Screwed up freshman and sophomore year

[Fixyou]

Hey guys, so here's my situation: I'm a sophomore at a pretty well ranked state school right now. Freshman year was extremely rough for me. I ended up getting a D in gen chem and a C+ in my expository writing class. But I did fairly well in bio and calc and got a B+ in both. I decided to retake chem 1 over summer and took a break from chem for spring semester. I ended up getting a C+ in bio2 and C in physics1 and B's in the rest of my non science classes. When I took chem1 over again in summer i got a b+ and proceeded to take chem2 over fall semester of sophomore year. I ended up scraping a C in this class and also got a C in physics2. I am now taking organic chem1 and failing it. My GPA as of fall semester of sophomore year stands at 2.6. i know that if i retake orgo over summer i will be able to get a B or higher. But I am really afraid my chances for med school are slim to none. Also, I come from a south asian family (indian) and i'm beyond terrified to break it to my dad that i'm failing ochem. But since half of my family consists of over achieving 4.0 med school students, my father will never understand why i'm doing so bad. truth is, i work hard, i work really hard. I tend to have really bad nerves right before my exams and screw everything up.
So what do you guys think I should do? Should I give up on the med school dream? Is there any advice you guys can give me regarding my situation? And please be as harsh as you can. I could really use some honest opinions right now.

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[MedPR]

Hey guys, so here's my situation: I'm a sophomore at a pretty well ranked state school right now. Freshman year was extremely rough for me. I ended up getting a D in gen chem and a C+ in my expository writing class. But I did fairly well in bio and calc and got a B+ in both. I decided to retake chem 1 over summer and took a break from chem for spring semester. I ended up getting a C+ in bio2 and C in physics1 and B's in the rest of my non science classes. When I took chem1 over again in summer i got a b+ and proceeded to take chem2 over fall semester of sophomore year. I ended up scraping a C in this class and also got a C in physics2. I am now taking organic chem1 and failing it. My GPA as of fall semester of sophomore year stands at 2.6. i know that if i retake orgo over summer i will be able to get a B or higher. But I am really afraid my chances for med school are slim to none. Also, I come from a south asian family (indian) and i'm beyond terrified to break it to my dad that i'm failing ochem. But since half of my family consists of over achieving 4.0 med school students, my father will never understand why i'm doing so bad. truth is, i work hard, i work really hard. I tend to have really bad nerves right before my exams and screw everything up.
So what do you guys think I should do? Should I give up on the med school dream? Is there any advice you guys can give me regarding my situation? And please be as harsh as you can. I could really use some honest opinions right now.

My cGPA soph year was lower than yours. It's still nothing to brag about, but I got it up significantly from the 1.41 I had first semester of freshman year.

The following are the GPAs I earned each year, not my cGPA. Also included are the retakes and what my GPA looks like now.

1.62 Freshman, 2.56 Sophomore, 3.23 Junior, 3.65 Senior, 4.0 DIY Post-bacc at CC. The CC classes are a combination of upper level Bio (A&P1, A&P 2, Micro = 12 credits) and retakes (Physics 1, Gen Chem 1&2, Orgo 1 = 18 credits) totaling 30 credits over a 1 summer, 1 fall, and 1 spring semester. After finishing undergraduate, my sGPA was a 2.65, cGPA a 2.88. After those 30 post-bacc credits, my sGPA is a 3.22, cGPA is 3.2.

 

[Iliketoytles]

Hey guys, so here's my situation: I'm a sophomore at a pretty well ranked state school right now. Freshman year was extremely rough for me. I ended up getting a D in gen chem and a C+ in my expository writing class. But I did fairly well in bio and calc and got a B+ in both. I decided to retake chem 1 over summer and took a break from chem for spring semester. I ended up getting a C+ in bio2 and C in physics1 and B's in the rest of my non science classes. When I took chem1 over again in summer i got a b+ and proceeded to take chem2 over fall semester of sophomore year. I ended up scraping a C in this class and also got a C in physics2. I am now taking organic chem1 and failing it. My GPA as of fall semester of sophomore year stands at 2.6. i know that if i retake orgo over summer i will be able to get a B or higher. But I am really afraid my chances for med school are slim to none. Also, I come from a south asian family (indian) and i'm beyond terrified to break it to my dad that i'm failing ochem. But since half of my family consists of over achieving 4.0 med school students, my father will never understand why i'm doing so bad. truth is, i work hard, i work really hard. I tend to have really bad nerves right before my exams and screw everything up.
So what do you guys think I should do? Should I give up on the med school dream? Is there any advice you guys can give me regarding my situation? And please be as harsh as you can. I could really use some honest opinions right now.

