Keep trying or give up?

[WhitecatBlackcat]

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What does it really take to get into medical school? I'm currently in my third semester of college and chemistry is making my life awful. I didn't do too well the first time so I decided to take a break last spring and try again this semester. Biology and math aren't too bad but the thought of taking 3 more chemistry courses is just horrible(like break down into tears and just give up horrible). Not only that, I am seeing mixed responses on the forums. Some people are able to get into medical school with Bs, Cs, and Ds (with the occasional F) while others are saying that if you have anything below a 3.4 you're basically screwed. I don't mind MD or DO but what exactly are the limits to getting in? Should someone with Bs and Cs give up or just keep trying? Also, do I still have time to work out some ECs? It feels as though I have no free time for volunteer work or even club activities because I'm busy trying to juggle all of my courses and not fail any of them. I've heard of some schools with no prereqs but will they count it against me if I don't take any more chemistry courses? Even if I already go to that school for undergrad? I really am serious about becoming a physician but I really need to know if can actually make it to medical school.

 

[wb100]

Each semester/quarter of chemistry is different and you get a new chance at doing better. I loved general chemistry but hated organic. My last final for ochem class was a huge weight off my shoulders. When I started struggling in Ochem I switched gears and did A LOT of practice problems. I practiced with every worksheet I could get my hands on and found tests from other uni's online. I used different resources like our book, youtube videos, and online articles to make sure I could really grasp the material. Gen chem was very different between the two semesters and I enjoyed the second semester a lot more. Its stuff you will see again in Biochemistry in upper division so really get a good handle on it (honestly not too hard by using multiple resources and practicing). Ochem on the other hand you need to do well in first semester since the second semester is a large continuation of the 1st. Its doable don't worry and once you've over the hump its done! Just do your best and if you get a C one semester try to get an A in the next one. Really try to avoid getting any D's and F's because of the damage it will do to your GPA. Most schools will look over a few C's but I think anything lower is worrisome. Try to keep your GPA 3.5+ and itll be ok. Take the summer to do EC's if you're having a really hard time. Also, invest in a planner... Just try to map out your week and you will see how much time you have that you prob didn't use efficiently before.

 

[efle]

What's your actual sGPA / cGPA after three semesters?

 

[Goro]

The median GPA for MD school acceptees is 3.7 and MCAT is 31 (or ~510 on the new exam). For DO schools, the numbers are ~3.4 and 26ish (~501).

The greater the reputation of the school, the higher those numbers have to be.

A 3.4 cGPA is around the 10th %ile at many MD schools, and so one's chances would be best with one's state schools. Chances will be higher with a "lucky" state that has a missiont o favor in-state applicants, like IA, TX, KS or AR.

IF your cGPA is consistently towards the lower end, like < 3.2, then you need to consider post-bac GPA repair, to show that you can handle med school. If you're only making Bs and Cs, then you need to seriously consider whether this path is for you.

If you're serious about Medicine, you had better be able to handle both school and ECs. You're expected to walk and chew gum at the same time, because good time mgt skills are crucial for medical students. Med school will be a lot harder than UG school.

Although some med schools have no set pre-reqs, they really do. You need these for MCAT anyway. Look up the wise @gonnif 's posts on this subject.

What does it really take to get into medical school? I'm currently in my third semester of college and chemistry is making my life awful. I didn't do too well the first time so I decided to take a break last spring and try again this semester. Biology and math aren't too bad but the thought of taking 3 more chemistry courses is just horrible(like break down into tears and just give up horrible). Not only that, I am seeing mixed responses on the forums. Some people are able to get into medical school with Bs, Cs, and Ds (with the occasional F) while others are saying that if you have anything below a 3.4 you're basically screwed. I don't mind MD or DO but what exactly are the limits to getting in? Should someone with Bs and Cs give up or just keep trying? Also, do I still have time to work out some ECs? It feels as though I have no free time for volunteer work or even club activities because I'm busy trying to juggle all of my courses and not fail any of them. I've heard of some schools with no prereqs but will they count it against me if I don't take any more chemistry courses? Even if I already go to that school for undergrad? I really am serious about becoming a physician but I really need to know if can actually make it to medical school.[/QUOTE]

 

[doctorbob23]

Don't give up! Medical school is a marathon not a race. You can always do grade replacement and get into a DO school later on but identify what it is that's not working academically and fix it

 

[NotYou20]

Not only that, I am seeing mixed responses on the forums. Some people are able to get into medical school with Bs, Cs, and Ds (with the occasional F) while others are saying that if you have anything below a 3.4 you're basically screwe

Both are correct. A few bad grades won't keep you out, but without a good gpa you'll probably need something impressive to get in.

 

[WhitecatBlackcat]

What's your actual sGPA / cGPA after three semesters?

It's not great 🙁. I did fail one course but retook it last semester and got a B-.

 

[WhitecatBlackcat]

Update: My grades for last semester were Chem B-, Bio C, Math D , and 3 As in other writing based courses.

 

[WhitecatBlackcat]

The median GPA for MD school acceptees is 3.7 and MCAT is 31 (or ~510 on the new exam). For DO schools, the numbers are ~3.4 and 26ish (~501).

The greater the reputation of the school, the higher those numbers have to be.

A 3.4 cGPA is around the 10th %ile at many MD schools, and so one's chances would be best with one's state schools. Chances will be higher with a "lucky" state that has a missiont o favor in-state applicants, like IA, TX, KS or AR.

IF your cGPA is consistently towards the lower end, like < 3.2, then you need to consider post-bac GPA repair, to show that you can handle med school. If you're only making Bs and Cs, then you need to seriously consider whether this path is for you.

If you're serious about Medicine, you had better be able to handle both school and ECs. You're expected to walk and chew gum at the same time, because good time mgt skills are crucial for medical students. Med school will be a lot harder than UG school.
.

[/QUOTE]

Would it be better to stop taking prereqs now to continue raising my undergrad gpa and then do a postbac program? If I did that then my overall gpa would increase but I know that medical schools care mostly about science courses.

 

[Goro]

Probably. But if you can't hack your current program, why do you think you can handle med school?



Would it be better to stop taking prereqs now to continue raising my undergrad gpa and then do a postbac program? If I did that then my overall gpa would increase but I know that medical schools care mostly about science courses.[/QUOTE]

 

[Dr. Academics]

The best thing is to keep the fire burning