Problem about First Semester!

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LadyBug9933

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My first semester of college has just passed.

And I've done terribly.

:(

Midway through the semester, a family member of mine became very ill and my adjustment to college was much more difficult that I could have imagined. My GPA for my first semester of college is a 2.0!

A C average, I know, is nothing that anyone can use to get into medical school, yet it was just my first semester. Now, since all of you know much better than I do, what do I do from here? Do I retake these classes now? Or do I retake them later? Should I expect to have to do a post bacc program because of my first semester? Thank you all SO much for your help! I am really lost and SDN is a great place to find info, and I really appreciate all of you!

Have a Great and Happy Holiday season everyone!

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I know of many who received 'C' grades and still got in. It is not unknown for somebody to get bad grades their first semester or two and then completely turn it around from there on out. They show a longterm change and it is noted when they apply. If you have less than a C in a pre-req course you should retake it. Just be sure to do very well the second time around.

Also know that while your grades are undoubtedly very important in the application process there is more to it. Your MCAT score, other activities - and your personality - all come into play.

There is still hope! Just figure out what needs to change and don't let this happen again!

Best of luck!!!!
 
thank you SOOOOOO much! I really appreciate it!! I was also wondering... when SHOULD I retake the pre-reqs I did poorly in?

I got a C in both Gen Chem 1 and Bio 1. So should I retake them next semester BEFORE I take Gen Chem 2 and Bio 2, or should I wait?
 
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You should talk with your advisor and the professor before you rely on SDN for questions like this!

But if you got a C, you may not want to retake. If you retake the course and do better, it doesn't erase the C from your GPA or transcripts. If you feel like you understood the material well enough to move on to the next courses and do very well in them, then why retake? On the other hand, if you got a C you may not have understood the material well enough and moving on to the next courses would just furthur hurt you.

I don't believe a C automatically means you should retake. Don't feel forced to do it. Evaluate your situation, talk to those who know, and make the best decision for you.

Anything lower than a C that is a pre-req for med school - definitely retake.

Good luck.
Shawn
 
cheer up. i think if you do better on these classes next semester, it will show improvement. not everyone gets it perfect the first time and everyone understands that. its better to do average and go great later than doing great and falling as the courses get more challenging. just study harder next quarter and you'll be fine:)
 
well good thing that it was just your first semester.

I didnt have a very good first year gpa (under 3.0) but i just adjusted and figured out what i personally needed to do differently. my next year with some of the tougher prereqs like bio, ochem, and physics, i got around a 3.8 for that year. It helps to show that you can show a good improvement in the upcoming semesters. just show an upward trend and you should be ok. interviewers have asked me about my grades first year and i would answer them but then they would remark that since i showed good improvement the following semesters that it was not too much of a problem.

dont worry too much. about retaking classes...thats gonna be up to you since you got Cs and not Ds or Fs. C is kinda in nomans land. I didnt retake any of my Cs and I guess it was ok for me now that i look at it in hindsight.

just make sure the rest of your future application is strong like your involvement in the community etc...

good luck. ;)
 
Upward trend's the key.

When people review your app, they most likely look for a pattern in your academic record, whether you generally did well or not in science and non-science. So one semester won't screw you up totally.
 
thank you all SO much for all of your incredible advice...

now I have a few more questions-

with a post bacc program, can one do the program, just to improe their GPA so admission into medical school is easier? can you do it for one year? can you do a post bac program even if you took all of your medical school pre-reqs? I was confused on the columbia website...

does doing a post bac give you a better chance of getting into medical school? I am sorry if these seem to be stupid questions, I'm just confused! Thanks so much, again!
 
Originally posted by LadyBug9933
thank you all SO much for all of your incredible advice...

now I have a few more questions-

with a post bacc program, can one do the program, just to improe their GPA so admission into medical school is easier? can you do it for one year? can you do a post bac program even if you took all of your medical school pre-reqs? I was confused on the columbia website...

does doing a post bac give you a better chance of getting into medical school? I am sorry if these seem to be stupid questions, I'm just confused! Thanks so much, again!

I believe usually people do postbacs to build up a good science academic record, and I think many postbacs are only one year. So ya, it'll help you if you do well in the postbac, but it's not necessary if your Science GPA is good by the time you apply.
 
Yes a postbacc program can help. It is usually for people who graduate with low GPAs and want to improve their chances.
Yes you can do a postbacc even if you have taken your pre-reqs already.

That shouldn't concern you though. You just did bad in one semester. A lot of students do that. From now on though hit the books and aim for as many As as possible.
 
You are early enough in your undergrad career that you definitely don't need to worry about the post-bac program. If you have semesters like this one through all four years of college (ie. if you graduate with a 2.5 GPA) then you might want to look at a post bac program. But you will likely learn from this semester and do much better in the future. Leave the post bac program as a last resort.
 
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