Need some advice and direction

[Seattlekid95]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi all,

I'm new here. I'm a freshman at the University of Washington, and to be honest, am struggling. I'll give you my shortish- but whole, story.
I cruised through high school; got good grades, was president of the school, involved in tons of sports, clubs, societies- you name it, I was in it. Graduated with a 3.8, 9 AP tests, all honors/AP, yada yada yada. Got into UW and a couple other schools- chose to go to UW for in-state tuition, and cause I had always loved the U.

Fast forward to freshman fall quarter. Take my first chem/calc tests, and don't do so hot. I was roughly around the mean, and was honestly really shocked, coming from doing so well in high school- I figured I was prepared for college life. Obviously I wasn't though. I buckled down, did better on the second midterms. Then the week before finals, my best friend from childhood committed suicide- rocked my world. Ended up getting a 2.75 average for the first quarter. 2.2 chem, 2.9 calc1, 3.3 gen-ed. + 3.5 in other credits, sits me at a 2.95 cum.

Winter quarter went similarly. Studied hard all quarter, but my studying just hasn't been panning out. I am still finding myself doing below the curve in science classes (set at a 2.6-2.8 at UW), and I don't know why. Regardless, I didn't do well in math (notorious for being worst teacher in department- I didn't answer some of the clicker questions and bombed one of the midterms/didn't do great on the final), and didn't do too hot in chem, even though I had been getting tutoring and going to the study center. Ended up getting a 1.8 in math, and a 2.3 in chem. Probably got around a 3.7 in my history class.

So this is where I am at, heading into spring quarter. I am going to do a hardship withdrawal from math because of what I went through with my friend (will get a HW on my transcript, grade is erased), and was thinking of just moving on in chem, so I am not behind, and possibly retaking at a later date. My next quarter classes would be calc2 again, chem 162 (third in gen chem series) and an english class.

Its been my dream to become an ER doctor, and work ER as well as search and rescue as my job. I know I am smart enough to get the grades to get into med school, I just need to figure out how to preform to a higher standard, and do better on tests. I do great on practice exams, and then get to the actual tests, and do not do well.

So here are my questions. Should I do a HW from chem2 too? Should I wait, and retake it later? How should I move forward from this, besides just acing my other classes. I know I am relatively early in the spectrum, but already with my first two quarters, it will be just that much harder for me to get a 3.6-3.8 cumulative gpa for med schools, as well as raise my science gpa.

After that, how should I plan my next couple years in UG? Any insight on when to take what classes? Study habits to help improve my test taking?

Thank you!

 

[Boolean]

Hi all,

I'm new here. I'm a freshman at the University of Washington, and to be honest, am struggling. I'll give you my shortish- but whole, story.
I cruised through high school; got good grades, was president of the school, involved in tons of sports, clubs, societies- you name it, I was in it. Graduated with a 3.8, 9 AP tests, all honors/AP, yada yada yada. Got into UW and a couple other schools- chose to go to UW for in-state tuition, and cause I had always loved the U.

Fast forward to freshman fall quarter. Take my first chem/calc tests, and don't do so hot. I was roughly around the mean, and was honestly really shocked, coming from doing so well in high school- I figured I was prepared for college life. Obviously I wasn't though. I buckled down, did better on the second midterms. Then the week before finals, my best friend from childhood committed suicide- rocked my world. Ended up getting a 2.75 average for the first quarter. 2.2 chem, 2.9 calc1, 3.3 gen-ed. + 3.5 in other credits, sits me at a 2.95 cum.

Winter quarter went similarly. Studied hard all quarter, but my studying just hasn't been panning out. I am still finding myself doing below the curve in science classes (set at a 2.6-2.8 at UW), and I don't know why. Regardless, I didn't do well in math (notorious for being worst teacher in department- I didn't answer some of the clicker questions and bombed one of the midterms/didn't do great on the final), and didn't do too hot in chem, even though I had been getting tutoring and going to the study center. Ended up getting a 1.8 in math, and a 2.3 in chem. Probably got around a 3.7 in my history class.

So this is where I am at, heading into spring quarter. I am going to do a hardship withdrawal from math because of what I went through with my friend (will get a HW on my transcript, grade is erased), and was thinking of just moving on in chem, so I am not behind, and possibly retaking at a later date. My next quarter classes would be calc2 again, chem 162 (third in gen chem series) and an english class.

Its been my dream to become an ER doctor, and work ER as well as search and rescue as my job. I know I am smart enough to get the grades to get into med school, I just need to figure out how to preform to a higher standard, and do better on tests. I do great on practice exams, and then get to the actual tests, and do not do well.

