Screwed myself over?

[MagicDrumSticks]

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I just finished my freshmen year at UNT. Here are my grades so far

Bio 1: B
Bio 1 Lab: B
College Writing 1: B
History 2: C
Psychology General I: A


Second semester is where I messed up due to extremely hard teachers + my laziness

Bio 2: B
Bio 2 Lab: D
Tech Writing: C
College Alg: C
Asthetics of Theater: C


My gpa now rests at a 2.62, I'm extremely worried at this point and I just need to know theres hope. How do med schools look at retaken classes anyway?

 

[Appless]

med schools count all grades. So if you retake a class you got a D in and then get an A in it, both grades are calculated in your med school GPA. As for if its over? Nope not at all. I got 2Ds and 2Cs in my 1st semester, after i got about straight As and now i have near a 3.56. But over the past 3.5 years ive averaged a 3.8+ GPA. So basically thats what you have to do now, or else your GPA isnt going to cut it.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Its not over but you need to start pulling down some great grades.

 

[09medstudent13]

I just finished my freshmen year at UNT. Here are my grades so far

Bio 1: B
Bio 1 Lab: B
College Writing 1: B
History 2: C
Psychology General I: A


Second semester is where I messed up due to extremely hard teachers + my laziness

Bio 2: B
Bio 2 Lab: D
Tech Writing: C
College Alg: C
Asthetics of Theater: C


My gpa now rests at a 2.62, I'm extremely worried at this point and I just need to know theres hope. How do med schools look at retaken classes anyway?

I wouldn't say that you've completely screwed yourself, but you definitely did not make the rest of college any easier for you. I believe adcoms do respect gpa trends. If you work hard the rest of college and show that first year to be an aberration you should be fine. I don't know if you necessarily have to retake these classes; if you can get high marks in a higher level class that falls under the same umbrella, you should be fine. That said you definitely have to buckle down. Personally, I definitely sucked my first semester; but kicked it into gear the rest of my college years. Hope is far from lost; work hard and kick the MCAT's a**! Nothing makes up for a low gpa like a bombass MCAT.

 

[Van Chowder]

I just finished my freshmen year at UNT. Here are my grades so far

Bio 1: B
Bio 1 Lab: B
College Writing 1: B
History 2: C
Psychology General I: A


Second semester is where I messed up due to extremely hard teachers + my laziness

Bio 2: B
Bio 2 Lab: D
Tech Writing: C
College Alg: C
Asthetics of Theater: C


My gpa now rests at a 2.62, I'm extremely worried at this point and I just need to know theres hope. How do med schools look at retaken classes anyway?

Naw you havnt screwed your self over, Thats one year, If you get a 3.7 for all the semesters to come ( assuming you are taking the same # of uinits) your overall college GPA will come out to 3.43 which is not terrible, but would require some serious magic on the MCATS (i.e.>34)
Check out mdapplicants.com and you will see people get in with that gpa and even lower mcat scores..

But if you really want it get a 4.0 every semester! 😀

Oh and change your study habits. How do you get a C in history?
I got a C in history ( taking a college class as a highschooler) got wasted EVERYNIGHT and never studied and pulled a C, Needless to say there was plenty of room for change in the studying habits.

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

i'm at the same position myself. I just finished my 2nd year and my GPA rests at 3.465. Unless I get 4.0s nonstop for the next 2 years, med school will be an illusion for me...

p.s. most med schools actually do NOT look at retakes, summer courses, correspondences... etc. They usually look at strictly the courses you took during the school year like a normal person would and didn't cut corners.

But that's just where I live (Ontario). It might be different elsewhere.

Good luck chump.

 

[swampthing6]

Your grades are organized per year, so they'll be able to see GPA trends. It's better to mess up early than mess up late. i.e. I had an off junior year (2 C's) and an interview question was, "How would you respond to someone who might say that your GPA has been steadily decreasing?" I had to send in my much better senior year grades afterwards, but I don't think it would have been an issue if the C's had come at the beginning of college. So, I think you'll be fine if you show improvement. I think a lot of people take for granted their studying environment, so change that up and see if it helps.

 

[MagicDrumSticks]

I'm just a slacker and I really do want to go to med school but its just so hard for me to get motivated at times. I often put off things until the last minute and like to chill until a test comes, this helps me deal with the stress.


What if I transferred to a different university and started fresh? It would reset my gpa and I would be getting a good gpa through.


