First Year GPA 3.18 from a LAC. Int student. Help me.

[intmedhopeful]

As the title says, that’s my current GPA. I messed up my first year so badly, second semester being affected by Covid situation too. Now, being an int student makes things even harder. I need to have minimum gpa of 3.75 or 3.8 to be competitive. I calculated that I need to get an A every semester, 4 classes per semester, to barely reach 3.74. While it is a solid gpa, my self confidence being at an all time low, I have severe doubts that I will be able to maintain a streak like that with increasingly difficult classes ( I am a neuro major ) and with 2 org chem and 2 physics classes ahead. I am not gifted, that is for sure, classes don’t come easy to me. However, I would say my main issue is that I still haven’t found a proper study technique. I am not really sure what I am looking for in responses, but I would appreciate anything. I posted sth similar before, but the true reality of the situation dawned upon me after I made the calculations.

P.S One of my profs contacted yesterday, after a month our grades have been released, saying he accidentally gave me an A instead of B. While I don’t want to get a grade I don’t deserve, it really messed me up mentally, after I spent so much trying to get over my grades. He is waiting for my response, I would appreciate anyone’s input on that too.

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[sasukeuchiha33]

Take a deep breath. Relax. I'm sorry for what you're going through, really. It sounds like you're being hard enough on yourself as is, so just try to sit back and look at this from a different angle. Is your 3.18 GPA pretty low for med school, probably yeah. Does that mean it's a dealbreaker? Hell no. Med schools (at least here in the states) love upward trends and seeing applicants who stepped up to the plate to overcome adversity, and that includes academic adversity. You are definitely right in that the path ahead of you is thorny, however, the first point to correcting any mistake is recognizing that you made one. The inadequacy you're feeling is proof of the fact that you want to do better, and you know that you are capable of more. Also a quick aside: fun fact about me- I came into uni with med school not even remotely on my radar. I came in as an English major and wanted to teach creative writing at the university level.

I tell you this because the difficult science classes do not come easy to me either; however, I will be applying this cycle with a 3.96 cGPA and a 3.93 sGPA. Even for those of us not naturally gifted, it IS undoubtedly possible. I've left so many of my "smarter" and "scientifically inclined" premed colleagues in the dust because of my work ethic and study habits. Succeeding in these classes is all about understanding the concept from every possible angle, and you achieve this through mindful repetition and diligent practice. I've seen so many of my peers, that when they do a practice exam for an upcoming test, they'll do a question, get an answer wrong, and then look at their computer where the answer is all worked out and say "oh cool, that makes sense" and then move on. NO! This is not how you study anything, especially science. WHY did you miss that question? WHERE was your conceptual understanding lacking? Understand those holes and fill them. Then, do the same thing with the next question. And the next. Do this for the whole test. Then, find another practice test. If your prof didn't provide practice questions, go online and find some. That sounds exhausting, right? It's much harder than the aforementioned method most people use. But that's how people like us win this game. I'm not going to claim to know how you study, but this way of studying is incredibly effective and I promise you it will get you the results you want. Before you know it, you'll start getting those As in ochem, physics, and more. And then if you keep at it, you'll knock the MCAT out of the park. You've got an uphill battle ahead for sure, but I believe in you, and you can do it.

Finally, keep your chin up. Your journey as a premed, med student, intern, resident, and eventually attending are going to be filled with challenges that will dampen your spirits. Whenever I find myself getting overwhelmed, I tell myself that the hallmark of a true physician is how he/she/they respond when the chips are down and they have to do what is right by their patient. If this is the career you want, you've got a long way to go, and plenty more adversity to face along the way, that's a promise. But you can do it. In the words of Coach Taylor, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." Knock 'em dead champ.