So here are my questions. Should I do a HW from chem2 too? Should I wait, and retake it later? How should I move forward from this, besides just acing my other classes. I know I am relatively early in the spectrum, but already with my first two quarters, it will be just that much harder for me to get a 3.6-3.8 cumulative gpa for med schools, as well as raise my science gpa.

After that, how should I plan my next couple years in UG? Any insight on when to take what classes? Study habits to help improve my test taking?

Thank you!

I do not know if this grade will actually be erased in the eyes of the medical schools you will be applying to. I'm not sure how a W differs from a HW though, so I may be very wrong. It's very unfortunate what happened to your friend (and you as a result of such) but perhaps you need to consider taking a bit easier classes, or at least retaking the ones you are not doing well on. This will not necessarily increase your grade, but you may have a fundamental lack of understanding of the topics that are holding you back (if you are getting low C's in classes, moving forwards is not always the best option)

I'd say nothing truly kills your chances, but this does not necessarily help. Have you considered DO or PA at all? Starting off you first year with a sub 3 GPA isn't going to be easy, so perhaps considering a bit easier schools to get into would help (Not to hate on DO's or PA's, they put in a ton of work and are very much respected).


Have you done any EC's at all? Volunteering? Shadowing? Research?

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Sorry to hear about your friend. Be sure to ask for help from your school or physician if you need to.

If you're gunning for UWSOM, they use a weighted GPA that favors an upward trend. So that will help you. UWSOM also has the most comprehensive admissions website I've seen. I'd read every word on it and watch the videos.

http://www.uwmedicine.org/education/md-program/admissions/applicants/advice

This resource is also excellent:

https://www.meded.umn.edu/futuredocs/documents/The-Hand-of-a-Phenomenal-Pre-Med.pdf

 

[Seattlekid95]

I do not know if this grade will actually be erased in the eyes of the medical schools you will be applying to. I'm not sure how a W differs from a HW though, so I may be very wrong. It's very unfortunate what happened to your friend (and you as a result of such) but perhaps you need to consider taking a bit easier classes, or at least retaking the ones you are not doing well on. This will not necessarily increase your grade, but you may have a fundamental lack of understanding of the topics that are holding you back (if you are getting low C's in classes, moving forwards is not always the best option)

I'd say nothing truly kills your chances, but this does not necessarily help. Have you considered DO or PA at all? Starting off you first year with a sub 3 GPA isn't going to be easy, so perhaps considering a bit easier schools to get into would help (Not to hate on DO's or PA's, they put in a ton of work and are very much respected).


Have you done any EC's at all? Volunteering? Shadowing? Research?

Boolean,

Thanks for the quick response. I should check how medical schools view HW, I just tried quickly googling it, but nothing came up. Maybe I will send an advisor an email. I agree with you about holes in certain topics, which is why I was thinking about retaking chemistry also at some point.
I also agree with it not helping my chances. If I could get a 3.6 spring quarter, I would be looking at roughly a 3.2 cum gpa for freshman year- would that situate me better for med school, especially if I continued to do well sophomore/junior year? I am planning on doing the bulk of my homework next quarter in a study center for underrepresented students (I'm filipino), where they have tutors on hand for just about ever subject- hoping this will help improve how I am doing in classes.
I have definitely not ruled out DO, but am not as keen on PA. I don't know a ton about either though. I will definitely apply to DO and MD when the time comes.

EC wise, I am working on securing a shadowing position of a surgeon, and am working on applying for some research opportunities for this spring/summer. Those will fall into place shortly.

Mt. Kilimanjaro- I am not totally gunning for UWSOM, just because of how hard it is to get in (or so i've heard) but I will definitely apply to it when the time comes, so hearing about weighted gpa's is nice, thank you for that! Also I just glanced at the second website, that looks great- i'll give it a read in a bit, thank you!

 

[Boolean]

Boolean,

Thanks for the quick response. I should check how medical schools view HW, I just tried quickly googling it, but nothing came up. Maybe I will send an advisor an email. I agree with you about holes in certain topics, which is why I was thinking about retaking chemistry also at some point.
I also agree with it not helping my chances. If I could get a 3.6 spring quarter, I would be looking at roughly a 3.2 cum gpa for freshman year- would that situate me better for med school, especially if I continued to do well sophomore/junior year? I am planning on doing the bulk of my homework next quarter in a study center for underrepresented students (I'm filipino), where they have tutors on hand for just about ever subject- hoping this will help improve how I am doing in classes.
I have definitely not ruled out DO, but am not as keen on PA. I don't know a ton about either though. I will definitely apply to DO and MD when the time comes.

