Currently doing bad in High school? Will it impact my chance?

[Encyclopedia]

Hey, so I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to post this thread, or even if I should be on here, but here it goes. I'm currently in my freshmen year of highschool, and my grades are mediocre. I've been trying harder this semester, but my only A's were not in science or math. I'm on the verge of failing my algebra class right now. My gpa is a whopping 2.5 (judge all you want) I don't know what to do, I'm panicking already. I'm scared that I won't be able to be a doctor considering how bad I've started my highschool years. I don't really want to go in to detail of why I'm such a failure, but I will say that I am struggling with way more things, and simply haven't been putting in 110% to my work. I also have teachers that really don't like me, and other things on my plate. I'm afraid that since I'm doing so bad I won't be able to come a doctor.

Before you ask, I know 100% I want to be a doctor, although I'm still considering what I'd want to major in/type of Medical career, but you probably won't believe me. Main question I want to ask is am I screwed , are my chances belittled by my awful grades??! Also what classes should I take in HS if I want to get on the path of becoming a doctor?

All answers much appreciated!!!

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[ag9124]

I wouldn't stress too much right now about your current grades. The path through high school is a learning process where you basically figure out how to be a good student before getting to college. Take advantage of the opportunity. Some people don't figure out how to study until they're actually in college and they bomb the hell out of their freshmen year.

As a recommendation, make sure that you pay attention in your science classes (chem, physics, bio) so that at least you have some sort of foundation by the time you arrive to college. I wouldn't stress to much about becoming a doctor right now. There will be plenty of time for that. Enjoy your high school years because they'll pass you by in the blink of an eye .

 

[Adam21]

Encyclopedia,

This may not be what you want to hear but the answer is more complicated than a Yes/No.

First, I agree with ag9124 that you should not stress too much, as high school is a time you want to enjoy. One mistake many aspiring physicians make is that they feel they need to be perfect, and anything less will be a disaster. You will never be perfect, you need to be good. At Harvard they taught us, "The perfect is the enemy of the good", meaning if you wait for your research study or paper to be perfect, you will never get it done as it will not happen.

Second, no, your high school grades will not affect your ability to get into medical school, as medical schools do not look at high school grades, only your college grades. There used to be a myth many years ago that you had to have straight A's in high school to get into medical school, but if that ever was true it is certainly not true any longer.

Third, however, your low grades are a concern because:
1. You want to get into the "best" college that you can, because the "better" the college you can attend the better your chances for medical school admission will be. That being said in my medical school class at Stanford there were many students from colleges I never had heard of, and would not rank anywhere on the US News rankings.
2. You may not be getting the academic background that you need to succeed in college.

Fourth, the GOOD news however is that you are starting early, which is smart. Many students don't consider these issues until the middle of college, and by then it may be too late. As a freshman in high school you have plenty of options to get your academics back on track. You are not "screwed".

As far as classes in high school anything AP, especially science would be beneficial, because these classes will help you get into a "better" college and will help prepare you for better grades in college, which you will need.

Hope this helps.

 

[Abraxas305]

wow...

 

[Encyclopedia]

I wouldn't stress too much right now about your current grades. The path through high school is a learning process where you basically figure out how to be a good student before getting to college. Take advantage of the opportunity. Some people don't figure out how to study until they're actually in college and they bomb the hell out of their freshmen year.

As a recommendation, make sure that you pay attention in your science classes (chem, physics, bio) so that at least you have some sort of foundation by the time you arrive to college. I wouldn't stress to much about becoming a doctor right now. There will be plenty of time for that. Enjoy your high school years because they'll pass you by in the blink of an eye .

Oh okay, my current requirement for science this year was Earth Science, I'm taking Biology next year. Thanks for the info

 

[Encyclopedia]

wow...

Think whatever you will...I know I probably should have posted this in the "What are my chances category" but yeah

 

[Encyclopedia]

Encyclopedia,

This may not be what you want to hear but the answer is more complicated than a Yes/No.

First, I agree with ag9124 that you should not stress too much, as high school is a time you want to enjoy. One mistake many aspiring physicians make is that they feel they need to be perfect, and anything less will be a disaster. You will never be perfect, you need to be good. At Harvard they taught us, "The perfect is the enemy of the good", meaning if you wait for your research study or paper to be perfect, you will never get it done as it will not happen.