Why do you need to tell your dad you're failing ochem? I'm south asian too and I never told my parents anything laugh. Fix the problem yourself... you don't need parental advice for this.

You will definitely have to retake any science class you got a C or less in... whether that means you'll have to spend an extra year in undergrad is up in the air... but you gotta do what you gotta do, y'know?

You also need to do very well in your upper levels to prove that you can handle it. You said you have bad nerves before exams... you should look into getting some advice for that... since I'm sure medschool exams aren't any easier. Now's the time, while you're still in undergrad, to seek help with your test-taking.

But yes, retake any C's... and just focus hard on ACING your future science classes. You'll rebound and be in good shape to apply, GPA-wise. Your MCAT and ECs will also be important too... so make sure you're focusing on those as well.

Don't lose confidence in yourself... you still have a very good shot as medschool if this is what you want to do (although, I'm wondering if you're being forced into it since you said your family is full of overachieving medstudents). If it is, you can do it. If you're being forced into it or doing it for "show"... look into something else.

Good luck, man.

 

[OhioG]

This is just an idea, but here is another option for you. You said your are a sophomore right. Well i'm guessing you are going to start Jr year in the spring. You could do this. This summer, you retake Bio 2, Chem 2 and Physics 1. In the Fall retake Orgo 1, Physics 2 and that Writing class.

I suggest this because I didn't to too hot my first two years. I didn't have a strong science base and the last two years, while I pulled a decent 3.5, was a bit more difficult that it needed to be. Also this route only puts you back 1 semester.

Also when it comes to text anxiety, you can talk to people about that. Worst case scenario, you take a few shots before the exam. I mean dont go hammered but something to calm the nerves. Note: I have never done this but I have seen others who have and it worked for them. YMMV

 

[Goro]

Man up and tell you're dad you're NOT doing well.
then figure out what's going wrong, and re-peat the courses. Right now, you are NOT getting an interview.

Hey guys, so here's my situation: I'm a sophomore at a pretty well ranked state school right now. Freshman year was extremely rough for me. I ended up getting a D in gen chem and a C+ in my expository writing class. But I did fairly well in bio and calc and got a B+ in both. I decided to retake chem 1 over summer and took a break from chem for spring semester. I ended up getting a C+ in bio2 and C in physics1 and B's in the rest of my non science classes. When I took chem1 over again in summer i got a b+ and proceeded to take chem2 over fall semester of sophomore year. I ended up scraping a C in this class and also got a C in physics2. I am now taking organic chem1 and failing it. My GPA as of fall semester of sophomore year stands at 2.6. i know that if i retake orgo over summer i will be able to get a B or higher. But I am really afraid my chances for med school are slim to none. Also, I come from a south asian family (indian) and i'm beyond terrified to break it to my dad that i'm failing ochem. But since half of my family consists of over achieving 4.0 med school students, my father will never understand why i'm doing so bad. truth is, i work hard, i work really hard. I tend to have really bad nerves right before my exams and screw everything up.
So what do you guys think I should do? Should I give up on the med school dream? Is there any advice you guys can give me regarding my situation? And please be as harsh as you can. I could really use some honest opinions right now.

 

[DrWily]

Do well from here on out. Really. Retake the classes like mentioned above and get some help if you need it (tutoring, anti-anxiety meds (jk), etc). You can still make it into medschool. I did horrible my first two years and really did well the last two along with a great MCAT. I'm going to medical school in JULY OMG.

 

[SnowyRox]

Are other people not worried that the OP doesn't mention "A" grades in his first post?

Retaking a "C" class to get a "B" is not good. Getting a C is bad, getting a B is not good. Getting an A is good.

Figure out what you need to do to gain As. Then do it.

Problem solved ;-)

 

[Mosonik]

I obviously speak out a somewhat typical cultural bias but I would encourage you to do something you want to do.. not what others want or expect of you. If that means being a doctor, use school resources and find some people in your classes to study and work with... that may really help you out. If the poor grades are rather an indication of your lack of interest in pursuing this field, have the "talk" with the family and a weight will come off your shoulders. And of course, despite a common attitude of pre-meds to say "doctor or death" life is much more than what you do for a living. it's an important aspect but don't hinge your identity on a job.

 

[Goro]

A 'scrip for Xanax might help

. But since half of my family consists of over achieving 4.0 med school students, my father will never understand why i'm doing so bad. truth is, i work hard, i work really hard. I tend to have really bad nerves right before my exams and screw everything up.
So what do you guys think I should do? Should I give up on the med school dream? Is there any advice you guys can give me regarding my situation? And please be as harsh as you can. I could really use some honest opinions right now.