Is this it? Does a F mean the end of my chances?

[fulltime_user]

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I have a question relating to my grades. This semester, I took over 27 credit hours at my state university, and another 13 credit hours at a community college through their online program. I joined the community college as an easy way to raise the gpa. Unfortunately, the result was predictable. I wiped out in my state university courses from overwork. My grades, thus far for this semester, have been C, C, B, D, C, D, C, and F. The F was in Physical Chemistry. My grades from the community college have not come in, but are not low.

Prior to this semester, my overall gpa (from the community college and from the state university) had been 3.47. My state university gpa had been 3.27. With these new grades, my state university gpa has dropped to 2.83 and my overall grades are 3.23. I had been hoping to apply to medical school in the summer of 2008, after I graduate. My goal was to apply to MD/PhD programs. I am not sure I can even do that anymore. I know I have 1.5 semester left, but even with a best case scenario where I score perfect As on the rest of my courses at the state university, I figure that I can only raise the state university gpa up to 3.3. My overall GPA has the maximal potential to go up to 3.53.

I don't know what to do. I feel that the F and two Ds will taint my academic record no matter what. I feel this is especially the case for MD/PhD programs. It was a tough, exhausting semester with absolutely no fruitful result. I feel that because of my grades and my gpa, I will not get a fair hearing in the admissions office for the MD/PhD schools. My research credentials are pretty good... 1.5 years research with a lab in Biochemistry, and 1 year research with a lab in Chemistry. I've been published. But, I feel all that has been for naught.

Have I missed out on my chance? Will the F forever taint my record? Or can I do something still? Where do I go from here?

Any advise would be much appreciated. Thanks.

- fulltime_user

 

[bottles999]

I have a question relating to my grades. This semester, I took over 27 credit hours at my state university, and another 13 credit hours at a community college through their online program. I joined the community college as an easy way to raise the gpa. Unfortunately, the result was predictable. I wiped out in my state university courses from overwork. My grades, thus far for this semester, have been C, C, B, D, C, D, C, and F. The F was in Physical Chemistry. My grades from the community college have not come in, but are not low.

Prior to this semester, my overall gpa (from the community college and from the state university) had been 3.47. My state university gpa had been 3.27. With these new grades, my state university gpa has dropped to 2.83 and my overall grades are 3.23. I had been hoping to apply to medical school in the summer of 2008, after I graduate. My goal was to apply to MD/PhD programs. I am not sure I can even do that anymore. I know I have 1.5 semester left, but even with a best case scenario where I score perfect As on the rest of my courses at the state university, I figure that I can only raise the state university gpa up to 3.3. My overall GPA has the maximal potential to go up to 3.53.

I don't know what to do. I feel that the F and two Ds will taint my academic record no matter what. I feel this is especially the case for MD/PhD programs. It was a tough, exhausting semester with absolutely no fruitful result. I feel that because of my grades and my gpa, I will not get a fair hearing in the admissions office for the MD/PhD schools. My research credentials are pretty good... 1.5 years research with a lab in Biochemistry, and 1 year research with a lab in Chemistry. I've been published. But, I feel all that has been for naught.

Have I missed out on my chance? Will the F forever taint my record? Or can I do something still? Where do I go from here?

Any advise would be much appreciated. Thanks.

- fulltime_user

Let me get this right... You took 40 credit hrs in ONE semester???? 3 to 5 of them were P-Chem?? OMG!!! I think my 1st question was WHY/What on Earth possessed you to be this ambitious?

Not to dodge your question, but you have some serious repair efforts that will take time to correct. If at all possible it prolly would be better to take W's if you still can rather than the grade. Not sure thats possible now. No matter what your gonna have to retake all of the classes, even the ones you got C's in, but certainly prioritize the lowest grades 1st. Plus you may need to do post-bacc work now to further raise the gpa.

I am still in amazement. 40 credit hours in 1 semester, plus were you still in the lab too working???

-near speechless

 

[xenonintelinsid]

The world has not just ended. You're still in a position to retake courses, excel in the courses that you plan to take, pursue research, and possibly do a post-bac program to raise that gpa. If you write a killer ps and get a decent score on the MCAT, you'll be OK.

Although, frankly (and I'll be real frank), taking a load of community college courses in addition to your regular undergraduate coursework to "raise" your gpa would seem like a serious lapse of judgement to an admissions committee. Unless you have a good justification for it (i.e. one that is realistic, honest, and doesn't needlessly shift the blame to others), it's going to be difficult to write off.

Best of luck.

