Hey guys, I'm a freshman (rising sophomore) at a top 20 university and premed. I took gen chem, calc 1, neuroscience, abnormal psych, and a few English classes this year and my gpa is ~3.0 (2.969 last semester but with this semester it should be a 3.0 cumulative). Basically, I was the star of my high school and I don't know what happened in college. It's not like I didn't try in high school and don't have study habits. I worked my butt off during high school and was basically the cookie cutter applicant and got into my number one school. However, now that I'm here I feel like I can't balance things and like I still have "senioritis" from high school. I'm not able to focus or study like I used to. I'm just frustrated because I feel like I could've done better than my ****ty gpa indicates and now I feel like my chances at med school are shot, especially since a lot of my premed friends have close to a 4.0 and internships this summer and everything. Advice?
Am I cut out for med school?
- Thread starter doctor988
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I think it too early to give up. Getting into Med school is like a marathon and not a 100 meter's race. Your first priority is to bring your GPA up. I would say talk you your pre med friends and ask then what they do different than you. There might be something you missing when it comes to studying habits or test taking. Secondly, you need to assess yourself and find out why you are having a difficult time to concentrate. Its way to early to think you don't have any chance to get in. Once you have found the problem(s) and have a solution, your GPA should start to go up. Once your GPA is above 3.5 or 3.6 you need to keep it up there. You will have plenty of time later for internships and volunteer work. For now, start with bringing your GPA up.
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You'll probably get better advice in the pre-med allo forum, as they are probably a bit more recently familiar with what high-school senioritis feels like. No offense intended.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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I'd say it's less an issue of not being cut out for medicine, and more an issue of not being ready for college. Not everyone should go to college straight out of high school. (FWIW, not everyone should go to college at all.) My suggestion would be to take a semester or two off and do something else. When you reach the point where you have some idea of what you want to do with your life, then go back. I think you'll find yourself much more motivated to study when you actually want to be in school.
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Agree with Q - don't feel you should simply do what the crowd around you is doing. If medicine (at this young point in your life) is truely what you really want to do, you'll do damage to your future if you continue to take classes and can't break the B barrier.
I have no idea what senioritus is like, but I know that Med schools like very good grades. Do what you need to do to get good grades, and if that means taking a solid semester or two break,, I would consider it. Getting a job and volunteering for a year is commendable when figuring ones future out.
I have no idea what senioritus is like, but I know that Med schools like very good grades. Do what you need to do to get good grades, and if that means taking a solid semester or two break,, I would consider it. Getting a job and volunteering for a year is commendable when figuring ones future out.
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No you are from being able to say that you're not cut out. A lot of people get a little crazy when they get to experience the freedom college offers. Another year of this though is certainly not advisable. Perhaps, like some have said above, you need to take some time out of school. One unusual thing I found helped me at times was to shadow. It reminded what it was all for and got me excited again. Also, take a variety of classes and explore other options while keeping your gpa up.
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I remember someone had a variation of this question a few months ago and I'll tell you the same thing I told them. It's too early to give up on anything. The transition from HS to college is tough and your first year or two is your chance to get an idea of what works for you. This is your chance to experiment and determine the type of learner you are. I can't tell you what works for you but they're tons of resources online to use if you're having trouble. For me, in undergrad, I had a system that worked for me. I would skim the chapter before lecture, focus on lecture and take detailed notes. Read the book a day after lecture, and then one more time before the exam. For anything I didn't get, I used Khan Academy, Chads videos, or even YouTube. The resources are out there, you just have to find it. Don't worry about the 3.0 right now. Just focus on working smarter not harder and getting your GPA up from here. Once you figure out what works for you, you'll be fine.
