LOW GPA BAD EC'S PLEASE HELP ME

[Shruggs]

I am a non-traditional freshman student entering my second quarter at UW-Seattle.
(I was in a dual-enrollment program in high school)

Currently a Music Performance (BM) and I DA'd into Biochem (BA); so I am a double major. Depending on how my GPA looks (mainly my sGPA) at the end of this year, I will drop my Biochem major and give up on my dream of becoming a doctor entirely. I have a backup plan for either case, I will still pursue music if I have a good outlook on my sGPA but if my sGPA looks too bad, I will go into Music Education and become a teacher.

My GPA from each school is drastically different:
~3.00 cum. GPA (76 credits) from the HS dual-enrollment program (2.62 sGPA, 48 credits)
~3.73 cum. GPA (15 credits) from the university (3.2 sGPA, 5 credits)

I'll be taking 3 more science courses this year which will put me at 20 science credits.

I've been dealing with a lot of mental health problems ever since I was in middle school (reflected heavily in my poor GPA), but I've never been this motivated in a while and I don't want to give up on a dream that I've had for a really long time.

I have 120+ hours at a hospital from my dual-enrollment days but I don't have enough time to volunteer there anymore.

QUESTIONS:
1. Is my GPA at this point too low to salvage?

2. Would it look bad to medical schools if I switched to another hospital/program that allowed me to volunteer during the weekends, when I have more time?

3. Should I start looking around for shadowing opportunities for during the summer break? I heard that 40 hours is the average, do I do that in one year or over the span of several years?

4. How do I report my activities to med schools? Do I need to obtain and present some sort of certificate of completion?


I am extremely sorry for this GIGANTIC post, I currently don't have a guidance counselor so I had to post all of my questions here🙁.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post!!!🙂


Sincerely,
Shruggs

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[freedoctor17]

1) no, you're still a freshman. Pull it together and work hard and you can do it. If you have mental health issues then make sure you focus on your health first and figure out what you need to do to do better. For now don't take too many difficult science courses at once if you're struggling. Again you're still a freshman and not in any rush.
2) no there's nothing wrong with volunteering in different places for whatever reason...
3) yes you should, I wish I had started earlier as this is something I'm slacking on. 50 hours seems acceptable total but the more the better so if you can do 40 over the summer go for it.
4) you describe them on the application and list a point of contact that can verify them (such as an advisor or volunteer coordinator).

 

[mybluedog]

I am a non-traditional freshman student entering my second quarter at UW-Seattle.
(I was in a dual-enrollment program in high school)

Currently a Music Performance (BM) and I DA'd into Biochem (BA); so I am a double major. Depending on how my GPA looks (mainly my sGPA) at the end of this year, I will drop my Biochem major and give up on my dream of becoming a doctor entirely. (not wanting to become a doctor because of your GPA is terrible. It gives me a message that you don't even have that much motivation to be one. Because what you should be doing now is coming up with a plan on how to fix it.)I have a backup plan for either case, I will still pursue music if I have a good outlook on my sGPA but if my sGPA looks too bad, I will go into Music Education and become a teacher.

My GPA from each school is drastically different:
~3.00 cum. GPA (76 credits) from the HS dual-enrollment program (2.43 sGPA, 18 credits)
~3.73 cum. GPA (15 credits) from the university (3.2 sGPA, 5 credits)

I'll be taking 3 more science courses this year which will put me at 20 science credits.

I've been dealing with a lot of mental health problems ever since I was in middle school (reflected heavily in my poor GPA), but I've never been this motivated in a while and I don't want to give up on a dream that I've had for a really long time.

I have 120+ hours at a hospital from my dual-enrollment days but I don't have enough time to volunteer there anymore.

QUESTIONS:
1. Is my GPA at this point too low to salvage?
No, your GPA is fine. Be sure to have an upward trend and if anyone ever asks through an interview, you can explain with valid reasons.
2. Would it look bad to medical schools if I switched to another hospital/program that allowed me to volunteer during the weekends, when I have more time?
no
3. Should I start looking around for shadowing opportunities for during the summer break? I heard that 40 hours is the average, do I do that in one year or over the span of several years?
yes. it is better if you do it over the span of years with several providers. before you do any sort of activity, ask yourself what the purpose of that activity is to you and your your future.
4. How do I report my activities to med schools? Do I need to obtain and present some sort of certificate of completion?
No, you should be focusing more on getting better grades and finding more ECs. There is a lot of useful info on sdn, so before posting, I suggest reading other posts.

I am extremely sorry for this GIGANTIC post, I currently don't have a guidance counselor so I had to post all of my questions here🙁.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post!!!🙂


Sincerely,
Shruggs

Feel free to pm if you have any more questions.

 

[Shruggs]

@mybluedog,
Thank you so much for your kind reply.

Now I do realize that my GPA being a reason of giving up on a dream is stupid, but it does seem pretty logical as GPA is a huge factor when it comes to Medical School admissions.

The reason why I have a 1 year deadline is a little hard to explain. It was a conclusion I reached when my Music Professor told me that I need to practice an upwards of 4 hours a day if I dreamed of becoming a professional. With my double major, practicing for so long would be impossible. She said that if I can't make the commitment (again, this is a really crude way of putting it, she is an amazing person and she was very sincere about it when we discussed it) that I should probably just stick with being a Performance Minor.

I am very certain that I want to be a doctor, but in my head, it seemed logical that if I don't have the ability to have a good GPA in undergrad, then I wouldn't be able to make it through Medical School and that I would just be a waste of money.

Shruggs

 

[mybluedog]

@mybluedog,
Thank you so much for your kind reply.

Now I do realize that my GPA being a reason of giving up on a dream is stupid, but it does seem pretty logical as GPA is a huge factor when it comes to Medical School admissions.

The reason why I have a 1 year deadline is a little hard to explain. It was a conclusion I reached when my Music Professor told me that I need to practice an upwards of 4 hours a day if I dreamed of becoming a professional. With my double major, practicing for so long would be impossible. She said that if I can't make the commitment (again, this is a really crude way of putting it, she is an amazing person and she was very sincere about it when we discussed it) that I should probably just stick with being a Performance Minor.
I'm not really sure what this 1 yr deadline is.
I am very certain that I want to be a doctor, but in my head, it seemed logical that if I don't have the ability to have a good GPA in undergrad, then I wouldn't be able to make it through Medical School and that I would just be a waste of money.
Unfortunately, we all have to sacrifice thing as premeds and as healthcare providers. I always try to be optimistic and see what can do to save my problems. Have you thought about playing music in a hospital setting? This wouldn't necessarily count as clinical volunteering, but it is a super appealing volunteering experience.
Shruggs

 

[studpremed]

Kill the mcat (515+). Gpa is important but the mcat is the great equalizer.