Can I still get into Med school? Bad freshman undergrad year.

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mdbm96

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I am taking classes at a local community until I can transfer to a state or UC school. My freshman year I went to college having no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I decided to major in business. I absolutely hated the idea of it and could not see myself pursuing a career in business after my freshman year and decided that I had wanted to be a pediatrician (through out high school I wanted to be a doctor) this year. My first semester I was dealing with major depression for choosing to go to community and not being able to experience "life". I got over it and learned how to deal with it, but my grades were majorly affected. Second semester, I got rear-ended leaving campus and suffered from a concussion. I am only 19, that puts me as a sophomore, first semester. I got ANOTHER concussion this year after getting pushed down to the floor at a show I attended. I am not sure my grades will be great this year. I am suffering from migraines everyday since my concussions were so close in time I have post-concussive syndrome. Not to mention, my thyroid decided to give out on me this year. HOWEVER, I do NOT want to give up, I still attend all my lectures besides the ones I ended up in urgent care for and have understanding professors this semester due to my situation. I am putting 100% effort into school, even with all the obstacles thrown my way and I am trying to get it together after my terrible freshman year. I am applying to volunteer, and in the meantime will probably settle for Red Cross since it is a guaranteed immediate in whereas hospitals take more time to get into.

Now that my rant is over, I want to share my college transcript so far and see if it's still possible to get that upward climb and get into colleges. I am in the Pre-Med Society club at my school and the professor who runs it made it VERY clear you cannot get into medical school if you have more than one (maybe 2) C's, after reading some forums on here that state otherwise I guess I am looking for a sense of hope and direction, because I cannot imagine myself doing anything else with my life.

Freshman (fall): Intermediate Algebra- F, History-C, Art History - C
(Spring): Sociology- A, Psych intro- C, Math repeat- C,Earth science- B, Econ-B
(Summer): Astronomy-A

this puts my overall GPA at 2.79

Also, I am a biology major. As you can see, none of these are pre-reqs to transfer so I am stuck at community for another year, giving me time to raise my GPA.

Still, my hope is slim. I have not given up yet and I think there may be a slight chance of still getting in.

HELP. What programs should I join? volunteer work? start studying for MCAT now?

I know I need to raise my GPA a ton, but I also now EC are important. Should I take a break after my BA and do a program to amplify my application and receive a letter of rec? do a master's program? I am still young so I think I have time, but I am done wasting it. I wasted time freshman year, I want to dedicate my life to school and EC'S if I even have a chance still.

Thank you to anyone who reads this, I know it is long and I appreciate any advice you guys can throw my way from knowledge or experience. Or even opinions would be helpful.

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Okay, honestly, right now, the focus should be on making sure your medical issues are well managed (by talking to your doctors, not SDN users). After that, you should focus on raising your GPA. Like, getting 3.8+ each semester from here on out. Only once your GPA has stabilized should you start doing other things like volunteering, research, studying for the MCAT, etc. GPA is a necessary component of a successful medical school application, but once heavily damaged, is the hardest and most expensive to fix. You have damaged it, but not nearly beyond repair. You are a sophomore and have time to fix things while you're still in school.

Your professor is misinformed. You can certainly get into medical school with multiple bad grades, provided you shape up and start getting better ones and end up with a respectable overall score.

tl;dr - worry about GPA first; once that's stable, start considering things like volunteering, research, etc
 
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Okay, honestly, right now, the focus should be on making sure your medical issues are well managed (by talking to your doctors, not SDN users). After that, you should focus on raising your GPA. Like, getting 3.8+ each semester from here on out. Only once your GPA has stabilized should you start doing other things like volunteering, research, studying for the MCAT, etc. GPA is a necessary component of a successful medical school application, but once heavily damaged, is the hardest and most expensive to fix. You have damaged it, but not nearly beyond repair. You are a sophomore and have time to fix things while you're still in school.

Your professor is misinformed. You can certainly get into medical school with multiple bad grades, provided you shape up and start getting better ones and end up with a respectable overall score.

tl;dr - worry about GPA first; once that's stable, start considering things like volunteering, research, etc


Thank you! This is the type of advice I needed.
 
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I had a 3.0 GPA at a CC after 1.5yrs. I have since maintained straight As for nearly 3 years, transferred to a UC, and will have a pretty strong application when I apply during the upcoming cycle. Despite having a ~3.95 for nearly 3 years, my cumulative GPA will still end up being slightly below a 3.8 due to my first 1.5yrs. You're going to need to maintain near-perfect grades for multiple years in order to bring your GPA into the range of the average matriculant (assuming you're going for MD). If this is the route you're determined to take, then you need to make damn sure that you're all-in and prove that you're an exceptional student because you don't have much room to slip up. Worry about your grades before ECs, research, and the MCAT. I can't speak on your health issues, but you still have time to make yourself a competitive applicant. You can do it.
Thank you! Do you think maybe doing a postbac premed program/special master's program would help in my case? Since I have not started my undergrad off strong.
 
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