3 F's Undergrad. Freshman...am I screwed?

[MTSUguy]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am a pre-med student at MTSU and I did good the first semester with making nothing below a B in my classes, however last semester I totally messed up my grades due to being sick and missing a lot of class. I got 3 F's. Are my chances completely shot at ever getting into med-school. I mean I know that's a lot of F's but I'm still just a freshman. I'm really worried I've totally blew my chances at becoming a doctor...any advice?🙁

 

[WannaBePreMed]

I am a pre-med student at MTSU and I did good the first semester with making nothing below a B in my classes, however last semester I totally messed up my grades due to being sick and missing a lot of class. I got 3 F's. Are my chances completely shot at ever getting into med-school. I mean I know that's a lot of F's but I'm still just a freshman. I'm really worried I've totally blew my chances at becoming a doctor...any advice?🙁

I think we'll need more information. What was your gpa for the first semester?

 

[MTSUguy]

my gpa was 3.0...well If i remember right it was like 3.something but im undercutting it a little...below a 3.5 however.🙁

 

[Confused2626]

I am a pre-med student at MTSU and I did good the first semester with making nothing below a B in my classes, however last semester I totally messed up my grades due to being sick and missing a lot of class. I got 3 F's. Are my chances completely shot at ever getting into med-school. I mean I know that's a lot of F's but I'm still just a freshman. I'm really worried I've totally blew my chances at becoming a doctor...any advice?🙁

I'm a firm believer that unless you commit some crime or something, your chances are never shot. Retake the courses...for MD schools it will be averaged but DO schools your new grade replaces the old. But, it is always a very smart idea to have a backup plan in case you do not get in to med school...even the best of applicants must face this what-if scenario of not getting in

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

my gpa was 3.0...well If i remember right it was like 3.something but im undercutting it a little...below a 3.5 however.🙁

wow...three F's and you still have a low 3-ish GPA as a frosh? how many GP's are they giving for F's nowadays?

average GPA for applicants is roughly 3.5-3.6ish so just aim for that by application time and don't look back. you will most likely be asked about the F's but if your reasons are legit you'll be fine.

 

[MTSUguy]

haha sorry i thought you was referring to my 1st semester...no i havent got my gpa from the last semester due to oweing the university money...they are withholding my grades till they are paid which i cant do till July....grrrr...so Im not really sure ...Lord...really really really bad gpa -2.0 probably...im not sure...but i know its horrible....🙁

 

[KiwiBruin]

If you do well from now on, your 3F's won't be a problem. =D
I am guessing you need to retake them so they will be averaged. If you get As in your classes they will become like Cs when averaged with the Fs. GOOOOOOOD LUCK!!!

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

haha sorry i thought you was referring to my 1st semester...no i havent got my gpa from the last semester due to oweing the university money...

my mistake, MTSUguy, i misread the post.

but yeah, the future is still in your hands.

 

[BlueElmo]

haha sorry i thought you was referring to my 1st semester...no i havent got my gpa from the last semester due to oweing the university money...they are withholding my grades till they are paid which i cant do till July....grrrr...so Im not really sure ...Lord...really really really bad gpa -2.0 probably...im not sure...but i know its horrible....🙁

Dude, you got some serious issues going on, don't you?

Don't look back, but keep moving on. Obviously, you need to retake those courses. You might want to get straight A's from now on. And you will probably need to do really well on the MCAT. Oh, once you get some semblance of order in your life, you might want to start some EC's. Good luck.

 

[MTSUguy]

Thanks...I was...well still am actually worried to death...I'd hate to pursue a career that simply wasnt ever going to happen. Thanks for giving me hope...I'm also thinking about talking to my pre-med advisor and maybe someone from med school admissions at Vanderbilt or University of Tennessee....again thanks so much for the advice....any more is appreciated.😳

 

[WannaBePreMed]

haha sorry i thought you was referring to my 1st semester...no i havent got my gpa from the last semester due to oweing the university money...they are withholding my grades till they are paid which i cant do till July....grrrr...so Im not really sure ...Lord...really really really bad gpa -2.0 probably...im not sure...but i know its horrible....🙁

It's really not over for you. Although I hate this phrase it's very appropriate for your situation, "Your career in medicine is a marathon not a sprint." You still have so much time left in the game, now's not the time to give up. The fact of the matter is you need to step it up, that's life.Retake the classes next semester and Ace them. My best advice for you is to take it one thing at a time. It's the moment of truth. Everything is in your hands. Fight or plight?

 

[MTSUguy]

Thank you again...what year are you? Are you in med school yet? Sorry now I'm just being nosey...but your advice has completely lifted my spirits.

 

[droshan]

Real story here. 3.1 gpa at the end of sophmore year including 5 Cs. My school counselor advised me to consider other professions but I said to hell with that. I only retook one class and got straight A/A- my junior and senior years which increased my gpa to a 3.6 (3.57 by AAMC standards). The end result is that I was accepted to a couple of schools.

