Red Flagged for Competitive Schools

[Hobakie]

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There are probably hundreds of threads about this ,but I want an honest and brutal opinion.

So this semester after 21 credits I came out with all As and a C+ in orgo I. I was taking a pretty heavy science load but I know that honestly isn't an excuse because so is everyone else. My goal is Hopkins med. There are a bunch of reasons as to why but I don't want to go into detail. I want to know am I red flagged as a future applicant? I plan on As from here on out ,but I can't help but feel that a c in orgo is a huge no for really competitive schools it also doesn't help that my dean told me orgo is the biggest determining factor in acceptances.

Also I'm at a 3.8 and I'm a sophmore. I plan on taking one or two gap years to do research and teaching in asia so I'm not applying in any upcoming cycles.

 

[ProudMD]

A 3.8 GPA is competitive for the top 10 schools.

If you are aiming for Hopkins, then maintain your 3.8, do exceptionally well on the new MCAT, and have outstanding ECs and LORs. And even if you have all of these accomplished, the top 10 schools are still crapshoots.

You will NOT be "redflagged" because of one individual low grade, regardless of class.

 

[WingedOx]

Brutal Honest Opinion:

A 3.8 is fine

But don't get your heart set on one (or even any particular) medical school. Have your heart set on being a physician.

 

[Goro]

Work on the self-esteem, will ya? Your GPA is golden.

There are probably hundreds of threads about this ,but I want an honest and brutal opinion.

So this semester after 21 credits I came out with all As and a C+ in orgo I. I was taking a pretty heavy science load but I know that honestly isn't an excuse because so is everyone else. My goal is Hopkins med. There are a bunch of reasons as to why but I don't want to go into detail. I want to know am I red flagged as a future applicant? I plan on As from here on out ,but I can't help but feel that a c in orgo is a huge no for really competitive schools it also doesn't help that my dean told me orgo is the biggest determining factor in acceptances.

Also I'm at a 3.8 and I'm a sophmore. I plan on taking one or two gap years to do research and teaching in asia so I'm not applying in any upcoming cycles.

 

[HCHopeful]

Sophomore*

Sorry.

 

[Entadus]

There are probably hundreds of threads about this ,but I want an honest and brutal opinion.

So this semester after 21 credits I came out with all As and a C+ in orgo I. I was taking a pretty heavy science load but I know that honestly isn't an excuse because so is everyone else. My goal is Hopkins med. There are a bunch of reasons as to why but I don't want to go into detail. I want to know am I red flagged as a future applicant? I plan on As from here on out ,but I can't help but feel that a c in orgo is a huge no for really competitive schools it also doesn't help that my dean told me orgo is the biggest determining factor in acceptances.

Also I'm at a 3.8 and I'm a sophmore. I plan on taking one or two gap years to do research and teaching in asia so I'm not applying in any upcoming cycles.

Please, elaborate.

 

[Afford]

Your Interview is the biggest determining factor in acceptances.

 

[Hobakie]

Sophomore*

Sorry.

Don't be . It's a forum not my thesis, besides you shouldn't apologize for being correct.

Brutal Honest Opinion:

A 3.8 is fine

But don't get your heart set on one (or even any particular) medical school. Have your heart set on being a physician.

You are absolutely right, but Hopkins is a personal goal of mine. I am set on being a physician and because of the residency I want, the type of physician I want to become, and the types of patients I wish to interact with Hopkins is my number one choice.

Please, elaborate.

I can't tell if your being sarcastic or not, but on what do you wish for me to elaborate on?

 

[tima]

Your Interview is the biggest determining factor in acceptances.

The biggest hurdle is getting an interview invite. Interviews can do more harm than good.

 

[redpanda]

You are absolutely right, but Hopkins is a personal goal of mine. I am set on being a physician and because of the residency I want, the type of physician I want to become, and the types of patients I wish to interact with Hopkins is my number one choice.

Having your eye set on one particular school for whatever goal you have in mind is completely unreasonable, even if your goal is to someday become an uber-famous-cardiologist-physician-scientist-thought-leader. There are plenty of places that will train you well as a medical student and Hopkins does not, by any means, have a monopoly on good patients nor good teaching.