 

[intmedhopeful]

Take a deep breath. Relax. I'm sorry for what you're going through, really. It sounds like you're being hard enough on yourself as is, so just try to sit back and look at this from a different angle. Is your 3.18 GPA pretty low for med school, probably yeah. Does that mean it's a dealbreaker? Hell no. Med schools (at least here in the states) love upward trends and seeing applicants who stepped up to the plate to overcome adversity, and that includes academic adversity. You are definitely right in that the path ahead of you is thorny, however, the first point to correcting any mistake is recognizing that you made one. The inadequacy you're feeling is proof of the fact that you want to do better, and you know that you are capable of more. Also a quick aside: fun fact about me- I came into uni with med school not even remotely on my radar. I came in as an English major and wanted to teach creative writing at the university level.

I tell you this because the difficult science classes do not come easy to me either; however, I will be applying this cycle with a 3.96 cGPA and a 3.93 sGPA. Even for those of us not naturally gifted, it IS undoubtedly possible. I've left so many of my "smarter" and "scientifically inclined" premed colleagues in the dust because of my work ethic and study habits. Succeeding in these classes is all about understanding the concept from every possible angle, and you achieve this through mindful repetition and diligent practice. I've seen so many of my peers, that when they do a practice exam for an upcoming test, they'll do a question, get an answer wrong, and then look at their computer where the answer is all worked out and say "oh cool, that makes sense" and then move on. NO! This is not how you study anything, especially science. WHY did you miss that question? WHERE was your conceptual understanding lacking? Understand those holes and fill them. Then, do the same thing with the next question. And the next. Do this for the whole test. Then, find another practice test. If your prof didn't provide practice questions, go online and find some. That sounds exhausting, right? It's much harder than the aforementioned method most people use. But that's how people like us win this game. I'm not going to claim to know how you study, but this way of studying is incredibly effective and I promise you it will get you the results you want. Before you know it, you'll start getting those As in ochem, physics, and more. And then if you keep at it, you'll knock the MCAT out of the park. You've got an uphill battle ahead for sure, but I believe in you, and you can do it.

Finally, keep your chin up. Your journey as a premed, med student, intern, resident, and eventually attending are going to be filled with challenges that will dampen your spirits. Whenever I find myself getting overwhelmed, I tell myself that the hallmark of a true physician is how he/she/they respond when the chips are down and they have to do what is right by their patient. If this is the career you want, you've got a long way to go, and plenty more adversity to face along the way, that's a promise. But you can do it. In the words of Coach Taylor, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." Knock 'em dead champ.

Thank you so much for your reply!

 

[HouseJC]

Yes, as OP said above, rather than focusing on (and freaking out) about the past, see WHY you made the mistakes and learn from it. Think of this experience as a trial by fire to optimize your study strategies, so when you do get to med school, you will be more prepared. There are some credible sources and videos (like Med School Insiders where they go over different studying techniques), so maybe try those out?

Make a pros/cons chart of your current strategies and the fix the cons:
1. Con is "X" --> resource/strategies to improve "X" --> did it work? Yes, no? --> Yes, great! (move on), No, don't worry (try again)

 

[KnightDoc]

P.S One of my profs contacted yesterday, after a month our grades have been released, saying he accidentally gave me an A instead of B. While I don’t want to get a grade I don’t deserve, it really messed me up mentally, after I spent so much trying to get over my grades. He is waiting for my response, I would appreciate anyone’s input on that too.

What response is expected or required? What choice do you have that involves you receiving a grade you don't deserve? What happens if you don't respond? It sounds like he just told you he made a mistake and that your A was going to be changed to a B. Is there more?

 

[intmedhopeful]

What response is expected or required? What choice do you have that involves you receiving a grade you don't deserve? What happens if you don't respond? It sounds like he just told you he made a mistake and that your A was going to be changed to a B. Is there more?

I understand. I just found it cruel. Please, no need to get angry.

 

[KnightDoc]

I understand. I just found it cruel. Please, no need to get angry.

No anger -- I was just trying to help and thought you neglected to mention something that we could help you with. You said he was waiting for a response and you were asking for input.