Did my first year marks mess up my chances for d-school?

[detroitriver]

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My marks were not at all what I was thinking they would be. I can say I worked hard in some areas and not so hard in others, leaving me with a 2.9 gpa. This year has basically been an absolute disaster, and I cant help but think 2.9 is going to look horrible on a transcript. Anyone share their ideas or advice? thanks.

 

[Frederico Albin]

Just work your way back up the ladder. Don't let this first year bring you down. Maybe retake some of the classes you didn't do so well on.

 

[DMDpride2013]

This happened to me. At the end of my first year my GPA was 3.02. Just focus you attention on your studies and you can pick yourself up. I will be graduating with a 3.7 so it can happen!

 

[BillytheEchidna]

My marks were not at all what I was thinking they would be. I can say I worked hard in some areas and not so hard in others, leaving me with a 2.9 gpa. This year has basically been an absolute disaster, and I cant help but think 2.9 is going to look horrible on a transcript. Anyone share their ideas or advice? thanks.

The one nice thing about doing poorly in your first year is that it is easy to make improvements to your GPA because you have so few credits right now -- A's will give you more bang for your buck, versus someone who already has a lot of credits and a stubborn 2.9 average. You need to work hard in everything Sophomore through Senior years to have an upward trend in your last few years, but you could indeed finish school with a competitive GPA. Another thing to mention is that it is common for students to have a difficult time adjusting to college. What matters most is that you can kick butt now that you have adjusted. Consider taking summer classes this summer to prove that you have your head on straight.

Some schools require a minimum GPA for your prerequisite classes. Even if you get straight A's from here on out, make sure you are also competitive in those intro classes. This is what kept me out of D-school this year (bad grades I earned during my freshman year 12 years ago were averaged with the recent re-takes [which were A's], but the result was below my school's minimum cut-off).

 

[detroitriver]

The one nice thing about doing poorly in your first year is that it is easy to make improvements to your GPA because you have so few credits right now -- A's will give you more bang for your buck, versus someone who already has a lot of credits and a stubborn 2.9 average. You need to work hard in everything Sophomore through Senior years to have an upward trend in your last few years, but you could indeed finish school with a competitive GPA. Another thing to mention is that it is common for students to have a difficult time adjusting to college. What matters most is that you can kick butt now that you have adjusted. Consider taking summer classes this summer to prove that you have your head on straight.

Some schools require a minimum GPA for your prerequisite classes. Even if you get straight A's from here on out, make sure you are also competitive in those intro classes. This is what kept me out of D-school this year (bad grades I earned during my freshman year 12 years ago were averaged with the recent re-takes [which were A's], but the result was below my school's minimum cut-off).

well I havent taken any pre reqs yet which is the scary thing. I have taken Anatomy which I did very well in but that was part of my program. It seems the only classes Im doing well in are science based classes. I did well in Physiology as well and those seem to be my only a's along with an into biology course. The rest of my marks are B's and C's from business or ethics classes where it seems no matter how hard I try, I can never see eye to eye with the professor.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

well I havent taken any pre reqs yet which is the scary thing. I have taken Anatomy which I did very well in but that was part of my program. It seems the only classes Im doing well in are science based classes. I did well in Physiology as well and those seem to be my only a's along with an into biology course. The rest of my marks are B's and C's from business or ethics classes where it seems no matter how hard I try, I can never see eye to eye with the professor.

Your science GPA matters a lot, so I think that you will be fine. You should consider seeing as close to eye-to-eye with those professor as you can, in order to get a good grade. 🙂 College is all about learning to please professors. You have your whole life to learn about what interests you.

 

[USCbiograd]

I had a 2.75gpa after my first year. I was accepted to dental school this past year. Make sure you get more serious about your studies, admission committees will pay attention to the trend in your grades. If you continue to perform poorly you chances of acceptance will be greatly reduced.

