am i doomed?

[72531]

I am a Microbiology major with a minor in Public and Community Health and I just finished my 5th semester. My science GPA is barely a 3.0 and my overall is about a 3.2. I am starting to really lose faith. I feel like I never put all of my effort into a semester. I start out well in the beginning and then I lose it.This semester was especially rough because I was having problems of my own (been battling depression for awhile..) and I actually had to withdraw from Orgo II.
I got ****ty grades in the rest of my classes.. A in Microbiology, B in a upper level health course(there were only 3 tests..the first 2 I got high C's, last one I got an A but I was still 4 points --not %! away from an A in the class!!), B in Orgo II lab, and C+ in genetics( I did really poorly on the exams..i actually got a 79% but she just wouldnt curve to a B :[ )
I seem to have a neverending problem with being borderline. There have been so many instances I got B+s when I really should have pushed more and gotten an A. Because of this, I have way too many B's..I also have a C in OrgoI and Genetics like I said before.
This is really depressing to me.. I am gonna push myself like crazy in my remaining semesters for all A's..there isn't no reason why I can't. I just need to get the motivation back.
I have done much volunteer work at homeless shelters and nursing homes. I have worked in a lab for a summer and I am trying to work at NIH this summer. I am the president of an animal rights club, am a DJ at my campus radio station, and am a member of American Society for Microbiology and Student Global AIDS Campaign. I am pretty confident in my extra curriculars except before I graduate I would like to get clinical experience, and be a UTA for General Microbiology. (I was also thinking I could get EMT Certification over the break)
I do really have a passion for science and medicine and for helping people. I don't want to feel like a lost cause. How do you guys keep your motivation when things aren't going so well? Are there any things you do to keep you inspired? and flat out..do I have a chance in hell?

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[p00psicleSTICK]

Personally I've never heard of anyone getting in with a 3.2 (3.0 science makes it worse) but you can take a few years off and retry. If you really want it, you should give all you got.

 

[72531]

Personally I've never heard of anyone getting in with a 3.2 (3.0 science makes it worse) but you can take a few years off and retry. If you really want it, you should give all you got.

you dont think i can raise it in 3 more semesters and maybe a couple summer classes? :\

 

[p00psicleSTICK]

you dont think i can raise it in 3 more semesters and maybe a couple summer classes?

Yea you can probably raise it close to 3.5... if you have a solid MCAT score (30+) and good ECs I'm sure you'll get in somewhere. FOCUS on your gpa from now on... and MCAT too if you haven't taken it yet. I really like your ECs. You seem to be very unique.

 

[Plowi]

Hun, just keep on truckin.

 

[DrHuang]

Fpr right now, raise your GPA as high as you can, do well on your MCATs (30+ like the previous poster) and get the best LORs you can. I would highly recommend a special masters program (look at the post bacc section for more info) as they can really boost someone with a low GPA/decent MCAT score. I know quite a few people with GPA's of around 3.0/30+ MCAT who matriculated into an allopathic medical school after doing a SMP...and of course, there's always DO which is a great path also, especially if you want to do primary care.

 

[72531]

thanks everyone. i guess all i can do from here is be the best. im thinking im gonna go to the downtown library tomorrow to look through some mcat books :]

 

[OSUdoc08]

Personally I've never heard of anyone getting in with a 3.2 (3.0 science makes it worse) but you can take a few years off and retry. If you really want it, you should give all you got.

WRONG

She can get in.

 

[gujuDoc]

I am a Microbiology major with a minor in Public and Community Health and I just finished my 5th semester. My science GPA is barely a 3.0 and my overall is about a 3.2. I am starting to really lose faith. I feel like I never put all of my effort into a semester. I start out well in the beginning and then I lose it.This semester was especially rough because I was having problems of my own (been battling depression for awhile..) and I actually had to withdraw from Orgo II.
I got ****ty grades in the rest of my classes.. A in Microbiology, B in a upper level health course(there were only 3 tests..the first 2 I got high C's, last one I got an A but I was still 4 points --not %! away from an A in the class!!), B in Orgo II lab, and C+ in genetics( I did really poorly on the exams..i actually got a 79% but she just wouldnt curve to a B :[ )
I seem to have a neverending problem with being borderline. There have been so many instances I got B+s when I really should have pushed more and gotten an A. Because of this, I have way too many B's..I also have a C in OrgoI and Genetics like I said before.
This is really depressing to me.. I am gonna push myself like crazy in my remaining semesters for all A's..there isn't no reason why I can't. I just need to get the motivation back.
I have done much volunteer work at homeless shelters and nursing homes. I have worked in a lab for a summer and I am trying to work at NIH this summer. I am the president of an animal rights club, am a DJ at my campus radio station, and am a member of American Society for Microbiology and Student Global AIDS Campaign. I am pretty confident in my extra curriculars except before I graduate I would like to get clinical experience, and be a UTA for General Microbiology. (I was also thinking I could get EMT Certification over the break)
I do really have a passion for science and medicine and for helping people. I don't want to feel like a lost cause. How do you guys keep your motivation when things aren't going so well? Are there any things you do to keep you inspired? and flat out..do I have a chance in hell?

