How many B's are safe for premed courses? What do you think of my record so far?

[Chill Dude]

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So I started community college in 2009 and am about to transfer to one of the UC schools here in California for the Fall of 2011. I RECENTLY decided I wanted to be a doctor but so far, I think I may have too many B's in premed classes already. I took some of them not really knowing if I would do medicine.

What I really want to know is, how many premed class B's do you think is really safe for admission to med school? Do you have any experience you could share with me about the B's you got and how it affected your admissions? These are also B's in a community college so this might look a bit bad.

Also, can you judge me on my record so far (semester system) and tell me what I really need to do to make it better once I transfer. I took:

Premed:
-CHEM-1: B
-Engineering Physics 1 (mechanics): B
-Calculus 1: A
-Calculus 2: B
-English 1: B
-English 2: A

Non Premed:
-Intermediate Algebra: A
-Trigonometry: A
-Intro to Chem: A
-Precalculus: A
-World Religions: A
-Calculus 3: B
-Linear Algebra: A
-General Psychology: A
-Class Piano: A
-Class Guitar: A
-French 1: B

Courses I am taking this semester:
-Biology 1: Just aced the first midterm!
-Engineering Physics 2 (electricity and magnetism)
-Differential Equations

This leaves me at a 3.52 transferable UC gpa. REMEMBER, this is all community college work so far!!

 

[ozzi22]

So I started community college in 2009 and am about to transfer to one of the UC schools here in California for the Fall of 2011. I RECENTLY decided I wanted to be a doctor but so far, I think I may have too many B's in premed classes already. I took some of them not really knowing if I would do medicine.

What I really want to know is, how many premed class B's do you think is really safe for admission to med school? Do you have any experience you could share with me about the B's you got and how it affected your admissions? These are also B's in a community college so this might look a bit bad.

Also, can you judge me on my record so far (semester system) and tell me what I really need to do to make it better once I transfer. I took:

Premed:
-CHEM-1: B
-Engineering Physics 1 (mechanics): B
-Calculus 1: A
-Calculus 2: B
-English 1: B
-English 2: A

Non Premed:
-Intermediate Algebra: A
-Trigonometry: A
-Intro to Chem: A
-Precalculus: A
-World Religions: A
-Calculus 3: B
-Linear Algebra: A
-General Psychology: A
-Class Piano: A
-Class Guitar: A
-French 1: B

Courses I am taking this semester:
-Biology 1: Just aced the first midterm!
-Engineering Physics 2 (electricity and magnetism)
-Differential Equations

This leaves me at a 3.52 transferable UC gpa. REMEMBER, this is all community college work so far!!

its all good but you are going to have to do well when you transfer. i mean, you have to like raise your gpa to 3.7 if you are considering getting into med school in California. good luck.

 

[RelicLTD]

Don't dwell too much on your past. Do the very best you can NOW. Getting the best possible grades you can will never hurt you, regardless of your career choice.

I got in with 8 W's, and a few B's on the front end of my application, so I would say that no doors are closed for you.

Don't obsess over what can't be changed.

 

[Chill Dude]

Yeah, I figured it would require a bit more work to get on par with the rest of my competition. I'm really not looking to try California medical school though unless it were UCSF but chances of getting there are wayyy slim. I'm more interested in places like NY or Massachussets or Pennsylvania or Rhode Island. I'm not so much worried about the grade being B's as much the grades being a community college B's.

 

[RelicLTD]

If you do very well from here on out, I doubt they would even be MENTIONED in interviews.

Do the best you can NOW. Do well in your future classes. Do well on the MCAT. Start putting together some EC's.

Hypothetically, if the Community College B's are the only weakness you can find in your app, you would be in EXCELLENT shape.

 

[Chill Dude]

Any personal experiences you guys could share about what the process was like? How many interviews you got with how many premed B's you had? Were excess premed B's ever mentioned or the fact that any of them were during your time in community college if you attended there beforehand?

The good thing about community college in California is that the tuition is $26 per unit! The government practically pays me thousands in cash just for going to school. How could I resist this offer of skipping 2 years of university 🙂

 

[ozzi22]

Yeah, I figured it would require a bit more work to get on par with the rest of my competition. I'm really not looking to try California medical school though unless it were UCSF but chances of getting there are wayyy slim. I'm more interested in places like NY or Massachussets or Pennsylvania or Rhode Island. I'm not so much worried about the grade being B's as much the grades being a community college B's.

it doesn't matter if you do well in upper level courses at the university

 

[Chill Dude]

as far as EC's go:

-I had a summer bio-Physics internship at UCR last year for 2 months.
-I teach at a weekend religion school
-I'm in the Clinical Care Extender Internship program at my local hospital and should be done with 250 hrs and a letter of rec by july before i move away for university. I've even won 2 awards in my time at Radiology.

