1st year in distress!!!! I would appreciate your opinions.

[landofoo]

Hey guys,

I'm currently a first year pre-med and am in a little distress. I have gotten 2 C+ in gen chem and a C and D in calc. I'm a bit worried about how this will look. I'm trying to improve my work ethic everyday. I'm just in distress about my chances now, even if I make A's from here on out. What do you guys think.

I'm not a URM...but I do have great work experience at a world-renowned hospital in cancer research, which I got a publication out of, and clinical experience.


On another note...I'm thinking about taking O-chem over the summer...what do you guys think? Pros- Cons.

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[tiedyeddog]

You have great experience at a cancer research facility, you have a publicaton out(....), and you're taking freshman classes AND doing not so hot in them? I'm going to call troll.

I just really need to know what kind of research you did that enabled you to publish (you make it sound like you're the main author) in a world-renowned cancer institute yet you can't get higher than a b in gen chem? Are you a non-trad that somehow does research in cancer with little to no biological science background?!!?

 

[yakattack145]

If you make straight A's from this year out, you might be able to pull a 3.7, which would be respectable, especially if you come from a top university. Publication is nice, but it is more like icing on the cake rather than the cake itself, so don't try to rely on that too much. The question is, have you been giving these intro classes your best effort or have you been out doing other activities? If you've put your best foot forward and can only manage C's and D's, then that could be a serious problem since Gen Chem is kid stuff compared to what they throw at you in Orgo.

And taking Orgo over the summer is fine, just be sure not to fall behind or then you'll be in real trouble.

 

[al112987]

What can you honestly do in research without general chemistry? You can't even make buffers...

 

[135892]

You have great experience at a cancer research facility, you have a publicaton out(....), and you're taking freshman classes AND doing not so hot in them? I'm going to call troll.

I just really need to know what kind of research you did that enabled you to publish (you make it sound like you're the main author) in a world-renowned cancer institute yet you can't get higher than a b in gen chem? Are you a non-trad that somehow does research in cancer with little to no biological science background?!!?

Seriously, you're published, during your freshman year no less, yet you can't even handle a general science course...
What sort of research did you do anyway

 

[Quadratic]

What exactly was your contribution to this publication?

FTR: Prepping patients doesn't count.

 

[russellfx]

Dude that is really horrible.. you got to be kidding me. Change majors and don't waste your time .. unless you just messed around and didnt do the work in which i would say .. either decide to make the committment or not. If your not fully committed, your just going to dig yourself deeper into a hole and waste more time.

 

[Zyvox]

Hey guys,

I'm currently a first year pre-med and am in a little distress. I have gotten 2 C+ in gen chem and a C and D in calc. I'm a bit worried about how this will look. I'm trying to improve my work ethic everyday. I'm just in distress about my chances now, even if I make A's from here on out. What do you guys think.

I'm not a URM...but I do have great work experience at a world-renowned hospital in cancer research, which I got a publication out of, and clinical experience.


On another note...I'm thinking about taking O-chem over the summer...what do you guys think? Pros- Cons.

Your only chance is to make a great comeback. Lay off all the extra activities for a year (maybe get one day of clinical experience a week), and completely focus on your grades. If it's hope you need, you can still get into medical school if you get good grades from here on out. Was the D in Calc II? If so I would recommend not "challenging" yourself and maybe even change your major to something more interesting, so you can get that extra padding on the GPA.

I don't think you should take O-Chem over the summer. At this point I would seriously question your study habits and/or time management skills. Take a biology class instead.

Don't get discouraged. Come up to the surface for a few refreshing breaths and then dive right back in.

 

[mglavin]

Med school admission committees have a pretty good idea of what they are doing. If you can't manage at least a B average in your normal pre-req course work I wouldn't be worried about getting in somewhere I'd be more worried about just being able to handle the material and volume of the first two years.

