Freshman Year Screw Up

[DrMaximus]

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Hey guys,

I'm technically a second year freshman & I really messed up my first year. Like to the tune of 2 C's in maths & I actually failed my chemistry class because I started out as an engineer & just didn't care. I'm retaking my chemistry & have an A now & also have an A in all my other classes this semester & plan to thus forth. I'm just afraid my freshman year is gonna kill me trying to get to med school.

I do Remote Area Medical expeditions frequently as a volunteer & am going to EMT Basic/IV school this summer, so I should have around 2 years experience in that by the time I apply. Also going to shadow as much as possible.

Think I'm going to have problems getting into school?😕

 

[Rawls87]

I hear the caribbean is warm year round

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I hear the caribbean is warm year round

that really is uncalled for...

honestly..
med schools like a upword trend
doing bad in your first year is going to affect you badly
it'll be a upword battle from now on
is it impossible to win? no
do i think you have a chance for med school if you work from now on? yes
the only thing that you have to ask yourself now is how bad you want to get into medical school and how much effort your going to put into it and your life to get in.
if you put your mind to it
anything can happen trust me
so work at it =D

 

[Ion1776]

You have plenty of time to fix your situation....

Just dont fail anymore classes, and try to avoid C's

 

[Ion1776]

I hear the caribbean is warm year round

You are not even a med student yet...

 

[DrMaximus]

Thanks alot, guys. I know it's going to be hard, but I really want this.

I just got a stupid 88 on my chemistry test today. Grr. But still got an A in the class. Time to study more!

But seriously, thank you two. It's easy to lose hope sometimes.

 

[PreMedHoya]

Hey man, I really bombed my freshman year too. For awhile, I thought I would never get into an American MD program. Fast forward to today; I have just been accepted to a top 20 medical school. If you want it (and believe in yourself), do whatever it takes. Get straight As, score an elite MCAT, and build ECs that are true to your passions. Ignore everyone who says you can't and make sacrifices. Good luck, it wont be easy

 

[loveoforganic]

An 'F' definitely hurts the GPA a LOT. If you turn around and get a few 3.75+ semesters in a row, it'd probably be worth attempting to retroactively withdraw from the class, depending on the policy of your university.

 

[fungusgirl011]

I remember freshman year being the hardest transition of my life. I managed to be okay with my grades, but don't worry, it all got easier for me as time passed.

 

[Stratego]

It would help to know your current GPA so we can see how much damage control will be needed. At the least, I'd predict you'll nned to finish senior year before applying. From here on out, you really can't afford to get less than an A- in any class.

The Remote Area Expeditions sounds like a very cool EC, especialy if you stick with it for two years. You're good to go there, at least.

 

[DrMaximus]

It's bad. Like a 2.31 or something. But the A in chem will replace the F after this semester, so that'll help a lot & i'm retaking one of my C classes this next semester. You guys think I should retake my C math classes, too?

 

[Stratego]

So, as an example (which may not be the same hours as your situation): if that 2.31 represents 30 credit hours, then

another 30 hours with straight As gets you to 3.15
after 60 hours with straight As, you're at 3.45
and after 90 hours added, you're at 3.57.

Then, with an MCAT score of 32-33, you're competitive.

The bad news is that AMCAS will figure your Fs back into the calculation of your GPA even if your school "forgives" them. But my calculation above allowed for that, so you're still good.

If you got a C in a prerequisite, repeat it.

For AMCAS repeating a class is the same as taking another class and getting the same grade (it is averaged in). For AACOMAS (DO) the repeated class replaces the original and the first grade doesn't go into the GPA calculation.

 

[DrMaximus]

Thanks alot, Stratego. That helps so much. Bad thing about this stupid history class I have is that I can only pull a B out of it. But I'll be alright, straight A's from here on out.

& I will retake Calculus because it is a prerequisite in some schools I'm looking at. I'm also going to start doing biomedical research this spring in the chemistry department. I'm doing all I can to get there.

So, I'll work with everything I have these next three years & we'll see what happens. 🙂

 

[DrMaximus]

Hey man, I really bombed my freshman year too. For awhile, I thought I would never get into an American MD program. Fast forward to today; I have just been accepted to a top 20 medical school. If you want it (and believe in yourself), do whatever it takes. Get straight As, score an elite MCAT, and build ECs that are true to your passions. Ignore everyone who says you can't and make sacrifices. Good luck, it wont be easy

& thanks for this, too, Hoya, that helps alot as well.

 

[Stratego]

Don't overdo it with the ECs and sabotage your GPA repair. Be sure your Principal Investigator doesn't expect too many hours per week doing research and will be flexible when tests come up or during finals. Some are very cooperative and understand that grades come first, but others are rigid and unreasonable and think their concerns get first priority.

You don't need that much shadowing. About 50-80 hours divided among three types of doctor is fine. If docs go along on your outreach trips and you stay with them mostly, that could count for some of the activity.

 

[DrMaximus]

Yeah, GPA sabotage is definitely not what I need right now.

I know I can do it though, all I have to do is work at it & stay focused on my dream.

 

[Stratego]

Good luck.

 

[alibai3ah]

Hey guys,

I'm technically a second year freshman & I really messed up my first year. Like to the tune of 2 C's in maths & I actually failed my chemistry class because I started out as an engineer & just didn't care. I'm retaking my chemistry & have an A now & also have an A in all my other classes this semester & plan to thus forth. I'm just afraid my freshman year is gonna kill me trying to get to med school.

I do Remote Area Medical expeditions frequently as a volunteer & am going to EMT Basic/IV school this summer, so I should have around 2 years experience in that by the time I apply. Also going to shadow as much as possible.

Think I'm going to have problems getting into school?😕

I have 4 C's my freshman year and no one has even cared. No one cares about your freshman year grades. As long as you show improvement and take upper division biology courses (and ace those), you are fine.

Don't listen to the Caribbean comment, that person has no idea what he's talking about.

 

[DrMaximus]

Yeah, I think that was a little uncalled for, but hey, it's all good. I have you guys who really care, & that's what matters.

 

[Rawls87]

You guys do realize it was a joke, right?

Maximus: Try using the SEARCH function and you will see there are ENDLESS threads on people who posted identical questions.
🙄

 

[Superman DO]

Hey guys,

I'm technically a second year freshman & I really messed up my first year. Like to the tune of 2 C's in maths & I actually failed my chemistry class because I started out as an engineer & just didn't care. I'm retaking my chemistry & have an A now & also have an A in all my other classes this semester & plan to thus forth. I'm just afraid my freshman year is gonna kill me trying to get to med school.

I do Remote Area Medical expeditions frequently as a volunteer & am going to EMT Basic/IV school this summer, so I should have around 2 years experience in that by the time I apply. Also going to shadow as much as possible.

Think I'm going to have problems getting into school?😕

This is quite embarrassing for me, but I at the end of my freshman year, I failed English, Calculus II and Chemistry twice. I made a C in Sociology. . .I think I had a 1.58 GPA when it was all said and done! Mostly because I was 18, enjoying my new freedom and did not care at all about my future. When I realized that what I wanted to do with my life and what I was meant for, I worked my ass off to get nothing but A's and a few B's in all my other classes. I just got accepted this app cycle! You have plenty of time to turn it all around, but it requires hard work and strong motivation. . .if you really want to become a doctor, then give it everything that you got. Good luck! =)