 

[tima]

Having your eye set on one particular school for whatever goal you have in mind is completely unreasonable, even if your goal is to someday become an uber-famous-cardiologist-physician-scientist-thought-leader. There are plenty of places that will train you well as a medical student and Hopkins does not, by any means, have a monopoly on good patients nor good teaching.

+1

I am pretty sure the OP has never set foot in Hopkins. Even if you have, not sure how you can say Hopkins is the best school for you. As the quoted post says, there are many other good schools out there.

 

[Hobakie]

Having your eye set on one particular school for whatever goal you have in mind is completely unreasonable, even if your goal is to someday become an uber-famous-cardiologist-physician-scientist-thought-leader. There are plenty of places that will train you well as a medical student and Hopkins does not, by any means, have a monopoly on good patients nor good teaching.

Again, you are correct. But not once did I say Hopkins is the only school I would have in mind, I said it's my number one choice and I am not going to apologize for it being so. All of the schools that I will apply to in the future will be somewhere that I see myself being and working at throughout my career ,but why is it unreasonable for me to have Hopkins as a goal? I'm not so single minded as to think that Hopkins is the only medical school that trains competent doctors.

 

[efle]

why is it unreasonable for me to have Hopkins as a goal?

Median cGPA and sGPA: 3.9
Median MCAT: 97th percentile
Acceptance rate: 4.1% (for comparison Stanford and Harvard undergrads have 6% rates)

Totally reasonable to want to go to Hopkins. Totally unreasonable to expect to go to Hopkins. Living life with an obsessed mindset leading to thoughts like "how will Hopkins view this grade??" is a great way to become very, very disappointed and frustrated after 3-4 years of hard work.

 

[WingedOx]

Again, you are correct. But not once did I say Hopkins is the only school I would have in mind, I said it's my number one choice and I am not going to apologize for it being so. All of the schools that I will apply to in the future will be somewhere that I see myself being and working at throughout my career ,but why is it unreasonable for me to have Hopkins as a goal? I'm not so single minded as to think that Hopkins is the only medical school that trains competent doctors.

No, but this process is a crapshoot, even with outstanding stats.

And your priorities can and will change.

Plus your residency and "the patients you will interact with" has really nothing to do with where you do medical school. I'd be interested in having you specify what you mean by that, because that's an interesting (and potentially mature/important) statement.

Hopkins obviously has some strong programs, but that doesn't always translate into an advantage for your education. Ophtho, for example, was particularly strong in my medical school, as a result students really needed to do a lot of ass kissing to get noticed.

You still haven't taken the MCAT I assume... set your sight on "I want to get into any LCME medical school" early on and it will be a major help to you. Just trust me (and the other experienced posters on here). The explanation for why could be a novel.

 

[Eppur Si Muove]

Why were you taking 21 credits in one semester?

 

[Lucca]

Just so you know, when this forum says "Red Flag" it means there is something about your application that says you will be an incompetent, ill-informed, irresponsible, immature physician. It does not mean "my 4.0 is gone". A red flag would be an IA, a lack of clinical experience, a lack of service work, an arrest, multiple MCAT attempts after receiving a strong score, etc.

A bad gpa is not a red flag, it's just uncompetitive. I don't know who said a 3.8 is competitive for top 10 but it doesn't really seem to be. The median ias atleast 3.85 up there. It certainly is not impossible but you are no longer among the top dogs. However, the thought that one bad grade would keep you from attending these schools or any is just silly. Just do better on ochem 2 and ensure the rest of your application is strong and you will still be very, very competitive for most schools in this country with a similar MCAT. Best of luck! (P.S don't take 21 credits lol)

 

[L. Beethoven]

By the way, OP, Hopkins or any other top 10 school will heavily value research. After all, we're talking about top ten in the "research rankings" on USNWR.

So, get an A in OChem 2, get started working in a lab, volunteer clinically and in your local community, shadow doctors, get leadership experience, rock the new MCAT, stick with an interesting hobby outside academics, build relationships with faculty who will write you rec letters down the road, and don't get any institutional action, and you'll be on the right track!

...actually, looking at this list, I realize the crazy amount of stuff we all have to do as pre-meds! But I still think it's worth it 🙂

 

[Hobakie]

Why were you taking 21 credits in one semester?

I'm a double major with a minor in Chinese Studies that requires me to go abroad so I lose a semester of classes. Also I have honors college requirements to fill out. While it was hard I don't think it had anything to do with the C+, Im sure that it was because of ineffective studying and realizing it too late. I know now how I study for ochem has to be different from how I study for other subjects.

