Freshmen Year GPA at SDSU

[shawshankredemption]

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Hi, I'm a Freshman at SDSU and I just finished my first semester there. I'm in the university honors program, and due to that I have to earn a minor in a discipline not in the same college as my primary reason, that's why I have accounting and statistics courses. I'm worried that my GPA will be too low for medical school. I'm finishing the semester with a 3.61 GPA. My course-by-course grade is as follows:

Principles of Cellular Molecular Biology: A (3 Units)
Statistics and Data Analysis: A- (3 Units)
Biology Lab: A- (1 unit)
Rhetoric Writing Systems: B+ (3 Units)
Principles of Financial Accouting: A- (3 Units)
Honors Orientation: A (1 Unit)

Is there no way for me to get into medical school now? I feel as if going to a CSU also doesn't help my chances of getting into medical school because they are not seen as rigorous as UC schools. If I maintain a 3.8+ gpa through the rest of college, will I have a chance of attending a top 25 medical school?

 

[Lucca]

Hi, I'm a Freshman at SDSU and I just finished my first semester there. I'm in the university honors program, and due to that I have to earn a minor in a discipline not in the same college as my primary reason, that's why I have accounting and statistics courses. I'm worried that my GPA will be too low for medical school. I'm finishing the semester with a 3.61 GPA. My course-by-course grade is as follows:

Principles of Cellular Molecular Biology: A (3 Units)
Statistics and Data Analysis: A- (3 Units)
Biology Lab: A- (1 unit)
Rhetoric Writing Systems: B+ (3 Units)
Principles of Financial Accouting: A- (3 Units)
Honors Orientation: A (1 Unit)

Is there no way for me to get into medical school now? I feel as if going to a CSU also doesn't help my chances of getting into medical school because they are not seen as rigorous as UC schools. If I maintain a 3.8+ gpa through the rest of college, will I have a chance of attending a top 25 medical school?

1. Do you want to go to a top 25 medical school or a medical school? I have a feeling you are more concerned with the 'top 25' bit than the 'medicine' bit.

2. You are fine, 3.61 as a first semester freshman is totally fine. You did well in your science classes. Figure out why you did not perform as well as you would have liked in your other courses and then correct those problems in future semesters.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Uh, you're definitely still in the running for an MD school. Whether or not you have a chance at a highly competitive school depends on how the rest of your college years go + your MCAT score + your ECs + your essays + like a billion other things.

All we really have is your GPA and courseload from one semester of college. That's at the very most 1/6th of your GPA you will be using to apply to med school with. Keep your cool, raise your GPA a bit, and you'll be totally fine.

Edit: How do you have a 3.61? If A- is a 3.7 and B+ is a 3.3, you should be at a 3.7. If your A- is a 3.67 and your B+ is a 3.33, you should still have a 3.69. Am I missing something here?

 

[shawshankredemption]

Thanks for the replies guys, I would be happy going to any medical school. I'm just worried that since I'm coming from a CSU, Med Schools will take my GPA with a grain of salt no matter how good it is. Do you think being in the Honors Program will help me during the admissions cycle?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Thanks for the replies guys, I would be happy going to any medical school. I'm just worried that since I'm coming from a CSU, Med Schools will take my GPA with a grain of salt no matter how good it is. Do you think being in the Honors Program will help me during the admissions cycle?

Your undergrad will not hurt you, so don't worry about that, but you don't have a buffer zone like you might at some other schools, so make sure your GPA stays in good shape. Can't comment on the Honors program, but my guess would be no (though I could be completely wrong on that since my school doesn't have an Honors program).

 

[shawshankredemption]

Edit: How do you have a 3.61? If A- is a 3.7 and B+ is a 3.3, you should be at a 3.7. If your A- is a 3.67 and your B+ is a 3.33, you should still have a 3.69. Am I missing something here?[/QUOTE]

3.61 is my worst-case scenario GPA cause some of my grades haven't been finalized. The grade I put up are what I expect to get, but I'm not 100% sure I can get it.

 

[Lucca]

Thanks for the replies guys, I would be happy going to any medical school. I'm just worried that since I'm coming from a CSU, Med Schools will take my GPA with a grain of salt no matter how good it is. Do you think being in the Honors Program will help me during the admissions cycle?

No, there are only a very few schools were the student population is largely homogeneous from an undergrad stand-point. Most schools this will hardly be a factor at all, I imagine.

 

[shawshankredemption]

Uh, you're definitely still in the running for an MD school. Whether or not you have a chance at a highly competitive school depends on how the rest of your college years go + your MCAT score + your ECs + your essays + like a billion other things.

