Any "low gpa for first year" success stories? Feeling depressed!

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Kape1one

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Hey SDN,

Lately, I have been feeling depressed because of my cumulative GPA so far. I finished my first year with a GPA of 2.75cum and 3.0science.

I think about my GPA EVERY single minute! (I am actually not exaggerating)
I am ready to start my second year and am ready to give it all I got.

Is is still possible to get into medical school?
Are there any similar stories from medical students that suffered their first year?
Please help me relieve some stress.
BTW, I am a URM and low-income.
I do not know if that will help.

I am planning on applying by the end of my senior senior hopefully with a good GPA. If I obtain 3.5-3.8 GPA my last 3 years, but only end up with a 3.3GPA cumulative and a 30-35 MCAT, can I still get in.

Thank you and I appreciate the help!!!
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Kape1one said:
Hey SDN,

Lately, I have been feeling depressed because of my cumulative GPA so far. I finished my first year with a GPA of 2.75cum and 3.0science.

I think about my GPA EVERY single minute! (I am actually not exaggerating)
I am ready to start my second year and am ready to give it all I got.

Is is still possible to get into medical school?
Are there any similar stories from medical students that suffered their first year?
Please help me relieve some stress.
BTW, I am a URM and low-income.
I do not know if that will help.

I am planning on applying by the end of my senior senior hopefully with a good GPA. If I obtain 3.5-3.8 GPA my last 3 years, but only end up with a 3.3GPA cumulative and a 30-35 MCAT, can I still get in.

Thank you and I appreciate the help!!!
Click to expand...

i dropped out

(serious)
 
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Briefly, my tale:

2.9 GPA after FIRST TWO years of undergrad.

Got my act together, got a 4.0 for the following three years (took an extra year since I switched majors). Ended up with a 3.65ish cum/3.60 sci.

33 MCAT.

10 med school interviews, 7 acceptances.

100% honors M1/M2

262 Step I.

AOA.


All is not lost.
 
Last edited:
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study hard and you'll be fine. the fact that you are URM, coupled with your potential steep upward grade trend will make you get in without problems. Just go get involved and do well on your mcat, worrying will only make you irritated. Also find out why you did bad and fix it.
 
i started with a 3.2 and a 2.9 science or something like that which isn't terribly low but it's not something i was proud of

changed my mindset along with my study habits and ended up with a 3.6/3.5 and 37 mcat

work hard, sleep early and pay attention in class. do all the homework and ask for help if you need it. that's about it.
 
GuyWhoDoesStuff said:
Briefly, my tale:

2.9 GPA after FIRST TWO years of undergrad.

Got my act together, got a 4.0 for the following three years (took an extra year since I switched majors). Ended up with a 3.65ish cum/3.60 sci.

33 MCAT.

10 med school interviews, 7 acceptances.

100% honors M1/M2

255 Step I.

AOA.


All is not lost.
Click to expand...

Kape1one said:
Thanks!, Anyone else?
Click to expand...
You don't need any other stories! GuyWhoDoesStuff is a perfect happily ever after in the making. :)
 
I'll also add that I didn't really have any amazing extenuating circumstances that I'm leaving out, aside from the fact that I'm generally a humble, small-town kinda guy and this can sometimes play to my favor.

I did no undergrad research. No masters programs or any such thing. Didn't save any dying African babies. I did have a very meaningful clinical experience over the course of 2 years or so which I think certainly helped, but otherwise it's not like I went above and beyond what lots of premeds do.
 
^ He stepped up to the plate when it was asked of him. ;)
 
GuyWhoDoesStuff said:
Briefly, my tale:

2.9 GPA after FIRST TWO years of undergrad.

Got my act together, got a 4.0 for the following three years (took an extra year since I switched majors). Ended up with a 3.65ish cum/3.60 sci.

33 MCAT.

10 med school interviews, 7 acceptances.

100% honors M1/M2

255 Step I.

AOA.


All is not lost.
Click to expand...

Hot damn, you balling! Congrats! On route for a ROAD specialty?
 
I had a pretty low gpa my first year of full-time college (dual enrollment kind of saved me from a worse gpa). Long story short--spent the year trying and failing to get sober, tried dropping out, came back, changed majors and worked in corrections, started getting >3.9, added a science major, stuck around for a few years, rocked the MCAT, got into several MD/PhD programs. It's possible. Just figure out what you're doing wrong with respect to school (maybe study habits or background for you? I came from a similar background and found out that my high school didn't prepare me at all for college), fix it, and don't worry about the damage done to your gpa :)
 
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this thread gives me hope. 3.0 gpa so far got 3 more years to put it up :)
 
alexandertg6 said:
Being a URM, if you can pull it to a 3.0-3.2 and manage a 27-29 MCAT youre looking at nearly as good a shot as the majority of us non-URM with a 3.6-3.79 and 30-32 MCAT. Bottom line is youll be fine if you pull up your grades even minimally in the next 3 years and score a decent MCAT.

https://www.aamc.org/download/157594/data/table25-b-mcatgpa-grid-black-0810.pdf.pdf
Click to expand...

This post felt a little... extreme? condescending?

Yes, obviously there is a URM advantage, but to say that a URM with a 3.0/27 is the same as a whitey with a 3.79/32... I don't know, that's a little extreme. But in the interest of avoiding another "URMs are so lucky!" "no you're an idiot" thread, yes, it is probably true that if the OP can pull a 3.2/32, he/she should be able to get some interviews - but that is still contingent on having the whole package that applies to the rest of us obviously.


