I'm freakin out...

[Omidjoon]

I need some help... i am a freshman in college and i need some advice. I love medicine, i've grown up in medicine, my dad is a physician (MD), my uncle is a physcian (DO). Since i was a kid my dad took me with him to do his rounds so i have a feel for what the work is like. However i am in a dilemma... unfortunetly for me, medical schools do not look at how badly one wants to become a doctor as one of the criteria for which they admit people. No matter what i do i cannot seem to get above a 3.0 for my science GPA, my nonsciences GPA is however is a perfect 4.0 and i will be transferring to another school with close to 40 hours after my freshman year. I need to know if my GPA is not going to be ideal what should i do...PLEASE HELP!

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[Law2Doc]

I need some help... i am a freshman in college and i need some advice. I love medicine, i've grown up in medicine, my dad is a physician (MD), my uncle is a physcian (DO). Since i was a kid my dad took me with him to do his rounds so i have a feel for what the work is like. However i am in a dilemma... unfortunetly for me, medical schools do not look at how badly one wants to become a doctor as one of the criteria for which they admit people. No matter what i do i cannot seem to get above a 3.0 for my science GPA, my nonsciences GPA is however is a perfect 4.0 and i will be transferring to another school with close to 40 hours after my freshman year. I need to know if my GPA is not going to be ideal what should i do...PLEASE HELP!

You may want to consider just finishing up your degree without taking any more sciences and get your BA/BS with the higher GPA. Then, once finished when you are older and hopefully a more focussed student, you can take the science classes in a postbac program, with a lighter class schedule. You can do some health related work/research while you do this, to bulk up the resume.

 

[Bigsheed920]

U r still early in the game....so hang in there....try to find ways to improve ur GPA in sciences.....keep rocking ur other classes and rock ur mcats.......get ur self some clinical experience...u should be set!

 

[melimi]

dude, u still have 3 more years to go
dont start freaking now, cuz thats whats gonna do u in
i started out w/ a 2.6 freshman year..... yeah, that was BAAD
got it up to 3.60 by senior year, thus, if i can do it, u can too

 

[rpkall]

DO schools are decidedly less competitive than MD schools; if you have a 3.0ish and good MCATs (28+) plus extracurriculars and some health volunteering (or EMS or something) you'll be extremely competitive for DO schools--and even some MD programs.

Don't give up. Keep plugging along in the premed classes. Go get extra help (don't be afraid to approach professors and be honest about what you are/are not comprehending). Sometimes TAs are VERY helpful--and less intimidating--than science profs in this regard.

Above all, you need to be able to keep your personal life and your academic life (i.e., the stuff that will get you into med school--classes, volunteering, clubs, etc)--SEPARATE. If stuff is going down in your personal life that makes you lose focus, you should get help to solve the problems, or at the very least learn to compartmentalize your life so that the academics don't suffer too much. Yes, you have an opportunity to give excuses at the interviews for med school, but they should really be good ones (true family issues) and not Dawson's Creek ones (my girlfriend/boyfriend is really clingy this semester).

I wound up being pretty scattered in college (family issues and Dawson's Creek ones), and finished with a 3.2 overall and 3.1 science, minimal extracurriculars and no volunteering (decent MCATs though). I wound up having to take a few years off and do grad work before I really felt that I was competitive enough to get interviews at MD schools.

College is your time to shine--to overcome all the stuff that happens to be present in your life/personality/situation that you feel is holding you back. Get out there and have fun, but diversify your experiences and focus on what's important.

Start a club, take an EMT class, join a publication and write some college articles about the food in the cafeteria or some liberal cause halfway across the world. They like that stuff. Whatever you do, do what you like, so when they ask you to speak about it, you can speak with a little genuine passion and excitement.

Just my .02.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Blade28]

As others have said, it's still early...you're still in freshman year! Work hard, pull up those grades. It sounds like you want it very badly - I applaud you for being self-motivated and wanting to become a physician that badly, but please do understand that many other premeds also are high motivated and have a great deal of desire as well. In the end, it comes down to time management, discipline, and a hard work ethic.

 

[myodana]

first of all, don't freak out.

unfortunetly for me, medical schools do not look at how badly one wants to become a doctor as one of the criteria for which they admit people.

actually, they do. it's called a personal statement. that's your chance.

No matter what i do i cannot seem to get above a 3.0 for my science GPA, my nonsciences GPA is however is a perfect 4.0 and i will be transferring to another school with close to 40 hours after my freshman year. I need to know if my GPA is not going to be ideal what should i do...PLEASE HELP!

depends. do you think you can up your science gpa with extra work? tutoring? study groups? your freshman year in college is about figuring out what works for YOU... you might need to change your study habits or methods or something like that. if not, you might want to wait, and do post-bac for your requirements. you've got TIME to figure it out though...

remember though, if you can't handle college science, med school science is going to be MUCH harder...

 

[Scarletbegonias]

apply to DO schools

 

[uptoolate]

RELAX!!!! I have been through three degree programs at this point and the thing that has been MOST crucial for me getting good grades is to not freak out and being level-headed about approaching subject matter. You have plenty of time to re-group and improve. Relax, focus, and try to enjoy what you are learning without thinking about all the ways a failed test can ruin the future life you've constructed in your mind.

Good luck-