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mettawp

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So I've hit a really low mark my freshman year... I hit a 1.86 gpa my first semester, but that's because I didn't study, AT ALL, had horrible work ethic, and partied like there was no tomorrow. I'm looking to hopefully get all A's my next 7 semesters... I know I'm capable of it, I went to the second best high school in the country, and pretty much have been an A's and honors student my entire life... I just didn't care this past semester. My own damn fault. The question I have is that even though I failed a few classes (Biology being the worst), if I four pointed the rest of my undergrad, would I have a chance of getting into med school?

I'm thinking them seeing I failed biology and got a 1.8 first semester freshman year will scare them off like hell.

Thanks for any input. I'm not too familiar with how these admissions people work, specifically who they admit in terms of stats.
 
You got 3 1/2 years left.

Retake classes, man up and make straight A's from here on out. Since you're young (as in a freshman), your GPA will recover and by the time you look towards applying, it will be a small blemish in a sea of A's.

But since you're below a 2.0, I believe you are in Academic probation (or soon will be) so be sure to get out of that. If your next semester isn't 3.7+, than you'll have a tough road towards an MD acceptance (DO would all grade replacement thus allowing your GPA to recover much more quickly).

Start volunteering, making a name for yourself, research etc etc, but avoid this mistake again.

But to answer your question, it definitely isn't impossible (especially being so fresh) but you definitely made it MUCH harder on yourself. There are stories of people who fail multiple classes and make it MD but they are few, far between and took A LOT of perseverance. Also, what you did in High School means jack ****.
 
mettawp said:
So I've hit a really low mark my freshman year... I hit a 1.86 gpa my first semester, but that's because I didn't study, AT ALL, had horrible work ethic, and partied like there was no tomorrow. I'm looking to hopefully get all A's my next 7 semesters... I know I'm capable of it, I went to the second best high school in the country, and pretty much have been an A's and honors student my entire life... I just didn't care this past semester. My own damn fault. The question I have is that even though I failed a few classes (Biology being the worst), if I four pointed the rest of my undergrad, would I have a chance of getting into med school?

I'm thinking them seeing I failed biology and got a 1.8 first semester freshman year will scare them off like hell.

Thanks for any input. I'm not too familiar with how these admissions people work, specifically who they admit in terms of stats.
Click to expand...

I feel for you man, everyone has made mistakes, but what I just bolded is laughably narcissistic.
 
I'll bite. Yes, you still have a chance to get into a medical school if you improve your GPA drastically. Even then though, some medical schools will reject you after seeing an F in bio. You are going to have to explain your past poor performance during the admission process. FYI college is not high school. I'm sure you are a capable person, but getting a 4.0 in college is harder than you might think. Just get your GPA around 3.6+, do well on the MCAT, and get involved in meaningful activities.
 
Wait, does DO do grade replacement with retakes? Because I know the AMCAS application for MD schools doesent care about retakes, and takes every grade into reconsideration...
 
ShenanigansMD said:
I feel for you man, everyone has made mistakes, but what I just bolded is laughably narcissistic.
Click to expand...

👍👍

OP, if you did really well in the "second best high school in the country", then all these intro courses at your college should be a breeze even without studying...
 
High schools are ranked? -_-

Olio Jette.
 
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools

apparently my high school is "nationally recognized"
monkey2.jpg
 
Low GPA one semester will not affect you in the long run. I mean, if you had a 1.86 at 15 credits and then a 4.0 for 105 credits (graduating at the bare minimum for most universities of 120 credits), then your cGPA would be a 3.7325

You could get in with that GPA. However, most schools will see that this is a fluke and may down-regulate it.

Some schools even do weighted GPAs. At these schools, assuming a 4.0 all the rest of your semesters, you would have a 3.82 at the time of applying junior year. If you applied after your senior year you would have a 3.89. If you are curious how to calculate this, just google it or do a search here on SDN.
 
Where are all these <2.0 GPA guys coming from all of a sudden? Other than nationally ranked high schools!?
 
Anathema said:
Where are all these <2.0 GPA guys coming from all of a sudden? Other than nationally ranked high schools!?
Click to expand...

Self proclaimed freshman premeds + finals week = river of tears.
 
mettawp said:
Wait, does DO do grade replacement with retakes? Because I know the AMCAS application for MD schools doesent care about retakes, and takes every grade into reconsideration...
Click to expand...

Yes. If you have an F, retake Bio and get an A, that F will not be calculated into your AACOMA sGPA. But it will show up on your transcript.

You still have a chance at MD though, so just focus on getting A's moving forward.
 
An MD is still within reach. Just get your act together. I dont understand how someone that had a good work ethic at a top high school and gotten A's and honors their whole life can just go to college and blow it THAT much and not stop for a second that semester and think that they're doing something wrong and change it. I understand how freshman year first quarter can be the most difficult sometimes because it is a big change in your life, but a 1.8? really? Come on, if you are seriously the student you say you are, then you should have had the responsibility not to put yourself in this situation. But what's done is done. All I can say is GET A's from now on. Channel back to the student you used to be your whole life, and remember what made you so successful.
 
dsk89 said:
An MD is still within reach. Just get your act together. I dont understand how someone that had a good work ethic at a top high school and gotten A's and honors their whole life can just go to college and blow it THAT much and not stop for a second that semester and think that they're doing something wrong and change it. I understand how freshman year first quarter can be the most difficult sometimes because it is a big change in your life, but a 1.8? really? Come on, if you are seriously the student you say you are, then you should have had the responsibility not to put yourself in this situation. But what's done is done. All I can say is GET A's from now on. Channel back to the student you used to be your whole life, and remember what made you so successful.
Click to expand...