EDIT: And yes, to answer your question OP, there are a lot of success stories - I'm hoping to be one of them. 3.1 undergrad GPA, 32 MCAT the first time I applied. I got 3 interviews (I have no state school) and one acceptance that didn't work out (and yes, I am a whitey lol). I am reapplying with the same undergrad GPA, but now I also have a 3.75 grad GPA and a 36. We'll see what happens. It's a crapshoot out there- you just gotta roll the hard 6!
 
0919mmk said:
This post felt a little... extreme? condescending?

Yes, obviously there is a URM advantage, but to say that a URM with a 3.0/27 is the same as a whitey with a 3.79/32... I don't know, that's a little extreme. But in the interest of avoiding another "URMs are so lucky!" "no you're an idiot" thread, yes, it is probably true that if the OP can pull a 3.2/32, he/she should be able to get some interviews - but that is still contingent on having the whole package that applies to the rest of us obviously.


EDIT: And yes, to answer your question OP, there are a lot of success stories - I'm hoping to be one of them. 3.1 undergrad GPA, 32 MCAT the first time I applied. I got 3 interviews and one acceptance that didn't work out (and yes, I am a whitey lol). I am reapplying with the same undergrad GPA, but now I also have a 3.75 grad GPA and a 36. We'll see what happens. It's a crapshoot out there- you just gotta roll the hard 6!
Click to expand...

ummm, read the aamc pdf...
 
GuyWhoDoesStuff said:
Briefly, my tale:

2.9 GPA after FIRST TWO years of undergrad.

Got my act together, got a 4.0 for the following three years (took an extra year since I switched majors). Ended up with a 3.65ish cum/3.60 sci.

33 MCAT.

10 med school interviews, 7 acceptances.

100% honors M1/M2

255 Step I.

AOA.


All is not lost.
Click to expand...

Is this real life? And are there outside factors? Like do you go to a really good college?
 
Kape1one said:
Hey SDN,

Lately, I have been feeling depressed because of my cumulative GPA so far. I finished my first year with a GPA of 2.75cum and 3.0science.

I think about my GPA EVERY single minute! (I am actually not exaggerating)
I am ready to start my second year and am ready to give it all I got.

Is is still possible to get into medical school?
Are there any similar stories from medical students that suffered their first year?
Please help me relieve some stress.
BTW, I am a URM and low-income.
I do not know if that will help.

I am planning on applying by the end of my senior senior hopefully with a good GPA. If I obtain 3.5-3.8 GPA my last 3 years, but only end up with a 3.3GPA cumulative and a 30-35 MCAT, can I still get in.

Thank you and I appreciate the help!!!
Click to expand...

I slacked off my first semester and did pretty poorly, and turned things around after that. A 2.75 cumulative GPA is perfectly salvagable if you get your act together for the next three years. Identify the problems you've been having and fix them. With a 3.3GPA, a decent MCAT, and a well-rounded application that includes *plenty* of clinical experience, humanizing activities, and a sprinkling of research for flavor, you'll get in somewhere (eventually) if you keep at it*.

*note: may need to apply broadly to both MD and DO schools; may need to do a postbacc if your grades don't shape up the way you've hoped. if you don't get in on first go, fear not! do something interesting or educationally enriching with your life and try again.
 
BoxinMoxin said:
Is this real life? And are there outside factors? Like do you go to a really good college?
Click to expand...


100% factual. See my post above, I didn't really have anything particularly unique going for me, per se. Some real good LORs. And I attended a big state school, so not much in the way of prestige carrying me there.

Just worked my butt off and tried to make sure my PS and secondaries were all up to snuff.
 
Kape1one said:
Hey SDN,

Lately, I have been feeling depressed because of my cumulative GPA so far. I finished my first year with a GPA of 2.75cum and 3.0science.

I think about my GPA EVERY single minute! (I am actually not exaggerating)
I am ready to start my second year and am ready to give it all I got.

Is is still possible to get into medical school?
Are there any similar stories from medical students that suffered their first year?
Please help me relieve some stress.
BTW, I am a URM and low-income.
I do not know if that will help.

I am planning on applying by the end of my senior senior hopefully with a good GPA. If I obtain 3.5-3.8 GPA my last 3 years, but only end up with a 3.3GPA cumulative and a 30-35 MCAT, can I still get in.

Thank you and I appreciate the help!!!
Click to expand...

I dropped out, failing several classes and withdrawing from the rest. You can do better than 3.5-3.8 through graduation, bra.
 
Thanks everyone!
Your stories are very inspiring!
I feel less depressed/stressed.
I am definitely going to work my ass off and make it until the end.

Again, thanks!
 
I think URM is getting a little overrated now. So many URMs have good grades they'll probably up the "standards."
 
0919mmk said:
This post felt a little... extreme? condescending?

Yes, obviously there is a URM advantage, but to say that a URM with a 3.0/27 is the same as a whitey with a 3.79/32... I don't know, that's a little extreme. But in the interest of avoiding another "URMs are so lucky!" "no you're an idiot" thread, yes, it is probably true that if the OP can pull a 3.2/32, he/she should be able to get some interviews - but that is still contingent on having the whole package that applies to the rest of us obviously.


EDIT: And yes, to answer your question OP, there are a lot of success stories - I'm hoping to be one of them. 3.1 undergrad GPA, 32 MCAT the first time I applied. I got 3 interviews (I have no state school) and one acceptance that didn't work out (and yes, I am a whitey lol). I am reapplying with the same undergrad GPA, but now I also have a 3.75 grad GPA and a 36. We'll see what happens. It's a crapshoot out there- you just gotta roll the hard 6!
Click to expand...

I dont think it was extreme, as it was not meant to be biased. Rather it was simply a factual statement based on AAMC statistics. I didnt say it was easier being a URM. Everyone has different challenges to overcome.
 
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