Basically, I'm not taking kiddy classes anymore. I'm going into clinical rotations in my major and rarely will I get A's except in two or three sites that don't require effort. A-'s will bring my GPA down quite a bit, especially 30 credits worth (1 year). YES, I KNOW GETTING A-' OR B+'S (OR B'S, I GUESS) AREN'T THE END OF THE WORLD. Obviously I will try for the A. So how would you explain this besides "it's hard to go from textbooks to the patient's bedside", considering this is what we'll be doing in med school?
How to explain a downward trend in GPA?
- Thread starter pfaction
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It's not the end of the world, but neither is it horrible enough that you would need to explain it, in my opinion.
I'm taking all faculty positions, some of who are known to be quite severe. I consider myself decently versed but man...I hear people getting the whole alphabet of grades, INCLUDING F'S. So I'm going to assume I'll get a healthy spatter of C+'s - A's (community, hopefully an A).
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Just say that you resigned yourself to lower grades before the semester began, making more effort on your part futile. And what major involves clinical rotations? Nursing?
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Why worry about something that hasn't happened yet?
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That's your problem. Be a champion and do well. Don't worry about what other people say, as SO many students do.
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OP is a pharmacy student, I believe?
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I guess you could say you went in with a pessimistic attitude which led to a self-fulfilling prophecy? Or that it was a different way of applying knowledge and took a semester to adjust*
*this only works if you adjust
*this only works if you adjust
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My point is, why worry about how to explain something you're only speculating will happen? Wait until it happens, then determine if it's so bad as to warrant an explanation, and if so, assess it honestly.
Didactic coursework, my friend. The same as M1 and M2. Textbook, then apply to real patients.
I cannot do inorganic chemistry, english, math or physics, but I'll be god damned if I can't do medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and (pharmacy) clinicals from a textbook.
EDIT:
It speaks volumes about my sucking in English. By "wreck", I didn't mean smash and fail. I meant do exceptionally well. Like, "I wrecked that test".
Yep. I go on introductory rotations September, but the REAL ones start January.
Better to anticipate than be stuck in the hole trying to make excuses.
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.... but all you're doing now is pre-making excuses?
Candidly speaking, yes. Yes, I am. I would like people's opinions on things to possibly say. Upward trends in GPA don't need to be explained. I would rather take the safer route and visualize the worst. I know I won't fail, so I would like to think of the other possibilities. Just as people wonder what would happen if they get <30 on MCATs.
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No, it's better to anticipate the hole and avoid it. The questions you are asking have nothing to do with avoiding the hole and everything to do with making excuses for why you couldn't avoid it. Again, why try explaining something that hasn't happened yet? There is no benefit to be gained here. If you have the explanation ahead of time, what advantage does that confer? What if your actual reasons for failure end up being nothing like what we might suggest here?
Whatever. I don't seem to be convincing you at all. It seems like the downward trend has already happened for you. Explain it however you want. *shrug*
