Have I Dug Myself in a REALLY deep hole?

[CoffeeAddict99]

Hi,

So I am a incoming Sophomore and I think I’ve really shot myself in the foot. The past year was rough for me emotionally and physically (i did not address my mental health issues- until now- and joined the wrong crowd). I ended my freshman year with a C/C+ in Gen Chem, and took Ochem over the summer with a C in Orgo 1 and a W for Orgo 2. My current GPA is floating around a 3.2 and science 2.7. Right now I’m taking a sabbatical to really focus on myself, but I want to know if this is the end of my medical dreams.

Other pertinent info about me is that I am Asian and because of that people have said that there really is no hope with my grades.

Any honest feedback is much appreciated.

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[Goro]

Read my post on premed renvention

 

[gyngyn]

Hi,

Other pertinent info about me is that I am Asian and because of that there really is no hope with my grades.

Your approach to the material has to change.
Your self perception must also improve.

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

Your approach to the material has to change.
Your self perception must also improve.

Oh I think I should have clarified. People have told me that if you are Asian with grades like mine, there is no hope. It’s hard to envision a future in medicine when you are told such things.

 

[gyngyn]

Oh I think I should have clarified. People have told me that if you are Asian with grades like mine, there is no hope. It’s hard to envision a future in medicine when you are told such things.

No. Grades at application like these are not consistent with success for the large majority of all applicants.
Luckily, you have plenty of time to address the deficit such that your grades at application are acceptable.

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

No. Grades at application like these are not consistent with success for the large majority of all applicants.
Luckily, you have plenty of time to address the deficit such that your grades at application are acceptable.

Thank you! I am trying to change my ways by taking some time off, but hopefully things turn around.

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

Read my post on premed renvention

Am I at the point where a post-bacc is necessary? I am willing to do that if necessary, but i am trying to avoid that due to the expenses.

 

[Goro]

Am I at the point where a post-bacc is necessary? I am willing to do that if necessary, but i am trying to avoid that due to the expenses.

My apologies...didn't note that you were a sophomore. You need to ace everything from now on. Nike swoosh-shapes GPA trends are always good.

 

[capt34500]

As others have said, I think you just need some "premed reinvention" and Goro's post is an excellent guide. If you're looking for additional advice, this video really helped me out after making some academic mistakes during my freshman year.



Best of luck next semester/quarter! Learn from your mistakes and work hard to achieve your goals.

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

As others have said, I think you just need some "premed reinvention" and Goro's post is an excellent guide. If you're looking for additional advice, this video really helped me out after making some academic mistakes during my freshman year.



Best of luck next semester/quarter! Learn from your mistakes and work hard to achieve your goals.

Thank you for this video! It definitely made my spirits go up, despite knowing that I have a major uphill battle against me. Would it be ok if you elaborate on your freshman year experience, how you improved from there, and where you are right now? What did you learn from that experience and do you feel like those failures ultimately benefited you?

 

[capt34500]

Thank you for this video! It definitely made my spirits go up, despite knowing that I have a major uphill battle against me.

I'm glad to hear that your spirit has gone up! Try to use that high spirit as a driving force for your goals next semester.

Would it be ok if you elaborate on your freshman year experience, how you improved from there, and where you are right now? What did you learn from that experience and do you feel like those failures ultimately benefited you?

My story is probably one that many students can relate to on some level: I failed an exam (specifically my Chemistry II exam) and thought that my life was over. I don't think I need to elaborate any further but if you want the full story, just pm me. The important part is that I made a mistake and that I learned some valuable lessons from said mistake.

The first step was to identify all of my bad habits and to take immediate action if applicable. For me specifically:

1. I studied for exams from one resource, instead of studying from every available resource.
2. I would complete my homework, check my answers, and didn’t analyze why I would get some questions wrong.
3. After taking my thermodynamics practice exam, I was lenient towards small errors when grading. Instead, I realize that I need to treat every mathematical error equally and learn from it.
4. I didn’t take every extra credit opportunity that was offered because I thought that the small points don’t matter. They do.

I implemented the applicable changes into the remainder of that semester. To some, this is a way of life. But to me, it was tiring, taxing, and difficult because it was a different approach. It only becomes easier as those changes become good habits.

Thomas Frank said in that video, "Failure is inevitable" and I think that applies to every student. I still make mistakes in my lecture courses, research, and lab work. But for any mistake I make, there will always be lessons to learn.

One final advice is to take as much time you need to rest. You don't want to enter that school-year feeling all burnt out (for whatever reason). But in the end, the feeling of overcoming that "uphill battle" is absolutely worth any amount of time and effort.

 

[DokterMom]

Thank you! I am trying to change my ways by taking some time off, but hopefully things turn around.

Get your head right
"Things" will not turn [themselves] around. But YOU can turn them around. Taking some time off is a good start. Get your head right. Figure out what does and does not work well for you. Then try again.

I'd suggest you retake the classes you did poorly in because those particular courses are key pre-requisites. It's important that you thoroughly understand the material. Then keep your upward trend moving upward.

Do that and you've got a good story. But if you fail to turn things around, then yes, as an Asian student you will be at a disadvantage for medical school. So be sure you're ready before going back --

 

[Goro]

Thank you for this video! It definitely made my spirits go up, despite knowing that I have a major uphill battle against me. Would it be ok if you elaborate on your freshman year experience, how you improved from there, and where you are right now? What did you learn from that experience and do you feel like those failures ultimately benefited you?

Go visit your school's learning or education center for help with study tips, time mgt, test taking skills, etc.

