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Pretty Embarrassed but I need to ask...

Discussion in 'Nontraditional Students' started by seira85, May 6, 2008.

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  1. seira85

    seira85

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    Ok so to make a very extremely long story short..I screwed up pretty badly and now I'm not sure what to do. I took Bio1 and Chem1 as a freshman and failed (along with my other classes). I was able to get "Freshman Fogiveness" for one class as a sophomore so I chose to retake Bio1 (in hopes of getting a better grade..didn't happen)..I got a D.

    Stayed away from the sciences because I realized I was just making it worse for myself..until the summer before my Senior year when I decided to go against my better judgement and take Bio2 and Chem1 (retake)...got a C in Chem1 and a D in Bio2.

    Did great overall in other classes and actually had a 3.0 cum GPA..3.75 Major GPA when I graduated..how the heck that happened I have no freakin idea.

    I know I'm not the only one who messed up in undergrad, but it sure feels like it :(. I know doing so poorly so many times looks horrible..but trust me when I tell you I was so immature, naive and unprepared for what being pre-med is like. I know I can handle the sciences because it was never a matter of not getting it, I just simply slacked off, took things for granted, and seriously did not study the proper way I should have.

    I'm trying to start my formal post-bacc in September and wanted to know what your opinions were. Should I start from the very beginning..as in, should I retake Bio1 and Bio 2 since I did so poorly?

    I was reluctant to because basically I will end up having taken Bio 1 three times and Bio 2 twice!!

    Let me know what you guys think.

    In the mean time I have been working on doing some great EC's (community volunteer work, shadowing, working at a hospital, and a few other things that have helped me understand why I want to go into medicine).

    Sorry..it somehow ended up still being long! lol
     
    #1 seira85, May 6, 2008
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  2. DrMidlife

    DrMidlife has an opinion

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    Not much good news for you here. Yep, you need to retake any prereqs in which you got less than a C. And, a 3.0 overall GPA is not good enough for med school. 60% of applicants DON'T get in, and that 60% is made up of strong applicants.

    But what's the deal? You don't say anything about WHY you didn't do well in the prereqs. You need to EXCEL in science to get into med school. Don't go at it again until you figure out how to get A's - it's that simple.

    Also you might want to make friends with osteopathic medicine. When you apply to an MD school, the "freshman forgiveness" won't matter - med schools will see every grade on your transcript, and they're under no pressure to respect an individual college's policies on grade forgiveness. DO schools, on the other hand, only count the last retake of a class.

    Best of luck to you.
     
    #2 DrMidlife, May 6, 2008
  3. gman33

    gman33
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    Do you know your BCPM gpa?
    I'd calculate that and figure out where you stand.
    If your grade is on your transcript, make sure you count it, don't use the "forgiveness" method.

    I'd also suggest thinking about DO. Based on your numbers, MD may not be realistic without 4-5 years of more work.
     
    #3 gman33, May 6, 2008
  4. Mobius1985

    Mobius1985

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    I Agree with DrMidlife. You must retake Bio1 and Bio2. You must get As. You must prove you can take difficult science courses and master them. If you do not have a complete understanding of basic bio, you won't have a proper foundation to excel in more advanced courses.
     
    #4 Mobius1985, May 6, 2008
  5. flip26

    flip26

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    Keep in mind there is no "freshman forgiveness" or "academic bankruptcy" for med schools - those Fs must be reported and will be counted in your AMCAS GPA.

    Your science grades are frankly horrible. I doubt if MD is going to be a possibility for you even if you retake all the courses and make As, but DO is a remote possibility.

    Don't jump into this without getting a handle on your "mental block" or whatever is causing you to fail these classes. Ultimately, after retakes, you will most likely need to attend an SMP to prove yourself to adcoms...you have a long and treacherous road ahead if you decide to pursue medicine.
     
    #5 flip26, May 7, 2008
  6. seira85

    seira85

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    Thanks for the feedback :oops:

    In terms of my GPA, I attempted to calculate the BCMP GPA and I recall it being low.There's this calculator I came acorss (an excel sheet..perhaps I will try and post the link up for you guys because it could be helpful to some of you)

    As for the DO route, I'm all for it, but I think I will apply to a handful of allopathic schools. In my situation, I have no right to pick and choose where I want to apply..I basically need to apply as broadly as possible.

    The 4-5 year plan..I was hoping to make it more like 3-4 years of hard work (2 full years of pre-med courses, 1 year of SMP and perhaps a full seperate year of applications).

    The whole Freshman Forgiveness thing I know won't apply to med schools. My school just had the policy of allowing you to retake one class you did poorly in and it wouldnt be calculated into your overall cum GPA..but that only would I apply to my undergrad.

    I know I have horrible grades, in the end I have two roads to take..either I try to get into med school and am successful..or try and am not successful. Although it really doesn't seem like it, my academic struggles were never due to not understanding the material. Truthfully I just didn't study, any attempt was in vain because I would cram everything I had learned the night before the test (which was usually 3 chapters long). I loved the material and learning it..just never took the right steps to prove it.

    Sorry..my posts are ridiculously long guys..but thanks for reading and giving feedback:)
     
    #6 seira85, May 7, 2008
  7. J ROD

    J ROD Watch my TAN walk!!
    Rocket Scientist Physician Pharmacist Lifetime Donor Classifieds Approved

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    Honestly, you will still probably have a hard time getting into a DO program as well.

    I would seriously think about the Caribbean. Take a few prereqs over and see how you do first.

    You have alot of F's and D's to overcome with the science GPA and you better kill the MCAT 33+
     
    #7 J ROD, May 7, 2008
  8. nu2004

    nu2004

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    agreed on all counts except re: the caribbean. the OP doesn't need to think about applying to schools at all until (s)he's well into the post-bacc.

    OP: if you are knocking out A's in the post-bacc, sign up for the MCAT and do your best to break 30. if you are ending up with C's, reconsider.
     
    #8 nu2004, May 7, 2008
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