So far EC's look fine and MCATs will probably wait another year and a half 🙂

 

[Chill Dude]

it doesn't matter if you do well in upper level courses at the university

What do you mean by that?

 

[ozzi22]

What do you mean by that?

sorry, i was typing too fast. i meant, that if you do well in your upper level classes, then you are solid.🙂

 

[Geneticist]

A 3.52 from a CC? Ouch. You're fighting an uphill battle if you want to get into a CA medical school...

 

[Chill Dude]

A 3.52 from a CC? Ouch. You're fighting an uphill battle if you want to get into a CA medical school...

I'll say it again. California medical schools are really not at all my priority! I'm tired of living in constant sunshine and big open spaces and no, that was not meant to be sarcastic.

 

[Geneticist]

I'll say it again. California medical schools are really not at all my priority! I'm tired of living in constant sunshine and big open spaces and no, that was not meant to be sarcastic.

Well then, you're in luck! Do you happen to be biased against DO schools?

 

[Chill Dude]

Well then, you're in luck! Do you happen to be biased against DO schools?

As a matter of fact I am! You know me so well...

I think I have a good shot at some Allopathic school. I was just hoping to hear some stories of others with the same experience.

 

[Geneticist]

As a matter of fact I am! You know me so well...

I think I have a good shot at some Allopathic school. I was just hoping to hear some stories of others with the same experience.

There's an underdog thread in the pre-osteo boards you might want to take a look at...

 

[Chill Dude]

There's an underdog thread in the pre-osteo boards you might want to take a look at...

and this relates to me how?

 

[Geneticist]

and this relates to me how?

Because you want to get into medical school despite a very mediocre performance at a community college. You should probably knock off the 'tude, dude, if you expect to get some help.

 

[Chill Dude]

Because you want to get into medical school despite a very mediocre performance at a community college. You should probably knock off the 'tude, dude, if you expect to get some help.

Just as I suspected! You ARE a D-bag! I was testing the waters a bit to make sure I wasn't misreading you 🙂

 

[MetabolismASE]

Don't dwell too much on your past. Do the very best you can NOW. Getting the best possible grades you can will never hurt you, regardless of your career choice.

I got in with 8 W's, and a few B's on the front end of my application, so I would say that no doors are closed for you.

Don't obsess over what can't be changed.

😱 wow 8 W's good job on the acceptance 👍.What were the W's for exactly if you dont mind me asking ? You can send me a PM if you prefer too.

 

[Geneticist]

Just as I suspected! You ARE a D-bag! I was testing the waters a bit to make sure I wasn't misreading you 🙂

The pot called the kettle black.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Geneticist is getting lulz from ze thread?

@OP: Don't worry, you'll be fine...

 

[Chill Dude]

The pot called the kettle black.

Oh of course I am one too! Glad you noticed. You're just a HUGE snob who thinks his academic record makes him better than everyone even though his dating record is mediocre. Now GTFO of this post so I can get some real info.

I'm proud of my accomplishments 🙂

 

[HawaiiHereICome]

Well you can't really undo those grades so it makes no sense to concern yourself with how many are acceptable. Really you need to get that GPA up just to get the chance to have your application looked at. This being said, you probably cannot afford to get any more B's. Also, you probably cannot afford a below average/average score on the MCAT. You might consider calculating the max possible GPA based on units/classes remaining assuming you get straight A's from here on out. Then using the appropriate table here:

https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/app...mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html

you can figure out what %acceptance your GPA and potential MCAT score will yield.

 

[Geneticist]

Oh of course I am one too! Glad you noticed. You're just a HUGE snob who thinks his academic record makes him better than everyone even though his dating record is mediocre. Now GTFO of this post so I can get some real info.

I'm proud of my accomplishments 🙂

That's good, because nobody else is. 👍

Best of luck to ya!

 

[Chill Dude]

Well you can't really undo those grades so it makes no sense to concern yourself with how many are acceptable. Really you need to get that GPA up just to get the chance to have your application looked at. This being said, you probably cannot afford to get any more B's. Also, you probably cannot afford a below average/average score on the MCAT. You might consider calculating the max possible GPA based on units/classes remaining assuming you get straight A's from here on out. Then using the appropriate table here:

https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/app...mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html

you can figure out what %acceptance your GPA and potential MCAT score will yield.