Second, no, your high school grades will not affect your ability to get into medical school, as medical schools do not look at high school grades, only your college grades. There used to be a myth many years ago that you had to have straight A's in high school to get into medical school, but if that ever was true it is certainly not true any longer.

Third, however, your low grades are a concern because:
1. You want to get into the "best" college that you can, because the "better" the college you can attend the better your chances for medical school admission will be. That being said in my medical school class at Stanford there were many students from colleges I never had heard of, and would not rank anywhere on the US News rankings.
2. You may not be getting the academic background that you need to succeed in college.

Fourth, the GOOD news however is that you are starting early, which is smart. Many students don't consider these issues until the middle of college, and by then it may be too late. As a freshman in high school you have plenty of options to get your academics back on track. You are not "screwed".

As far as classes in high school anything AP, especially science would be beneficial, because these classes will help you get into a "better" college and will help prepare you for better grades in college, which you will need.

Hope this helps.

Okay I see, however at this point I think that I am not appropriate to become a doctor, don't get me wrong I really do want to, but I'm guessing I will have no chance. I'm not as smart compared to my other classmates, I will probably never be accepted. Thanks though.

 

[Abraxas305]

lol your chances are nothing because you are not even in college yet.
Listen, I know 3 people who almost failed out of HS (I'm talking ~2.03 GPA) went to a CC, killed the beginning pre-reqs, got accepted to established state schools, did decent on their MCAT, and got into med school. 2 MD students at a Top 30 and a DO/PhD at MSU. IT IS POSSIBLE. Now, stop worrying so much about medical school. Go to parties, talk to girls, do some stupid things that you can live to talk about to your grandchildren. Live your life as a teenager.

 

[mbeus]

Okay calm down. You're in high school. The only thing that really matters is building good study habits that you can begin to really use in college/MCAT studying

 

[Encyclopedia]

Okay calm down. You're in high school. The only thing that really matters is building good study habits that you can begin to really use in college/MCAT studying

Got it thanks

 

[Encyclopedia]

lol your chances are nothing because you are not even in college yet.
Listen, I know 3 people who almost failed out of HS (I'm talking ~2.03 GPA) went to a CC, killed the beginning pre-reqs, got accepted to established state schools, did decent on their MCAT, and got into med school. 2 MD students at a Top 30 and a DO/PhD at MSU. IT IS POSSIBLE. Now, stop worrying so much about medical school. Go to parties, talk to girls, do some stupid things that you can live to talk about to your grandchildren. Live your life as a teenager.

Thanks for the encouragement

 

[Cawolf]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/hsdn.420/

 

[Holmwood]

Hey, so I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to post this thread, or even if I should be on here, but here it goes. I'm currently in my freshmen year of highschool, and my grades are mediocre. I've been trying harder this semester, but my only A's were not in science or math. I'm on the verge of failing my algebra class right now. My gpa is a whopping 2.5 (judge all you want) I don't know what to do, I'm panicking already. I'm scared that I won't be able to be a doctor considering how bad I've started my highschool years. I don't really want to go in to detail of why I'm such a failure, but I will say that I am struggling with way more things, and simply haven't been putting in 110% to my work. I also have teachers that really don't like me, and other things on my plate. I'm afraid that since I'm doing so bad I won't be able to come a doctor.

Before you ask, I know 100% I want to be a doctor, although I'm still considering what I'd want to major in/type of Medical career, but you probably won't believe me. Main question I want to ask is am I screwed , are my chances belittled by my awful grades??! Also what classes should I take in HS if I want to get on the path of becoming a doctor?

All answers much appreciated!!! .

This is the wrong section, but okay... and you said all answers are appreciated, so...

1) Your grades in high school do not matter, but your study habits will. The difficulty and rigor of coursework is far higher than what students are used to in high school. If you're not academically gifted, you're going to have to work harder than the rest of your peers. Academically gifted students can fool around a little in college. You, however, do not have the option.To improve your study habits may mean sacrificing quality time with family, friends, and social gatherings so that you have enough time to study, review, and review some more. And besides, as soon as you have to start paying for your living and education, you are a working adult. Playing around should never be first priority for working adults. But feel free to play around during the numerous holidays/vacations afforded by the american system. . .

