getting into med school with F's on undergrad transcript

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mm12345678910

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So I have always been a pretty good student (avg. 3.8-3.9 g.p.a.) but in the beginning of my sophomore year I had to work two separate jobs full time having to try to support my entire family for two consecutive quarters. I was so distraught and busy that I didn't really even understand my school's withdrawal policy and therefore received 4 F's and 1 D- within the span of two quarters. Since that atrocious time, I have gotten almost nothing but A's, and before doing grade forgiveness my g.p.a is at a 3.1 including those fails. I had good grades before and stellar grades after, but I do not know if I will be able to get into med school. I still have about 1.5-2 years left of school, and I am in a very cool clinical internship at a hospital as well. Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions? I have always been extremely passionate about becoming a doctor and will do whatever it takes.

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Have you tried speaking to the department chair or someone else at your school about your situation? Some schools may allow you to retroactively withdraw from those classes.
 
So I have always been a pretty good student (avg. 3.8-3.9 g.p.a.) but in the beginning of my sophomore year I had to work two separate jobs full time having to try to support my entire family for two consecutive quarters. I was so distraught and busy that I didn't really even understand my school's withdrawal policy and therefore received 4 F's and 1 D- within the span of two quarters. Since that atrocious time, I have gotten almost nothing but A's, and before doing grade forgiveness my g.p.a is at a 3.1 including those fails. I had good grades before and stellar grades after, but I do not know if I will be able to get into med school. I still have about 1.5-2 years left of school, and I am in a very cool clinical internship at a hospital as well. Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions? I have always been extremely passionate about becoming a doctor and will do whatever it takes.


I was homeless during my first year in college, racking up a couple of Fs. Then, I was not correctly withdrawn from two classes later down the pike, earning another F and a D. I still don't understand the D. I didn't turn anything in, or ever attend that class, even once. No idea how I ended up with even a marginally passing grade.

Anyhow, my GPA at that school was a lovely 1.37, though I had done quite well at subsequent institutions. I got in to my first choice DO school, with a 3.3ish cumulative, no grade replacement. The 37 MCAT probably helped. The absence of anything below a B on the rest of my transcripts probably helped as well, as did a strong clinical background, many hours of ECs and great letters.

Your application does not boil down to a set of numbers. You are more than your stats. Focus on doing well from here on in, be an interesting person who does cool stuff, and apply strategically. You haven't totally ruined your chances just because of a bad semester or two.
 
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