Advice for bouncing back

[himat]

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Hey guys I'm new to this forum and was wondering on some general advice to bounce back from a tough year in school. Family issues and stressful times helped me have the worst academic year I've ever experienced and I'm worried because it is effecting my grades now while I'm taking extra classes since I'm so worried about "bouncing back" and making up for my mistakes.

So basically my science gpa plummeted from a 3..6-3.7 to a 2.6-2.7 all within a year....same trend with my cumulative gpa too (3.6-3.7 down to a 3.15.) I'm going to be a junior this year and I know I have "time" to make up for things, but I'm concerned that if I try taking a ton of classes and making up for everything at once I could end up hurting myself even more just by overwhelming myself.

So my question is should I max out my credit load and take a lot of science classes each semester until I graduate (this would get my science gpa back to a 3.4 to 3.5 and give me an overall gpa of about a 3.6 again) or should I go hard in my course work junior year, ease the load senior year so I can focus on the MCAT, and then possibly do a post bacc program?

Either way I know the biggest thing that's affecting me and school now is this uncertainty of how I should approach this situation now...I'm sure many of you have/or are currently feeling the same way so any advice would be much appreciated. I know it's tough to make it even when things work out great, so I know I have an uphill climb to make. I just want to make sure I make the best out of bad situation, so that I can relax and enjoy my life while I continue working hard at my goals because for about a half a year now I've let everything get to me.

 

[LaughingMan]

Hey guys I'm new to this forum and was wondering on some general advice to bounce back from a tough year in school. Family issues and stressful times helped me have the worst academic year I've ever experienced and I'm worried because it is effecting my grades now while I'm taking extra classes since I'm so worried about "bouncing back" and making up for my mistakes.

So basically my science gpa plummeted from a 3..6-3.7 to a 2.6-2.7 all within a year....same trend with my cumulative gpa too (3.6-3.7 down to a 3.15.) I'm going to be a junior this year and I know I have "time" to make up for things, but I'm concerned that if I try taking a ton of classes and making up for everything at once I could end up hurting myself even more just by overwhelming myself.

So my question is should I max out my credit load and take a lot of science classes each semester until I graduate (this would get my science gpa back to a 3.4 to 3.5 and give me an overall gpa of about a 3.6 again) or should I go hard in my course work junior year, ease the load senior year so I can focus on the MCAT, and then possibly do a post bacc program?

Either way I know the biggest thing that's affecting me and school now is this uncertainty of how I should approach this situation now...I'm sure many of you have/or are currently feeling the same way so any advice would be much appreciated. I know it's tough to make it even when things work out great, so I know I have an uphill climb to make. I just want to make sure I make the best out of bad situation, so that I can relax and enjoy my life while I continue working hard at my goals because for about a half a year now I've let everything get to me.

Hey OP,

First--I hope your family problems are going somewhat better.

Second--when you say "max out" your credit load--what does this include? At my University, 19 was the "max," and if this is your plan--I would recommend against it. Who knows what might happen during those semesters and your calculations are based off the fact that you will receive A's in all of your courses (which that is never 100%).

Third---it's an uphill climb--but keep at it man. You seem like a smart guy and the fact that you are even asking for advice shows you have a good head on your shoulders.

Now then--must you graduate within 4 years? From what you've said from your situation--it's definitely doable--especially if your poor grades are confined to one year which you can elaborate on in your PS. I can see a lot of benefit in delaying your graduation a bit instead of trying to cram everything in.

I would say delay your graduation by a semester or a two and work on GPA repairing. After that--continue with your plans. Do NOT make the mistake of thinking you can take a big load and still study for the MCAT. Almost everyone I know who's tried that has failed. No one is gonna care if you graduate med school when your 25 vs 26 vs 27.

Just stay optimistic OP and best of luck.

 

[Goro]

Your school MUST have counseling and educational effectiveness resources to avail upon, and so I strongly urge you to check in with them before considering a major increase in your course load.

So yes, I expect that if you've not fully dealt with your issues, then just taking more courses in the hope of doing better in them to make up for the recent poor performance, is just magical thinking.

Hey guys I'm new to this forum and was wondering on some general advice to bounce back from a tough year in school. Family issues and stressful times helped me have the worst academic year I've ever experienced and I'm worried because it is effecting my grades now while I'm taking extra classes since I'm so worried about "bouncing back" and making up for my mistakes.

So basically my science gpa plummeted from a 3..6-3.7 to a 2.6-2.7 all within a year....same trend with my cumulative gpa too (3.6-3.7 down to a 3.15.) I'm going to be a junior this year and I know I have "time" to make up for things, but I'm concerned that if I try taking a ton of classes and making up for everything at once I could end up hurting myself even more just by overwhelming myself.

So my question is should I max out my credit load and take a lot of science classes each semester until I graduate (this would get my science gpa back to a 3.4 to 3.5 and give me an overall gpa of about a 3.6 again) or should I go hard in my course work junior year, ease the load senior year so I can focus on the MCAT, and then possibly do a post bacc program?

Either way I know the biggest thing that's affecting me and school now is this uncertainty of how I should approach this situation now...I'm sure many of you have/or are currently feeling the same way so any advice would be much appreciated. I know it's tough to make it even when things work out great, so I know I have an uphill climb to make. I just want to make sure I make the best out of bad situation, so that I can relax and enjoy my life while I continue working hard at my goals because for about a half a year now I've let everything get to me.

 

[Mosa]

In situations like this, I just like to put my problems--which seem huge and overwhelming to me--in perspective. I think of people who had to fight HARD to get where they wanted to be, like Martin Luther king who wanted a better world, Betty Friedan and other pioneering feminist women. These people had to face ridiculous obstacles yet they still accomplished their goals, even with an entire society or world pitted against them. Believe me, I've had A LOT of personal problems that seemed huge but then thinking and reading about obstacles others have faced makes my problems look so small. Last summer, I decided I had no excuses not to get all As in all my classes...that I have amazing opportunities others would kill for. Heck, even being in college is a huge privilege others can't even dream of! Put yourself in a "do or die" type of mindset and any credit load is doable. Can you bounce back?? Of course! Going into medicine, surely you know what robust stuff we are made of. If people can live with stage 3-4 cancer and bounce back, you can do it too! No excuses!!