 

[Hobakie]

By the way, OP, Hopkins or any other top 10 school will heavily value research. After all, we're talking about top ten in the "research rankings" on USNWR.

So, get an A in OChem 2, get started working in a lab, volunteer clinically and in your local community, shadow doctors, get leadership experience, rock the new MCAT, stick with an interesting hobby outside academics, build relationships with faculty who will write you rec letters down the road, and don't get any institutional action, and you'll be on the right track!

...actually, looking at this list, I realize the crazy amount of stuff we all have to do as pre-meds! But I still think it's worth it 🙂

It is alot 🙂 I've been a research assistant in a lab and volunteering/shadowing since freshmen year so I'm not too worried about that. I guess I was just freaking over my grade. I keep getting told well its ochem its supposed to be hard but that doesn't make it feel any better, but I'm over it and I know what I have to do now. Thank you 🙂

 

[Hobakie]

Just so you know, when this forum says "Red Flag" it means there is something about your application that says you will be an incompetent, ill-informed, irresponsible, immature physician. It does not mean "my 4.0 is gone". A red flag would be an IA, a lack of clinical experience, a lack of service work, an arrest, multiple MCAT attempts after receiving a strong score, etc.

A bad gpa is not a red flag, it's just uncompetitive. I don't know who said a 3.8 is competitive for top 10 but it doesn't really seem to be. The median ias atleast 3.85 up there. It certainly is not impossible but you are no longer among the top dogs. However, the thought that one bad grade would keep you from attending these schools or any is just silly. Just do better on ochem 2 and ensure the rest of your application is strong and you will still be very, very competitive for most schools in this country with a similar MCAT. Best of luck! (P.S don't take 21 credits lol)

That one was my bad. I always thought red flag was just something that brought unwanted attention to your app, I didn't know it had to be a serious offense.

 

[Lucca]

That one was my bad. I always thought red flag was just something that brought unwanted attention to your app, I didn't know it had to be a serious offense.

It is precisely that, but a 3.6+ gpa is not unwated attention. A 3.6 might be unwanted at hopkins but it's fine at plenty of schools. Red flags are bad everywhere.

 

[WingedOx]

The other thing about school is this: Don't anticipate that training at hopkins (or any other school) will bring you personal satisfaction. Med schools are bureaucratic impersonal institutions and med school kind of sucks. Hell, my school has an SDN reputation for "happy students" and my worst days of residency have been better than my best days of medical school.

/sorry, you wanted brutal honestly.

 

[Mad Jack]

No you aren't red flagged for a single C+ in your sophomore year. Stahp.

 

[BamaNicole]

+1

I am pretty sure the OP has never set foot in Hopkins. Even if you have, not sure how you can say Hopkins is the best school for you. As the quoted post says, there are many other good schools out there.

This x 10000

When I realized I wanted to become a doctor, I did have my heart set on one school but that all changed when I started applying. I realized that the one school I thought I so dearly wanted to be a part of wasn't a good fit for me.

 

[altblue]

The other thing about school is this: Don't anticipate that training at hopkins (or any other school) will bring you personal satisfaction. Med schools are bureaucratic impersonal institutions and med school kind of sucks. Hell, my school has an SDN reputation for "happy students" and my worst days of residency have been better than my best days of medical school.

/sorry, you wanted brutal honestly.

Watching Doctor's Diaries fixed my impression of this...

 

[alpinism]

Brutal honesty:

While getting one C+ isn't a red flag, it also doesn't look good on your application.

High ranking MD schools (especially T10) prefer applicants who've gotten at least Bs or higher in the prereqs.

Can you still get into those schools? Sure. But, that grade certainly isn't doing you any favors.

 

[alpinism]

The other thing about school is this: Don't anticipate that training at hopkins (or any other school) will bring you personal satisfaction. Med schools are bureaucratic impersonal institutions and med school kind of sucks. Hell, my school has an SDN reputation for "happy students" and my worst days of residency have been better than my best days of medical school.

/sorry, you wanted brutal honestly.

Reminds me of Columbia and U Chicago.

Almost every resident I've worked with from those places (n=6) was miserable and couldn't wait to leave.

What's funny is how much of a good reputation both med schools have on SDN for "student wellness and happiness."