Sophomore Year Progress

[Stronghopeful]

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Hey everyone, just completed my first semester of Soph. year.

My background:

Freshman Semester 1: 3.61--A in Chem, A in Calc, B in Bio, B+ in Philosophy

Freshman Semester 1: 2.79 (ouch)-- B+ in Calc, B in Chem, B in Writing, B+ in Bio Lab, C- in Bio


Second semester I really slacked off.



My courseload this year was:

Orgo
Genetics
Neurocience
Rsch in Lab

I've gotten 1 grade back, and that's an A- in Orgo. It looks like I'll end up with B+ to A's in both Neuro and Rsch in Lab. But, I did awful on my Genetics final, and could possibly be getting between a C and B+.


How realistic are my chances of being competitive if I mess up with Genetics this year. I really wanted to pull A-'s or better in all my classes, but it was difficult given the courseload.


Thoughts/suggestions/tips? Thanks

 

[ucpremed]

It looks like you're all over the place with grades. Try and bring them upward. A trend upward into the mid 3s will heighten your chances quite a bit. A few Bs aren't the end of the world but too many Bs and some Cs could hurt you. Try for nothing but A-s and As from now on.

 

[Stronghopeful]

Would it be worth it to take retake my freshman yr bio class? I could breeze through it now.

 

[Rustifer]

Personally, I wouldn't retake anything I received a B grade in. A C however might be a different story. Don't forget though that even if you retake a course it's not going to erase your old grade, the two will just get averaged together (MD schools anyway) so be sure to take that into account.

As ucpremed stated, just focus on improving your grades from here on out. If you can begin a strong upward trend, do well on the MCAT, and have good EC's you should do well.

 

[EphemeralRose3]

I think the courseload that you're taking is a bit too much .. you're a sophomore and you're taking NEUROSCIENCE? GENETICS? like, these are courses or upperclassmen like juniors or even seniors.. I do realize that you want to show med schools that you're capable of handling coursework that may be above others' heads, but take a break.. mix and match with some easy and difficult classes so when finals roll around, you're not pulling your hair out

 

[Elpenor]

I think the courseload that you're taking is a bit too much .. you're a sophomore and you're taking NEUROSCIENCE? GENETICS? like, these are courses or upperclassmen like juniors or even seniors..

Pretty much all flavors of bio majors at my school take genetics the first semester of their sophomore year.

 

[NickNaylor]

People seem to really put a lot of value in upward tends, so as long as you show improvement you should be fine. At least that's what most people seem to think.

 

[Stronghopeful]

I feel like I'm not competitive enough anymore with my grades, but I'm competitive with the knowledge I have. I do think that I can pull a 4.0 next semester though, because honestly, I crammed for nearly every test and somehow managed decent grades in every class save for Genetics.



Up till what semester do Med. Schools count your GPA? Is it like high school where they look up till the end of your JR year, and then they look at your midterm report?


If I get a 4.0 for the next 3 semesters, I can pull my GPA to 3.6-3.7

 

[Stronghopeful]

bump

 

[NickNaylor]

Depends on when you apply. If you apply using the "normal" timeline (i.e., during the summer before your senior year), only your grades through your junior year will "count." If you apply after you graduate, all four years will be available on your application.