All we really have is your GPA and courseload from one semester of college. That's at the very most 1/6th of your GPA you will be using to apply to med school with. Keep your cool, raise your GPA a bit, and you'll be totally fine.

Edit: How do you have a 3.61? If A- is a 3.7 and B+ is a 3.3, you should be at a 3.7. If your A- is a 3.67 and your B+ is a 3.33, you should still have a 3.69. Am I missing something here?

I just found out that I missed out an A- in my stats class by .4%, and I missed an A- in my accounting class by .2%. I wasn't expecting this to happen at all, but now my GPA is around a 3.4-3.5. Do you still think I have a chance at medical school? Cause at this point, I've kind of lost all hope to be honest....

 

[shawshankredemption]

No, there are only a very few schools were the student population is largely homogeneous from an undergrad stand-point. Most schools this will hardly be a factor at all, I imagine.

Are you talking about the undergraduate institution, or being in the honors program?

 

[Mr.Zero]

I just found out that I missed out an A- in my stats class by .4%, and I missed an A- in my accounting class by .2%. I wasn't expecting this to happen at all, but now my GPA is around a 3.4-3.5. Do you still think I have a chance at medical school? Cause at this point, I've kind of lost all hope to be honest....

This is only your first semester...

 

[looncat]

I just found out that I missed out an A- in my stats class by .4%, and I missed an A- in my accounting class by .2%. I wasn't expecting this to happen at all, but now my GPA is around a 3.4-3.5. Do you still think I have a chance at medical school? Cause at this point, I've kind of lost all hope to be honest....

Are you serious? If you are then you're clearly not cut out for this; "at this point" is 1/8 of your college years, it's pretty ridiculous to think you can't bring your gpa up.

 

[shawshankredemption]

This is only your first semester...

I'm worried that even if I average a 3.8 GPA from here on out, I will get around a 3.7 GPA by the time I apply. And, because it gets harder to get into medical school every year, I won't be able to be a competitive applicant with that GPA.

 

[Mr.Zero]

A 3.7 will still be competitive. Besides, there is much more to the admissions process than just your GPA such as the mcat, ECs, and the interview.

 

[partypantss]

you can do the math... adter ONE semes

I'm worried that even if I average a 3.8 GPA from here on out, I will get around a 3.7 GPA by the time I apply. And, because it gets harder to get into medical school every year, I won't be able to be a competitive applicant with that GPA.

You can do the math.. after ONE semester of 3.4-3.5 you can still get a 3.8+.. I got a 3.05 my first semester and now I'm sitting at around a 3.7, and it should be closer to a 3.8 by the time I graduate.. What are you talking about?

Edit: I should add that even a few years from now, a 3.7 will be FINE as long as the rest of your app is also up to snuff.. Yes, it generally gets more competitive every year, but the difference between a 3.7 and a 3.8 is generally considered very minimal. A 3.7 and a 33 MCAT is a fully competitive applicant that certainly wont be held back by their grades for mid tier medical schools... You are seriously overreacting..

The only negative thing I see is the fact that you are talking about giving up already after one mediocre semester..

 

[hellanutella]

1. Just going to echo what other people have said in this thread... a 3.4-3.5 first semester GPA is totally fine. Hell, some people are accepted to medical school with a sub-3.4 cumulative GPA. It can take a while to establish a study plan and get comfortable with college, so I'd wager that a GPA dip in your freshman year is completely understandable.

2. In the admissions game, coming from a CSU vs. a UC will not have a significant impact. Some schools might get sniffy about it, but the (vast) majority won't. I graduated from a CSU (which was lower ranked than SD State) and got to interview alongside the big dogs. I will add, however, that CSU schools typically have fewer well-established premed programs so you may have to venture off campus and/or hit up UCSD for such opportunities. You'll really have to be proactive to succeed. Also: nobody seemed to care that I was in the honours program. Find things you love, excel in them, and your application will speak for itself.

3. You are doing perfectly fine. Stop. Relax. Take a deep breath. It's going to be okay. Had you flunked all your classes or eeked through with straight Ds, then you'd have a problem. But As and Bs? That's golden. I'd be willing to bet that there are loads of SD State kids who would kill for your first semester grades. Your grades imply that you know how to study and have the drive... now you just have to casually fiddle around with your study methods to find how you can bump those Bs to As. This just takes time and it's not a pressing issue.