The lesson of my story is that you DEFINITELY can still go to med school, one bad semester of grades your 1st year is not going to kill you. Bust your ***** from now on and like they said retake those classes. If you need extra help get some tutoring, there is no shame in it. Go to office hours as often as possible...it serves 2 purposes: 1) You get extra help and reinforcement of the course materials. 2) You can get to know your professor well so that they can write you a solid letter of rec. Try to get 6 letters throughout college (2 science professors, 1 non science professor, 1 research PI, one physician, and one from whoever you choose but make it someone who knows you very well and preferably someone involved in your extracurriculars) and maybe work on a 7th and 8th for updates when you apply and are waitlisted or just waiting to hear back.

On another note: Start prepping for your MCATs even now...as in use some MCAT books to help with your courses because they simplify things very well and you'll be familiar with the high yield information on the MCATs. Its what i'm planning on doing when i start med school to prepare for the boards and its what i wish I did as an undergrad.

Make sure to start getting involved in some clinical volunteering and shadowing now so you can accrue a large amount of hours over a long period of time rather than cramming a ton the year before you apply (like i did 🙁). Volunteering and shadowing is not equal so make sure to do both.

Research is a huge must for a lot of schools (not all). I wouldn't worry about it too much yet but maybe your sophmore year or junior start and make sure to hook up with a researcher that will allow you to have your own project and publish it. It makes a huge difference and gives weight to your research so they don't think you were pipetting crap all day.

Start working on your PS early. Get help if you're having trouble starting it. Have several people edit it but not too many. Crank out many many drafts and perfect it. I really think this is a hugely underrated component of the application cycle. Its what really sets you apart from all the other goobers with similar stats. Heck you might beat out someone with better stats than you if you have a great PS that shows your character, passion, and personality.

Study abroad! Its a great experience that you will never have an opportunity to do ever again. I say this because its good for you and it also shows the committees that you are cultured and more interesting. That being said a lot of pre meds find it difficult to find the time to do it. Do what i did and go in the summer for a couple of months. Please do it, you won't regret it.

Make sure to do things you LIKE to do and are passionate about whether it be volunteering or playing a college sport.

Also it helps to sell yourself as a package. You need to have done all these things but there has to be something about you that sets you apart whether it be lengthy research or public health. Your activities should largely reflect that...if your ECs are all over the place then i think it looks like you did them just because you had to. An example is people that randomly do a masters in public health after graduating but don't have anything else in their application that really speaks to that. The adcoms will call your bs on that! That being said if its a new passion that you wish to pursue then go for it but try not to do things because you think you have to. I know it sounds contradictory to what i said earlier but basically do all these things but there is a lot of freedom and choices within each category...just make sure to find the specific lab or the specific hospital that you really enjoy working at.

Hm...that's all I can think of...I know its a lot of rambling but I just want to help a fellow early poor starter! Good luck to you pal, don't be discouraged, just change your habits and dominate college! And don't let it pass by without having fun either. Its all about balance!

-drosh

 

[slight365]

One can still make it, provided the reason is valid and indicated is something completely out of the ordinary, such as A's and B's, then one semester, or one year of F's. If it can be verified medically, then you'll be fine. I know someone who had this very case and made it in without a hitch to several schools. Just take the classes over and it could almost be like it never happened...except on the cGPA.

 

[WhizoMD]

I am a pre-med student at MTSU and I did good the first semester with making nothing below a B in my classes, however last semester I totally messed up my grades due to being sick and missing a lot of class. I got 3 F's. Are my chances completely shot at ever getting into med-school. I mean I know that's a lot of F's but I'm still just a freshman. I'm really worried I've totally blew my chances at becoming a doctor...any advice?🙁

Shouldn't the absences have been excused for that? And are we talking weeks off or months off? In either case I don't think being sick is a great excuse for 3 F's, it seems like a failure of communication to me. Most professors are more than willing to help you out/ give you an incomplete( if needed) if you let them know your situation, and the ones that don't want to help are usually required to anyway. If what caused you to get sick is some one off condition, then I guess you'll be fine, but if it's a chronic condition you'll need to start planning ahead for when you get sick.

 

[tabishis]

I am a pre-med student at MTSU and I did good the first semester with making nothing below a B in my classes, however last semester I totally messed up my grades due to being sick and missing a lot of class. I got 3 F's. Are my chances completely shot at ever getting into med-school. I mean I know that's a lot of F's but I'm still just a freshman. I'm really worried I've totally blew my chances at becoming a doctor...any advice?🙁

If you were sick and missed classes why didn't you ask your instructors for I or Incomplete grade? You could've just finished those courses in the later term. Well! Your chances are still not screwed but now you definitely need to study your butt off and get straight A's all the way. At the med school interview you can explain the reason for those F's. Just get a letter from doctor you went to so you can show that to MD schools you are going to apply to.

