Ridiculous amount of B's on my transcript...

[panvard92]

So I'm a little concerned that my GPA is probably going to be very low to apply for MD schools. I'm a sophomore now, and I'm not sure what I can do in a year to make up for:

Bio I: A

Bio II: B
Lab for Bio II: B-

Chem I: B
Chem II: B

Orgo I: C+
Lab: B+

Orgo II: B
Lab: B

2 psyc classes: A, A-
3 art classes: A-, A, B+

Calc II/Stats: A, A

I think overall, I'm a little above a 3.4 cumulative. God knows what my sGPA is, but probably isn't that great...am I basically out of the running for all the good MD schools?

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[Nymphicus]

Apply to a ridiculous number of schools.

That's one option.

Also, get better grades.

That's another option.

 

[theseeker4]

So I'm a little concerned that my GPA is probably going to be very low to apply for MD schools. I'm a sophomore now, and I'm not sure what I can do in a year to make up for:

Bio I: A

Bio II: B
Lab for Bio II: B-

Chem I: B
Chem II: B

Orgo I: C+
Lab: B+

Orgo II: B
Lab: B

2 psyc classes: A, A-
3 art classes: A-, A, B+

Calc II/Stats: A, A

I think overall, I'm a little above a 3.4 cumulative. God knows what my sGPA is, but probably isn't that great...am I basically out of the running for all the good MD schools?

Define "good MD schools".... All will provide an education that allows you to be an effective and well-trained doctor.

You are probably out of the running for Harvard and the like, but if you can improve, you can gain an MD spot. Why do you keep getting lower grades, especially in the sciences? What do you need to do to stop getting sub-A grades? Figure it out, and do it. If you keep getting mostly B's with the occasional C, you will have trouble getting into any MD program.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

So I'm a little concerned that my GPA is probably going to be very low to apply for MD schools. I'm a sophomore now, and I'm not sure what I can do in a year to make up for:

Bio I: A

Bio II: B
Lab for Bio II: B-

Chem I: B
Chem II: B

Orgo I: C+
Lab: B+

Orgo II: B
Lab: B

2 psyc classes: A, A-
3 art classes: A-, A, B+

Calc II/Stats: A, A

I think overall, I'm a little above a 3.4 cumulative. God knows what my sGPA is, but probably isn't that great...am I basically out of the running for all the good MD schools?

Apply after your senior year and take a gap year. This way, you'll have two years to bring your GPA up. Upward trends are good! Your science GPA probably needs some work, so take a lot of upper-division courses and do very well (A's and A-'s). Also, every US MD school is a good school.

 

[cmwhite11]

I got plenty of Bs in science pre-reqs and got in just fine. I did have a decent upward trend, though.

 

[JESSFALLING]

Not to derail this thread (sorry OP), but I have a 'C' from Gen Chem 1 that's on my transcript. I've shown an upward trend since. Do you guys think I should retake it? I'd have to retake it at a CC since my university won't allow retakes of passing grades.

OP: You're transcript doesn't look too bad to me. Sure, it could be better, but many people would kill for those grades.

 

[panvard92]

But I calculated the highest possible GPA I could get (if I did well in my upper level classes) and in one year, the highest possible GPA I could possibly get is a cGPA of 3.6ish and a sGPA of 3.5ish.

I admit the MCATs are still left, but I just don't see how that GPA would be overlooked.

 

[sotto voce]

Don't worry about it, I think your GPAs are fine. I have 9 Bs on my GPA (with 58 As) so don't worry about yours.

 

[GeorgiadisMD]

Dude you are alright. I have about 4, 4 hour classes with B's, and one 4 hour class with a C, and I am at a 3.75 GPA right now. All I have left is Biochem 1 and 2 and some easy core classes. Just do well on the easy classes, and when the hard classes come around, you will have a good gpa to fall back on.

 

[GeorgiadisMD]

Not to derail this thread (sorry OP), but I have a 'C' from Gen Chem 1 that's on my transcript. I've shown an upward trend since. Do you guys think I should retake it? I'd have to retake it at a CC since my university won't allow retakes of passing grades.