This table even makes me happier. My chances with a 3.6 and 30-32 mcat seems to me about 70%? that seems too good to be true.....lol

 

[Chill Dude]

That's good, because nobody else is. 👍

Best of luck to ya!

And he keeps coming back for more. Dude, seriously? seriously??

 

[HawaiiHereICome]

This table even makes me happier. My chances with a 3.6 and 30-32 mcat seems to me about 70%? that seems too good to be true.....lol

Just make sure you don't let your GPA drop further. The UC coursework and competition is quite a bit more difficult than community college (I'm assuming youre transferring to a UC). If you struggled for those B's they probably would have been C's or D's if you had been at Berkeley or LA. Make sure you take your schoolwork seriously mmmkay

Also the MCAT isn't easy... even for someone with straight A's

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

This table even makes me happier. My chances with a 3.6 and 30-32 mcat seems to me about 70%? that seems too good to be true.....lol

I'm not sure why people in this thread are so serious.. You're pretty close to the average gpa of a matriculating MD student ( Cgpa of 3.7, BCPM of 3.6).

 

[Chill Dude]

Just make sure you don't let your GPA drop further. The UC coursework and competition is quite a bit more difficult than community college (I'm assuming your transferring to a UC). If you struggled for those B's they probably would have been C's or D's if you had been at Berkeley or LA. Make sure you take your schoolwork seriously mmmkay

Actually I attend one of the more rigorous CC's here. Most of my professors also teach at UCR so it would have been more tough than the mediocre other CC in the next town over from what I hear. I put good effort in but the first 3 semesters were really just getting used to college. I wasn't expecting to go into medicine either till now. Thanks for the advice! 🙂

 

[HawaiiHereICome]

Actually I attend one of the more rigorous CC's here. Most of my professors also teach at UCR so it would have been more tough than the mediocre other CC in the next town over from what I hear. I put good effort in but the first 3 semesters were really just getting used to college. I wasn't expecting to go into medicine either till now. Thanks for the advice! 🙂

Right. As was the case for me except at the Norcal analog. The reason it's harder is because at the UC school you will now have to deal with gunners and a steeper curve. Competition is generally a joke at a CC so professors cannot test as difficult as they would like or everyone would fail. Don't except it to be easy, I did and almost got a B in organic I.

 

[Chill Dude]

Right. As was the case for me except at the Norcal analog. The reason it's harder is because at the UC school you will now have to deal with gunners and a steeper curve. Competition is generally a joke at a CC so professors cannot test as difficult as they would like or everyone would fail. Don't except it to be easy, I did and almost got a B in organic I.

Yeah that is veryyy true! I hope it doesn't get too tough. Chances look really high for me going to UCSD and I hear that competition there is quite intense. I've never had a curve though in CC 🙁

So you also transferred from CC?

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

B's are not going to prevent you from getting in, even if they are CC B's which people seem to think are awful. I transferred to Vandy with a 3.7 and had B's at a CC in some easy classes (Humanities, Sociology, College Algebra, Gen Chem I), but they were mostly part flukes/part laziness (89% in sociology/humanities should not happen anywhere, and no +/- system means those B+'s were counted as B's). Make sure to give yourself some time to adjust when you transfer. Depending one where you transfer you might see a huge jump in competition. I went from being the best bio student to being average. Just make sure you keep above a 3.5 (or higher if you can) and get some solid grades in upper levels. It can't hurt to get a 33+ MCAT either...

 

[Chill Dude]

B's are not going to prevent you from getting in, even if they are CC B's which people seem to think are awful. I transferred to Vandy with a 3.7 and had B's at a CC in some easy classes (Humanities, Sociology, College Algebra, Gen Chem I), but they were mostly part flukes/part laziness (89% in sociology/humanities should not happen anywhere, and no +/- system means those B+'s were counted as B's). Make sure to give yourself some time to adjust when you transfer. Depending one where you transfer you might see a huge jump in competition. I went from being the best bio student to being average. Just make sure you keep above a 3.5 (or higher if you can) and get some solid grades in upper levels. It can't hurt to get a 33+ MCAT either...

Right!?!?! ALL of my B's (except for Calculus 3) were either an 88% or 89% but the no curve thing and the part laziness/part flukes got me to that too. Plus the idea that I had to drive to 3 different campuses in 3 different cities throughout the week to get classes really sucked. I HATE driving now. Looking forward to dorming finally 😀

So are you into medical school yet or are you still finishing your pre-med?

