bad grades & highly stressed out.

[hellayeah]

I'm going through a harsh time in my life right now. My personal life and mental health is spiraling down and to top it all off my grades this last semester were horrible. I ended up with a C in Genetics - and I know this is worth nothing but my classmates had a tough time with the class as well. I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless and like all my hard work is not paying off. This is HORRIBLE. But i want to go to med school so bad, i don't want to give up - i CAN'T. But really everything seems so bad right now. I've gotten a couple of B's in my previous semesters - i'm a sophmore.

... I don't know what to do. Should I retake the class? Should I get over it, move on and get straight As?

... help?

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[Frazier]

I'm going through a harsh time in my life right now. My personal life and mental health is spiraling down and to top it all off my grades this last semester were horrible. I ended up with a C in Genetics - and I know this is worth nothing but my classmates had a tough time with the class as well. I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless and like all my hard work is not paying off. This is HORRIBLE. But i want to go to med school so bad, i don't want to give up - i CAN'T. But really everything seems so bad right now. I've gotten a couple of B's in my previous semesters - i'm a sophmore.

... I don't know what to do. Should I retake the class? Should I get over it, move on and get straight As?

... help?

"Move on and get straight A's" sounds like a somewhat attractive option if truly at your disposal.

 

[Reticent]

I'm going through a harsh time in my life right now. My personal life and mental health is spiraling down and to top it all off my grades this last semester were horrible. I ended up with a C in Genetics - and I know this is worth nothing but my classmates had a tough time with the class as well. I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless and like all my hard work is not paying off. This is HORRIBLE. But i want to go to med school so bad, i don't want to give up - i CAN'T. But really everything seems so bad right now. I've gotten a couple of B's in my previous semesters - i'm a sophmore.

... I don't know what to do. Should I retake the class? Should I get over it, move on and get straight As?

... help?

Relax. Nothing that is bothering you now is likely to seem like a big deal a year from now.

Wait until the end of your Junior year to decide whether you want to retake genetics. One C isn't going to affect your GPA all that much. By then you might have a better grasp of the underlying concepts anyway, or at least know who the easier professors offering it at your school are.

If you think you are depressed, and you seem like you might be, try out whatever your school's counseling options are. It might help, it almost certainly can't hurt, and at worst if you ever need explain your situation to anyone at least you can say you had a legit issue and sought help for it.

Best of luck.

 

[gettheleadout]

You need to find physical people to talk to and get help and support from. Seriously, we can only say so much over the internet and can't know your situation as well as someone there with you. One C won't kill your app either! I don't know what to say about your personal life and mental health spiraling down without more information. Is the former causing the latter?

 

[vivalavie]

I'm going through a harsh time in my life right now. My personal life and mental health is spiraling down and to top it all off my grades this last semester were horrible. I ended up with a C in Genetics - and I know this is worth nothing but my classmates had a tough time with the class as well. I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless and like all my hard work is not paying off. This is HORRIBLE. But i want to go to med school so bad, i don't want to give up - i CAN'T. But really everything seems so bad right now. I've gotten a couple of B's in my previous semesters - i'm a sophmore.

... I don't know what to do. Should I retake the class? Should I get over it, move on and get straight As?

... help?

No one should be as stressed as you seem to be. Try to get your personal stuff figured out, the way you're talking this seems to be a bigger barrier to you getting into med school than a C. Get your GPA up above a 3.5 and don't worry too much about one grade.

That said, I'd honestly consider some other paths, this is a stressful enterprise and you're just starting out. You've got to realize that being happy is more important than being a doctor.

 

[LEUNIT]

I had one C (..damn you, developmental biology) and plenty of B's in college. Chill, brothaman. Things will get better if you work hard enough.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

A C is not terrible, not perfect but better than a D and or an F. You can hold off until later to decide if you want to retake it since a C is usually enough to meet the prereq requirements for later classes. Take said classes and focus on improving your studying, grades, GPA, etc. and then once that all is done you can go back and see if that C is worth fixing.

Genetics is pretty much fact based, so the second time it should be a lot easier since you already have experience with the stuff.

I guess it kind of depends. The C is not stopping your from continuing your education, so you can just set it a side for the future.

 

[obscurehero]

I'm going through a harsh time in my life right now. My personal life and mental health is spiraling down and to top it all off my grades this last semester were horrible. I ended up with a C in Genetics - and I know this is worth nothing but my classmates had a tough time with the class as well. I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless and like all my hard work is not paying off. This is HORRIBLE. But i want to go to med school so bad, i don't want to give up - i CAN'T. But really everything seems so bad right now. I've gotten a couple of B's in my previous semesters - i'm a sophmore.

... I don't know what to do. Should I retake the class? Should I get over it, move on and get straight As?

... help?

Screw the "C". You'll be ok, and if you need to, you can retake the class. Chances are its not going to matter 'that' much.

See a counselor or mental health professional NOW. I mean, call your school's office, tomorrow and schedule a meeting. Do it.

It helped me, and for me it was my junior year! I was able to work my ass off my senior year and retake some classes as well as just rock my GPA. I moved it up from a 3.4x (I forget if it was a 2 or a 3) to a 3.53 with two 18 and 20 credit semesters with a 3.77 and 3.89. Considering I took four science classes my first semester and three the second, I was quite proud of the work I did. Not to toot my horn, but I'm trying to use my own story as a way to tell you that you CAN get into medical school still, and you're FAR from done with school.

