Cornell Freshman needs help.

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redtrick

redtrick

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Okay so I am a freshman in Cornell's CAS. I am a pre-med who hasn't decided his major. My first semester grades came in and they are less than ideal.


Microeconmics- (A)
English 101 - (A-)
Biology - (A-)
Chem - (B-)

That means my Science gpa is only a 3.25/4.0, and my Overall gpa is a 3.525/4.0. Am I screwed for medical school? I really tried this semester(spent a lot of time in the library), but didn't do as well as I hoped for 3.7+. What kind of science gpa and overall gpa showed I aim for, if I want to go to my state's medical schools. I don't think I am smart enough to make it into the top 30 medical schools.
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You still plenty of time. A 3.5science, 3.6overall and a 30MCAT should generally get you into at least A med school provided that you have decent extra-currics and don't come off as a douchebag during interviews. Keep truckin'
 
redtrick said:
Okay so I am a freshman in Cornell's CAS. I am a pre-med who hasn't decided his major. My first semester grades came in and they are less than ideal.


Microeconmics- (A)
English 101 - (A-)
Biology - (A-)
Chem - (B-)

That means my Science gpa is only a 3.25/4.0, and my Overall gpa is a 3.525/4.0. Am I screwed for medical school? I really tried this semester(spent a lot of time in the library), but didn't do as well as I hoped for 3.7+. What kind of science gpa and overall gpa showed I aim for, if I want to go to my state's medical schools. I don't think I am smart enough to make it into the top 30 medical schools.
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I might be of some help here. Im a cornell Junior who is a Bioengineer so definately feel free to PM any more questions.

First off, your doing just fine, don't stress the stats folks post on SDN too much as there is a big difference in the competiveness of Cornell and a state school.

Second, for Chem 2080 or 2070 or 2090 or whatever your taking next semester (they changed numbering scheme on us a year ago). Here is a recipe for success.

I) Buy TakeNote from Cornell store, Its like 70 dollars and is essentially a transcript of the lecture.
II) Spend more time working on the problem sets than anything. Reading the book is pretty much useless compared to doing the problem sets.
III) Before each prelim make sure you can completly do every problem ever given on a problem set, if not go to a TA for help. If they give out old Prelims then same applies to those.
IV) Be nice to and chat with your chem lab TA.

Third- Find some way to start getting clinical experience at home over breaks, because its tough to come by in Ithaca. Or find a way to get to Cayuga medical center to volunteer


As for what GPA you should aim for? Just do the best you can, you got into Cornell so if you do your best you can definately get in somewhere.

My GPA started at a 3.3 first semster and is up to 3.6 now, so dont panic.

I recently got my grades back for the semester and I pretty easily made an A in Organic I and managed to pull off an A in organic lab, so if you have questions about study for tactics for those classes let me know.
 
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I don't understand some freshman premeds... I'm not trying to be rude. But they wanna be doctors but can't understand that a 3.5 made in one semester turns into a 3.75 if you made straight As the next semester... Or that 3.5 is the average med school admitted GPA... I'm just saying, this would be different if you had no way to improve. But as a freshman at Cornell, you should realize you have years (years...) to pull up your grades to near whatever GPA you want.
 
Wow, you sound just like me 4 years ago! Freshman at Cornell, taking tough courses, and ending up way south of where you wanted to be. I had the exact same GPA freshman year, but a much much worse BCPM GPA. IF you pull it around next semester, no will care about your first semester (I actually think my struggle helped me personally, and was an asset overall in the application process).

This application cycle has been going spectacularly for me, and I never would have thought that were even REMOTELY possible when I was in your same exact shoes. Should you worry about getting your grades up next semester? Yeah. Should you worry about your shots at even the best med school? No way! And believe me, people and interviewers know Cornell is tough on freshman. Just learn from your mistakes, and turn it around next semester 🙂
 
After my first year of college, I had a 3.3. Once you figure out your school and how your learn best, your grades will get better. The best advice I can give is to learn to tame your panic.
 
Dude, your doing fine. I was in CALS as well and I got a B- in Gen Chem during my first semester. surftheiop gave some great advice in terms of GChem. I did not do so hot in Gchem but I did amazing in OChem. Upward trend is whats important. I would suggest taking more bio classes in your sophomore and junior year. There are some easy ones. Just check out the median grade reports for future classes. I tried to pick classes that had pretty decent median grades. I also did research and got about 10 credits of A+ and gradauted with honors because of my research.

ALSO SPEND LESS TIME IN THE LIBARAY and more time doing Psets and working with TAs when they have office hours. You have no idea how much I learned during office hours. I only learned this while I was in OChem. I think I started with a 3.3 GPA but ended up with a 3.65 when all was said and done. DONT WORRY you have PLENTY of time to get your GPA to where you want to be!

Good luck
 
redtrick said:
Okay so I am a freshman in Cornell's CAS. I am a pre-med who hasn't decided his major. My first semester grades came in and they are less than ideal.