Do a SPECIAL MASTERS PROGRAM (SMP) at Georgetown or BU or NJMS or RFU or anywhere else that has such a program.

It will be well worth it.

 

[71263]

I know a guy with a 3.2 undergrad GPA. Hes one of my classmates now and hes sure as hell kicking my @ss in exams and what not. Plus I barely see him doing any work. Im sure youll be fine. Dont give up!

 

[mammoth22]

I am a Microbiology major with a minor in Public and Community Health and I just finished my 5th semester. My science GPA is barely a 3.0 and my overall is about a 3.2. I am starting to really lose faith. I feel like I never put all of my effort into a semester. I start out well in the beginning and then I lose it.This semester was especially rough because I was having problems of my own (been battling depression for awhile..) and I actually had to withdraw from Orgo II.
I got ****ty grades in the rest of my classes.. A in Microbiology, B in a upper level health course(there were only 3 tests..the first 2 I got high C's, last one I got an A but I was still 4 points --not %! away from an A in the class!!), B in Orgo II lab, and C+ in genetics( I did really poorly on the exams..i actually got a 79% but she just wouldnt curve to a B :[ )
I seem to have a neverending problem with being borderline. There have been so many instances I got B+s when I really should have pushed more and gotten an A. Because of this, I have way too many B's..I also have a C in OrgoI and Genetics like I said before.
This is really depressing to me.. I am gonna push myself like crazy in my remaining semesters for all A's..there isn't no reason why I can't. I just need to get the motivation back.
I have done much volunteer work at homeless shelters and nursing homes. I have worked in a lab for a summer and I am trying to work at NIH this summer. I am the president of an animal rights club, am a DJ at my campus radio station, and am a member of American Society for Microbiology and Student Global AIDS Campaign. I am pretty confident in my extra curriculars except before I graduate I would like to get clinical experience, and be a UTA for General Microbiology. (I was also thinking I could get EMT Certification over the break)
I do really have a passion for science and medicine and for helping people. I don't want to feel like a lost cause. How do you guys keep your motivation when things aren't going so well? Are there any things you do to keep you inspired? and flat out..do I have a chance in hell?

You can still get in, even if those numbers don't change. I've gotten 11 interviews and 1 acceptance and my mcat was well below 28 and my overall was a 3.4...so there's still hope...hang in there.

 

[MDhopeful023]

Keep going! I had the same stats as you and so far an acceptance to a DO school... Med schools love persistance !

(if you want allopathic interviews they will come as well... just kick butt in other areas... my case 3 MD interviews )

 

[MDhopeful023]

Crap I realized I dind't answer your question of how to keep motivated... for me honestly I see how far I've come and the reasoning why I want to be a physician (very personal case for me) but it keeps me going even through the hardest times of my life... I suggest that you look deep down and see what your motivation is for this goal... There is always a light ahead of a dark tunnel and it will happen you just have to be patient with yourself...

PM me if you have any further worries... Good luck...

 

[Will Ferrell]

just get a 32+ on your mcats, apply to your state schools and lower tier ones (along with reaches ). find a couple schools you're very interested in (and have a chance at) and focus on getting your foot in the door. lots of communication between you and them will be needed. you'll be okay. it has been done many times before.

 

[Sanctuary]

As I have said many times with similar posts. This analogy should best describe the situation:

Imagine a 23 year old guy who wants to be an awesome musician. He can barely get himself to strum the chords correctly and just really isn't motivated to excel at any of his instruments. Every time he sits down to practice his guitar, he loses interest after a few minutes and watches Family Guy instead. He does, however, attend a lot of concerts and helps other bands sell t-shirts on their website. He also owns a VERY large CD collection that is meticulously ordered to perfection. He wants to know if you guys think he is gonna be an awesome musician?

Do you kinda see the relation to your story? Sometimes it's wise to cut your loses and move on to something that you do have motivation for, and can dedicate your life to.

Just an opinion <shrug>...

 

[risnwb]

although it was definately hard to stay motivated sometimes, you just have to remember what your working for! you can definately bring up your gpa, and you will still have a good chance of getting in. i think everyone has trouble with motivation at some point in time, and i think the poor guitar playing cd buyer is a pretty bad analogy. music and medicine are too different... music takes a great deal of natural talent, and there are few people who can make a living as a musician. medicine however, is something that just takes a lot of hard work, but if you work hard enough to bring up your gpa, and study hard for the mcat, you'll do it.

 

[Sanctuary]

although it was definately hard to stay motivated sometimes, you just have to remember what your working for! you can definately bring up your gpa, and you will still have a good chance of getting in. i think everyone has trouble with motivation at some point in time, and i think the poor guitar playing cd buyer is a pretty bad analogy. music and medicine are too different... music takes a great deal of natural talent, and there are few people who can make a living as a musician. medicine however, is something that just takes a lot of hard work, but if you work hard enough to bring up your gpa, and study hard for the mcat, you'll do it.

