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Hello everyone,
I am seeking feedback on my GPA and advice about the course of action I should take to improve my chances of getting into a medical school when I apply. My end goal is to become a MD and also conduct research. I will be starting my third year as a Microbiology major in the fall, and I expect that it will take me 2 and a half years to complete my major requirements.
I apologize for the length of this post, bu tI am trying to provide as much information as I can in hopes that those who read this will better understand my situation.
In terms of my academic stats, this is where I stand:
The key problem I identified is that while I study for a great amount of time, I do not do so efficiently. This isn't to say that I get distracted by social media or my phone, but that I tend to spend too much time on one chapter and not another, or will spend too much time on conceptual topics when I need to spend more time on completing practice problems. I am not sure how to explain this, but I have a difficult time focusing on the main ideas that are to be tested upon because I become engrossed in tiny details. For instance, if I read a text and it mentions a detail that I don't understand or that I question, I will spend an excessive amount of time trying to understand it because it seems to me that it is essential to me learning. Essentially, I want to understand every detail, even if it is not required because it seems to me that it is irrational and impossible to try to learn the "big picture" of a topic without learning all of the details and components that it is comprised of.
With that said, I would be greatly appreciative of any advice or insight that can be provided. I am still determined to go to medical school and am trying to regain my confidence because I started to question my ability to be anything but average after this recent semester.
Thank you again, and I can answer any questions if they should arise.
I am seeking feedback on my GPA and advice about the course of action I should take to improve my chances of getting into a medical school when I apply. My end goal is to become a MD and also conduct research. I will be starting my third year as a Microbiology major in the fall, and I expect that it will take me 2 and a half years to complete my major requirements.
I apologize for the length of this post, bu tI am trying to provide as much information as I can in hopes that those who read this will better understand my situation.
In terms of my academic stats, this is where I stand:
- Overall GPA: 3.04
- Overall sGPA: 2.70
- I work part-time as an individual service provider for a quadriplegic rehabilitation physician. I make her meals, assist in her personal care (e.g. brushing her hair, laundry), take notes for her while she studies, update patient charts (e.g. I type while she dictates), etc...
- I am currently conversing with a CSULB Microbiology professor about a research opportunity in her lab.
- I will be president of the martial arts club in the fall.
- I will be vice-president of the MEDLIFE chapter at my campus in the fall. MEDLIFE is a national organization that focuses on providing access to medicine, education, and development to poor communities in locations such as Ecuador, Peru, Tanzania, etc...
- I have volunteered in the ER at a local hospital for over 3 years.
- I will have completed a year as a volunteer in the UCLA MAPS program in June. The MAPS program focuses on reducing nosocomial infections through observation (e.g. handwashing, labeling of specimens) of healthcare professionals in the hospital.
- During my first year in college, I had poor study habits and was not being consistent in my academic efforts. I did not realize the repercussions that this would have, and I am completely at fault for this. Asides from GE courses, I only took an introductory chemistry course and a math class in my first semester. I received a 3.10 GPA. In my second semester, I took the first class in the biological sciences series with lab, Gen Chem I with lab, and a Calculus I class. My poor study habits and lack of discipline resulted in poor grades. I received C's in all three of these classes and had a semester GPA of 2.5.
- After that semester, I made an effort to improve my study habits because receiving a 2.5 GPA was a wake-up call to me, especially because I had never received a GPA below a 3.00 in my life.
- In my third semester, I took Gen Chem II with lab, the second class in the biological sciences series with lab, and Calculus II. I received a C in chemistry, and B's in the other two classes. I was studying significantly more, being attentive in lecture, and being proactive in terms of going to office hours, but I still struggled with general chemistry.
- I received a B in a 5-unit Microbiology course, and C in a Biostatistics course and Ochem I. I don't want to provide you all with excuses for why I did so poorly, but this may provide you with some context. The professor for my Biostats course had very poor ratings and while I received above average grades in lab and on homework assignments, my poor lecture exam scores decreased my grade significantly. I was studying for these exams, but the MC sections were very difficult because of the way the professor phrased his questions. The free response sections required us to do simple, but very tedious and lengthy calculations for statistical tests using 9-button calculators, and the time limit (50 minutes) for such a long test put me under a great amount of pressure. I was doing in the B-range for Ochem until the last exam. I was having a very hard time managing my time, and repetitive illnesses affected my ability to study efficiently.
The key problem I identified is that while I study for a great amount of time, I do not do so efficiently. This isn't to say that I get distracted by social media or my phone, but that I tend to spend too much time on one chapter and not another, or will spend too much time on conceptual topics when I need to spend more time on completing practice problems. I am not sure how to explain this, but I have a difficult time focusing on the main ideas that are to be tested upon because I become engrossed in tiny details. For instance, if I read a text and it mentions a detail that I don't understand or that I question, I will spend an excessive amount of time trying to understand it because it seems to me that it is essential to me learning. Essentially, I want to understand every detail, even if it is not required because it seems to me that it is irrational and impossible to try to learn the "big picture" of a topic without learning all of the details and components that it is comprised of.
With that said, I would be greatly appreciative of any advice or insight that can be provided. I am still determined to go to medical school and am trying to regain my confidence because I started to question my ability to be anything but average after this recent semester.
Thank you again, and I can answer any questions if they should arise.