 

[ninetynine]

At my school, there's this thing called a "retroactive withdrawl" which is where you can withdraw from the term after the term is over. Usually they need a good reason and proof, like a doctor's note and obvious medical issue.

I never believe in "being screwed." Believing in "being screwed" is for wimps. Never settle. You're only a freshman. Get good grades for the rest of your life and med schools will see that. It's not about the F's and the GPA, it's about the quality of your overall work. A GPA isn't a GPA for its own sake, it's a GPA for what it indicates about the person's abilities. If you show your abilities, the game is not over. Life is a marathon.I'm just being realistic. If you screw up next year too, I would say game over, but you can recover because it's your first year.

 

[witness23]

i know a kid that had a like a 1.8 first year. stayed in school for 4 more years. 4.0 all those years. triple majored in completely different things, summer courses, with 4 minors (2 of them languages). 43 mcat, 800/800 gre, 800 gmat. the person should be a 4th/5th (2-3rd grad) year at a big name mstp now

 

[witness23]

wasn't even sick. just had too much fun, did some drugs but got focused quick

these kinds of stories exist all over, you can too. sean paul - get busy

 

[LittleRocker]

I had 3 Fs from back before I had any intention of going premed and was unhappy with my school and direction in life. I was a music major for 3 years, and I've been a bio major for 3 years (yes, this is my 6th year of undergrad). Since I've switched to bio I've had nearly straight As, and As in all the prereqs. I managed to get a 34 on the mcat, and right now I'm sitting on an acceptance at a top 5 school. Hope that gives you some inspiration 🙂.

Edit: Also, during my 11 interviews, I was only specifically asked about my Fs once, and the guy kinda just laughed about it. I got into that school.

 

[billw]

If you are going to screw up, the beginning is the best time. You can now demonstrate an improving trend and still have lots of time to average up your GPA.

Also, you might want to investigate whether your school has "grade forgiveness" or "red-lining". Some schools will allow you to dump an entire semester or two if you did really poorly out of the gate and then improved. That means you have to retake a lot of classes, but it is a great way to get a second chance if you are willing to do so. I've only seen this kind of policy at community colleges, but I'm not sure that there aren't universities that offer it as well.

 

[AdmiralChz]

This is tough, but you have dug yourself a big hole. No one will care the circumstances (family, illness, etc...) - you had the opportunity to withdraw this semester earlier. Do not make excuses or blame your performance on something else - the onus is on YOU to do well in school. You're going to need to do quite a bit of work to get out of this, and you will need absolutely STELLAR ECs to compensate for this performance.

Sorry if this was harsh, but there is no use sugar-coating this. Good luck.

 

[vickpick]

are you screwed? yes

Can u unscrew yourself? yes

Hard work and determination, don't get any B's or C's anymore - and definitely no F's.

Good Luck, Best wishes.

 

[Red Leader]

Just wondering, if we all said "yes you're screwed" would you just listen to some idiots on a forum and quit?

If so, then yes you really are screwed and I mean for life, not just med school. Have a good one!

 

[binko]

Does your school have "freshman forgiveness"? Place I've been, if you get below a D in something as a freshman it drops from your transcript completely.

 

[drizzt3117]

Does your school have "freshman forgiveness"? Place I've been, if you get below a D in something as a freshman it drops from your transcript completely.

But not from AMCAS, unfortunately.

 

[Justins]

is there any way you could retroactively withdraw from these courses? you said you were sick, as long as you have documents proving it, you could probably petition for withdrawal from the entire semester or just those classes. good luck!

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I am a pre-med student at MTSU and I did good the first semester with making nothing below a B in my classes, however last semester I totally messed up my grades due to being sick and missing a lot of class. I got 3 F's. Are my chances completely shot at ever getting into med-school. I mean I know that's a lot of F's but I'm still just a freshman. I'm really worried I've totally blew my chances at becoming a doctor...any advice?🙁

warning..i am very blunt..



Probably.

 

[slight365]

Repeat the classes. NO way around it. Got any medical reports?

You likely have to do a masters to be considered.

 

[ExSavior]

Should he retake classes that mean nothing though? I mean, those F's could be in psychology or something. He could just take sociology if he felt like it right?

 

[rocketbooster]

🙁

 

[rocketbooster]

oh you probably want some actual advice haha...

retake those classes and apply DO. the DO AMCAS-equivalent takes your highest grade of the class. the Fs will appear on the transcript, I think, but the actual GPA will only be calculated based on your grades of the retaken classes (assuming you don't fail them again).

for MD, you're pretty much screwed. they count ALL grades. retaken classes are treated as another class in the GPA.

not sure how Caribbean schools look at retaken grades.