 

[shawshankredemption]

1. Just going to echo what other people have said in this thread... a 3.4-3.5 first semester GPA is totally fine. Hell, some people are accepted to medical school with a sub-3.4 cumulative GPA. It can take a while to establish a study plan and get comfortable with college, so I'd wager that a GPA dip in your freshman year is completely understandable.

2. In the admissions game, coming from a CSU vs. a UC will not have a significant impact. Some schools might get sniffy about it, but the (vast) majority won't. I graduated from a CSU (which was lower ranked than SD State) and got to interview alongside the big dogs. I will add, however, that CSU schools typically have fewer well-established premed programs so you may have to venture off campus and/or hit up UCSD for such opportunities. You'll really have to be proactive to succeed. Also: nobody seemed to care that I was in the honours program. Find things you love, excel in them, and your application will speak for itself.

3. You are doing perfectly fine. Stop. Relax. Take a deep breath. It's going to be okay. Had you flunked all your classes or eeked through with straight Ds, then you'd have a problem. But As and Bs? That's golden. I'd be willing to bet that there are loads of SD State kids who would kill for your first semester grades. Your grades imply that you know how to study and have the drive... now you just have to casually fiddle around with your study methods to find how you can bump those Bs to As. This just takes time and it's not a pressing issue.

If you don't mind me asking, what was your GPA and MCAT score? I just want to know what kind of scores I should aim for to have a chance of being accepted into an MD school.

 

[partypantss]

If you don't mind me asking, what was your GPA and MCAT score? I just want to know what kind of scores I should aim for to have a chance of being accepted into an MD school.

A N=1 sample is not going to be very helpful for you, it's a better idea to look up the numbers.. For example this is useful data that a lot of people around here use that shows your chances of getting in somewhere based on race, gpa and mcat: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...e-who-applied-with-your-cgpa-and-mcat.888650/

Also the AAMC web sight has useful statistics, google "AAMC table 24" and pick your race, and it will show the percentage of applicants accepted by GPA/ MCAT ranges for this most recent cycle..

Don't go off of a couple random peoples numbers, look at the actual statistics...

 

[Lucca]

Are you talking about the undergraduate institution, or being in the honors program?

Both. The honors program (I assume) is still a factor because it probably opens a lot of doors for you on campus you may have not already had or that average students dont have available to them. However, most adcoms are probably indifferent.

 

[shawshankredemption]

A N=1 sample is not going to be very helpful for you, it's a better idea to look up the numbers.. For example this is useful data that a lot of people around here use that shows your chances of getting in somewhere based on race, gpa and mcat: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...e-who-applied-with-your-cgpa-and-mcat.888650/

Also the AAMC web sight has useful statistics, google "AAMC table 24" and pick your race, and it will show the percentage of applicants accepted by GPA/ MCAT ranges for this most recent cycle..

Don't go off of a couple random peoples numbers, look at the actual statistics...

Thank you for the link, my good sir. 🙂

 

[shawshankredemption]

Both. The honors program (I assume) is still a factor because it probably opens a lot of doors for you on campus you may have not already had or that average students dont have available to them. However, most adcoms are probably indifferent.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well, because the honors program matched me into a research lab on campus that is only for honors students. I guess it's one of those things where I need to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to me -- being in the program is not enough in itself.

 

[Lucca]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well, because the honors program matched me into a research lab on campus that is only for honors students. I guess it's one of those things where I need to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to me -- being in the program is not enough in itself.

Precisely!

 

[cidem2065]

Thanks for the replies guys, I would be happy going to any medical school. I'm just worried that since I'm coming from a CSU, Med Schools will take my GPA with a grain of salt no matter how good it is. Do you think being in the Honors Program will help me during the admissions cycle?

I'd say drop the honors stuff if it's going to put an unnecessary drag on your GPA. You can get the research, grades, and any other EC's done without it and there are fewer program hoops to jump through. If an honors program is a factor at all in medical school admissions it's towards the very, very bottom.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well, because the honors program matched me into a research lab on campus that is only for honors students. I guess it's one of those things where I need to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to me -- being in the program is not enough in itself.

An admissions committee isn't going to care if it's a research lab or a research lab for honors students. Same goes for GPA where a 3.8 will beat out an honors program 3.6 every day of the week.

 

[FutureOncologist]

I just found out that I missed out an A- in my stats class by .4%, and I missed an A- in my accounting class by .2%. I wasn't expecting this to happen at all, but now my GPA is around a 3.4-3.5. Do you still think I have a chance at medical school? Cause at this point, I've kind of lost all hope to be honest....