 

[Shatterstar17]

I don't disagree with any of the previous posters. It might be best though to do exceedingly well on the MCAT, not just decent. You'll want to maximize all other parts of your app. But everyone else is right: MD/PhD programs will forgive one deficit if the rest of your application is stellar. You should of course apply very widely.

I'm also definitely happy you decided to get advice on this forum. People here are generally very helpful. I'm sure that you must have been feeling very cornered to have done something drastic like that in the past semester. You'll have to think very hard about the lengths you'll want to go to to get into a program, but hopefully at the least this will let you know that there are definitely people out there (even random online strangers) who will help you with the tough decisions.

best of luck!

 

[Circumflex]

I agree with the above and will give you my advice. Don't take any more community college courses or other online courses - that is a waste of your time. Whatever benefit you might think you are getting in raising your overall GPA will be offset when the admissions committee sees what you did.

It is not too late - you had 1 bad semester, which is OK. Now, you have to shine. I'm hoping you took P Chem because it is a requirement for your major - otherwise, don't take courses like that when you are overworked and trying to raise your GPA. When I was in your position, I thought that it would look good if I took a lot of hard courses to show that I am a hard worker and can handle it - I was wrong. I almost sank. True, they look at your coursework, but GPA (and MCAT score) is much more important.

You would serve yourself better to take 1-2 easier science classes mixed with others like art history, music, etc., and study for the MCAT. If you have time, working in a lab doing meaningful work (not washing glass) would serve you better than taking really hard science classes. Forget the altruistic reasons until you are accepted - now is all about playing the admissions game - and it is definitely a game.

Good luck!

 

[YeahYeahYeah7]

While on this topic... Will having a C in General Physics II, one of the core requirements, severly hurt my chances of getting into a Top20 MSTP program even if I have a 3.7 GPA overall, a 38+ on the MCAT, and above average research experiences?

 

[gbwillner]

I have a question relating to my grades. This semester, I took over 27 credit hours at my state university, and another 13 credit hours at a community college through their online program. I joined the community college as an easy way to raise the gpa. Unfortunately, the result was predictable. I wiped out in my state university courses from overwork. My grades, thus far for this semester, have been C, C, B, D, C, D, C, and F. The F was in Physical Chemistry. My grades from the community college have not come in, but are not low.

Prior to this semester, my overall gpa (from the community college and from the state university) had been 3.47. My state university gpa had been 3.27. With these new grades, my state university gpa has dropped to 2.83 and my overall grades are 3.23. I had been hoping to apply to medical school in the summer of 2008, after I graduate. My goal was to apply to MD/PhD programs. I am not sure I can even do that anymore. I know I have 1.5 semester left, but even with a best case scenario where I score perfect As on the rest of my courses at the state university, I figure that I can only raise the state university gpa up to 3.3. My overall GPA has the maximal potential to go up to 3.53.

I don't know what to do. I feel that the F and two Ds will taint my academic record no matter what. I feel this is especially the case for MD/PhD programs. It was a tough, exhausting semester with absolutely no fruitful result. I feel that because of my grades and my gpa, I will not get a fair hearing in the admissions office for the MD/PhD schools. My research credentials are pretty good... 1.5 years research with a lab in Biochemistry, and 1 year research with a lab in Chemistry. I've been published. But, I feel all that has been for naught.

Have I missed out on my chance? Will the F forever taint my record? Or can I do something still? Where do I go from here?

Any advise would be much appreciated. Thanks.

- fulltime_user

Dude, is this post serious????

If so, sorry- but you'll never be admitted MD/PhD with that crappy GPA. No way. Even getting into a PhD program will be difficult with a sub-3.0 GPA. Community college grades don't count either. I don't know a single med school that would consider you, unless you have a parent with $20 Million to donate.
What do you mean "so far this semester"? Those aren't your final grades???? If you can drop classes, I recommend dropping every class you have to avoid destroying your GPA.

" I feel that because of my grades and my gpa, I will not get a fair hearing in the admissions office for the MD/PhD schools"

Fair hearing? You have a crappy GPA from a state school. You think you can really cut it in med school?

Sorry if that sounds harsh- but that's reality.

 

[gbwillner]

While on this topic... Will having a C in General Physics II, one of the core requirements, severly hurt my chances of getting into a Top20 MSTP program even if I have a 3.7 GPA overall, a 38+ on the MCAT, and above average research experiences?

