I need to know if I am in trouble

[drtroy]

First off a little about myself. I am 32 years old and this is my second semester of college after a 12 year hiatus. I know that medical schools consider all the credits you have ever taken into account. My problem is, I had very bad grades
my first go around and here are my grades now:
1st semester:
Bio 1- B+
Psychology- A
Computer Science- A
History- A
2nd Semester
Chem 1- B+
Precal- B-
Cultural Anthropology- A
Literary Heritage- A

I am going into my 3rd semester and are curious, am I in trouble? I mean I know that my GPA is good but what if I make B's for chem 2 and organic? Would I be screwed?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[gman33]

Grades now are fine. Just try to get as many A's as possible.
What are your previous grades like?

 

[dzukunft]

I agree with the above post. At the same time, I too have been trying to combat previous academic performance. The rule of thumb I have tried to follow is thus: Make A's. While a B+ or a B is not going to keep you out of medical school, you are playing the GPA game. The GPA points from having all A's is going to help raise your cumulative GPA (old and new work) by a greater degree than if you earn B's. And to be competitive, a 3.5 should be your target.

However, unless you took very few credits the first time around, the change is not necessarily going to be significant. After a year of class and solid 4.0 work, I was able to raise my overall GPA by 0.1...from a 3.38 to a 3.47. Granted, I was able to raise my sGPA by a greater margin. The more credit hours and GPA points on the transcript, the more and more classes you'll have to ace to increase your GPA by even a minuscule margin. (For instance, I have 200 credit hours and it would take me another 1.5 years at full-time to reach a 3.65, assuming I made straight A's.)

With this said, your recent coursework is okay. You've done well in some classes, but I, for one, would focus more on getting A's in your science courses. As I understand it, medical schools also look at your BCPM GPA, which consists of general chem, organic, bio, physics and math. You need to have that as high as possible (above 3.0 would be a good target).

So, in short, I don't think you're screwed. But that's just me... I sincerely believe that if you have the aptitude, want it bad enough and are willing to put in the work, you can make it happen! And, remember, grades are important, but they aren't the only thing the admissions committee looks at. You need a well-rounded application, including good MCAT scores (above 30), clinical exposure, volunteering experience, extra-extracurriculars, experiences displaying leadership, an outstanding personal statement, good letters of recommendation and interview skills.

I know that sounds like a lot (and it is), but take it one step at a time. Focus on doing well in your science classes. Lower your course load if necessary. Go slow and do quality work. You CAN make it happen!

P.S. I would highly recommend creating an Excel spreadsheet calculating your old GPA, current coursework and cumulative GPA - even breaking it down into the BCPM GPA. Doing so has been a huge help to me in ascertaining where I stand exactly and the grades I need to get where I want to go.

 

[njbmd]

First off a little about myself. I am 32 years old and this is my second semester of college after a 12 year hiatus. I know that medical schools consider all the credits you have ever taken into account. My problem is, I had very bad grades
my first go around and here are my grades now:
1st semester:
Bio 1- B+
Psychology- A
Computer Science- A
History- A
2nd Semester
Chem 1- B+
Precal- B-
Cultural Anthropology- A
Literary Heritage- A

I am going into my 3rd semester and are curious, am I in trouble? I mean I know that my GPA is good but what if I make B's for chem 2 and organic? Would I be screwed?

One trend that I see here is that you are doing better in non-science classes than in your science/math classes. You may want to be sure that you only schedule one science class at a time (until you get As) and you may need to cut back on your overall hours when you take Organic (heavy in problem-solving), General Physics (also heavy in problem solving), Calculus (heavy in problem solving).

If you are doing uGPA "damage-control" you can't afford any grade less than B+ and you don't want Bs in any of your pre-med courses period. Cut back, get a handle on mastery of science/math and start getting some As there. An A in Computer Science or History is not going to mean as much as an A in Organic Chemistry or one of the other pre-med courses when your application is being evaluated.

 

[crusinmsu]

Hi Dzukunft-
you and I have a similar undergrad gpa. I had a 3.39 not much higher. and so far I have taken 16 hrs and raised mine to a 3.47 as well. I hope I'm doing the quality points right. I only had say 124 credits in undergrad. my grad school was 52 credits but I don't think that'll count towards undergrad. but yeah acing them will be key I'd say. I'm hoping to get up to the beloved 3.5 if I can ace these 8 hrs. this semester. woo hoo!!! we just may get there!

 

[Blade28]

To the OP: What's your overall GPA (including previous grades)?

 

[Johnny_D]

I don't agree with the advice of taking one science course at a time. I completed a post-bacc program and one of the advantages I could show was that I could take a full course load of science courses (as you will do in med school), and do well. If you have to take one course at a time, how are you going to hack the increased workload at med school?

My first year at Drexel is more difficult than my post-bacc and requires more studying than my post-bacc did.

Med school admission committees are not stupid. They can pick out the people who they feel can hack the work.

 

[Blade28]

My first year at Drexel is more difficult than my post-bacc and requires more studying than my post-bacc did.

Med school admission committees are not stupid. They can pick out the people who they feel can hack the work.

This is very true.

 

[Empi]

Does this mean my B in Organic chem is not the nail in my coffin?