How am I doing/What to do from here?

[Zabobinator]

Hey guys.

I just finished off my freshman year as a Microbiology major with a minor in Arabic. I had all As in Chem 2, Arabic 1&2, a social studies class and Bio 2. Unfortunately, I got two B pluses in Calc 1 and 2 and I had to drop organic chemistry (which I am retaking over the summer). I'm filing for a medical withdrawal (I need 8 weeks of physical therapy) from orgo but I predict my overall GPA will be around 3.7 or 3.8. I've been volunteering at the hospital and a center for pregnant teenagers. I'm going to start volunteering at the public library over the summer as well in addition to a position as a director in the AMSA chapter at my uni. Also, I was considering applying to volunteer at a local clinic for 5 hours a week.

I was wondering what you guys suggest I do to bulk up my application because it's certainly not impressive right now. I know I have a lot of time to get it together but I'm a little concerned, especially about the grades I got in Calculus, to be honest...

Thanks!

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[Catalystik]

Hey guys.

I just finished off my freshman year as a Microbiology major with a minor in Arabic. I had all As in Chem 2, Arabic 1&2, a social studies class and Bio 2. Unfortunately, I got two B pluses in Calc 1 and 2 and I had to drop organic chemistry (which I am retaking over the summer). I'm filing for a medical withdrawal (I need 8 weeks of physical therapy) from orgo but I predict my overall GPA will be around 3.7 or 3.8. I've been volunteering at the hospital and a center for pregnant teenagers. I'm going to start volunteering at the public library over the summer as well in addition to a position as a director in the AMSA chapter at my uni. Also, I was considering applying to volunteer at a local clinic for 5 hours a week.

I was wondering what you guys suggest I do to bulk up my application because it's certainly not impressive right now. I know I have a lot of time to get it together but I'm a little concerned, especially about the grades I got in Calculus, to be honest...

Thanks!

Research would be a nice addition. Eventually you'll need some physician shadowing, too.

 

[Zabobinator]

Thanks for the advice last time!

Just going to bump this up again. I'm applying to the Juniors Honors program at UF this spring, so I wanted to make sure that I am a competitive applicant.

I'm a sophomore and currently have a GPA of 3.82. I am a director in AMSA. I have continued volunteering at the hospital and I began shadowing a physician (for about 20 hours so far). I have a research position and have put in almost 100 hours thus far.

Another thing that I was curious about is the fact that I have the credits of a junior, meaning that I am a year ahead of my peers in terms of coursework. By the end of next semester, I will have completed all pre-med requirements. Does this give me an advantage at all, provided I keep up good grades?

Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

Another thing that I was curious about is the fact that I have the credits of a junior, meaning that I am a year ahead of my peers in terms of coursework. By the end of next semester, I will have completed all pre-med requirements. Does this give me an advantage at all, provided I keep up good grades?

You could save a year's tuition if you graduate a year early (but you might lose access to the ECs you need to make you competitive).

You can take the MCAT earlier if the prerequisites are complete (but be careful the score won't expire at schools where you plan to apply).

If you did it without AP or CLEP credit, med school adcomms like to see you carry a heavy academic load and succeed, but if you entered with a lot of credit from the HS years, some schools want you to take more advanced coursework to supplement it (which might be more difficult to get As in).

So there are pros and cons.

 

[Goro]

Seems like you doing fine. How about doing a stint with Habitat for Humanity? Or doing a medical mission overseas? Doing research is also something to think about.

Hey guys.

I just finished off my freshman year as a Microbiology major with a minor in Arabic. I had all As in Chem 2, Arabic 1&2, a social studies class and Bio 2. Unfortunately, I got two B pluses in Calc 1 and 2 and I had to drop organic chemistry (which I am retaking over the summer). I'm filing for a medical withdrawal (I need 8 weeks of physical therapy) from orgo but I predict my overall GPA will be around 3.7 or 3.8. I've been volunteering at the hospital and a center for pregnant teenagers. I'm going to start volunteering at the public library over the summer as well in addition to a position as a director in the AMSA chapter at my uni. Also, I was considering applying to volunteer at a local clinic for 5 hours a week.

I was wondering what you guys suggest I do to bulk up my application because it's certainly not impressive right now. I know I have a lot of time to get it together but I'm a little concerned, especially about the grades I got in Calculus, to be honest...

Thanks!

 

[Anathema]

Hey guys.

I just finished off my freshman year as a Microbiology major with a minor in Arabic. I had all As in Chem 2, Arabic 1&2, a social studies class and Bio 2. Unfortunately, I got two B pluses in Calc 1 and 2 and I had to drop organic chemistry (which I am retaking over the summer). I'm filing for a medical withdrawal (I need 8 weeks of physical therapy) from orgo but I predict my overall GPA will be around 3.7 or 3.8. I've been volunteering at the hospital and a center for pregnant teenagers. I'm going to start volunteering at the public library over the summer as well in addition to a position as a director in the AMSA chapter at my uni. Also, I was considering applying to volunteer at a local clinic for 5 hours a week.

I was wondering what you guys suggest I do to bulk up my application because it's certainly not impressive right now. I know I have a lot of time to get it together but I'm a little concerned, especially about the grades I got in Calculus, to be honest...

Thanks!

Ugh I hated Arabic but good on you. If you can hit the GPA you mentioned you'll be great along with a good MCAT score. How many credits were the Calc classes? Did they lead to a big drop in your cGPA?

Your ECs seem pretty good, the public library sounds cool too. I'd say keep up with those things as much as you can. Besides, you're still young and have plenty of time to beef up your app.

 

[Zabobinator]

Thanks for the advice, guys!

Anathema, my calc classses were 4 credits each, so they are what caused the drops in my GPA. I have gotten all As otherwise (one A-).

Just yesterday I found out that I also got a TA position for a lab, so that's pretty exciting too!

 

[Zabobinator]

Hey guys. So I'm almost done with my sophomore year and physics killed me, GPA wise. I got A-s in both Physics 1 and Physics 2, which isn't a bad grade, but it lowers my GPA by a lot. I have a c GPA of 3.83 and BCPM of 3.63, which is a lot lower than I would have liked. I've been keeping up with research and got a scholarship to do research over the summer, I am a TA for a microbiology lab, I have a steady leadership position, I'm currently shadowing a physician and I have kept up with volunteering at the hospital here. What should I do from here on out? I'm nervous about my BCPM GPA because I was hoping to apply to some higher tier schools but I don't think that's a good idea now. Thanks!