GPA after Rigorous Semester/Bereavement

[unknown117]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So after finishing my first semester as a Psychology and Pre-Med student and achieving a 3.8GPA with 17 units, I took a leave of absence away from college to spend time with my parent who was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. I was ten when originally diagnosed but by Christmas time 9 years later, we were told there weren't any options left. Taking the leave was the best decision to prevent any of my academics being influenced negatively, however, my first semester back was rough. I had focusing issues and everything seemed much harder than before. I took 14 units including Physics, Chemistry, and Calculus. So far, my GPA in that semester is 3.6-3.5. Is this normal to have this much difficulty after slowing losing a parent, followed by months without any academics, during the first semester back? Next semester I'm taking the same load but feeling much stronger it being nearly a year since the loss. My first semester back I became involved in alternative breaks, voted on the executive board as special events, took these rigorous courses, all the while dealing with the loss. This only being my second semester in college, should I be concerned that this could negatively affect my chances of being accepted to medical schools and remaining competitive? This is something I'm passionate about beyond words, not simply because some may think I have a vendetta against cancer. Any advice is welcome on further steps and ways to remain competitive and refocus on academics specifically.

 

[BluMist]

sorry for your loss, I can only somewhat imagine what you're going through.

1. 3.5 is not a significant drop from 3.8, especially if it is only one semester. Don't overthink it.
2. everyone handles grief differently, so you have to ask yourself honestly what is too much. I initially drowned myself in work and activities to deal with grief, so I was actually more productive for that year. Seems like you might be doing the same thing with many things on your plate. Eventually it did normalize for me, and I dropped off things gradually and actually dealt with the emotions instead of hiding and running from them.