Bad First Semester as a Freshman

[jenberg23]

I have 1.214 GPA in my 1st semester of college as a freshman pre-med student. Are my chances for medical school ruined? I'm retaking Math and Chem this semester and I plan on taking a few summer classes. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the content, I was just so lazy and I lost motivation to do anything. I barely went in for help and I studied the night before for exams and crammed everything. I was zoned out in class and barely paid attention. I know I messed up really bad, but I know I'm a good student, I was a good student in high school. But I don't know what happened this first semester in college. I'm in second semester and I'm working my butt off and getting good grades and I plan to keep this up. But I feel like I've lost everything, I've always wanted to pursue a career in the medical field but I feel like my GPA really screwed everything up. 🙁

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[LizzyM]

You know what to do... do it. It sounds like you are getting back on track and while your freshman year GPA (what med schools will look at and not semester by semester GPA) will be low, you are situated to have a strong upward trend if you continue to do well.

It is not the end of the world but you will need to keep your eye on the ball going forward. If you catch yourself losing motivation, see a counselor and try to figure out if there is something bigger going on that is preventing you from making the most of your talents.

There are a great many different careers in "the medical field" and as time goes on, you'll find the one that is right for you. For now, focus on doing well in chemistry and math as that will be the foundation for success in physics and organic chemistry and biochemistry. Good luck! Stay in touch.

 

[Destalchemy]

I would figure out what went wrong. "Idk what went wrong" doesnt really cut it.

 

[jenberg23]

I would figure out what went wrong. "Idk what went wrong" doesnt really cut it.

I explained above that I got lazy and unmotivated thats why my grades went down.

 

[jenberg23]

You know what to do... do it. It sounds like you are getting back on track and while your freshman year GPA (what med schools will look at and not semester by semester GPA) will be low, you are situated to have a strong upward trend if you continue to do well.

It is not the end of the world but you will need to keep your eye on the ball going forward. If you catch yourself losing motivation, see a counselor and try to figure out if there is something bigger going on that is preventing you from making the most of your talents.

There are a great many different careers in "the medical field" and as time goes on, you'll find the one that is right for you. For now, focus on doing well in chemistry and math as that will be the foundation for success in physics and organic chemistry and biochemistry. Good luck! Stay in touch.

Thanks a lot for your advice! I've always wanted to go to med school. Which is why I'm really bummed out about the whole situation, I just feel like I've lost the chance and its now just out of my reach.

 

[LizzyM]

MD and DO schools are not out of reach. You may also consider what attracts you to a career in medicine and determine if specializing in vision (optometry), or foot and ankle (podiatry), care of women's reproductive health (midwifery), or some other area of clinical care that does not require a medical degree (MD or DO) would be a good fit for you. For now, focus on improving your academic record. The rest will come in due time.

 

[Moko]

I explained above that I got lazy and unmotivated thats why my grades went down.

People don't suddenly become lazy and unmotivated without reason. Poor grades and a lack of motivation are symptoms of an underlying problem. Common things being common, this may be due to poor discipline/study habits, poor adjustment to college (and/or newfound freedom), lack of a support system, or undiagnosed depression, etc.

 

[jenberg23]

People don't suddenly become lazy and unmotivated without reason. Poor grades and a lack of motivation are symptoms of an underlying problem. Common things being common, this may be due to poor discipline/study habits, poor adjustment to college (and/or newfound freedom), lack of a support system, or undiagnosed depression, etc.

Well to be quite honest I prioritized other things more than school. I worked after school and once I got home I was too tired to do any studying, and I went out a lot with friends. I sacrificed my study time to do stupid stuff. But now I only work Fridays and Saturdays and I barely go out. This really helped me realize that I need to get my priorities straight.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Well to be quite honest I prioritized other things more than school. I worked after school and once I got home I was too tired to do any studying, and I went out a lot with friends. I sacrificed my study time to do stupid stuff. But now I only work Fridays and Saturdays and I barely go out. This really helped me realize that I need to get my priorities straight.

It's still possible. Just be aware that you gotta be better than the average premed from here on out. Take less credits if you need more time to get better grades. Make sure you're absolutely ready for the MCAT and you have good and longitudinal research, volunteer, and clinical experiences. Most applicants can survive a weak link, but it's hard to dig out of multiple weak links.

One thing America loves is a comeback story and med schools are no different. Get on that high horse and make magic happen.

Good luck!