 

[trobinsonmd]

sorry to hear about your troubles, but if you are committed enough, you still have a shot. You have to find out what went wrong wrt study habits, stop doing them, and find something that works for you. Like previous people have said, you absolutely must kill it from here on out... there is still time to raise your GPA, but another sub-par year like this is going to be insanely difficult to come back from

 

[Select All That Apply]

@CoffeeAddict99 Looks like you have a prioritization issue, more so than an irresponsibility issue. If C grades are a 2.0 and you got them all in Chemistry courses, then I'm inclined to think that you intentionally triaged them to the bottom of the concern pile and focused more on doing well on easier classes. This is consistent with your decision to withdraw from O. Chemistry II during the summer of your freshman year because O. Chem II tends to be the most time intensive of classes requiring you to section off time to read, digest, and apply the material. Spending more time on understanding the material themselves and how to perform specifically on your exams is more important that general advice you would find on YouTube. If you have trouble with understanding the general concepts quickly enough, I suggest buying baby Kline's Organic Chemistry II as a Second Language.

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

Get your head right
"Things" will not turn [themselves] around. But YOU can turn them around. Taking some time off is a good start. Get your head right. Figure out what does and does not work well for you. Then try again.

I'd suggest you retake the classes you did poorly in because those particular courses are key pre-requisites. It's important that you thoroughly understand the material. Then keep your upward trend moving upward.

Do that and you've got a good story. But if you fail to turn things around, then yes, as an Asian student you will be at a disadvantage for medical school. So be sure you're ready before going back --

Is it worth retaking the C’s since they still show up when I apply to med school? Do DO schools still use grade replacement?

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

@CoffeeAddict99 Looks like you have a prioritization issue, more so than an irresponsibility issue. If C grades are a 2.0 and you got them all in Chemistry courses, then I'm inclined to think that you intentionally triaged them to the bottom of the concern pile and focused more on doing well on easier classes. This is consistent with your decision to withdraw from O. Chemistry II during the summer of your freshman year because O. Chem II tends to be the most time intensive of classes requiring you to section off time to read, digest, and apply the material. Spending more time on understanding the material themselves and how to perform specifically on your exams is more important that general advice you would find on YouTube. If you have trouble with understanding the general concepts quickly enough, I suggest buying baby Kline's Organic Chemistry II as a Second Language.

Yes all my C courses are in the chemistry classes; however, I am registered in Bio at my school and I feel like I can do well in that class. When application time comes, will the fact that all my C’s are in chem deter ADCOMS even if I do well in the MCAT and ace my other classes?

 

[rdyotz]

DO does not do grade replacement any more. All grades ever earned will be used to calculate GPA. Therefore, do not retake a C, only C- and below in prereqs should be retaken. You have plenty of time to improve your GPA. My freshman year was around a 2.7, after my postbac I am around a 3.75. So you can improve.

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

DO does not do grade replacement any more. All grades ever earned will be used to calculate GPA. Therefore, do not retake a C, only C- and below in prereqs should be retaken. You have plenty of time to improve your GPA. My freshman year was around a 2.7, after my postbac I am around a 3.75. So you can improve.

If a do well in my other Pre-Med classes, is a post-bacc necessary?

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

If a do well in my other Pre-Med classes, is a post-bacc necessary?

BTW I am willing to apply the DO route as well.

 

[CoffeeAddict99]

sorry to hear about your troubles, but if you are committed enough, you still have a shot. You have to find out what went wrong wrt study habits, stop doing them, and find something that works for you. Like previous people have said, you absolutely must kill it from here on out... there is still time to raise your GPA, but another sub-par year like this is going to be insanely difficult to come back from

I heard that there are Master’s options (like in Touro-N.Y.), where good performance in that program can lead to an automatic acceptance into their Med School. Is that another option?

 

[DokterMom]

Is it worth retaking the C’s since they still show up when I apply to med school? Do DO schools still use grade replacement?

My suggestion to retake the course was to secure (and evidence) mastery over the material rather than 'glossing over' your earlier 'barely adequate' performance. It's part of your overall turnaround story, demonstrating that you do have the 'chops'

 

[candbgirl]

OP stop worrying about what’s going to happen in a few years. Get yourself together and start getting As. You must get As from this point on. I think the reason @DokterMom suggested retaking the Chem courses is because you obviously don’t understand the material well enough to move to higher level classes. And this lack of basic knowledge just might impact your MCAT score. But of course it’s up to you. You asked if ADCOMS Would care if all your Cs are in chem classes. Of course they will because those Cs will pull down your sGPA. What makes you think you are magically going to get all As in everything else? You might be able to turn this around but it’s not going to happen on its own. It will take years of hard work and commitment on your part. You also need top notch ECs. Perhaps during your leave of absence you could start investigating/doing some of those activities.
It’s good you are open to DO. Find a DO to shadow. You’ll need a letter for some DO schools. And as much as you don’t want a post bacc you might need one. Currently your GPAs are well below the average for admitted MD and DO students. But first things first. Get yourself together and get healthy.

 

[trobinsonmd]

I heard that there are Master’s options (like in Touro-N.Y.), where good performance in that program can lead to an automatic acceptance into their Med School. Is that another option?

Yes and no... they are definitely good options, but only if you can get into them. I know that there are several of these programs nationwide, but I think the NYMC program is tailored to students who are underrepresented in medicine. You could always do a postbac, either official or DIY, and that will also help your odds. First just focus on finishing up your bachelors with stellar grades and then worry about the postbac stuff when the time comes.

 

[Goro]

Is it worth retaking the C’s since they still show up when I apply to med school? Do DO schools still use grade replacement?

No and no