Does it hurt your chances? Yes. Will it make it impossible for you to get an acceptance? No. A 3.7 GPA is below average, but it also depends where you went to college. If you went to community college like the OP, you are in trouble. I'm pretty sure most top schools won't even accept those grades. If you went to a competitive school, you're fine. One blemish on your record is fine- you may just have to explain it. Your 38 MCAT will probably get you pretty far, as long as you have good research experience.

 

[KUNRD07]

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[YeahYeahYeah7]

I'm graduating with a BS in biochemistry/biophysics with honors from a top30 public university. I have three years of experience in a biochemistry/biophysics lab doing research on protein structure/function from which I've got a third author publication, three poster presentations (two at the university and one at a national/international biophysics conference), and a couple of awards. I also performed marine biology research for a couple months in Honduras. I'm planning on taking a year off and doing research at the NIH while I apply to MSTPs........

 

[gbwillner]

I'm graduating with a BS in biochemistry/biophysics with honors from a top30 public university. I have three years of experience in a biochemistry/biophysics lab doing research on protein structure/function from which I've got a third author publication, three poster presentations (two at the university and one at a national/international biophysics conference), and a couple of awards. I also performed marine biology research for a couple months in Honduras. I'm planning on taking a year off and doing research at the NIH while I apply to MSTPs........

I did the NIH thing- it is well worth it. With your stats you probably don't NEED it, but not only will it make you more competitive, it will give you a good feeling for what it's like to do full-time research (part-time is very different, IMHO). You sound like an outstanding applicant.

Good luck!

 

[YeahYeahYeah7]

haha Thanks! Except I DO have a C in general physics II when I am a bioPHYSICS major...but you don't think it will drastically hurt my chances of getting into a top20 mstp? In my defense the semester when I got the C was a bad semester all around...my best friend died of sudden heart failure and I just got out of a 2 year relationship...I suppose I could write about that in my personal statement...but I don't like excuses. What does everyone think?

 

[YeahYeahYeah7]

.

 

[YeahYeahYeah7]

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[xenonintelinsid]

Yeah, having a C in gen physics as a biophysics major doesn't look very good. I personally wouldn't write about why you got a C one semester in your personal statement when you have a 3.7 GPA--it just looks bad. People make mistakes, go through rough patches, and you can address those when asked in an interview. Otherwise, it comes off as defensive and rather than defending the rough spots, you should emphasize the positive influences and experiences that led you to pursue medicine/MD-PhD.

Frankly, I wouldn't sweat too much.

 

[gbwillner]

Yeah, having a C in gen physics as a biophysics major doesn't look very good. I personally wouldn't write about why you got a C one semester in your personal statement when you have a 3.7 GPA--it just looks bad. People make mistakes, go through rough patches, and you can address those when asked in an interview. Otherwise, it comes off as defensive and rather than defending the rough spots, you should emphasize the positive influences and experiences that led you to pursue medicine/MD-PhD.

Frankly, I wouldn't sweat too much.

I would follow this advice.👍

 

[samtang]

I have a question relating to my grades. This semester, I took over 27 credit hours at my state university, and another 13 credit hours at a community college through their online program. I joined the community college as an easy way to raise the gpa. Unfortunately, the result was predictable. I wiped out in my state university courses from overwork. My grades, thus far for this semester, have been C, C, B, D, C, D, C, and F. The F was in Physical Chemistry. My grades from the community college have not come in, but are not low.

Prior to this semester, my overall gpa (from the community college and from the state university) had been 3.47. My state university gpa had been 3.27. With these new grades, my state university gpa has dropped to 2.83 and my overall grades are 3.23. I had been hoping to apply to medical school in the summer of 2008, after I graduate. My goal was to apply to MD/PhD programs. I am not sure I can even do that anymore. I know I have 1.5 semester left, but even with a best case scenario where I score perfect As on the rest of my courses at the state university, I figure that I can only raise the state university gpa up to 3.3. My overall GPA has the maximal potential to go up to 3.53.

I don't know what to do. I feel that the F and two Ds will taint my academic record no matter what. I feel this is especially the case for MD/PhD programs. It was a tough, exhausting semester with absolutely no fruitful result. I feel that because of my grades and my gpa, I will not get a fair hearing in the admissions office for the MD/PhD schools. My research credentials are pretty good... 1.5 years research with a lab in Biochemistry, and 1 year research with a lab in Chemistry. I've been published. But, I feel all that has been for naught.

Have I missed out on my chance? Will the F forever taint my record? Or can I do something still? Where do I go from here?

Any advise would be much appreciated. Thanks.

- fulltime_user

pure comedy... this cannot be real