All over the place...set me on the right track!

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funkytwinkie

shake the dust.
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  1. Pre-Medical
Hi all,

I was one of those kids whose parents pushed and pushed but still stuck out, but not really having a handle on my future myself either.

Then I had a change of mind, a personal re-evaluation of myself. I'm currently in my second semester of sophomore year at a school in Canada; I'll probably only apply to Canadian med schools [I guess I'm not desperate just yet D:]. Here's my stat, let me know how I can improve!

First year: GPA: 3.20
Calculus 1: B
Physics 1: A
Psych: B
Intro to philo: B- [ouch]
Calculus 2: A-
Gen Chem: B
Physics 2: B
Astronomy: B [really.]

Second year [currently a chemistry major] GPA: 2.8
Anal chem: B-
Org chem 1: C [eek]
Inorg chem: B

CGPA so far: 3.0

Classes this semester:
Org chem 2: ??
Phys chem: ??
Linear Alg: ??
Earth Sciences: [easy] ??
Biology 1: [easy?] ??

Now I have a goal in mind, I do believe I can do well. I've looked all over the forum for the 'C' scare and upward trend; I'm retaking C203 next year, and I am confident my [hopefully] upward trend in grades can help the adcom see that I have improved significantly.

Research experience
-Worked at a neuroendocrinology lab for 1.5 years prior to entering university-- 'regional science fair second place overall' No paper.
-Worked a semester in freshman year being a lab bitch at a microbio/immunology lab.
-Going to secure a biochemistry lab position soon.

Volunteer experience/Leadership experience
-Going to walk abused/abandoned dogs at an SPCA nearby
-Undergraduate Chemistry Society- exec [grad coordinator]
-Other than that...NONE!

Clinical experience [still unsure of meaning, guessing this means hospital volunteer work..?]
NONE! It's SO hard to secure a hospital volunteer position...Tried this semester and failed. Going to go for summer position

Now, oh-so-wise SDN-ers, can you help me formulate my best game plan? [summer plans/volunteering ideas/tips/scars/'never apply to med school you are a waste of space'/comments?]

Thank you! 🙂
 
In my opinion, your GPA is dangerous. I'm from California, and a GPA in the low 3s isn't helpful. If you can get your GPA up, get those extracurriculars in, score high on the MCAT, it'll definitely keep the dream alive. Try to nudge that GPA above a 3.5. If all else fails in the end, get a Masters and reapply.

Good luck. 👍 🙂
 
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