EC wise, I am working on securing a shadowing position of a surgeon, and am working on applying for some research opportunities for this spring/summer. Those will fall into place shortly.

Mt. Kilimanjaro- I am not totally gunning for UWSOM, just because of how hard it is to get in (or so i've heard) but I will definitely apply to it when the time comes, so hearing about weighted gpa's is nice, thank you for that! Also I just glanced at the second website, that looks great- i'll give it a read in a bit, thank you!

A 3.2 cum gpa freshman year is definitely something you can bounce back from. The issue with a sub 3.0 is that it rules out a lot of opportunities (many programs and scholarships). I'm quite glad to hear that you will be able to make above a 3.0! I'm sure if you apply yourself you will make that 3.6. In regards to the study center, go for it! Study centers are great. I suggest also studying in groups with your fellow students. I personally find it really helps (many medical schools agree, look at PBL).

If you don't use it already, I recommend you take a look at OpenCourseWare. It's free courses with no sign up released by MIT. These include lectures, notes, quizzes, the whole shebang. These are incredibly helpful for when you don't understand a concept, or perhaps have missed a few lectures. Consider using this as supplemental instruction alongside your coursework.

Above all, keep at it. You can do it, you just have to keep pushing yourself. To paraphrase @Goro "The only person holding you back from a seat in medical school is you."

Go out and do great things 🙂

 

[Seattlekid95]

Any other opinions or advice? Thank you all in advance!

 

[Mornhavon]

.

 

[Goro]

Your school must have a learning or education center. seek them out for help in learning styles. Also seek out your school's counseling center for help in coping.

Hi all,

I'm new here. I'm a freshman at the University of Washington, and to be honest, am struggling. I'll give you my shortish- but whole, story.
I cruised through high school; got good grades, was president of the school, involved in tons of sports, clubs, societies- you name it, I was in it. Graduated with a 3.8, 9 AP tests, all honors/AP, yada yada yada. Got into UW and a couple other schools- chose to go to UW for in-state tuition, and cause I had always loved the U.

Fast forward to freshman fall quarter. Take my first chem/calc tests, and don't do so hot. I was roughly around the mean, and was honestly really shocked, coming from doing so well in high school- I figured I was prepared for college life. Obviously I wasn't though. I buckled down, did better on the second midterms. Then the week before finals, my best friend from childhood committed suicide- rocked my world. Ended up getting a 2.75 average for the first quarter. 2.2 chem, 2.9 calc1, 3.3 gen-ed. + 3.5 in other credits, sits me at a 2.95 cum.

Winter quarter went similarly. Studied hard all quarter, but my studying just hasn't been panning out. I am still finding myself doing below the curve in science classes (set at a 2.6-2.8 at UW), and I don't know why. Regardless, I didn't do well in math (notorious for being worst teacher in department- I didn't answer some of the clicker questions and bombed one of the midterms/didn't do great on the final), and didn't do too hot in chem, even though I had been getting tutoring and going to the study center. Ended up getting a 1.8 in math, and a 2.3 in chem. Probably got around a 3.7 in my history class.

So this is where I am at, heading into spring quarter. I am going to do a hardship withdrawal from math because of what I went through with my friend (will get a HW on my transcript, grade is erased), and was thinking of just moving on in chem, so I am not behind, and possibly retaking at a later date. My next quarter classes would be calc2 again, chem 162 (third in gen chem series) and an english class.

Its been my dream to become an ER doctor, and work ER as well as search and rescue as my job. I know I am smart enough to get the grades to get into med school, I just need to figure out how to preform to a higher standard, and do better on tests. I do great on practice exams, and then get to the actual tests, and do not do well.

So here are my questions. Should I do a HW from chem2 too? Should I wait, and retake it later? How should I move forward from this, besides just acing my other classes. I know I am relatively early in the spectrum, but already with my first two quarters, it will be just that much harder for me to get a 3.6-3.8 cumulative gpa for med schools, as well as raise my science gpa.

After that, how should I plan my next couple years in UG? Any insight on when to take what classes? Study habits to help improve my test taking?

Thank you!

 

[sunkist206]

I'm a former student at UW, so I understand how competitive the science classes are - so please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. As others have said, a sub-par GPA freshman year won't kill you, as long as you have a strong upward trend. Are you an EOP student? The Instructional Center (IC) at UW has awesome resources (i.e. past exams), tutoring, and workshops for chem/bio/ochem. I heavily used the IC during undergrad and it helped me tremendously. If you don't have access to the IC, you can try and apply here: http://depts.washington.edu/ic/. Another great resource is CLUE.