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[jenberg23]

It's still possible. Just be aware that you gotta be better than the average premed from here on out. Take less credits if you need more time to get better grades. Make sure you're absolutely ready for the MCAT and you have good and longitudinal research, volunteer, and clinical experiences. Most applicants can survive a weak link, but it's hard to dig out of multiple weak links.

One thing America loves is a comeback story and med schools are no different. Get on that high horse and make magic happen.

Good luck!

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

Thanks a lot! Hearing this definitely makes me feel a lot better. I've been looking at volunteer opportunities around me. What kind of volunteer work would you recommend for a pre-med student?

 

[candbgirl]

Don’t worry about volunteering until after this semester. You have to start digging yourself out of the academic hole you are in . Focus on studying and getting yourself into a good place academically. With a 1.214 GPA after one semester plan to take a gap year. You’ll most like need every semester of grades when you apply. This extra year will also give you a chance to study for the MCAT during your senior year and work more on your ECs. For now , just get yourself together grade wise. You have no room for another awful or even mediocre semester.

 

[jenberg23]

Don’t worry about volunteering until after this semester. You have to start digging yourself out of the academic hole you are in . Focus on studying and getting yourself into a good place academically. With a 1.214 GPA after one semester plan to take a gap year. You’ll most like need every semester of grades when you apply. This extra year will also give you a chance to study for the MCAT during your senior year and work more on your ECs. For now , just get yourself together grade wise. You have no room for another awful or even mediocre semester.

Thank you! I definitely am putting a lot more time into my studying. I plan on volunteering this summer and taking two summer classes to help bring up my GPA.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Thanks a lot! Hearing this definitely makes me feel a lot better. I've been looking at volunteer opportunities around me. What kind of volunteer work would you recommend for a pre-med student?

Depends what you like. For someone with plenty of time before applications and can take things very slow, I would personally say parlay a volunteer EMT into a possible paramedic career. There are few clinical experiences stronger than military medic or civilian paramedic. You rack up volunteer time as an EMT, tons of clinical time as a medic and shadow time in the ER. It's not for everyone, but you're so early I encourage you to take a look at it because it takes time to get there.

Others include scribes, phlebotomists and medical assistants. For pure volunteer hours, you can do anything from soup kitchen to medical missions and so on.

Full discourse: EMS is my background so I'm slightly biased. But few things give you the combination of clinical experience, medical science training, and autonomy. In EMS you're in charge, so you develop leadership skills.

But like others have said, focus on making semester 2 a big turnaround. Then put your short and long term plans into motion.

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[Goro]

Thank you! I definitely am putting a lot more time into my studying. I plan on volunteering this summer and taking two summer classes to help bring up my GPA.

Go to your school's learning or education center.

 

[jenberg23]

It's still possible. Just be aware that you gotta be better than the average premed from here on out. Take less credits if you need more time to get better grades. Make sure you're absolutely ready for the MCAT and you have good and longitudinal research, volunteer, and clinical experiences. Most applicants can survive a weak link, but it's hard to dig out of multiple weak links.

One thing America loves is a comeback story and med schools are no different. Get on that high horse and make magic happen.

Good luck!

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

I checked on a university GPA calculator what my future GPA will be with my GPA right now, if I take a total of 120 credits it shows barely a 3.4. If I want a 3.5 I have to get at least all As in my classes for the next 3 years. I feel so terrible right now, at this point I don't think I even have a chance even with working my butt off. Sometimes I feel like I'm just setting a goal that I will never be able to accomplish. This is the link I used: UMD Testudo Application

 

[Bonne Nuit]

I checked on a university GPA calculator what my future GPA will be with my GPA right now, if I take a total of 120 credits it shows barely a 3.4. If I want a 3.5 I have to get at least all As in my classes for the next 3 years. I feel so terrible right now, at this point I don't think I even have a chance even with working my butt off. Sometimes I feel like I'm just setting a goal that I will never be able to accomplish. This is the link I used: UMD Testudo Application

It’s not impossible. All medical schools like to see an upward GPA trend, and your junior/senior year coursework will often be weighed more heavily when you apply. You can turn this around and get into medical school if you earn stellar grades from here on out. You don’t have a lot of breathing room, however, so if medical school is truly your dream, academics must be your #1 priority going forward.

 

[LizzyM]

Take it one semester at a time.

In terms of volunteering, wait until this summer and then onward from there. Helping people who cant' afford to pay for the help they need can take many forms: soup kitchens and food pantries, after school tutoring or coaching or mentoring, work with the homeless or with adults who need help with ESL and/or GED. There are so many people who need help ... find something in your community that needs to be done and help out!