Also, I don't plan on doing that well on the MCAT because I'm NOT a good standardized test taker, only made a 1050 on my SAT (out of 1600) or 1580 out of 2400.

 

[tiedyeddog]

What if I transferred to a different university and started fresh? It would reset my gpa and I would be getting a good gpa through.


Also, I don't plan on doing that well on the MCAT because I'm NOT a good standardized test taker, only made a 1050 on my SAT (out of 1600) or 1580 out of 2400.

Uhm, a few key points.

1. Your GPA will never "reset". If you apply DO then you can cancel out some of the bad grades by retaking the same classes and doing better. For MD, you can't just transfer.
2. You don't plan on doing well on the MCAT?! Okay..
3. Medical Education has many standardized tests AFTER you get in. Step I is a standardized test and if you can't pass it you will have a **** to of debt and a worthless education you spent two years on.
4. Medical Schools basically pick those who they think can pass step I, a standardized test...

So I don't get it, you get bad grades and expect to do poor on the MCAT?! Why would a school want you, again?!?!

 

[LiveUninhibited]

i'm at the same position myself. I just finished my 2nd year and my GPA rests at 3.465. Unless I get 4.0s nonstop for the next 2 years, med school will be an illusion for me...

p.s. most med schools actually do NOT look at retakes, summer courses, correspondences... etc. They usually look at strictly the courses you took during the school year like a normal person would and didn't cut corners.

But that's just where I live (Ontario). It might be different elsewhere.

Good luck chump.

Must be different in Canada. For the overall GPA AMCAS considers the average of grades while giving it the same weight as taking the course once, e.g. a C and an A retake would count as a B. For the purpose of those who give your ap a closer look, they'll consider GPA trends. And the A retake surrounded by As in upper division courses would make some adcoms forgive your early problems. The second two years would definitely weigh heavier than the first two.

 

[mms7891]

Do not transfer colleges just to escape your bad grades. Own up to it, take control, and do better. If you switched colleges you would still have to send all transcripts from all colleges you attended to the medical schools.

 

[neurommt]

Must be different in Canada. For the overall GPA AMCAS considers the average of grades while giving it the same weight as taking the course once, e.g. a C and an A retake would count as a B. For the purpose of those who give your ap a closer look, they'll consider GPA trends. And the A retake surrounded by As in upper division courses would make some adcoms forgive your early problems. The second two years would definitely weigh heavier than the first two.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't exactly work like this. Both courses are put in separately as if you took two different classes. The total number of credits is used when calculating GPA. People like to say the grades get averaged, but sometimes this gets misconstrued.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

I'm pretty sure it doesn't exactly work like this. Both courses are put in separately as if you took two different classes. The total number of credits is used when calculating GPA. People like to say the grades get averaged, but sometimes this gets misconstrued.

I said for the purpose of the GPA calculation they (the quality points) are averaged but the class weight remains the same as one take, not that they don't show up as separate grades. I stated they look at trends, so obviously I never meant to say they appear as one attempt. But the contribution of retaking a failed course with an A is going to be identical to taking the class once and getting a C in terms of calculating overall GPA.

 

[neurommt]

I said for the purpose of the GPA calculation they (the quality points) are averaged but the class weight remains the same as one take, not that they don't show up as separate grades. I stated they look at trends, so obviously I never meant to say they appear as one attempt. But the contribution of retaking a failed course with an A is going to be identical to taking the class once and getting a C in terms of calculating overall GPA.

Except the total number of credits is used to calculate the GPA. So the class weight is double of one take. Thus changing the GPA even if just slightly. Not identical to a GPA of someone who took it once and got a C.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Except the total number of credits is used to calculate the GPA. So the class weight is double of one take. Thus changing the GPA even if just slightly. Not identical to a GPA of someone who took it once and got a C.

Edit: Okay I couldn't find it on the web so I called the AMCAS people, it appears you are correct. Still I wouldn't say the increase in GPA would be trivial, and it would certainly look a lot better for somebody looking at your transcipt than leaving the F/D/C.

 

[Quester]

I'm just a slacker and I really do want to go to med school but its just so hard for me to get motivated at times. I often put off things until the last minute and like to chill until a test comes, this helps me deal with the stress.


What if I transferred to a different university and started fresh? It would reset my gpa and I would be getting a good gpa through.