OP: You're transcript doesn't look too bad to me. Sure, it could be better, but many people would kill for those grades.

If you are srs about advice, I would say dont retake gen chem. Its worthless to retake it, and it might make you look bad since you have plenty of other upper level classes to choose from. Take an upper level chem class instead.

 

[JESSFALLING]

If you are srs about advice, I would say dont retake gen chem. Its worthless to retake it, and it might make you look bad since you have plenty of other upper level classes to choose from. Take an upper level chem class instead.

Thanks

 

[235788]

Define "good MD schools".... All will provide an education that allows you to be an effective and well-trained doctor.

You are probably out of the running for Harvard and the like, but if you can improve, you can gain an MD spot. Why do you keep getting lower grades, especially in the sciences? What do you need to do to stop getting sub-A grades? Figure it out, and do it. If you keep getting mostly B's with the occasional C, you will have trouble getting into any MD program.

.... but some may be better than others. Especially for clinical years.

OP do a SMP if you want MD, other than that start looking DO unless you have a 34+mcat

 

[pre med 2014]

pick your upper level science courses CAREFULLY, ask other people which professors give EASY exams and which professors give HARD exams.

Upper levels can be hard or easy, choose wisely. It looks like math is your strong suite, clc gets easier after calc 2, maybe you could do a math major?

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Don't worry about it, I think your GPAs are fine. I have 9 Bs on my GPA (with 58 As) so don't worry about yours.

58 credits of A's or 58 classes of A's?

 

[Thego2guy]

.... but some may be better than others. Especially for clinical years.

OP do a SMP if you want MD, other than that start looking DO unless you have a 34+mcat

Franz, I dig your new avatar.

Also, not to derail the thread but since we are on topic, how many B's (B+/B/B-) are acceptable to get into the top 25 schools? I had an argument with someone today, and they stubbornly made an argument that if you have more than two B's (roughly speaking), then you can forget about schools like Cornell or NYU. After years of browsing these forums, I took a different stance, and I said that I think a good 6-8 B+/B/B-'s are okay, so long as the remainder of your grades are A's. (Basically have a GPA hover around 3.7-3.8).

He said that would be acceptable if 'you don't go to a joe shmoe university, otherwise, if you don't have a 3.99, then you have nothing to compensate for the lack of your name, and the extra A's'. That sort of made me angry but pensive. Any thoughts about the "B" threshold? I know its a silly question, but it made me think for whatever reason.

 

[235788]

Franz, I dig your new avatar.

Also, not to derail the thread but since we are on topic, how many B's (B+/B/B-) are acceptable to get into the top 25 schools? I had an argument with someone today, and they stubbornly made an argument that if you have more than two B's (roughly speaking), then you can forget about schools like Cornell or NYU. After years of browsing these forums, I took a different stance, and I said that I think a good 6-8 B+/B/B-'s are okay, so long as the remainder of your grades are A's. (Basically have a GPA hover around 3.7-3.8).

He said that would be acceptable if 'you don't go to a joe shmoe university, otherwise, if you don't have a 3.99, then you have nothing to compensate for the lack of your name, and the extra A's'. That sort of made me angry but pensive. Any thoughts about the "B" threshold? I know its a silly question, but it made me think for whatever reason.

Thanks. Its for a werewolf game thread -- So no worries, Jesus with a gun will return eventually.

I don't think there really is a threshold... The big numbers are all that really matter (Cum/sGPA), those are the stats the schools have to report...

 

[Thego2guy]

Thanks. Its for a werewolf game thread -- So no worries, Jesus with a gun will return eventually.

I don't think there really is a threshold... The big numbers are all that really matter (Cum/sGPA), those are the stats the schools have to report...

Reading that made me LOL.

Yeah.. I that is what I thought too. I think by the very nature of average GPA's at top schools being around a 3.8, then obviously people had B-'s somewhere along the line.. and most likely more than two B's as well.

 

[Narmerguy]

Moving to WAMC.