Im Scared

[armonster456]

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Hi,
I am a second year Pharmsci major. My overall GPA is a 2.84. I feel as though I have screwed up badly. My Genchem courses were very easy but due to being a stubborn idiot and lack of studying I didn't do so hot. Currently Ochem is also whooping my butt up and down the street. All my life I've wanted to be a pediatrician. I still very much do. I know it is a little too early to say but is there any way i can recoup my losses. Is it too late for me? Should I just start facing the fact that I am not going to attend medical school? I post this in the DO forum because from what vague research I have done the DO field seems moderately easier to pass into (in terms of schools.) Any help anyone gives is much appreciated. I will be seeing a counselor as soon as I can. Just wanted a general outlook from everyone. Thank you very much.

 

[Medic741]

Figure out why you're not doing well & fix the problem. If that means taking time away from school, go for it. If your college isn't a good fit, consider transferring maybe? I always wonder if that might be the case when I read about these low GPAs.

I took a semester away from school because life happened & I needed to get away from school for a semester. Don't be ashamed to get what you need in order to succeed.

 

[Save a life]

Agree with the above post. You're going to have to figure out what's causing the issues that give you a low gpa. For me, when I'm not doing well, it's always a matter of priorities. You have 168 hours in the week and you get decide where and how you spend every second.

Medicine, in my opinion, is not a job, it's not even a career, it's a calling. You have to be very devoted to it and expect it to take up a lot your life. It doesn't mean you'll have no life outside of medicine but it has to be one of your biggest priorities and usually takes up the most time. I like what you said about meeting the counselor and also consider changing up your schedule and how you do things time wise.

 

[armonster456]

Quite honestly after the last few months I have been trying to change things to see if its that one thing thats affecting me but currently this is to no avail. I picked up a job as a pharmacy tech recently to maybe bring some order (?) to my schedule. I have been trying to focus myself, I am just deathly afraid that I screwed up and its too late.

 

[GBCrzzyy]

Like the prior posts stated, it definitely sounds like you might benefit from taking a break and you definitely need to prioritize your grades. Picking up a job might not have been the best choice but that depends on how you operate on a tight schedule. Personally, I found that when I had less time outside of classes, I had to stick to a stricter study schedule otherwise my work wouldn't get done at all but when I had a lot of free time, I procrastinated terribly and barely scraped by. But not everyone functions well like this. Consider if a busier schedule will help or hurt you more.

It's definitely not too late but you need to change something drastic and start correcting this path. Maybe take a look at your major and curriculum? Switch up some classes so you're taking the pre-reqs you need plus something fun. I found it pretty energizing to take a random class in something I was interested in, especially when I was taking biochem. Some of my random classes included comic art, artificial insemination in cattle, and dairy calf management. The last one met once a week at a local farm and required taking care of calves for two hours. It was so much fun! Explore some new classes!

You have to learn how you function best in an academic setting and start making changes. You'll have to show a very strong upward trend in GPA for the remaining years, especially if you choose to continue without a break. If you have a strong upward trend and a great MCAT score you might stand a chance at DO schools depending on what your GPA ends up being and how the rest of your app turns out. AACOMAS has eliminated grade replacement so it's going to be harder to repair your GPA and DO schools are becoming more and more competitive each year. You should definitely be aiming for 3.4/3.5+. You might also want to consider the possibility of a post-bacc or SMP after you graduate to prove you can handle a tougher course load and to further improve your GPA. You can definitely make it happen but you're going to have to work really hard for it and buckle down.

Being afraid and anxious that you screwed up isn't going to help you at all. Instead, make plans for how you can fix your situation. Be honest with yourself about the difficulty of accomplishing what you need to, but have confidence that you can do it if you work hard and want it.

 

[Goro]

Go make friends with the folks in your school's learning or education center.

Hi,
I am a second year Pharmsci major. My overall GPA is a 2.84. I feel as though I have screwed up badly. My Genchem courses were very easy but due to being a stubborn idiot and lack of studying I didn't do so hot. Currently Ochem is also whooping my butt up and down the street. All my life I've wanted to be a pediatrician. I still very much do. I know it is a little too early to say but is there any way i can recoup my losses. Is it too late for me? Should I just start facing the fact that I am not going to attend medical school? I post this in the DO forum because from what vague research I have done the DO field seems moderately easier to pass into (in terms of schools.) Any help anyone gives is much appreciated. I will be seeing a counselor as soon as I can. Just wanted a general outlook from everyone. Thank you very much.