That being said try to figure out what is going wrong, have you been doing too much partying? research? or have you just not be able to handle the material. Work hard and don't give up but I would stop every extracurricular activity your doing until your grades are better if you seriously want to pursue medicine. (but be sure to take some breaks so you don't go crazy)

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

If you can't manage at least a B average in your normal pre-req course work I wouldn't be worried about getting in somewhere I'd be more worried about just being able to handle the material and volume of the first two years.

I sorta agree but want to point out ADCOMS are also somewhat understanding- if you have low grades any year I think freshman is the best. Also, is there a reason underlying why you can't get the grades? Working too much? not dedicated to studying etc...

I had a similar freshman year- 4.0 first semester but got C's in Gen Chem 2 and Calculus 2nd semester- I was in a car wreck and in physical therapy though- have had one other low grade in my undergrad career but other than that came back strong- all my teachers have been very reassuring but it is your job to work hard to pull up the GPA it is VERY Hard!!! I am just now getting into the upper 3.6's and it has taken awhile and lots of hard work!

 

[Tutmos]

You might be able to get work as an orderly if you start hitting the gym.

I'd agree troll.

 

[pride4jc727]

If you make straight A's from this year out, you might be able to pull a 3.7, which would be respectable, especially if you come from a top university. Publication is nice, but it is more like icing on the cake rather than the cake itself, so don't try to rely on that too much. The question is, have you been giving these intro classes your best effort or have you been out doing other activities? If you've put your best foot forward and can only manage C's and D's, then that could be a serious problem since Gen Chem is kid stuff compared to what they throw at you in Orgo.

And taking Orgo over the summer is fine, just be sure not to fall behind or then you'll be in real trouble.

Yea, what good is the icing if you don't have a cake to put it on? It would make people sick to their stomach if they had icing all by itself. In other words, you have all hat, and no head. I would suggest going back to the basics and putting more focus on your academics. I would say that working hard from this point on will not only salvage your GPA but would show to the adcoms of med schools just how much you want to have a medical career. I would say you're ahead of the game in the research/clinical experience area, but you got lots of work to do in the academic realm. Why would any med school take you if u have proven u can't handle the prerequisite courses that you need to get into med school? Well, hope things get better and I wish you good luck.

 

[landofoo]

I would say that my study habits inhibit me from mastering the material. I'm kind of lazy, but I'm working on it. I came from a previous academic career in which I didn't have to work at all to get stellar grades. Now the game has changed, and I'm trying hard to change with it. I believe I could ace this stuff if I put 6hrs a day into it...but I have to work to work. It is hard for me to just sit down and do the work. That being said, what do you guys think.

And for those of you who question my research, chemistry wasn't really necessary for it. I worked on animal model trials for a chemotherapy drug. My strong backgroud in Biology helped me tremendously. I irradiated and treated cancerous mice to test the efficacy of the drug. In addition, I measured tumor growth and conducted tumor growth assays and analyzed the data. In addition, I did histology nuclear dye staining on the jejunum of the mice to observe the toxic effects of the treatment. I was 4th author, by the generosity of my P.I.

 

[Cegar]

Simple answer.

Stop being lazy and study more.

 

[the donkey]

landofoo, i was in a similar situation after my freshman year. I made a C in Chem1 and a D in Chem2 (which i retook and made an A), because i didnt apply myself. I then made a C in organic1, which made me wonder if i was cut out for medical school. Knowing that I would never be happy doing anything besides practicing medicine, I finally rounded the corner, and figured out what i needed to do to understand the material. After 6 semesters of 4.0s, I finally ended up with a 3.78 uGPA.

You've got to kick it into overdrive and figure out how to study. If what you're doing isnt working, then change it. However, DO NOT do anymore damage; it will only make getting into medical school that much more difficult. If you're not ready to buckle down, then take some time off and go on a mission trip, or get a job, or something. But ultimately you've got to prove to the adcoms that youve got what it takes to master the material of medical school, the amount of which will surely make you wish you were still in chem1. There are too many applicants to choose from out there with awesome grades for the adcoms to take you in on "good faith" that you can and will handle the material in medical school.

