! Worst case scenario take an extra year so you don't feel so rushed. As BobGadha stated, I would rather take an extra year and apply to an MD or DO correctly than rush an application and go Caribbean.
Thank you guys so much for the advise. The reason i get so anxious is because im in North Carolina where our medical schools are Duke and UNC (im a UNC undergrad), which are extremely hard to get into. Especially because UNC accepts more OOS.
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UNC accepts more OOS? From where are you getting your information?
In addition, Wake Forest and ECU are medical schools in NC.
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Mind you, Wake Forest and ECU are both very hard to matriculate into also.
Relatively speaking, not really. ECU is actually pretty easy to get into if you are from NC given that almost 100% of the class is from NC. You have 4 schools in your state. You have it good compared to some people.
Yes, many get interviews but less than half of the interviewees get in.
Haha, you mean like every school in the country? Med school is really hard to get into anywhere. Welcome to the meat grinder.
To reiterate what others have said, relax and get good grades. It's a process that occurs sequentially, not all at once. Grades are your priority at the moment, and nothing else. You can do it. You haven't done any real damage to your application (plenty of people need to pull themselves out of deep GPA holes and you've avoided that). It's an earth shattering revelation, I know, but you might need to take 5 years to finish school. Possibly, a gap year so you have an adequate GPA and time to accomplish all of the ECs necessary to get an acceptance. It's insanely hard to do all of this and be offered and acceptance during your senior year of under gad. Given your struggles so far you might not be a wonder kin capable of that, but that shouldn't discourage you. Another year or two is nothing if it comes down to that. It's going to be a long time before you are a doctor and you should be really comfortable with delayed gratification.
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If you've only finished 1 year of college, then you still have hope. You just have to keep picking youself back up again and try your hardest!
Freshman year is always the hardest in my opinion because the level of difficulty of the material in college is quite different from high school.
I also attended an under-performing high school (only like 20 of us out of a graduating class of 700 went off to college) and I found myself super unprepared my first year of college. I realized that the key was figuring out which studying techniques work best for you.
Some people need to draw things out, others need to record the lectures and re-listen to it at home, many get help from tutoring services offered by the university...etc. I suggest thinking about that kind of stuff.
As for the MCAT, I didn't even know what that exam was until I had to start studying for it.
Don't even worry about it right now. You'll have plenty of time to worry about it later.
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Why exactly is that discouraging? You seem to be rather misinformed given some of your comments on this thread.
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I would suggest for you to stop focusing on the destination and start focusing on the journey. You are lightyears away from deciding on whether you can apply to UNC, Wake Forest or whatever med school in the universe. First complete your pre-med courses, determine your cGPA/sGPA, study for and take your MCAT, establish your ECs and then we'll see you on the What Are My Chances? Forum. As for now, focus on getting your grades up and figuring out your schedule. One task at a time. Also, when the time comes, I strongly urge you to purchase the MSAR. It'll help to clear up any misunderstandings you have about the admissions process, including IS vs. OOS statistics. I agree with @chemguy79 that you would benefit from some data. Once more, I am saying this from a place of friendly concern and helpfulness. We have all been at that point where we did not quite know what the admissions process entails. It's just part of the game that you learn how the rules work.