I think this is probably more common than you think- the HS OP is referring to is full of overachievers who have worked hard their whole life and been in special honors classes from the womb (no hard feelings some of them were my friends!) and then go to college and realize they have freedom for the first time and let it all go to the wind. OP listen to what everyone is saying and just buckle down and work hard! There is a way to balance having fun and working hard- you don't have to go to the extreme with either one. Good luck!
 
fabriciusj89 said:
I think this is probably more common than you think- the HS OP is referring to is full of overachievers who have worked hard their whole life and been in special honors classes from the womb (no hard feelings some of them were my friends!) and then go to college and realize they have freedom for the first time and let it all go to the wind. OP listen to what everyone is saying and just buckle down and work hard! There is a way to balance having fun and working hard- you don't have to go to the extreme with either one. Good luck!
Click to expand...

The high school you attend is all about what type of parents you have. I don't think I've ever heard an eighth grader talking about needing this and this and this to get into a high school.

Or... Maybe there should be a new subforum called M.S.SDN featuring threads like "Has anyone ever been accepted to The school for the Talented and Gifted with a B+in pre-algebra?"
 
Josh7 said:
The high school you attend is all about what type of parents you have. I don't think I've ever heard an eighth grader talking about needing this and this and this to get into a high school.

Or... Maybe there should be a new subforum called M.S.SDN featuring threads like "Has anyone ever been accepted to The school for the Talented and Gifted with a B+in pre-algebra?"
Click to expand...

A lot of my friends applied to this high school, and yes some were driven by their parents but you would be surprised by the internal motivation some of these eighth graders had- people were doing community service and worrying about grades and letters of recommendation even at that age. There is an entrance exam as well. Its basically mini-med school applications and there were mini-gunners, trust me.
 
Josh7 said:
The high school you attend is all about what type of parents you have. I don't think I've ever heard an eighth grader talking about needing this and this and this to get into a high school.

Or... Maybe there should be a new subforum called M.S.SDN featuring threads like "Has anyone ever been accepted to The school for the Talented and Gifted with a B+in pre-algebra?"
Click to expand...

New forum isn't good. We would encourage all youngsters to come and troll in preallo and allo. Already we have a problem that got worsened with finals week. I like your sample question though. :laugh:
 
Josh7 said:
I wish I was talented and gifted enough to go to the "School for the Talented and Gifted"

:laugh:
Click to expand...

Me too. I had to go to fancy prep school where the wealthy send their derelict children to fast track the old boys club to the ivy league. 👍
You either have it or you don't OP. No excuses. Get your act together, get busy studying, and find balance or prepare for 3 miserable years instead of 3 of the best years of your life. Btw, the halls of many elite universities are lined with former overachievers who discover they're pretty average fish in their new pond.
 
I feel like I'm a minority that went to a public school 😛
 
mettawp said:
So I've hit a really low mark my freshman year... I hit a 1.86 gpa my first semester, but that's because I didn't study, AT ALL, had horrible work ethic, and partied like there was no tomorrow. I'm looking to hopefully get all A's my next 7 semesters... I know I'm capable of it, I went to the second best high school in the country, and pretty much have been an A's and honors student my entire life... I just didn't care this past semester. My own damn fault. The question I have is that even though I failed a few classes (Biology being the worst), if I four pointed the rest of my undergrad, would I have a chance of getting into med school?

I'm thinking them seeing I failed biology and got a 1.8 first semester freshman year will scare them off like hell.

Thanks for any input. I'm not too familiar with how these admissions people work, specifically who they admit in terms of stats.
Click to expand...

Congrats on high school. Put that on your AMCAS I bet it will help.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
Josh7 said:
The high school you attend is all about what type of parents you have. I don't think I've ever heard an eighth grader talking about needing this and this and this to get into a high school.

Or... Maybe there should be a new subforum called M.S.SDN featuring threads like "Has anyone ever been accepted to The school for the Talented and Gifted with a B+in pre-algebra?"
Click to expand...

People take pre-algebra for actual grades? I took pre-algebra in elementary school when grades were still E, S+, S, S-.
 
mettawp said:
So I've hit a really low mark my freshman year... I hit a 1.86 gpa my first semester, but that's because I didn't study, AT ALL, had horrible work ethic, and partied like there was no tomorrow. I'm looking to hopefully get all A's my next 7 semesters... I know I'm capable of it, I went to the second best high school in the country, and pretty much have been an A's and honors student my entire life... I just didn't care this past semester. My own damn fault. The question I have is that even though I failed a few classes (Biology being the worst), if I four pointed the rest of my undergrad, would I have a chance of getting into med school?

I'm thinking them seeing I failed biology and got a 1.8 first semester freshman year will scare them off like hell.

Thanks for any input. I'm not too familiar with how these admissions people work, specifically who they admit in terms of stats.
Click to expand...

I had a 2.15 my first semester of college but with hard wrk ended with a 3.59.. It's possible to increase your gpa with hard work... Don't give up...
 
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