Freshman Rant about GPA+future

[yodudedudeyo]

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So I'm currently a Freshman (soon to be Sophomore in the fall) taking Spring Term classes. I've already taken 6 prereqs, and am currently taking a Intro. to Cellular Bio class right now. It seems as if no matter how hard I try in my current Bio class, I always end up with a bad grade. I'm currently sitting on a B- right now with one more exam before the semester ends. Personally, I think the professor is horrible and the exams are the most poorly written exams I've ever taken, but if other people can do fine on them, I can't use it as an excuse.

My GPA is low now (3.35 overall, around 3.0 science) and I just don't know if I'll be able to pull it up high enough before the end of junior year. I've already taken a ton of my prereqs, so my science GPA can't improve much and even when I take my upper level science classes I doubt I can ace those if I can barely do well in my intro science prereqs.

Here is the Breakdown of my prereq grades:
1st (Fall) Semester:
Calc 1: B-
Intro to Bio (Ecology, Evolution): B-
2nd (Winter) Semester:
Gen. Chem: B
Gen. Chem Lab: B-
Physics I: A-
Physics I Lab: A-

Again, I'm looking at a B- in Bio for my third semester. I mean right off the bat, all of these Bs and B-s definitely don't look good.
I'm a nonscience major at the University of Michigan. I guess I'm just fishing for fellow SDNers who had a mediocre Freshman year who have gotten into Med school right out of undergrad (I do NOT want to spend more time after undergrad doing post-bacc or masters work--more time and money that I dont have). After this semester, my science GPA might even dip to a 2.9

 

[neuroscientist]

Hey at least you're not one of those freshman who party away their entire year and end up with a 2.0 or worse! I think that it may take a little bit for you to get completely used to the college scene, classes, ways professors test/grade, etc. If you don't like the science material, maybe you should reevaluate your desire to go into medicine. Overall, though, I wouldn't worry. Your freshman year is important, but it is by no means a single determinant on whether or not you'll make it to med school. Just give yourself a self-evaluation and try and figure out exactly what you can improve on in order to perform better on tests. Just my thoughts. Good luck!

 

[coldweatherblue]

just remember that only a quarter of your undergrad career is through so you still have three years left to get A's and raise your GPA. Average a 3.7 the rest of the way and you'll have a decent GPA (3.5ish).

So much of your work is still ahead of you that it's impossible to lose hope now; you just gotta identify the changes you need to make to get the grades you want and use self-discipline to stick to your plan. Easier said than done.

 

[chessknt]

Alternatively you could see this as a wake up call that science is not necessarily your forte and instead of blindly pursuing medicine, ask yourself what you actually want to do for the rest of your life.

 

[yodudedudeyo]

bump, there has to be someone out there who was in my situation?!

 

[pianola]

My entirely unoriginal advice is to do well on the MCAT and then your pre-req grades won't matter so much.

Alternatively, find the cure for AIDS.

Also, your grades really aren't so terrible...they're not amazing, but you have avoided Cs which really has to count for something.

 

[cwfergus]

Just keep trying man.

I personally after first semester felt horrible! nausious actually. This was my break down:

English: B-
Chem I: B+
Calc I: A-
Evo Bio: B+
Physics I: B+

Now when i got back after first semester, i just worked my ass off, found waht worked for me. thats the biggest thing about university. LEARN to study right. whether it is memorize/understand the book not just the notes. maybe write your own notes? just whatever works for you. well i found what worked for me and this was my second breakdown

English: B
Chem II: A+
Calc II: A
Cell Bio: A
Physics II: A

Of course i suck at english as you can see and find it very difficult. but i surely found my way through the sciences

just work hard is all i can advise

 

[nogolfinsnow]

OP, freshman year of college is hard, especially if you're putting extra pressure on yourself. I had a 2.8 freshman year, had no clue I wanted to go into medicine, and thus my science GPA was actually under 2.8 because I got a couple Cs in calculus and Bs and B- in physics. As well, there is no rule you have to apply after your junior year. If you wait until after your senior year, you've given yourself a whole extra year to increase your GPA. And you can spend that year off doing some cool EC and enjoying life for a few months before the craziness really begins. Please try and enjoy college. It is possible to have a little fun and do ok in school also. Don't take killer classes all the time, you'll be fine.

 

[HumidBeing]

There are people who have been in your situation and succeeded. Evaluate the way you are studying for the class you're in right now. Just because you've always studying in a particular way, doesn't mean that it works best for you. Are you pre-reading the material? How are your note-taking skills? Have you ever tried study groups or teaming up with someone else to ask each other question? What types of questions have been tripping you up?

Somewhere along the line you might be able to squeeze in an astronomy course, or other science courses that aren't aimed at science majors. Classes like those may help raise your BCMP.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I had a 3.2 my freshman year and proceeded to bomb most of my sophomore year thanks to a bunch of different issues. I definitely beat the odds to get an acceptance, but you're definitely not buried with a 3.35. Figure out what you're doing wrong, and correct it. No worries.

 

[BlitzSleep]

bump, there has to be someone out there who was in my situation?!

I was in your situation a while back. If you're smart, it'll open your eyes to strive for better and to study more efficiently. Show a rising trend and you'll be set. Good luck.