First year slip-up...sorry for thread redudancy.

[Punchap]

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First, I would really appreciate any help you have to offer...

My first year as an undergrad. is finished and I have a very poor science/math gpa to show for it. I have a non-science gpa of 3.85 and a science gpa (including math) of 2.25 (this grade includes a C in math, and evol. bio as well as a B in chem lab). I am definitely better than this. Due to personal circumstances this past year, I wasn't able to commit my mind to school. Now I am certain medicine is what I want to do and ready for go for it full-speed.

I have a couple of questions to ask you now. First, assuming I pull up my grades, are adcoms forgiving of first-year slip-ups? Second, have any of you experienced similar obstacles and if so, how'd you work through it? Should I retake my evol. bio class? The way my school is set up, we have three pre-med. bio. classes to take (evol., cells/proteins and micro.).

I would also appreciate any study tips and advice you have to offer someone in my position. Thanks...

 

[Punchap]

Please help. Bump.

 

[gujuDoc]

At USF the Director of Admissions of the college of medicine has always said that if you show a pattern of high grades afterwards, they'll look at upward trends.

Also, if you get a very good MCAT score, I'm sure they'll see that you are capable.

I know someone, whom got a very very very bad gpa in his first few years, and even with straight A's afterwards, his grades barely pulled up, but he had a above 95% MCAT and got accepted to medical school.

So yes there is some hope if you are still a freshmen.

Just do well from here on out and on the MCATs.

 

[Punchap]

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate all help..

 

[Medikit]

This is just you first year, I didn't get my act together until three years and two drop outs. The question you need to ask is why your science grades are so low. Are you distracted? Are you depressed? Ask yourself what you want, do you really want medical school? Are you willing to change your life in order to do better? Are you willing to spend less times with friends who may be a distraction?

Like I said, this is just your first year, right now it's really easy to repair your GPA, and if you keep it up the science classes start to become really fun half way through your second year. I hope this helps.

 

[samurai_lincoln]

You have a long time to fix to that BCMP gpa. Your stellar non-sci gpa shows that you have the potential to do so, you just have to commit yourself to better study habits in your core classes. Think positive: a couple years of 3.5+ work in these classes will bring you well above 3.0 science gpa. Plenty of people screw up all four years, but still get into med school.

I don't think retaking C grades is especially useful, unless you feel you are uprepared to move on to the next course. It would boost your gpa, however, averaging C & A = 3.0

 

[Punchap]

I appreciate your replies...

It's good to be reassured that the first-year isn't going to end things for me...To answer your question, I suppose the reason why my non-science gpa is so much higher than my science gpa is that I didn't have a strong science background out of high school. I never took chemistry or physics, only bio., geology and physiology. I'm paying for that scheduling mistake now...I have been reading-up on Chem. to prepare for this next semester. I hope I can get over this hump and be at the right level in a year or so.

If anyone has any study tips or advice on how to stay motivated, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[Medikit]

Punchap, just remember one thing: Try to understand, don't memorize.

 

[Csv321]

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you dedicate yourself now, you will be fine. My premed advisor has always told me that if you show an upward trend in grades, then that looks good. Also, if medicine is something you really want, then it'll show. I know someone who's taking the second semester of ochem for the 3rd or 4th time. She does fine in all her other classes and she sees the concepts and mechanisms, but for some reason, she just doesn't do well on the tests but she's still trying. Poor thing...no one has the heart to tell her that although she's showing she's dedicated and determined, taking ochem 4 times might not look that great on the application.

I lost my train of thought....

Oh yeah...it's only your first year and if you do well in the rest of your classes, then your gpa will go up a lot. I personally started off with a 2.7 science gpa my freshman year (I didn't quite get organismal biology and my teacher was a jerk). I just finished my third year and it's now at a 3.77 I think. So don't fret.... 😀

Good luck!

 

[Punchap]

Thanks again. I really appreciate your encouragement.

 

[Giving My .02]

Punchap:

Your science GPA is really low, but you know that. You have a chance, but you need to average by your application at least a 3.5 to 3.7 Science GPA. I don't know where you are from, so this GPA varies from state to state, and what medical schools you might apply to. I was a TA for the biology department at my undergrad, and taught general biology labs as well as two other classes. I see people like you all the time. If I had to guess, you probably had a really poor foundation in high school with the sciences. I have students that either struggle with the first year, and surpass their classmates in the second year once they have been able to catch up and grasp the material. Or, they continue to struggle and eventually drop out. The only reason I am troubled with you doing the second is that you never said the second semester got easier for you. My suggestion is for you to do what you said you were going to do. Give it all you got this fall from day one to the last day. If your GPA is less than a 3.5 in the sciences think twice, if not continue going and realize that not everyone is on the same playing field that first year, and you used it to catch yourself up. And like Medikit said: UNDERSTAND is the key.

 

[i77ac]

Things happen in life that you cannot control. Just do better, like you said you would. You will be fine.

 

[kaikai128]

Also, OP...
I started off with grades much lower than I had hoped. What helped me, was taking my second year kinda easy. I dropped back on credit hours and really focused on better study habits. I realize now, that I was simply overextended, had really bad time management, and very poor study skills. Even if it means having to take a summer class, maybe stretch your harder science classes out a bit so you can focus on fewer things at a time...you can do it!

 

[Punchap]

Thanks again everyone.