I haven't been accepted yet; this year I ended up on the bottom third of two waitlists (im an idiot for not applying to more than my two state schools). I did get the feel from my interviews at both schools, however, that my GPA was not my problem. My mcat and clinical experience could use some work, so that is what i am now going to bust my arse to improve.

Just ask yourself if medicine is what you really want to do. If it honestly is, then kicking it up a few hundred notches should not be an issue. Good luck to you, and i apologize for rambling.

 

[tiedyeddog]

In addition, I did histology nuclear dye staining on the jejunum of the mice to observe the toxic effects of the treatment. I was 4th author, by the generosity of my P.I.

Immunohistochemistry? I would say chemistry is an important process of it. Also, don't bank on research. Research gives you the "something special." That something special doesn't matter if you can't get past the first hoops, GPA and MCAT.

I'd say you need to do less research and waaayyy more studying. At most labs in the place where I participate in research (I help with immunohistochemistry staining, also. ) you need atleast a 3.0 before most P.I.s consider you and that should be a guideline for you also. If you're grades are that low, lose the EC stuff. Focus on grades.

Also, I'd say it's a horrible idea for you to do Ochem over the summer. Summer sessions are inherently hard to do well in because it's summer time. Who wants to be locked up studying in the summer time. Doing the whole summer thing is for people who can motivate themselves to do well during it, if you think you can stay motivated, shoot for the moon, alice.

 

[scattun]

I'm wondering what exactly you are expecting people to say to the first part of your post. "oh, don't worry about it, you don't need good grades to get into medical school."? Furthermore, you can't change the past so I don't see what you stand to gain from asking about them. It's not as if because of the response you receive you can change your transcript to read B instead of D. If you are truly solely relying an online anonymous forum for career direction, you need more help then we can provide. Don't change the directions of your life because of something someone on hear says, talk with your premed adviser, all prestigious universities have them.

As for organic, I would imagine that the accelerated pace would not benefit you since you are just now evening realizing you need to change your study habits. Maybe you would be ready by next summer.

 

[lex]

You might want to start getting As from now on if you still want to enter medicine. Reduce your work load and activities and concentrate on the pre-med courses. If it still does not work out, it is advisable to take a sober look at your chances. It is better to cut your losses before it is too late.

 

[njbmd]

Hey guys,

I'm currently a first year pre-med and am in a little distress. I have gotten 2 C+ in gen chem and a C and D in calc. I'm a bit worried about how this will look. I'm trying to improve my work ethic everyday. I'm just in distress about my chances now, even if I make A's from here on out. What do you guys think.

I'm not a URM...but I do have great work experience at a world-renowned hospital in cancer research, which I got a publication out of, and clinical experience.


On another note...I'm thinking about taking O-chem over the summer...what do you guys think? Pros- Cons.

Those grades are going to look pretty bad when you apply to medical school. Rather than stress about what your chances are, change what you need in order to get your academics under control. Taking Organic Chemistry over the summer is not a sound idea. A better choice would be a study skills course.

Research does not override or "make up" for poor academics. Get your academics in order as your first priority and make sure that you don't get any more grades less than B+. From here on out, you don't have much of an "error" margin.

Use the summer to get your study skills sound before you find yourself in a hole that you can get out of. Right now, you have four poor grades (in key subjects), adding another demanding course on top of them without doing some serious work on your study skills can end your chances of getting into medical school no matter what your future work.

The average uGPA for matriculants is going up every year. You are not even close to applying and thus, you need to have some very high achievement in order to get competitive and stay competitive. Work on this now and be ready for fall with strong skills that will give you a better chance of achieving.

 

[coffeebythelake]

Simple answer.

Stop being lazy and study more.

QFT.