Microeconmics- (A)
English 101 - (A-)
Biology - (A-)
Chem - (B-)

That means my Science gpa is only a 3.25/4.0, and my Overall gpa is a 3.525/4.0. Am I screwed for medical school? I really tried this semester(spent a lot of time in the library), but didn't do as well as I hoped for 3.7+. What kind of science gpa and overall gpa showed I aim for, if I want to go to my state's medical schools. I don't think I am smart enough to make it into the top 30 medical schools.
Click to expand...

Its totally fine... you have got a lot of time

just make sure though that if you plan to be a nonscience major you should aim for that science GPA to be at least 3.6+, since you will have taken less science courses than science majors applying to med school...

as for you being unsure of your major, that is actually a great way to approach college.... all i knew my first two years was that i am a premed and was taking the standard premed courses.... but a long with those courses i was taking gen ed's and it is through gen ed's i realized what major i was interested in... declared that at the end of sophomore year, and spent junior and senior years finishing major requirements

just stay focused, don't give up, and

Use supplemental books... like schaums outline of college chemistry and general chemistry as a second language (to complement your textbook and class notes)... this may seem like a heavy investment, but it is worth it especially for practice problems... a combination of supplemental books, textbooks, and lecture notes should help you with your science courses
 
JoshUNCW said:
I don't understand some freshman premeds... I'm not trying to be rude. But they wanna be doctors but can't understand that a 3.5 made in one semester turns into a 3.75 if you made straight As the next semester... Or that 3.5 is the average med school admitted GPA... I'm just saying, this would be different if you had no way to improve. But as a freshman at Cornell, you should realize you have years (years...) to pull up your grades to near whatever GPA you want.
Click to expand...

It only gets harder from here. Start studying your butt off. If you don't do well, you just don't have what it takes. Stop whining and work your butt off, 24/7. Give up fun and games, even if you have to, if that is what is going to get you top grades. I see people complaining all the time about their scores or grades. When I ask them how much they study- well, only 40 hours per week. Well, there you go. Up it to 50+ hours then...
 
HPSPpayissues said:
It only gets harder from here. Keep studying your butt off. If you don't do well, you just don't have what it takes. Stop whining and work your butt off, 24/7. I see people complaining all the time about their scores or grades. When I ask them how much they study- well, only 40 hours per week. Well, there you go. Up it to 50+ hours then...
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On the contrary, It gets easier after freshman year in Cornell. Just don't be weeded out. That's how the intro courses are structured. Just keep on keeping on. Once you get through the intro courses, you can take classes you like and you will get the GPA you want. I had just about a prefect 4.0 Junior year once I was taking classes where profs weren't afraid to give everyone in the class As.
 
You got a B-? Sorry man but I think it's time for you to consider going Caribbean...
 
Elpenor said:
You got a B-? Sorry man but I think it's time for you to consider going Caribbean...
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Seeing as it was that guys first post,

ill do him a favor and let the OP know that this is a common SDN joke often directed towards nervous freshman.
 
countthestars said:
On the contrary, It gets easier after freshman year in Cornell. Just don't be weeded out. That's how the intro courses are structured. Just keep on keeping on. Once you get through the intro courses, you can take classes you like and you will get the GPA you want. I had just about a prefect 4.0 Junior year once I was taking classes where profs weren't afraid to give everyone in the class As.
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This is true (granted Im in engineering so its more like the professors finally arent scared to have a class average of over a B)
 
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countthestars said:
On the contrary, It gets easier after freshman year in Cornell. Just don't be weeded out. That's how the intro courses are structured. Just keep on keeping on. Once you get through the intro courses, you can take classes you like and you will get the GPA you want. I had just about a prefect 4.0 Junior year once I was taking classes where profs weren't afraid to give everyone in the class As.
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Where is your basis for this? Most top schools have curves in which only top 15- 20 percent get A's, the next 30% B's, the next 40% C's, and the other 10% = screwed. Sometimes, they might be a little more lenient than that, but in general, the curve is still there. you think it stops in undergrad? The med school curve is very similar to what I mentioned, and you will be ranked for everything...
 
Dude, that's actually pretty good. I think Chem I is curved to a B- anyway, so getting that B- doesn't mean you are stupid.

Just keep on doing what you are doing; I promise it will get better...
 
didn't read all the posts, but if your gpa is above 3.5 and you get a 30+ mcat, you should be fine. look at the hcec stats for cornell premeds.
 
HPSPpayissues said:
Where is your basis for this? Most top schools have curves in which only top 15- 20 percent get A's, the next 30% B's, the next 40% C's, and the other 10% = screwed.
Click to expand...

That's true for the intro courses. My basis for this was that I TOOK classes where profs did not care about curves and if all the students worked hard and did the work, they would get the grade. MANY MANY of my upper level courses were taught in the Socratic method where we had NO tests and only one paper we had to write at the end of the course. We were graded based on what we discussed in class. Everyone who's at Cornell is smart. So this method worked out such that everyone in that class got an A.
 