Also, I don't plan on doing that well on the MCAT because I'm NOT a good standardized test taker, only made a 1050 on my SAT (out of 1600) or 1580 out of 2400.

lol...it's like looking at myself in the mirror. i don't know what the hell happened to me this year. i used to be a really competitive kid in high school (top 5) and i come to university only get bunch of C's. gawd i'm seriously kicking myself for slacking off so much in my freshman year. i thought about transferring to easier university too but i knew that my parents would flip (b/c they weren't 'extremely' happy about the university choice i made last year)

 

[Quester]

Must be different in Canada. For the overall GPA AMCAS considers the average of grades while giving it the same weight as taking the course once, e.g. a C and an A retake would count as a B. For the purpose of those who give your ap a closer look, they'll consider GPA trends. And the A retake surrounded by As in upper division courses would make some adcoms forgive your early problems. The second two years would definitely weigh heavier than the first two.

seriously?😱

so that would be your sophomore and junior years, right? i mean, if you apply during your junior year summer so that you'll enroll after your senior year.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

seriously?😱

so that would be your sophomore and junior years, right? i mean, if you apply during your junior year summer so that you'll enroll after your senior year.

What I mean is that if you're going to ever do poorly, it's better to have an upward trend afterwards. It would look much worse to do poorly during your junior/senior years than your freshman year as it would be a poor reflection of the more recent you in the context of more rigorous upper-division courses.

I think people who apply at the end of their junior year are crazy.

I'm not going to say that acing your junior year is going to make up for failing freshman year, but if you had to fail one of those three years, freshman would screw you the least.

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

I'm just a slacker and I really do want to go to med school but its just so hard for me to get motivated at times. I often put off things until the last minute and like to chill until a test comes, this helps me deal with the stress.


What if I transferred to a different university and started fresh? It would reset my gpa and I would be getting a good gpa through.


Also, I don't plan on doing that well on the MCAT because I'm NOT a good standardized test taker, only made a 1050 on my SAT (out of 1600) or 1580 out of 2400.

I suppose if you were looking for excuses, you definitely found them.

 

[Quester]

What I mean is that if you're going to ever do poorly, it's better to have an upward trend afterwards. It would look much worse to do poorly during your junior/senior years than your freshman year as it would be a poor reflection of the more recent you in the context of more rigorous upper-division courses.

I think people who apply at the end of their junior year are crazy.

I'm not going to say that acing your junior year is going to make up for failing freshman year, but if you had to fail one of those three years, freshman would screw you the least.

Wait wait...crazy as in smart? Or applying too early?
It's just that I know some people who applied in the beginning of junior year and enrolled after finishing just a bachelor's degree. And a lot of my friends are planning to do the same. I feel like I am prolonging the steps too much because of my less-than-mediocre freshman grades. Thanks for your reply.

 

[FuturaDocta]

Well, the good news is, it will be easy to show an upward trend. Best of luck! I too am sitting at 2.9ish my freshman year. Yah, it sucks. But, I took some pretty hardcore classes that weren't meant for freshman. so to you and I, let's make that UPWARD trend count!

 

[Techmed07]

I just finished my freshmen year at UNT. Here are my grades so far

Bio 1: B
Bio 1 Lab: B
College Writing 1: B
History 2: C
Psychology General I: A


Second semester is where I messed up due to extremely hard teachers + my laziness

Bio 2: B
Bio 2 Lab: D
Tech Writing: C
College Alg: C
Asthetics of Theater: C


My gpa now rests at a 2.62, I'm extremely worried at this point and I just need to know theres hope. How do med schools look at retaken classes anyway?

Ok, I know all about university of north texas. It is huge party school ( have some friends that attend the college). So I can suspect that your problem lies in the area of actually studying and if you are actually studying your problem stems from the fact that you are not studying correctly. I suggest you pick up " How to be a striaght A student" By Cal Newport. If you follow the book instructions you should be able to get that 4.00 every semester.


Now, on to your intellectual and academic cababilities. I can tell you your past has little to no affect on if you can succed in the college you are in. I have a pretty good GPA (>3.8) and I did not graduate with honors, my SAT was comparable to yours. How will I fair on the MCAT?...well, considering there is very little correlation with the college admission exams and the MCAT, I do not know. I will echo what others said you must master standarized tests.


Well, I am attempting to give you a more focused answer than just "try harder" or "get a 4.0 from here on out". Oh, from all my years of stalking SDN I found this list below to be one of BEST information posted, it should be stickied.





