Psyc major premed what to do?

[Tnasiri]

Hello everyone. So i have been stressing so much about class lately. Turns out I cant start taking Chem 101 until Spring Sophomore year so I am falling way behind. I am a Psychology Major and also doing premed. My GPA is currently at 3.38. I just started my 2nd year so 3.38 is my 1st year gpa, so im not doing too well either. I just needed some advise cause I am constantly thinking about what if I dont get into Med School. Most Psyc majors dont get good jobs even with a PHd. So Im here to ask should I still pursue psyc as my major? Because what if i do not get in into med school...ugh I hate life right now

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[ClemsonFirst]

If you really enjoy psych and think it's something you want to pursue as your career, stay with it and try to bring your GPA up these next couple years to med school status. You can still get your PhD and be a clinical psychologist. If not, then you more than likely took gen eds your first year and can transfer to a new, more interesting major that you can use as a back up if you don't get it. It is always a good idea to have a back up plan.

 

[Holmwood]

Hello everyone. So i have been stressing so much about class lately. Turns out I cant start taking Chem 101 until Spring Sophomore year so I am falling way behind. I am a Psychology Major and also doing premed. My GPA is currently at 3.38. I just started my 2nd year so 3.38 is my 1st year gpa, so im not doing too well either. I just needed some advise cause I am constantly thinking about what if I dont get into Med School. Most Psyc majors dont get good jobs even with a PHd. So Im here to ask should I still pursue psyc as my major? Because what if i do not get in into med school...ugh I hate life right now

Their requirement is not that high. You can get a pretty good job as a clinical psychologist through a master's program.

Your end-game goal is med school, so why not try looking into DO schools? Their GPA requirement is not that stringent.
AND YOURE JUST IN YOUR FIRST YEAR!

Chillax, people have done worse their freshman year and still got into very good programs. Freshman year is a time where alot of people do badly simply because they do not transfer well from high-school level classes to college-level courses. Just make sure you reevaluate your study methods and do well in your next 2 to 4 years. Your GPA can improve tremendously.

Also take summer courses! That's how I finished all my prerequisites by sophomore year (biochem as well!).

 

[Tnasiri]

Thanks for the advise. I haven't taken Chemistry yet. The thought of it makes me so scared haha.

 

[Doctor Dream]

Thanks for the advise. I haven't taken Chemistry yet. The thought of it makes me so scared haha.

Like others have said, you still have tons of time to turn your GPA around. I tanked my first semester of college pretty hard but have worked my a** off since and now have a GPA I'm very happy with.

The reality for you is that super prestigious med schools like Harvard, Stanford, and so on are probably off the table. But there are LOTS of MD programs that like to see upward trends in GPA overtime. A 3.38 after freshman year is by NO MEANS a nail in the coffin. Lots of people experience the shock of college and living on their own for the first time during freshman year and their GPA reflects that. It's how you respond from this point on though that med schools will really be paying attention to.

The key things that helped me turn around was my change in study habits and confidence. I found a system that works for me and I've stuck with it since. I studied everyday for at least a few hours (including weekends), and as a result felt more comfortable with the material when exams rolled around. I knew I was going to slay the exams because I'd prepared for it so thoroughly and for so long that there was no way I'd miss enough content to get lower than an A.

For you OP, don't worry about not getting in to med school and all that other stuff. If you focus on the here and now, and do the best you can, everything else will fall into place.

 

[mimelim]

Like others have said, you still have tons of time to turn your GPA around. I tanked my first semester of college pretty hard but have worked my a** off since and now have a GPA I'm very happy with.

The reality for you is that super prestigious med schools like Harvard, Stanford, and so on are probably off the table. But there are LOTS of MD programs that like to see upward trends in GPA overtime. A 3.38 after freshman year is by NO MEANS a nail in the coffin. Lots of people experience the shock of college and living on their own for the first time during freshman year and their GPA reflects that. It's how you respond from this point on though that med schools will really be paying attention to.

The key things that helped me turn around was my change in study habits and confidence. I found a system that works for me and I've stuck with it since. I studied everyday for at least a few hours (including weekends), and as a result felt more comfortable with the material when exams rolled around. I knew I was going to slay the exams because I'd prepared for it so thoroughly and for so long that there was no way I'd miss enough content to get lower than an A.

For you OP, don't worry about not getting in to med school and all that other stuff. If you focus on the here and now, and do the best you can, everything else will fall into place.

You have no basis or foundation to make claims like the one that I have bolded and given the information in this thread (not whatever reality there might be, since Harvard/Stanford is off the table for a lot of people even before they start college) this is most certainly incorrect.


@Tnasiri you need to understand why medical schools care about GPA. Your raw GPA is irrelevant in the long run. What matters is: Are you academically sound? Are you going to survive Step 1, 2, 3, in-service exams, written boards, oral boards, etc. It would be a tremendous waste of your time and a medical school's time to train you and have you be incapable of keeping up. There are several metrics that allow adcoms to figure out if you are academically sound. GPA, MCAT, courses/major are just a few of them. In combination they give us a pretty damn good idea of the kind of student you are. So, the issue at hand. I agree with the posters above me, a 3.38 after Freshman year doesn't mean anything by itself. The question is what happens from here. You haven't started the pre-med track. I hate to break it to you, but your classes are going to get harder from here on out. Gen chem, Orgo, Physics, Bio, Biochem etc are notorious for being more difficult than most people's core classes or their majors. The question is really, why did you get a 3.38? Common reasons for a Freshman would run along the lines of: Partied too much, poor study habits, overall lacking intelligence, just to name a few. Some are modifiable, some aren't. If you partied too much, the fix is easy and it should be next to nothing to turn things around if you have the want and the will power to do so. Other things are much more difficult to get over, especially because the classes are going to get harder.