HPSPpayissues said:
you think it stops in undergrad? The med school curve is very similar to what I mentioned, and you will be ranked for everything...
Click to expand...

There is ABSOLUTELY no curve in my medical school. We take a test, we score what we score and that's the score we get. The median grade for our last endocrine test was 90%. Everyone studied hard and got a good grade because of it. Also my school is Pass/Fail/Honors
 
I smell a troll...

If this really is legitimate, OP you need to calm the eff down. A couple A-'s and a B-? Not exactly the end of the world.
 
countthestars said:
There is ABSOLUTELY no curve in my medical school. We take a test, we score what we score and that's the score we get. The median grade for our last endocrine test was 90%. Everyone studied hard and got a good grade because of it. Also my school is Pass/Fail/Honors
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Well, do you go to a DO school? Plus, are you kidding me? ~90% being average. Either your curriculum sucks or isn't challenging anyone. Lets see if all of yall actually do that well on shelf exams, boards, etc Our averages are quiet low but it pretty well correlates to how well we do on shelf exams. Those that do well end up getting over 90th percentile and those that crappy on midterms end up getting average or lower. I mean if your avg is 90 do all of yall get over 90% tile? Seriously.... Our tests correlate well with the national standardized test level...
 
Yes, I do go to a DO school. What about it? Are you now going to turn this thread over to another MD vs. DO debate? If so, please don't.

I'm reminded of the Dr. Goljan quote in his audio where he says that he likes to have his class averages as high as possible. He says that profs that keep class averags to recidicoulsy low means teaches the class nothing. He says that if the exam was fair, then everyone will do well on it. That's how he structures his exams. If the students knew the material and studied hard for it They should get a good grade. Why should they suffer and get a low grade because some professors wanted to trick students and give them tests that were ambiguous. But then, again, he does teach at an osteophatic med school...GASP. Not all of our exams have that high of an average. There have been times where we have had some really low means. All i was trying to say is that there are schools out there that don't have this so called curve cut off where ONLY 10% of kids can ONLY get an A. That's ******ed. If everyone was smart and studied hard why can't they all get a good grade since they all worked for it? So because all your class averages are low, that means that everyone in your class is really smart??

Going back to Cornell. I did not learn much in GChem because of the fact that they had these insane quota cut offs where the mean was a C. They made the tests such that the median was a 50 or so. HOW is one going to learn when they have tests that are made that way? Why not teach the material and test the material that was taught. That's how upper level courses at Cornell were like. The profs weren't there to trick anyone. They were there to teach and if they did a good job at it, the students did well on the tests. Simple as that.
 
OP, Cornell is tough. Keep your head up buddy, you did really well out of the gate and will probably improve as you get the hang of it.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. I will adjust my study habits and see how it goes next semester. I don't know, my parents were mad, because Cornell costs 50,000 a year and I didn't do that well my first semester.
 
redtrick said:
Thanks for the help everyone. I will adjust my study habits and see how it goes next semester. I don't know, my parents were mad, because Cornell costs 50,000 a year and I didn't do that well my first semester.
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Don't you get financial aid or scholarship buddy?
 
Nope Cornell only gave me loans, I study in the library because there is no where else to study, can't study in my room because my roomate is a ******.
 
redtrick said:
Nope Cornell only gave me loans, I study in the library because there is no where else to study, can't study in my room because my roomate is a ******.
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lol?

Why so?
 
I used to study in lecture halls/classrooms when there weren't classes being held.
 
OP it looks like youve got plenty of good advice on here, but if you need anymore, you can PM me. I'm a senior Bio major and am in the thick of this stupid application process. I have my own opinions about what you should do at Cornell so give me a holler if you care to hear them.

good luck
 
Look, you are at an ivy league school. Cornell is known to be one of the toughest schools in the nation GPA wise. The admissions committees know this but do not count on this fact. Just do your best, study 24/7 and take advantage of the opportunity that has been given to you. Those are Great grades, although not perfect, at possibly the toughest school GPA wise. Learn why you didn't get the grades you wanted and improve.
 
Some schools do have grade deflation, not ALL ivy leagues do however (cough Standford). I went to Berkeley and we are known for grade deflation. Anyways, look guy, don't worry so much. Here are the grades I got for Chemistry in school.

GChem 1 B
OChem 1 B-
OChem 2 Lecture A+
OChem 2 Lab A+

I actually ended up teaching OChem at Berkeley for 2 semesters. Just because you got one bad grade doesn't mean it's OVER. As long as you improve upon your grades I think it's okay 🙂

You are only a freshman, if you start stressing out now you'll never make it to your MCAT, take your MCAT, apply, finish medical school, residency....

Relax....as long as you don't fail anything you'll be fine....

Actually a friend of mine took Ochem 2 and Bio together one semester and got Ds in both courses 🙁 Then he retook them and got A's and is going medical school right now (Medical College of Wisconsin).

Trust me the classes only get harder to hang tite and do the best you can 👍
 
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