Importance of Freshman Year Grades?

[Cmc0607]

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Hi everyone,

Here are my grades 1st semester freshman year:
Gen Chem 1 - A
Gen Bio 1 - A-
Intro to Psych - A-
Gen Chem 1 Lab - B
Calc 1 - C+
GPA = 3.33

2nd Semester
Gen Chem 2 - B+/may get rounded up to an A-
Gen Bio 2 - A-
Moral Choices (English Gen Ed, a philosophy class) - B+
Gen Chem 2 Lab - A-
Statistics - Somewhere in B range I believe
Writing and Critical Inquiry - A or A-

Extracurriculars
-In the process of becoming an EMT
-Just got into to collegiate volunteer ambulance services
-So far I have approximately 70 hours of shadowing
-Part of school dance club for 2 semesters
-Part of pre medical club for 2 semesters
-Chemistry tutor

I have anxiety disorder and I get panic attacks during tests occasionally so it's really hard for me to perform well. It definitely effects my GPA.

Anyway, how bad is it that I didn't do too great my freshman year? I'm freaking out. I know I did better this semester then last and that my grades tend to improve as I get older but still... I feel like I'm not used to college yet.

 

[eatkalteenbars]

Just keep up an upward trend and you'll be fine. I started with a 2.6 my freshman year first semester and got a 3.9 for my final semester of college. It can definitely be rough adjusting to college, especially with anxiety, but know that it gets better and that you'll settle in and find your rhythm. Have you tried talking to your school's study/test-taking skills-center or seeing if you can get test-taking accommodations for anxiety?

 

[Cmc0607]

My anxiety started when I was 11 and stopped for the most part from ages 15-17, now that I'm in college it started up (I'm 18). Next semester I think I'm definitely going to talk to some people about it

 

[puglet]

I would recommend talking to a professional about your anxiety as soon as possible. Could you see a psychologist over the summer who could help you work on your anxious feelings and try to figure out how to quell them? There isn't a reason to wait until next semester as far as I'm concerned.

As far as your grades, like the other poster said, try to keep an upward trend as much as you can and you'll be fine. A C+ and a couple of B's are not going to bomb your application.

 

[mcatjelly]

You absolutely need to make seeking professional help a priority; not just for the sake of your application, but for your overall well-being. Because if you have panic attacks during college-level tests, you're going to have panic attacks during your MCAT, and you're going to have panic attacks in medical school. Take care of this ASAP!

 

[NeuResurgens]

Not all that important unless you completely fell on your face. Just keep improving your study habits, absorb the material and keep bringing your grades up semester by semester and you will be OK. You need to identify what went wrong and make some tweaks here and there.

If anxiety is a big part of these problems, you may want to see a counselor.