Failed a class first semester - what now!?!?! :o(

[StunnedKangaroo]

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Hey guys... this giant "U" on my transcript is taking over my life and I'd appreciate any input on the consequences (the nitty gritty would be appreciated) and ways to remediate it...

I was a psych major in college and my first semester of med school was HORRIBLE... I was homesick for the first time in my life, I got into THREE car accidents (my first ever) so I didn't have my car for a month... and a multitude of other things just just kept adding and adding... essentially, I failed our "Fundamentals I" course which was basic Biochem and Genetics by 1 point (i.e. my average came down to a 64 with the final)...

This screws me over in multiple ways... first, I won't be able to do any research this summer because I'll be spending at least a month and half making up the class... plus, I can't even apply for anything afterwards in the month or so I have remaining since I can't even (for the first time in my entire life) get a letter of "good academic standing" which is required by most programs...

1) I don't know if I should repeat the year, since I literally didn't learn anything last semester... anatomy just flew right over my head and I don't even know the muscles of the legs or how anything works...

2) If I do decide to stay put, how will this screw up my residency app? I realize Derm is out of the question now, regardless of my abilities (a fact that was hard to accept at first) but even for residencies in NYC (which is where I want to be after med school)... I still want to make myself a competitive candidate...

Thanks in advance 🙂

I guess I'm more worried about the long-term consequences...

 

[jennie 21]

Wow, I'm sorry you had such a hard time your first semester! I really disliked my first semester courses, had a hard time with anatomy (definitely passed, but with below-average scores) and for what it's worth did very well in my second and third years of medical school. The things you learn as a first year have relatively little to do with what you will be doing later, and how you do as a first year has almost no relation to how you will perform as a clinical student or as a doctor.

As to whether you should repeat the year, it really depends on how weak you think your knowledge is. If you're just a bit shaky, you can probably remediate it adequately over the summer. If you really didn't understand or learn any of it, then maybe repeating the year is a good idea. I would go talk to your dean of students or whatever the equivalent person at your school is; their advice would probably be quite helpful as they're in a better position to evaluate your academic performance, and in general they tend to be pretty understanding than you might think about that sort of thing. Lots of students struggle with the adjustment to the first year of med school. It has little to do with what kind of doctor you will be.

Finally, as far as residency goes, I think it will have very little effect as long as you do well from here on out. This kind of thing is much more common than you think, and schools and residencies understand that some students have trouble making the adjustment to medical school. Also, in most specialties they barely even care about your pre-clinical grades; your clinical grades, USMLE scores, and letters of recommendation will be much more important when the time comes. The only exception I can think of would be if you persistently failed or did very poorly in all of your pre-clinical courses; then they probably would care because it would seem to show academic weakness, and perhaps an inability to pass boards and residency in-service exams later on, or else a poor work ethic. Failing one course is not that big a deal if you do well in most of the rest of them.

I can't speak authoritatively to the most competitive specialties like dermatology, as I am applying for internal medicine, but I think even in these specialties it would be an overcome-able obstacle that you could make up for by doing extra well later on and perhaps doing some more research or something. There are lots of alternative pathways to getting into the residency you want other than applying directly out of medical school, for example doing a year or two of research, getting an MPH, etc. That might not be obvious from where you are sitting now, but I know plenty of people who have taken time off for research, etc. in order to make themselves more competitive for a competitive residency. You are not out of the running because of one black mark on your record so early in medical school. Lots of people find ways to compensate for weaknesses in their record by accomplishing other things. Finally, consider that it is possible that once you remediate this course, the fact that you failed it initially may not even show on your record. It depends on your school, but my school (I think) erases the fail from your record if you pass the remediation the first time around. If you fail a second time, then it stays on your record. So it depends, but you might not even end up with a failing mark on your transcript, depending on your schools' policy.

Hope this helps!

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey guys... this giant "U" on my transcript is taking over my life and I'd appreciate any input on the consequences (the nitty gritty would be appreciated) and ways to remediate it...

I was a psych major in college and my first semester of med school was HORRIBLE... I was homesick for the first time in my life, I got into THREE car accidents (my first ever) so I didn't have my car for a month... and a multitude of other things just just kept adding and adding... essentially, I failed our "Fundamentals I" course which was basic Biochem and Genetics by 1 point (i.e. my average came down to a 64 with the final)...

This screws me over in multiple ways... first, I won't be able to do any research this summer because I'll be spending at least a month and half making up the class... plus, I can't even apply for anything afterwards in the month or so I have remaining since I can't even (for the first time in my entire life) get a letter of "good academic standing" which is required by most programs...

1) I don't know if I should repeat the year, since I literally didn't learn anything last semester... anatomy just flew right over my head and I don't even know the muscles of the legs or how anything works...

2) If I do decide to stay put, how will this screw up my residency app? I realize Derm is out of the question now, regardless of my abilities (a fact that was hard to accept at first) but even for residencies in NYC (which is where I want to be after med school)... I still want to make myself a competitive candidate...

Thanks in advance 🙂

I guess I'm more worried about the long-term consequences...

Don't worry about what you "learned" in anatomy in terms of deciding whether to repeat the year -- do whatever is necessary to pass the one course you failed. Anatomy is very low yield on the boards and you can "refresh" yourself in terms of what you missed later down the pike. So spend that summer making up the class you failed and get back in the game. Don't worry about summer research -- you can spend a year after your second year doing even more substantial research if you want to get on a track that requires research. The nice thing about med school is they give you second chances -- they actually want everyone they accept to get out the other end eventually. As for your future, you may have fewer options, but if you can rebound you certainly will have some options, both in terms of specialty and geography. Try to learn what you did wrong and move forward. Good luck.

 

[myrtle]

Retake the year? Ouch. What I'd do: try to forget about last semester, don't let it hurt your confidence too much, and do as well as possible for the rest of the year, rock the summer class and take the rest of the summer off to travel or see friends/family, relax. If you take an extra year, it should be something to make yourself stand out - like one of those 1-year research programs, etc.

Good luck

 

[LJDHC05]

For what it's worth: You're not the only one that struggled with first semester classes and the shock of med school or who doesn't remember any anatomy (Biochem has pushed it out).

On the practical side of things, unless you have another year's tuition to spend or you fail another course or two, re-taking all of first year does not fix your transcript any more than retaking the course over the summer does. At my school, passing your retake wipes the failure off your record (it becomes a pass instead...no chance of honoring). If it doesn't at your school, just be honest in your interviews and tell them that you had trouble adjusting. Don't quote me on this, but I don't even think that residencies look at your transcript as much as your boards and letters of recommendation.

Best strategy in the mean time is to focus on the task at hand: Do your best on the rest of your classes this year, retake your class when you have to retake it and move on to second year and the step I's. You've got ALOT ahead of you, so focus on that. I'd also talk to your dean of students because they'll be able to give you more specific advice. Good luck

 

[crazy_cavalier]

One U and they can't write you a letter of good standing? That's bullcrap!