New + Royally screwed up fresh year

[halo104]

Hey y'all...

So I'm new here but I've lurked around for a while. I'm going to preface this by saying I KNOW that plenty of people ask these types of questions, but I'm swimming and I genuinely need help

I enrolled at my school (state school, good research university) as a physiology major with a pre-med focus. I've always wanted to a doctor, and all that jazz. As soon as I started my classes, I was diagnosed with a heart condition. This led to me constantly fainting, getting super sick, not being able to go to class, that sort of thing.

I finished my first semester kind of decent, with a 2.8 GPA. My second semester I got even more sick with frequent hospitalizations, and my cGPA slid to a 2.07. For some reason, they school would NOT let me take medical leave, and because they wouldn't, my profs weren't very helpful.

I took off this semester of sophomore year, but I'm going back in the spring. I have to retake gen chem, bio and math. I have all of my books and everything so I'm studying like a mad woman to keep everything sharp, and my health problems are under control. I know I'll be able to keep my grades under wraps and be able to pull cGPA a lot.

GRADE WISE- am I foolish trying to continue medical school? Provided I kick a$$ with all of my ECs and the rest of my classes, do you think I can blame a crappy first year on a tough situation and prove that I can rise above it? I feel like it's such a long shot at this point, and I know I'll have to put in a lot of work. I'm taking summer semesters and taking classes over my winter breaks to boost my GPA and graduate on time. I just want to know if anyone else has beaten the odds like this?

Please, constructive criticism only! Don't say that I'm dumb and don't belong doing it or anything

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[kyamh]

You will need to see if your GPA can be salvaged to get above cutoffs for various schools (at least a 3.0 for many) so you may have to reserve your judgement until you get a few more semesters under your belt. Your mistake was not taking time off from school. It doesn't matter if your school doesn't offer sick leave during the semester, you should have taken a leave of absence (essentially dropped out though most schools let you come back within 2 years without reapplying) and gotten your life sorted - W's would be preferable, I think. Your experience will definitely make for good essays down the road but be prepared to do a full post-bac program and get a 3.8+.

Also, research DO programs.

 

[ZeaL6]

Assuming you get a 4.0 for the rest of your semesters (on a 4 year track), you could bring your GPA up to about a 3.6. 3.4 and up is good for medical school provided you destroy the MCAT, have good EC's, personal relationships, etc. Just work hard, period. If you can't make the 3.4, try for the SMP or do grade replacement for DO schools. Medical school is definitely not out of reach with one bad year.

 

[youmed]

Hey y'all...

So I'm new here but I've lurked around for a while. I'm going to preface this by saying I KNOW that plenty of people ask these types of questions, but I'm swimming and I genuinely need help

I enrolled at my school (state school, good research university) as a physiology major with a pre-med focus. I've always wanted to a doctor, and all that jazz. As soon as I started my classes, I was diagnosed with a heart condition. This led to me constantly fainting, getting super sick, not being able to go to class, that sort of thing.

I finished my first semester kind of decent, with a 2.8 GPA. My second semester I got even more sick with frequent hospitalizations, and my cGPA slid to a 2.07. For some reason, they school would NOT let me take medical leave, and because they wouldn't, my profs weren't very helpful.

I took off this semester of sophomore year, but I'm going back in the spring. I have to retake gen chem, bio and math. I have all of my books and everything so I'm studying like a mad woman to keep everything sharp, and my health problems are under control. I know I'll be able to keep my grades under wraps and be able to pull cGPA a lot.

GRADE WISE- am I foolish trying to continue medical school? Provided I kick a$$ with all of my ECs and the rest of my classes, do you think I can blame a crappy first year on a tough situation and prove that I can rise above it? I feel like it's such a long shot at this point, and I know I'll have to put in a lot of work. I'm taking summer semesters and taking classes over my winter breaks to boost my GPA and graduate on time. I just want to know if anyone else has beaten the odds like this?

Please, constructive criticism only! Don't say that I'm dumb and don't belong doing it or anything

Instead of deciding now if your chances of matriculating into a medical school is over, why don't you spend the next three years exploring other options? This is not to say that you should give up the goal of becoming a doctor. Just keep the goal in the back of your head and go explore some clubs, volunteer in various organizations, and pick up a research experience if that interests you. Most importantly, keep your GPA up because no matter which profession you will decide to pursue, a high GPA will undoubtedly help you. Good luck!

 

[TangoDown]

Put in the work to get the grades and look into DO schools too, as they allow for grade replacement. You retake a class and the grade you got for the old course is negated.

 

[jm192]

I had a bad first semester and overcame it. A year makes it a little tougher, but if you get a 4.0 or high 3's for a while--you can raise it, and they'll look favorably on your upward grade trend.

As tangdown said--you can do grade replacement and go the DO route.

 

[sobored]

Lots of people have beaten the odds as you suggest (including myself). Your goal right now should be to take rigorous course loads and perform at a high level (3.5gpa and up). Then, study hard and get a good score on the MCAT (30 and up). Find a few things you are passionate about and develop your interests/involvement over the next few years (but NOT at the expense of your grades). Don't get discouraged - it is a long road just to get to the point of applying, but you can do it. G'luck.

 

[SamFujiyama]

First things first: relax. This is not the end of the world. I rounded out my freshman year with just under a 2.5 and I am currently enjoying being an M1 at a US MD school. Lots of people have been in your shoes and have succeeded, and unfortunately lots have failed as well. Will things be as easy for you as they would for other applicants? No. Will you need to work harder in your classes and for the MCAT? Yes. Just recognize that this is a deficit in your application and work towards fixing it and making the rest of your application as strong as possible. Also recognize that it is better to apply later as a well prepared applicant than it is to waste your money applying when you are not ready. Sobored gave some great advice above that you should also be listening to.

Good luck!