I actually used this story in a couple interviews. Everyone loved that I had recognized a problem, seen a professional who could help me, and then improved dramatically after said help. I think it showed them that if I ever ran into a problem like that again, I knew how to handle the issues in a healthy way.

Chin up, eh? 🙂

EDIT: I should point out that I was having motivational issues b/c i didn't know where my life was going and I was going through a mild depression because of some friend issues. I didn't need to go on meds, and I never had a diagnosed disorder. I can't speak for those who do. HOWEVER, I did read on here somewhere that there's a woman who is in her residency with bipolar disorder. That's pretty impressive.

 

[hellayeah]

thanks for all your replies guys .. i'll try and sort this out 🙂

 

[krispy]

See a counselor or mental health professional NOW. I mean, call your school's office, tomorrow and schedule a meeting. Do it.

Yeah, do this. You don't want to get into a rut where your mindset continuously affects your grades in a negative way. The C isn't so bad, people get into medical school with one C...just take care of yourself first by talking to someone and getting some stress management.

Plus, you're a sophomore so if you have an upward trend, that looks good. Stay healthy 👍

 

[muhali3]

The fact is that your emotional state can greatly affect your ability to perform well in class. Don't ignore the problem and think that it will go away, because it won't. Talk to someone and get some counseling as people above have already said.

 

[Overmjnd]

wow, you sound a lot like me. I got my first and only C in soph. year. I'm a senior now, and have pulled off a perfect 4.0 in the last 3 semesters. 3.2-->3.76

Here's what you gotta do. Know EXACTLY what the teachers want from you to give you an A, ignore the outside world and immerse yourself in the content, and most importantly have faith in yourself. I know its hard because you got the end of the stick on this one, but I'm telling you that you can totally pull it around.

PS: I'm no genius either, I was just realistic about what's going to get me those grades on paper.

 

[Barcu]

wow, you sound a lot like me. I got my first and only C in soph. year. I'm a senior now, and have pulled off a perfect 4.0 in the last 3 semesters.

Here's what you gotta do. Know EXACTLY what the teachers want from you to give you an A, ignore the outside world and immerse yourself in the content, and most importantly have faith in yourself. I know its hard because you got the end of the stick on this one, but I'm telling you as I write this that you can totally pull it around.

Sorry. That is not good advice. You should not have to shut yourself off from the outside world to succeed. Your 4.0 is impressive, but it comes at a cost. The most successful premeds can pull an upper 3s gpa (higher than you need) and have a life.

OP, ignore your bad grades for now. What you need to do is re-evaluate your studying habits. You can't charge forward and expect to get A's if you've had trouble getting A's up to this point. Try new studying strategies (try groups, more practice problems, etc). This might be a time to seek some outside help about improving your habits. Look to resources at school, or trusted friends that do well.

All is certainly not lost, but you gotta turn things around.

 

[NickNaylor]

Talk to people, get your personal **** in order, and the school stuff will likely follow.

 

[Overmjnd]

Sorry. That is not good advice. You should not have to shut yourself off from the outside world to succeed. Your 4.0 is impressive, but it comes at a cost. The most successful premeds can pull an upper 3s gpa (higher than you need) and have a life.

OP, ignore your bad grades for now. What you need to do is re-evaluate your studying habits. You can't charge forward and expect to get A's if you've had trouble getting A's up to this point. Try new studying strategies (try groups, more practice problems, etc). This might be a time to seek some outside help about improving your habits. Look to resources at school, or trusted friends that do well.

All is certainly not lost, but you gotta turn things around.

did it? Or do most pre-meds get caught up in all the distractions that college has to offer, and only study at arms-length? Listen, throughout doing this, I went out to bars most weekends, maintained lots of close friendships, and had two long term girlfriends. It's not hard, I think those things will follow, but you have to realize your grades are #1 priority. Looking back on college, I had a blast and now have the grades to show for all the work I put in. I probably won't check this again, but feel free to pm me.

 

[hopki099]

did it? Or do most pre-meds get caught up in all the distractions that college has to offer, and only study at arms-length? Listen, throughout doing this, I went out to bars most weekends, maintained lots of close friendships, and had two long term girlfriends. It's not hard, I think those things will follow, but you have to realize your grades are #1 priority. Looking back on college, I had a blast and now have the grades to show for all the work I put in. I probably won't check this again, but feel free to pm me.

Right on. I refuted your earlier post but I agree with your clarification here.

 

[Barcu]

did it? Or do most pre-meds get caught up in all the distractions that college has to offer, and only study at arms-length? Listen, throughout doing this, I went out to bars most weekends, maintained lots of close friendships, and had two long term girlfriends. It's not hard, I think those things will follow, but you have to realize your grades are #1 priority. Looking back on college, I had a blast and now have the grades to show for all the work I put in. I probably won't check this again, but feel free to pm me.

Oh, then you're fine. And I completely agree with you.

On SDN, "closing yourself off from the outside world" does not mean what you just described.

 

[Geneticist]

Arg, I know how you feel OP. I was up until 4 AM this morning writing a lab report and studying then I had classes from 10pm-12pm and 1pm-7pm. I feel like crap right now physically and I got a really (and I mean REALLY) bad grade in bio. FML