Am I through? First semester GPA is horrible (mainly due to 2 prereqs)

[bngli]

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Hi,
I know these topics come up often - but I can't help but think I am doing exceptionally bad. My first semester of freshman year ended on a bad note -
C+ in Cell Bio
C in Chem I
B+ in Intro to Psych
B+ in Arabic I
A- Honors English I
for an overall GPA of 3.03, and an especially terrible sGPA since I took two prereqs that semester. This is coupled with the fact that I don't have too many ECs - and the ECs I was going for this semester (Radio DJ and tutoring) have fallen through.
Despite all of this I am trying to be more focused on school this semester and am aiming for a 4.0 (I pretty much have to get one to stay in the Honors Program). I guess I am looking for reassurance or some stories similar to mine to look for inspiration. Should I stop hoping to get into medical school?

 

[elmnt61]

Your case is no different from many others.. Of course you can still get into med school. It will mean retaking those courses, and getting your ass in gear... in the form of tons of As and a few Bs for the next 4 years. Only you know if you'll be able to do that. Some advisors say "No Cs" for med school, so get an A when you retake them to average them out to a B. Or however your school handles that.

 

[FloridaMedicine]

Hi,
I know these topics come up often - but I can't help but think I am doing exceptionally bad. My first semester of freshman year ended on a bad note -
C+ in Cell Bio
C in Chem I
B+ in Intro to Psych
B+ in Arabic I
A- Honors English I
for an overall GPA of 3.03, and an especially terrible sGPA since I took two prereqs that semester. This is coupled with the fact that I don't have too many ECs - and the ECs I was going for this semester (Radio DJ and tutoring) have fallen through.
Despite all of this I am trying to be more focused on school this semester and am aiming for a 4.0 (I pretty much have to get one to stay in the Honors Program). I guess I am looking for reassurance or some stories similar to mine to look for inspiration. Should I stop hoping to get into medical school?

😱 you got a B+ in psych?? IDIOT!! Lol jk I kid I kid! Seriously you will be fine however, let this be a lesson to you. I suggest changing your study habbits especially for science classes and taking taking a lighter load this semester. After all, you are still a freshman. What are your classes this semester?

 

[Spin]

Hi,
I know these topics come up often - but I can't help but think I am doing exceptionally bad. My first semester of freshman year ended on a bad note -
C+ in Cell Bio
C in Chem I
B+ in Intro to Psych
B+ in Arabic I
A- Honors English I
for an overall GPA of 3.03, and an especially terrible sGPA since I took two prereqs that semester. This is coupled with the fact that I don't have too many ECs - and the ECs I was going for this semester (Radio DJ and tutoring) have fallen through.
Despite all of this I am trying to be more focused on school this semester and am aiming for a 4.0 (I pretty much have to get one to stay in the Honors Program). I guess I am looking for reassurance or some stories similar to mine to look for inspiration. Should I stop hoping to get into medical school?

Did you study every night for those prereqs, go to class, do the homework, and feel like you understood the material as well as you could? If so, then you might need to reconsider your career choice. Pre-med students have to take much harder prerequisites than the ones you took this semester: Organic Chemistry, Physics. Most students who have trouble with low-level prereqs also have trouble getting good grades in higher-level prereqs. In addition, you have to be able to understand science to do well in medical school. In other words, if you tried your best and there's nothing else you could have done better, then a science-based field like medicine is probably not your best career choice. If nothing else, make sure you have a solid back-up plan ready (ie major in something that will get you a job if you don't get into medical school).

However, if you got these grades because you had trouble motivating yourself to study, or had a family situation that prevented you from attending class a lot of the time, etc, then there is hope. A bad semester, or even a bad year, early in college will not hurt you that badly. Med schools WILL want to see you improve your GPA. They will want to see that you can get consistently good grades -- mostly A's and some B's -- in science classes over the next few years. If you can do that and prove that your interest in medicine is sincere, you will be fine. Good luck!

PS: Inspirational story: I also had a 3.0ish semester with C's in multiple science classes. The classes weren't prereqs, but they were science classes, and they were in my JUNIOR YEAR 😱. I thought I was screwed, but I pulled my act together senior year, assembled a kick-ass set of letters of recommendation, aced the MCAT, and submitted my AMCAS in June. What happened in the end? I was accepted on October 16th -- the first day schools were officially allowed to send out acceptances. A few bad grades are definitely not the end of the world.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Did you study every night for those prereqs, go to class, do the homework, and feel like you understood the material as well as you could? If so, then you might need to reconsider your career choice. Pre-med students have to take much harder prerequisites than the ones you took this semester: Organic Chemistry, Physics. Most students who have trouble with low-level prereqs also have trouble getting good grades in higher-level prereqs. In addition, you have to be able to understand science to do well in medical school. In other words, if you tried your best and there's nothing else you could have done better, then a science-based field like medicine is probably not your best career choice. If nothing else, make sure you have a solid back-up plan ready (ie major in something that will get you a job if you don't get into medical school).

Highly variable. I have trouble in math oriented pre-reqs (finish at class average; C+ in calc and gen chem), but do well in non-math classes (A in orgo, bio and neuro). This annoys me since so much content in these math heavy classes is irrelevant to medicine. Oh well...

OP: You will be fine. Take them over if you have time. If you don't then don't ruminate on those grades; try not to worry about things so far in the future or things too too far gone to change. If you maintain focus and good habits you can finish out the rest with A's and B's and will reach your goal in the end. I'm recovering from a couple bad pre-reqs as well. Don't give up yet.