Just barely graduated high school with terrible grades and will be attending a community college. W?

[deleted830324]

I just graduated high school with a horrible GPA and absolutely did not care for school at all. Over the summer I've decided that I want to pursue medicine. I plan on taking my chem requirements (O- chem, Gen chem) and my English requirements (Comp 1, Comp 2) as well as my humanities requirements (Intro to Psych, Intro to Soc). And last but not least my math requirement which in order to take I have to take remedial algebra 1 & 2 before I can take statistics. When I transfer to a four year is when I'll take bio, biochem, and physics. Also I've been thinking about getting my CNA, will this help? What other activities should I do? What should I do while attending a community college? I do have a part time job and work about 30 to 35 hours a week.

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[ReapPremed]

SDN probably has some very detailed premed guides out there for college students that I can't be bothered to find right now because I'm awake with a cold.

Here's some brief advice:

You'll see SDN is crawling with people looking for ways to redeem poor GPAs and lazy freshman years. Don't be one of them. Its an uphill battle because those grades will follow you forever. The good news is you have a blank slate, so take it easy and get those A's.

Working while taking classes, especially challenging courses like o-chem, can be rough. And since your HS performance is less than stellar you may have a hard time adjusting. Know that getting into medical school isn't a race. You might see your friends going to big name schools with cool jobs and internships in their immediate futures; don't get impatient and overwhelm yourself. That can only lead to disaster. Right now its most important you do well in your classes and get a good GPA.

The volunteering and shadowing and research and all that frosting can come when you've settled into college.

 

[Catalystik]

I just graduated high school with a horrible GPA and absolutely did not care for school at all. Over the summer I've decided that I want to pursue medicine. I plan on taking my chem requirements (O- chem, Gen chem) and my English requirements (Comp 1, Comp 2) as well as my humanities requirements (Intro to Psych, Intro to Soc). And last but not least my math requirement which in order to take I have to take remedial algebra 1 & 2 before I can take statistics. When I transfer to a four year is when I'll take bio, biochem, and physics. Also I've been thinking about getting my CNA, will this help? What other activities should I do? What should I do while attending a community college? I do have a part time job and work about 30 to 35 hours a week.

No one will care about your HS grades, so long as you didn't have dual enrollment in a local college. But your freshman grades do count. So take it slow, with a light load to start. Attend all tutoring sessions available. Go to your study center for help. Until you solidify good study strategies, don't worry about ECs.

A CNA won't help you get into med school. You can get clinical experience through volunteerism.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

Welcome to SDN! Here are the four things that you would benefit from prioritizing because if you mess it up it won't go away.

1. GPA (probably your top priority right now. Retaking classes won't help. All post-HS transcripts must be reported. Average is a 3.7, or an A- average)
2. MCAT (the standardized test you don't have to take for a while. For now, just focus on not forgetting your bio and chem stuff as soon as the class ends. If you take MCAT more than once, schools will see all attempts.)
3. Criminal Records/Institutional Actions (they don't go away. Just don't be stupid)
4. Reapplicant Status (doesn't apply until you apply, so don't worry about it)

On top of this you need clinical experience, volunteering, and preferably a bit of research, but focus on your grades for now.

You said you did poorly in high school but want to pursue medicine. College is a clean slate. You will never get a clean slate again. Crush it!

 

[21Rush12]

I'm one of those people and I'm in my second year of med school now.

Reinvent yourself, work hard, focus, and find balance between life and school.

Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions I could help with.

Welcome to SDN!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[PreMedMissteps]

How you did in HS won't matter to med schools. However, the concern now is that your math and science foundation is weak along with your studying skills.

If I were you, I would start VERY SLOWLY, maybe only taking ONE premed prereq (Bio 1)the first semester along with some lighter GenEd req'ts and see how you do. If you struggle but learn from your mistakes, at least the lower grade will only be in one BCPM course, rather than 2.

It might also be helpful to spend some time in the school's library reading the GenChemI text book to get some foundation before actually taking that class.

Are you starting this fall? Have you already started?