academic probation

[rogersce]

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Anybody know (or have any educated guesses) as to whether being on academic probation when you're applying to medical school will seriously hurt your application?

I'm in an advanced math class with an insane professor, and there's almost no possibility of making anything above a B-. This, combined with MCAT studying, and a lab job of ~15 hrs/week is really too much to handle, so I'm probably going to drop the math class, which will put me at 11 hours. Anything under 12 hours at my school gets you on academic probation, and since I'm a junior, I'll be on academic probation next semester as I'm applying to med school.

I've got an excellent overall GPA, and I even have a 4.0 in my math major so far, so it's not like this is a recurring theme for me. Medical schools will obviously find out I'm on academic probation, and I will obviously explain my case to them, but will the stigma of probation seriously hurt my app?

(I've also got another W on my app for an english class, and I've never been on any kind of probation, disciplinary or academic, before)

 

[Megalofyia]

You can't become a part time student at your school?

 

[Fish3715]

I thought academic probation is when you GPA falls too low.

 

[TTSD]

Well, I don't think that type of probation will hurt you in the least bit. It sounds like you're just dropping from fulltime to parttime student but your school calls it academic probation. If anything, the admissions member will just ask you what that was all about, laugh at your school and that should be that considering your record.

 

[Megalofyia]

BTW the AMCAS will ask you to explain it so you can sort it out there in there and do what TTSD said to do. It's your GPA that's going to show them that it was just a wording issue with the school.

 

[rogersce]

Yeah, it is pretty weird/******ed. Apparently the Dean can exempt you from probation if you have a valid excuse for why you need to take under 12 hours, but he told me it's only in family emergencies where you have to work to pay for a family member's hospital bills or something. I even got a midterm academic deficiency for attendnace once in a math class. I made a 100 on the first exam, but because I had missed more than 2 classes, my prof was still able to give me an ACADEMIC deficiency. GAY

Would the fact that I took 11 hours also hurt my application, since it kinda is a pretty easy course-load. Or would they understand that MCAT+job+11 hrs is a pretty busy schedule?

In addition, my 11 hour schedule would be: Physics II (3), Orgo II (3) and their labs (2), and Advanced Engineering Math (3). Not exactly underwater basketweaving, but I suppose it could be tougher.

 

[Echinoidea]

I was on academic probation and even got academically dismissed.

I got in this application cycle.

 

[rogersce]

anyone else have an opinion or specific experience?

 

[fullefect1]

Definetly drop the class, if I were you, I would probably make up some boggus story about family issues (parents divorcing, someone got laid off, maybe something to that effect), but even if you don't, i wouldn't sweat it at all. Adcoms won't care, soo many people take 12 credits during MCAT's. I don't see why they would think differently about taking 11 credits.