Shot myself in the Knee. How to recover?

[magictouch]

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[TheWeeIceMan]

What is your approximate new gpa?

 

[theseeker4]

Hey future doctors,

I'll keep this short.

Freshman year I got a 3.7 in prerequisites for the most competitive major (which were overall curved to a 2.8-2.9 for an avg student) at my school while taking 13 credits of honors courses, & 37 credits overall. Took classes over the summer while researching at the med center - 3.8 avg in my two classes.

Last semester I really dropped the ball. About halfway through the semester, I dropped Ochem lab because I thought I would be looking at a C and could barely manage my schedule. So I took a W.

Now I got a C- in my advanced math class, B in ochem lecture & my major class, and probably barely passed my last class (still not up).

Its not like I even had other obligations -- I just couldn't focus and retain anything from my classes. Probably depressed as well. I blanked on several exams throughout the semester and scored in the 40's on my math final.

Next semester I'm scheduled to take Anatomy, Ochem 2, Physics 2, and two engineering classes. Am I a goner? What can I do to come back from this?

Stop overloading yourself, at least until you get back on the ball. I can't think of anything worse for you to do than take that schedule before you have things figured out. Fix whatever is wrong, be it through tutoring, therapy, etc. and then start getting As again. Don't just press forward unless you have everything fixed. Good luck!

 

[magictouch]

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[magictouch]

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[EnginrTheFuture]

Came in excited about hearing the story of how you shot yourself in the knee. I am now leaving quite disappointed.

 

[sinombre]

Came in excited about hearing the story of how you shot yourself in the knee. I am now leaving quite disappointed.

Same. I was expecting the title to be literal.

I'm pretty sure the expression is "shot myself in the foot."

 

[1John418]

Came in excited about hearing the story of how you shot yourself in the knee. I am now leaving quite disappointed.

+1 haha

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

I used to be a premed like you but then I took a C- to the knee


I'll just show myself out.

 

[karayaa]

Talk to academic/major/pre-med counselors, parents, your school's mental health office, a private mental health person - maybe someone who doesn't have prescription powers, or at least make clear to them that you don't want medication without concurrent therapy (generally a bad idea anyways). Why are you asking us?
One bad semester, one bad year is not going to keep you out of med school. It might keep you out of a top-50, it might keep you from matriculating straight out of undergrad, but it won't keep you out if you're willing to make up for it in other ways later on.

 

[magictouch]

No literally I shot myself with an arrow to the knee. How do I recover from that?

 

[Goro]

Depression is poorly managed on anonymous message boards. Get help NOW. Then come back strong. You can do it and your medical career isn't over by a long shot.

Hey future doctors,

I'll keep this short.

Freshman year I got a 3.7 in prerequisites for the most competitive major (which were overall curved to a 2.8-2.9 for an avg student) at my school while taking 13 credits of honors courses, & 37 credits overall. Took classes over the summer while researching at the med center - 3.8 avg in my two classes.

Last semester I really dropped the ball. About halfway through the semester, I dropped Ochem lab because I thought I would be looking at a C and could barely manage my schedule. So I took a W.

Now I got a C- in my advanced math class, B in ochem lecture & my major class, and probably barely passed my last class (still not up).

Its not like I even had other obligations -- I just couldn't focus and retain anything from my classes. Probably depressed as well. I blanked on several exams throughout the semester and scored in the 40's on my math final.

Next semester I'm scheduled to take Anatomy, Ochem 2, Physics 2, and two engineering classes. Am I a goner? What can I do to come back from this?

 

[Charles Ferraro]

My schedule this semester was not significantly harder than that.

 

[Brownshorts]

First of all chill; one bad semester won't kill you, and you have plenty of time to get the GPA up. Do well the rest of the way and come up with an eloquent story about how much you learned from the experience and how you rededicated yourself to your Med school goals, blah blah blah.

On a more important note if you know you want med school ditch the engineering degree. There's no reason to put yourself through that special kind of hell #adviceIwishIwouldhavetaken

 

[DokterMom]

I was thinking about starting CBT. Has anyone tried it? I saw a psychiatrist and he prescribed prozac but I turned it down because I don't think antidepressants are a good long term solution.

CBT can be useful for some situations. So can anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, talk therapy or ADHD medication. So can exercise, a new relationship, a hobby or a vacation. The trick is finding out which one(s) you need and rigorously following the appropriate course of action. That's the right thing to do -- easier said than done, of course. The wrong thing to do is to keep on your current course of action -- demanding academic schedule, no medication, unproductive worrying. That's not working for you, and that course of action can derail your long term plans.

What will happen if you reduce your course load for a semester? Will the school cancel your scholarship altogether? Or will you potentially have to pay for an extra semester yourself? What if you withdraw for a semester? Taking 4.5 or 5 years to graduate is not your ideal, but it's certainly not the end of the world either. The difference between a 3.7 and a 3.1 can mean the difference between getting into med school and not getting in -- If that's truly your objective, make your decisions with that goal in mind.

 

[Mavs88]

No literally I shot myself with an arrow to the knee. How do I recover from that? That's what I meant to write about with this thread and my premed instincts kicked in and started worrying about grades, too.

For real though, anyone who's had a semester without the ability to focus and came back from it wanna shed some light?

I had a semester with a D in Ochem and a C in Micro. Another semester with 2 Cs and a D. I'm doing well again in my classes and made a 4.0 in hard science type classes this semester.

My advice is to seek help from your school's counseling dept. The depression can't be ignored! Also, look at your study skills, time management, etc and see how you can get better and more efficient. Don't forget to have fun too, or some sort of outlet.

 

[plumhill]

I participated in a group therapy session at my school for a semester for depression, and I cannot even begin to describe how much it worked. My GPA literally shot right back up, and I was feeling a lot less stressed than I used to. There is absolutely no shame in having to see a counselor about issues like these -- that's why they exist.

Regarding your course load: med schools would rather see a high GPA than see you graduate in 4 years. Nowadays, literally NO ONE cares about how long it takes you to graduate. You can try and take some of your courses over the summer if you'd like. Also if you spread out to 4.5-5 years, you have time to take other courses that you like, do a thesis, or spend time developing your participation in ECs.

 

[magictouch]

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[sonofva]

I was hoping you actually had shot yourself in the knee and needed medical info. Would have been a crazier story