2) "I know 100% I want to be a doctor..." If you have no clinical experience, you're not 100% sure. Plenty of pre-meds I knew were "100% sure" as well, but they ended up giving up after volunteering because it was not what they expected. A couple of them also dropped out after fooling around too much (see point 1) and failing too many classes. Try volunteering at a hospital as soon as possible to see if medicine is a field you want to pursue. The sooner you do it, the more time you will have to make further preparations/accommodations for your goal (taking on extracurriculars) or come up with contingency plans. If you decide that you want to stay in the medical field after volunteering at a hospital, you can start shadowing a doctor to see if the job continues to appeal to you. Although, my recommendation is that you reserve freshman year to figure out and solidify your study habits. No extracurriculars until you do so.

3) The current MCAT requires two years worth of science courses at the bare minimum with an additional semester of biochemistry being highly recommended (although, some schools actually require it now so it's not really optional...). The most efficient way to accomplish this is with a biology or biochemistry degree, but it is by no means the only path.

Feel free to message me for specifics. I won't bite.

 

[Dreamstoo]

There is an individual I know who was a constant B/C student and mostly A/B in his last two years of high school.

I was a constant A/B student in high school. My senior grades dipped quite a bit but I generally got As/Bs that year too.

He has far better stats for MD schools than I did when he applied along with a very impressive MCAT score on just one attempt. High school grades don't matter much. A 2.5 GPA however isn't great. Ideally, I think for high school a student should be around a 3.0-3.2 at least to have a chance at decent schools. I wouldn't fret over it too much however. I do know of people who struggled in high school but made fantastic pre meds.


You are also a freshman, I know of someone just like you and he go this act together in his last two years of high school. Did very well and now he's currently at a mid tier MD school. Brilliant kid, he was just lazy up until his junior year of high school.

 

[libertyyne]

1. No one cares about HS grades.
2. Your HS grades determine your college acceptances.
3. Your Basic skills in HS will translate to better scores in College.


Personal two cents. No one cares what you did or your scores in HS. However, get into a feeder school, this is a more of socioeconomic question. If you are able to get into brown with bad HS grades. then you will get into med school.

But dont just focus on good grades. Focus on understanding the basic sciences.

 

[StudyLater]

@Encyclopedia You're a freshman. So there's plenty of time to get that GPA up. Some people have difficulty adjusting to high school. Same can go for college. The point is, how did you do overall? I'd focus on getting your **** together for the remainder of your time there, get your GPA up to ~3.3-3.5 and load on some nice ECs (start a club or two if you can; preferably volunteer-related). Apply broadly to top 20s (try to apply to all of them if possible), with some safety schools/your state school (top 50) mixed in. You should get in somewhere good if you make your ECs decently impressive. If that happens, you're on the fast track, provided you continue to keep your **** together in college. However, don't sweat it if you're not in a top college - you've still got a great shot. A bumpy start is fine (not recommended, but fine). Just make sure the overall GPA stays at or above 3.7, if we're talking MD here, and make sure the MCAT is ~80th percentile - this'll be easier for you than others right now, as you'll have hopefully more actually competent practice materials to choose from.

I'm really inclined to hope that, like many, you're a bright kid who is either not trying hard enough, has difficult teachers, is having trouble adjusting to a new school, or some combination of those things. If any of that is your problem, or whatever your problem is, you need to find ways to get around those issues. Form study groups with other competent (I stress this very much) students you know are doing well, take detailed notes, see the teachers after class with relevant questions, and practice your a** off (especially in math classes you struggle with). If it's an option, ask if you can get a tutor for the really difficult classes. The point is, you need to do whatever it takes to get yourself back on track if you're serious about this. If nothing else, and you really want to say forget HS I'll just do well in college, at the very least, pay extra extra attention in your science classes. Get to know chemistry, biology, and physics very well (less emphasis on physics) - take the APs in these classes if they've got them at your school. You could even move on to Ochem if you really feel like you're getting really comfortable with beginning chemistry (what we call gen chem in college, you guys probably just have chem I and chem II etc. in your school). The more you familiarize yourself with this stuff over time, the better off you'll be. If you can get to a point where it's like the back of your hand by college, you're way ahead of the competition.

 

[summergirl]

no

 

[SN2ed]

Thread closed. Not MCAT related.