 

[Gauss44]

Either:

1. hire a tutor
and/or
2. use these http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/free-stuff/1247592/

Protect your GPA!

 

[WillburCobb]

Hello everyone. So i have been stressing so much about class lately. Turns out I cant start taking Chem 101 until Spring Sophomore year so I am falling way behind. I am a Psychology Major and also doing premed. My GPA is currently at 3.38. I just started my 2nd year so 3.38 is my 1st year gpa, so im not doing too well either. I just needed some advise cause I am constantly thinking about what if I dont get into Med School. Most Psyc majors dont get good jobs even with a PHd. So Im here to ask should I still pursue psyc as my major? Because what if i do not get in into med school...ugh I hate life right now

Major in something that genuinely interests you and don't get hung-up in how long it takes. I was a semester shy from finishing a music ed degree before going to psych and pre-med. I really didn't have to try at music, but the interest just wasn't there and my GPA reflects that. I loved my pre-med and psych courses even though I had to put in much more work and that is reflected in the change in my GPA - studying becomes "easier" and enjoyable. If you don't like psych drop it (though it gets WAAAY better with upper level courses IMHO). It took me 7 years to finish undergrad because of the late switch and 2 cycles before getting into med school, but I have no regrets. If it takes you "longer" to get into med school you're gaining in maturity and experience, which is invaluable.

Also, @mimelim 's advice was solid.

Their requirement is not that high. You can get a pretty good job as a clinical psychologist through a master's program.

1. There are other fields in psych (social, cultural, industrial/organizational, developmental, educational, cognitive, neuro, etc.) and sub fields within those, and OP didn't specify regarding the grad school route.

2. A masters in clinical psych is pretty worthless. You can do therapy, but there are numerous restrictions, you would need significant connections to join a practice, starting your own practice is an absurdly ridiculous risk (with just a masters), and you can't reimburse at the same rates.

3. Getting into a clinical psych program is harder than getting into med school (this excludes diploma mill for profit PsyD programs and the recently popping-up for profit PhD programs - both of these options are worse than going to the Carib for medicine).

 

[Eddie Chahar]

Hey, don't stress out. If you really buckle down and manage your time well over the next few years you'll be in a great position. If it makes you feel better, I had a slightly lower GPA than you going knot my sophomore year and I pulled it up to a 3.7 going into my last year. You are more than capable of good grades. Just ask insightful questions in class and hopefully you enjoy the classes you're in. In my opinion the harder classes are more interesting and thus "easier" to do well in. Pay extra attention to any class that has to do with the MCAT!!

 

[NP545]

Major in something that genuinely interests you and don't get hung-up in how long it takes. I was a semester shy from finishing a music ed degree before going to psych and pre-med. I really didn't have to try at music, but the interest just wasn't there and my GPA reflects that. I loved my pre-med and psych courses even though I had to put in much more work and that is reflected in the change in my GPA - studying becomes "easier" and enjoyable. If you don't like psych drop it (though it gets WAAAY better with upper level courses IMHO). It took me 7 years to finish undergrad because of the late switch and 2 cycles before getting into med school, but I have no regrets. If it takes you "longer" to get into med school you're gaining in maturity and experience, which is invaluable.

As a psych premed, did you take any non-prereq/upper level science courses during your undergrad years?
Do you think your 2 cycles were due to the late start?

 

[WillburCobb]

As a psych premed, did you take any non-prereq/upper level science courses during your undergrad years?
Do you think your 2 cycles were due to the late start?

I took a ton. I completed a neuroscience minor and chem minor, and only needed capstone and a genetics lab for a Zoology degree. Applying two cycles was due to a low GPA and applying to only one school the first cycle.

 

[Goro]

Go to your school's Career Counseling Center, stat!

Psych majors actually do quite well in HR roles.

Hello everyone. So i have been stressing so much about class lately. Turns out I cant start taking Chem 101 until Spring Sophomore year so I am falling way behind. I am a Psychology Major and also doing premed. My GPA is currently at 3.38. I just started my 2nd year so 3.38 is my 1st year gpa, so im not doing too well either. I just needed some advise cause I am constantly thinking about what if I dont get into Med School. Most Psyc majors dont get good jobs even with a PHd. So Im here to ask should I still pursue psyc as my major? Because what if i do not get in into med school...ugh I hate life right now

 

[Chir0nex]

Hello everyone. So i have been stressing so much about class lately. Turns out I cant start taking Chem 101 until Spring Sophomore year so I am falling way behind. I am a Psychology Major and also doing premed. My GPA is currently at 3.38. I just started my 2nd year so 3.38 is my 1st year gpa, so im not doing too well either. I just needed some advise cause I am constantly thinking about what if I dont get into Med School. Most Psyc majors dont get good jobs even with a PHd. So Im here to ask should I still pursue psyc as my major? Because what if i do not get in into med school...ugh I hate life right now

Hey, old psych major here. As others have mentioned, choose a major that you find interesting. If you enjoy your psych classes stick with it (even if it is not clinical psych).While it's true that getting a position in a pure psych field (basically research or therapy) can be difficult, psychology can serve as an entry into HR positions, advertising work, consulting and more depending on the branch you pursue. If you are truly concerned about it, and continue to struggle with the premed aspect you also still have plenty of time to shift focus to prepare for a non-medical career via internships and networking. Really the question to answer is wht would you want to do if you don;t go to med school?

Also, don;t freak out yet. You have 1 year under your belt and plenty of time to up your GPA. If you are concerned about the timing of classes maybe consider summer classes to try and spread out or accelerate your schedule.