High School

• Come back in a couple of years. (or go to hSDN)

During School

• Take college grades seriously, you'll be thankful when application time comes.
• If you're asking to do something because it might look good on your application, chances are you aren't interested enough to commit to it right now.
• Go to office hours, even if you are getting an A in the class because rec letters need to come from somewhere.
• Overstudy your freshmen year in college. Better to get an A+ in all your freshmen classes then wonder if that was time well spent than screw up your freshmen grades and wonder whether you have a chance.
• Work hard to get a stellar GPA so you can count on the MCAT as additional evidence of your academic capability, rather than a stressful redeeming factor.
• Don't hesistate to take on a leadership role in your activities. The work you put into it will benefit you twofold, you will learn a lot about time management and build interpersonal skills.
• Don't think that a great MCAT will compensate for a low GPA.
• Clinical extracurricular activities show admission comittees you have been exposed to the realities of medicine and you can handle them.
• Pursue ECs you are passionate about, don't try to do a little of everything.
• Compete ONLY against yourself.
• Time is better spent pursuing a mastery of the course material rather than calculating the minimum grade you can get by with for a 90 or planning how to spread a rumour that the date for the final has been postponed (when in fact it hasn't.)
• Moderation is key. Take the time to enjoy college but keep in mind that your grades and ECs will be important in the future.
• Remember that medical schools do not want a textbook memorizing machine. What you do outside of class is just as important and what you do inside as far as growing into a well rounded, articulate prospective physician - you can't develop socially if you don't put yourself in social situations and some of the best things do talk about in interviews are interesting things you do for fun!

MCAT

• Don't take the MCAT until your full-length practice scores are exceeding your target score (generally accepted to be 30+ total, with nothing less than a 9 in any section).
• It's MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), not MCATs (Medical College Admission Tests) as there is only one test not multiple ones.
• Stop reading SDN when you're studying for the MCAT. It'll stress you out when you're inevitably reading those score report threads, and it seems like everyone's getting 36+.
• If you find yourself asking, "Should I use this book or that book?" it's a good sign that you should probably use both.

Applications

• If you're asking questions about having to "study" after completion of med school, then you shouldn't be applying to doctorville.
• Take things one-step at a time, rewarding yourself along the way as this process is a marathon, not a sprint.
• APPLY EARLY!
• MDApplicants.com should be used to see on average what kind of people get into certain schools, but it's skewed extremely upwards and don't use a single profile as a ray of hope.
• When a school offers you an interview, learn as much as you can about the school, its focus, and its history. They have shown interest in you and you must do the same.
• Look at the mission statements of each school to see if you fit what they are looking for and to answer their secondaries
• Send Transcripts in MAY even if you don't want to start working on the AMCAS application
• A good personal statement takes time to write (1+ months) if it's been thoroughly edited and you've had time to reflect on what you really want to say.

Other

• Show a little cleavage.
• Show a lot of cleavage.
• Use the search feature before asking routine questions
• Take deep breaths.
• Believe in yourself.
• Don't ask other peoples' opinions of your chances unless you're prepared for an honest answer.
• Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
• Slow down! Taking an extra year to do things well is much better than rushing through and having to deal with the consequences later.
• Learn some humility. If you haven't been beaten down to the ground yet, you'll get used to it during this whole process.
• When deciding what kind of prep material to use, sometimes its a good idea to go to amazon.com and read the reviews before you buy your material.
• The farther you go, the more you are in the public's eye. Treat everything you do seriously, respect everyone, and be aware that people will be critiquing you more and more. But don't get paranoid.

 

[Brent8927]

Other

• Show a little cleavage.
• Show a lot of cleavage.
• Use the search feature before asking routine questions
• Take deep breaths.
• Believe in yourself.
• Don't ask other peoples' opinions of your chances unless you're prepared for an honest answer.
• Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
• Slow down! Taking an extra year to do things well is much better than rushing through and having to deal with the consequences later.
• Learn some humility. If you haven't been beaten down to the ground yet, you'll get used to it during this whole process.
• When deciding what kind of prep material to use, sometimes its a good idea to go to amazon.com and read the reviews before you buy your material.
• The farther you go, the more you are in the public's eye. Treat everything you do seriously, respect everyone, and be aware that people will be critiquing you more and more. But don't get paranoid.

LOL... I hope the part about showing cleavage doesn't apply to the male applicants!

 

[Jameel11435]

LOL... I hope the part about showing cleavage doesn't apply to the male applicants!

Cameltail, bro.

It's all about the Cameltail.