3.18 gpa freshman year?

[41Johnny]

Hi everyone. Like the title said, I ended my freshman year of college with a 3.181 GPA. I thought I could do better but I ended getting straight B's in everything except for 2 A's in GE classes. I know that a 3.18 is way too low of a GPA to even consider being a potential med school applicant. What should I do? I know I have to get awesome grades come sophomore year, but I'm slowly losing motivation and the drive to succeed, especially since I know it's only going to get more challenging. Any study tips would be beneficial as well. Thank you!

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[doctorleospaceman]

Don't...study with that cute girl in your class, etc.

Yep, there's always the possibility of very awkward chem labs if things go south...

@OP, just keep at it. Most student struggle their first semester or two as they aclimate to college and learn how to study for classes which are more demanding than high school. Just try out different study methods and find what works best for you.

 

[jesie]

I'd be more cautious about that since there's always the possibility of very awkward chem labs if things go south...

Probably part of why he said to avoid that haha


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[doctorleospaceman]

I said don't do those things.

Probably part of why he said to avoid that haha

Yet somehow I didn't completely bomb CARS....

 

[wutwutwut]

I agree it is possible to improve but only if you work really hard the next two years and get really good grades. what also might help is if you take summer classes because the more A's you have obviously the better your GPA will be so if you take more classes it can help your GPA (assuming you do well in them). I did not do this intentionally but I ended up taking a lot of summer classes in college so now since I have so many credit hours, even though I got a couple of B's and A-'s, my GPA is still good

 

[soswim]

hey OP, don't get too down on yourself! I finished freshman year with a 2.9 GPA and I got into medical school this cycle (I got my GPA up above 3.5 by the time I applied), so anything is possible!

One thing I found hard about freshman year was that it was mostly school requirements or uninteresting pre-reqs for more interesting classes. Because of this, I had a hard time motivating myself to study because I was just plain bored and didn't want to learn the material. If you feel this way too, I recommend trying to find something cool or enjoyable from at least one lecture per week that you want to learn more about. Reach out to upperclassmen too, they can help you out and help you find your way. And, most importantly, never be afraid to ask for help! Find a tutor, talk to your advisors, reach out to your friends. If you want more advice, feel free to PM me 🙂 Good luck!

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

You need to identify why you didn't do better and address those deficentcies. Don't wait till well into your first sophomore semester to tell and get help if you need it. Virtually ever college and university has people who can help you learn study skill, time management and the like.

3.18 freshman year is by no means lethal but it usually requires improvements. Bad news, classes get harder from here on out. Good news, they also get a lot more interesting.

 

[41Johnny]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll keep all of them in mind. Any study tips for subjects like ochem and physics, so those classes are what's gonna kill me sophomore year?

 

[confidentandgood]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll keep all of them in mind. Any study tips for subjects like ochem and physics, so those classes are what's gonna kill me sophomore year?

Organic chemistry is not the monster that a lot of pre-health students make it out to be. The key to doing well is practice. In both organic chemistry and physics, you really have to put in the effort to get something out, even if you are naturally gifted at the subjects.

Also remember that improving your GPA is going to require a lot of academic discipline. If you find that one study strategy is ineffective, it's up to you to assess your errors and try another method. I have seen students who insist on sticking to the same study patterns even when those patterns have resulted in consistently low grades. Part of this adjustment is definitely trial-and-error, but you should also use your school's academic resource and tutoring centers to come up with a concrete plan.

 

[wutwutwut]

The key to doing well is practice.

this is 100% true

the people I talked to who get 10% on organic tests are the ones who barely did any practice problems thinking that they would be fine since they just went to class. organic and physics are problem solving courses and they way you do well in them is by practicing problem-solving. what I did is I read the chapter and took notes before going to lecture and then during lecture I did not take any notes I just listened and tried to do the practice problems while he was doing them (to quiz myself) and then I just tried to do as many of the problems at the end of the chapter as I could and it worked really well for me!

also if you are having problems SEEK HELP before you get too behind! many colleges have tutoring services, programs like SI, or professors always have office hours and if you make an effort to do well often professors will try to help you out!

 

[osckey]

Don't rewrite notes...

I could not DISAGREE MORE with that statement.

OP, I went from a sub-3.0 gpa freshman year to finishing with a respectable gpa and making it to med school. Just keep your head up and adjust your study methods to find what is most effective for you. For me, rewriting my notes was one of the most effective methods of studying.

 

[Wolfpack93]

Just to kinda reiterate what everyone else has said, I got a 2.7 my first semester of freshman year and ended up with a 3.8 cumulative and science overall by the time I graduated. I realized that I needed a completely new style of studying from what I was used to in high school, and found that I learned best by writing out the power points, doing a ton of practice problems, and going over old tests if provided by the professor. I also found out that I was not much of a group studier and ended up getting a lot more done on the quiet floor of my library. You just gotta find a study style that works best for your. Best of luck!

 

[Green Grass]

Quit drinkin and smokin, and start readin.