You raise a fine point; however, I disagree about the music requiring talent and not hard work. As a classical pianist, I must spend at least 2 hours a day, 5 days a week practicing. Do I have a natural talent for the piano? I don't know. What I do know is that it requires that I play a lot in order to get the songs down correctly. Now, I think there are people out there (Bach, Mozart, etc.) who required MUCH less practice than myself, although one could argue that their constant playing of the piano could be considered practicing. Furthermore, try to imagine how many hours of practice professional musicians put into their music. All the ones I've ever worked with or known sleep with their instrument in hand (pianos and oboes excluded )!!

My underlying point is that regardless of what you do (even simply speaking English), you need to practice it in order to become good/better at it. The amount of practice depends on ones ability to quickly absorb the task's mental requirements.

Another analogy just came to mind: I drive a car. A car that kinda sucks actually. From time to time it has mechanical failures. Everytime it has had something go wrong, I felt the strong desire to learn how to fix it. When I would take it in for repair, I would tell my mechanic to give me a print out of the manufacturers repair instructions so that I could learn. To this day, I have yet to actually sit down and try to learn crap about my car. I've had the car for 8 years, and yet I still manage to come up with an excuse each time I think of learning to repair my car (eg, sleep, take a shower, watch The Simpsons, make a very large burrito). So really, I just kind of assume that I will not ever learn about my car and I've reluctantly accepted that fact. But, I still have the repair documents sitting within arms length of me, just in case I get the spare time to study them!

 

[McGillGrad]

Imagine a 23 year old guy who wants to be an awesome musician. He can barely get himself to strum the chords correctly and just really isn't motivated to excel at any of his instruments. Every time he sits down to practice his guitar, he loses interest after a few minutes and watches Family Guy instead. He does, however, attend a lot of concerts and helps other bands sell t-shirts on their website. He also owns a VERY large CD collection that is meticulously ordered to perfection. He wants to know if you guys think he is gonna be an awesome musician?

This example has an important correlation with everything in life. If we cannot muster the enthusiasm to work toward something we feel we have a passion for then we have to expose these hobgoblins of the mind and try to understand why they sap our motivational strength.

 

[DrBowtie]

Seems like you (the OP) has too much stuff going on out of class. Having nice EC's won't matter if you don't have the grades for medical school.

The same can be said about the converse but it isn't as bad of a situation.

Cut some EC's focus on class.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

it really comes down to motivation. I see a lot of people on SDN in these omg! threads who talk about how they really could do better but "for some reason" they're borderline, or not cutting it. It's really not a mystery, "for some reason" It's a question of motivation. If you know you could do better, put in more time, and you don't do it and you do poorly then you know why you've done poorly and there is no mystery. If you recognize the problem and have recognized it for years and still haven't changed it, there is a motivation problem. Not studying in leiu of doing other things just shows that there is somethign more important to you than getting good grades. Otherwise, you would have buckled down. Sure, it may take 5 hours of studying a night. It may take 8 some night, but you do it if you want to. You don't say, oh man, i KNOW i could have done better. I KNOW i'm smart enough, good enough, etc. A lot of time you do know the material for a class but have to study the way a teacher tests, learn to play their game. Well, thats a part of being a successful student too. So the truth is, now that you've recognized it personally and publically, fix it. If you REALLY want to be a doctor you will put in the time. Even if you do get in with a lower GPA , and its possible, (although you with the less than 28 mcat and the 11 interviews, how in the hell? i have a 28 mcat and hardly anybody even talks to me!!!! what's your secret? you're my hero.. please tell) you can't have this, i know i could have done better attitude in med school. There are times when you do your best and things out of your control screw you up, a test question poorly worded, a ta out to get you, all legit. BUT you need to ask yourself if you want to be a doctor badly enough. I went crazy studying for classes I didn't love all that much because I knew I needed A's in them if i wanted to go to med school. YOu do it because you want to go to med school really badly. I like the music analogy, since i'm a musician. I WANT to play the piano well, but if i don't practice every day, i start to suck. I was going to go professional, but there were days that i said, i KNOW i can do this better, i just need to push myself a little more, but then i kept saying that. and after two years of it i realized if i wanted it, i would have pushed myself as soon as i recognized the problem. In high school I failed chemistry twice. My first second semester in college, when I decided I wante to go to med school, I took chemistry, worked my ass off and got an A, then another A and I may have had to study more than most people in the class, but I ended up with almost all A's in science and it was really difficult for me. But i did it, even when it wasn't fun, because I was working towards somethign I wanted very badly. and i recognized that. And thats why i worked so hard. And you're fully capable of it too, i'm sure, its just a matter of wanting it enough to put in the time. and if you don't want it that badly, then there's no shame in that either. So, if you're recognizing it now, fix it. If you've known it for a long time, ask yourself if this is really what you want to do. If it is, ask yourself if you're sure, and how badly you're willing to work for it. How much you're willing to give up the things that bite into your study time. like Sleep! *laughs* pesky sleep