 

[sabdul]

The one nice thing about doing poorly in your first year is that it is easy to make improvements to your GPA because you have so few credits right now -- A's will give you more bang for your buck, versus someone who already has a lot of credits and a stubborn 2.9 average. You need to work hard in everything Sophomore through Senior years to have an upward trend in your last few years, but you could indeed finish school with a competitive GPA. Another thing to mention is that it is common for students to have a difficult time adjusting to college. What matters most is that you can kick butt now that you have adjusted. Consider taking summer classes this summer to prove that you have your head on straight.

Some schools require a minimum GPA for your prerequisite classes. Even if you get straight A's from here on out, make sure you are also competitive in those intro classes. This is what kept me out of D-school this year (bad grades I earned during my freshman year 12 years ago were averaged with the recent re-takes [which were A's], but the result was below my school's minimum cut-off).

Hey. Does anyone have any idea what this minimum GPA for prereqs is? The reason I ask is b/c I got a D+ in CHEM 2, B in CHEM 1, C in PHYSICS, and A in BIO. I haven't taken Organic yet. What would you recommend? Should I retake any of the courses? And for the D+ CHEM, would they pay little attention to that if I pulled and A in Organic? Thanks!

 

[BillytheEchidna]

Hey. Does anyone have any idea what this minimum GPA for prereqs is? The reason I ask is b/c I got a D+ in CHEM 2, B in CHEM 1, C in PHYSICS, and A in BIO. I haven't taken Organic yet. What would you recommend? Should I retake any of the courses? And for the D+ CHEM, would they pay little attention to that if I pulled and A in Organic? Thanks!

The school I applied to (Tennessee) wanted a bare minimum of 3.0 in prerequisites (I don't know how universal this is). Obviously, the students that are admitted will have core GPAs much higher than that. I am pretty sure that you also need a minimum grade of a "C" in all prerequisites. I would recommend retaking Chem 2 before they tell you to. Some kids get straight A's in their pre-requisites, and they will be your competition! Retaking Chem II and getting an A will mean your average grade for that class is a B/C. The tough stuff in Chem II will also come back in Biochemistry, so you really need to build a good foundation if you're planning on taking it. Gen Chem is also on the DAT! 🙂 Getting an A in Organic would look good, but wouldn't totally offset the damage. And don't be so confident that you can, without first having a super-excellent understanding of Gen Chem. I struggle with Chemistry, too, and will be re-taking Gen Chem II (C) and Biochemistry (D) before I reapply. My DAT science scores were OC 17, GC 18 and Bio 22.

 

[chund]

It's definately possible. I had a 2.3 and 2.7 my first two semesters (2.5 first yr). And I just got in on my second application round. Like USCbiograd said, the trend helps alot. One selling point i used in my application is that My cum GPA went up EVERY semester I was in college. So if you continue to improve, you could have the same story.. Get 3.6s and 3.8s and it will always come up... Looks great to have improvement, especially when it comes to prereqs and upper level courses.

 

[detroitriver]

okay, thanks for the encouragement. For those of you saying you drastically improved your grades, what is some advice you could give me besides just studying a lot more. I find my study habits are only in check for classes Im interested in, so I will try to change that next year.

 

[Habslive]

My marks were not at all what I was thinking they would be. I can say I worked hard in some areas and not so hard in others, leaving me with a 2.9 gpa. This year has basically been an absolute disaster, and I cant help but think 2.9 is going to look horrible on a transcript. Anyone share their ideas or advice? thanks.

I had a 71% average (= roughlt 2.7 GPA) in my first semester. In fact, I think it sets you up great because now you're able to show that you can make adjustments and improvements. Upward trends in GPA make a great impression on admissions committees. Primarily, it is still a numbers game, but even without having to say anything, they will see that you are dedicated, which will do wonders for you with respect to interview invitations.

Of course, you still have the task of getting good marks. Set realistic goals for yourself. (i.e. if you're doing 2.9 right now, maybe target a 3.3-3.4 next semester, and a 3.6 after that...etc)