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Right!?!?! ALL of my B's (except for Calculus 3) were either an 88% or 89% but the no curve thing and the part laziness/part flukes got me to that too. Plus the idea that I had to drive to 3 different campuses in 3 different cities throughout the week to get classes really sucked. I HATE driving now. Looking forward to dorming finally 😀

So are you into medical school yet or are you still finishing your pre-med?

Yea I think I had 6 B's and all were at or above 88% except for Physics. I'll be applying this coming cycle. Living away from home is >>>>>> living at home. Unless you're one of those people that gets spoiled by parents. In that case, it might not be. I was always fairly autonomous anyway (worked 30 hrs/week so I paid for my own food, car, remaining tuition after scholarship, books, etc.) so I much prefer having "my own" place.

 

[the duck]

God I can't wait to leave home! My parents mean well, but my mom has a really hard time letting go, and is constantly trying to help me organize my time, etc.




there should be a thread for all us community college transfers.

What UC are you going to in the fall?

 

[Chill Dude]

God I can't wait to leave home! My parents mean well, but my mom has a really hard time letting go, and is constantly trying to help me organize my time, etc.




there should be a thread for all us community college transfers.

What UC are you going to in the fall?

It's totallyyyyy the same thing for me! The only UC that has released decisions so far is UCR and I got in for Neuroscience. I want to really go to either UCSD or UC Davis though. Maybe UCSB just because it seems so fun. Are you in California too?

 

[linusp]

That's good, because nobody else is. 👍

Best of luck to ya!

I don't understand man, why do feel the need to be a dick? A "mediocre" performance at a CC does not necessarily correlate to poor performance at a UC. If the OP is truly determined and puts in work, he can do just fine.

A 3.52 is not a horrendous GPA, but it is an uphill battle. Its not impossible to raise it to a 3.7+. If you were walking in with a 2.5, that would probably be a much larger problem.

 

[MandaKay16]

https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/157998/mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html[/url]

you can figure out what %acceptance your GPA and potential MCAT score will yield.

This fact sheet scares me a little - A few people with below a 3.5 and MCAT scores between 5-15 got accepted???? Um..

&& 2 People with grade point averages between a 3.8 - 4.0 only scored between a 5-15 on the MCAT.. who is letting these people in??

 

[young2sj]

This fact sheet scares me a little - A few people with below a 3.5 and MCAT scores between 5-15 got accepted???? Um..

&& 2 People with grade point averages between a 3.8 - 4.0 only scored between a 5-15 on the MCAT.. who is letting these people in??

Caribbean schools.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Caribbean schools.

This sheet only deals with LCME MD schools.

 

[HawaiiHereICome]

This fact sheet scares me a little - A few people with below a 3.5 and MCAT scores between 5-15 got accepted???? Um..

&& 2 People with grade point averages between a 3.8 - 4.0 only scored between a 5-15 on the MCAT.. who is letting these people in??

Med Scholar programs for high school students that lead directly to medical school?

 

[Pierson5]

as far as EC's go:

-I had a summer bio-Physics internship at UCR last year for 2 months.
-I teach at a weekend religion school
-I'm in the Clinical Care Extender Internship program at my local hospital and should be done with 250 hrs and a letter of rec by july before i move away for university. I've even won 2 awards in my time at Radiology.

So far EC's look fine and MCATs will probably wait another year and a half 🙂

You wouldn't happen to be volunteering at the Pomerado Hospital in Escondido would you?

 

[CurrySpice]

Don't dwell too much on your past. Do the very best you can NOW. Getting the best possible grades you can will never hurt you, regardless of your career choice.

I got in with 8 W's, and a few B's on the front end of my application, so I would say that no doors are closed for you.

Don't obsess over what can't be changed.

+1

Your grades are not stellar, but they won't necessarily hinder your acceptance. You should focus on acing the rest of your courses. An upward trend is always good 😎

 

[Chill Dude]

You wouldn't happen to be volunteering at the Pomerado Hospital in Escondido would you?

Nopeee. I volunteer at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside!

 

[Chill Dude]

+1

Your grades are not stellar, but they won't necessarily hinder your acceptance. You should focus on acing the rest of your courses. An upward trend is always good 😎

They aren't such bad grades for a NON-Premed student. I just switched to wanting to become a doctor and now I'm going all in. I'm not worried because I know I'm smart enough. I've just been a bit lazy and lacked direction most of my time at community college. I've been focusing more on getting out of community college rather than knowing what I want to do with life so I agree that if I keep an upward trend, I have a good shot especially since CA schools are low priority for me.