Prospective chances?

[washu13]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] I am currently a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis. First semester I had a 3.58 gpa with a B in chemistry and B+ in chemistry lab. This semester I am struggling more with my grades. It looks like my gpa for this semester will be lower. It is possible that I might receive a C or C+ in gen. chem this semester. I know Wash U is supposed to be one of the top premed schools but I am somewhat worried about how I compare to other students. In addition, I've been told that premed curriculum only increases in difficulty as time goes on. What will getting a C/C+ in chem do to my chances? Any perspective on my chances would be greatly appreciated.
..

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[canjosh]

You need to get mostly As on the prereqs with maybe a few Bs scattered around. You really can't permit more than 1 C. So, if you end up with that C, you have to buckle down from here on out. As far as chances, as I'm sure you're aware, it's way too early to say anything. Just figure out how to study better/work harder.

 

[Catalystik]

Many freshman struggle for grades their first year as they get used to a new academic environment. Getting a C in Chem II won't kill your chances, but it does need to be a wakeup call that you're doing something wrong that needs fixing. If you don't understand the Chemistry, you may need to repeat the class, as you need a solid grasp of it to do well on the MCAT. If you do understand and are a victim of harsh grading, then move on and get As in OChem.

You could consider transferring to another school, as GPA is one of the primary benchmarks you'll be judged on in the med school application process.

If you don't want to transfer, then start attending office hours, tutor sessions, doing all the problems at the back of each chapter, or whatever it takes.

It's much better that we're having this conversation now, rather than after your GPA drops to 3.0, which is a more difficult postion to gain redemption from. Now, figure out what you're doing wrong and go fix it.

 

[J ROD]

yeah, you need to have higher grades.

This is not the first time I have seen some go to a "hard" undergrad and have a hard time making the grade. If you cant handle the school, it might be a good idea to get out while you can before you build up too many bad grades and it def looks like you had to leave because you cant handle it.

I would give it one more semester and then see how it goes. But, you should be making As in chem because ochem is alot harder for most.