Doubts - Can I Make Med School Anymore?

[Mac656]

Hey, it's about time to choose my classes for the spring semester but to do that, I would have to figure out whether there's any point to carrying on the way I am. I'm a first semester pre-med freshman at NYU Arts and Sciences. My four classes have given out unofficial midterm grades, which follow

Essay Writing - B
Biology - C (now probably at a C+, B-)
Chemistry - C (now probably at a B-, B)
Conversations of the West (philosophy requirement): C- (probably still the same)

I'm only a freshman, or so everybody reminds me when I tell them that I'm not sure whether I can make any med schools anymore. The truth is, I can pull the biology up to a B+, B and the same with the chemistry. I don't know how the essay and ConWest class will come out, but probably where they are right now. With these grades, is med school out of reach or not? I don't care about chance, just yes or no. No place with admitted student GPA's include freshman year GPA's or GPA's for certain classes.

If it is, it's time that I start going down a different path before it's too late for any other career plans. I'd rather not do chem and bio if they're just detailed and difficult courses that will mean nothing for my future career path (some of what I'm looking at has nothing to do with the health sciences).

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[MaximusD]

Hey, it's about time to choose my classes for the spring semester but to do that, I would have to figure out whether there's any point to carrying on the way I am. I'm a first semester pre-med freshman at NYU Arts and Sciences. My four classes have given out unofficial midterm grades, which follow

Essay Writing - B
Biology - C (now probably at a C+, B-)
Chemistry - C (now probably at a B-, B)
Conversations of the West (philosophy requirement): C- (probably still the same)

I'm only a freshman, or so everybody reminds me when I tell them that I'm not sure whether I can make any med schools anymore. The truth is, I can pull the biology up to a B+, B and the same with the chemistry. I don't know how the essay and ConWest class will come out, but probably where they are right now. With these grades, is med school out of reach or not? I don't care about chance, just yes or no. No place with admitted student GPA's include freshman year GPA's or GPA's for certain classes.

If it is, it's time that I start going down a different path before it's too late for any other career plans. I'd rather not do chem and bio if they're just detailed and difficult courses that will mean nothing for my future career path (some of what I'm looking at has nothing to do with the health sciences).

Yes, but you must bring that GPA up. If all else fails, DO WELL IN YOUR SCIENCE CLASSES! Don't be in my position 3 years from now... my MCAT is high enough to get in almost anywhere (not in the top 10-15) but my GPA is ****. As long as you recover and bring the GPA up to 3.5ish you're fine.

If you think you're doing bad bc you're not motivated to become a doctor, then yes, get out now!

 

[DoctorMom78]

Take a deep breath and relax. You are only a freshman. You need to give it more time. The first semester can be a tough adjustment. Just focus and study and you will be fine.

 

[supervic8]

It is your first semester so it may take a semester to adjust to the college environment. However, if you find yourself in the same position next semester/next year especially with science courses... it'll be tough (imo).

 

[futurearmydoc]

No, medical school is not out of reach for you by any means at this point; it is just going to take some focus from you for a while. It looks to me like you are still able to pull up your science courses to a B+ by the end of the course at a respected university. This would be a first step in the right direction. From there I agree with MAC655, you must focus to maintain B+ or better in your science courses so that even if your overall GPA is not as high you will maintain a 3.5 or greater science GPA. One or two grades in the C range over the 4 years is not an application killer. Admissions committees understand that it takes a little time to settle into university and the study habits that you need to succeed. They are far more interested in you showing that you have adjusted and continue to improve. In other words, it would look much more negative for you to go from Bs your freshman year to Cs the rest of the time. Making a couple of B's or C's the freshman year and then improving to B's and A's with strong grades in your science courses will be a positive for your application.

From your post I get the impression that you really need to do some soul searching and decide if medicine is what you really want to do. Unfortunately, it is a field where you must decide earlier than most of your classmates that it is what you really want to do and then you must maintain good performance over a long period of time. My intention is not to sound harsh, it is just a realistic view that if you are having doubts now you should really take some time and decide if you are prepared to be in it for the long haul. Of course these days it is increasingly more common for people to start medical school later in life if you decide to wait and see if that's what you really want to do.

My advice- don't get into something that you are not 100% sure you can be committed to just to fail when you find out that it doesn't hold your interest.

On the other hand, if you are positive that medicine is right for you there is still plenty of time for you to achieve the necessary requirements for admission.

Best of luck