Terrible first 2 years

[deleted1023687]

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Hey all! I'm very new to SDN and I'm looking for advice. I'm a biomedical engineering pre-med student about to go into the 4th semester. I love BME and I love what I'm learning, which is why I'm sticking to it rather than switching to another major (Chemistry is my next choice). However, my first 3 semesters are absolutely awful.

1st Semester = 3.19 GPA
2nd Semester with 18 credits (withdrew from Physics 1 as I did not want a C) = 3.4
Cummulative GPA projection: 3.0 - 3.2.

This is not good. I did a research lab this semester and I had little time to study. I screwed up my health and I didn't give it my all. Is there still hope for me? I have very little clinical volunteering, which i look to rectify this summer with a scribe job. I have a few hours of regular volunteering (100-200 hours). I have not shadowed anybody eyet. I wanted to leave that last because its kind of determined on how well i do with the pre-med GPA.

I am looking to complete my degree in 5 years.

What should I focus on the most?

 

[deleted1001426]

You still have plenty of time to rebound but your primary concern should be improving academically, courses only get harder and It seems as if you have some glaring deficiencies in how you study/time manage. Go to your schools academic aid center and have them help you on this front. All isn’t lost If you can your stuff together

 

[readmypostsMD]

The first thing that came to my mind was that you should consider changing majors. I feel like you'd be better off majoring in something easier, and maybe supplementing with BME courses as you see fit.

 

[KnightDoc]

The first thing that came to my mind was that you should consider changing majors. I feel like you'd be better off majoring in something easier, and maybe supplementing with BME courses as you see fit.

This! BME is a really tough major, and is really incompatible with being a successful premed unless you are some kind of genius.

Your GPA right now is not good enough for MD schools, and sticking with BME is going to make it very difficult to improve it in a meaningful way over the next few years.

Finally, the answer to your unasked question is that schools will not make allowances for the fact that you chose a difficult major. You will be competing with lots of bright people with close to 4.0 GPAs in non-engineering majors, and have to be strategic in course selection in order to successfully navigate these waters.

Good luck!! 🙂

 

[DocOrBust2019]

Those aren't terrible. My first two years of undergrad I had a cGPA of 2.65. You have plenty of time to rebound.

You should probably switch to an easier major if you want to go to med school though. To put this into perspective, if at 60 credit hours you have a 3.1, you need to average a 4.0 for the remainder of your bachelor's degree(60 credit hours) to get to a 3.55. If you are closer to 45 credit hours, you can get to a 3.65 by averaging a 4.0 from here on out.

Your #1 priority needs to be getting your GPA up and setting yourself up to ensure you get A's from here on out. You need to assess what went wrong and fix it. There's no need to take 18 credit hours a semester, either. Take a lighter course load, succeed, and fit in ECs as you can.

 

[deleted1023687]

The first thing that came to my mind was that you should consider changing majors. I feel like you'd be better off majoring in something easier, and maybe supplementing with BME courses as you see fit.

Yeah, changing majors comes to mind a lot, but I just LOVE BME, and my school doesn't really allow for you to take BME courses whenever. I've already brought it up with my adviser, but is it really that bad of a major?

 

[DocOrBust2019]

Yeah, changing majors comes to mind a lot, but I just LOVE BME, and my school doesn't really allow for you to take BME courses whenever. I've already brought it up with my adviser, but is it really that bad of a major?

Do you love BME more than you love the idea of being a doctor? Because that's the way you need to look at things. You're a 3.1-ish student in your first two years, which are presumably pre-reqs. When you start taking harder sciences, how do you know you'll be able to get it together? Because again: you need a 4.0 from here on out to put yourself in a good position to apply for MD schools.

 

[Moko]

BME will give you a nice fallback plan if medicine doesn't work out. However, your current GPA is not competitive for medical schools, and you may require additional time to adequately bring up your GPA (3.1 students rarely become 4.0 students overnight).

I agree with others to seek help from your school's learning center. Also take a lighter course load for now to maximize your chances for getting better grades. Whether to switch majors would depend on your own preferences, ability to do better with your current major, etc.

Since you haven't done much shadowing, I would start with that first to make sure that medicine is even something you want to pursue. Also read about the process to become an independent practitioner. For many, the length and rigor of training required doesn't make sense when they have other equally (or more) desirable and fulfilling career options available.

 

[KnightDoc]

Yeah, changing majors comes to mind a lot, but I just LOVE BME, and my school doesn't really allow for you to take BME courses whenever. I've already brought it up with my adviser, but is it really that bad of a major?

No; it's a great major, but not for you since you aren't getting straight As and you want to go to med school!

 

[deleted1023687]

BME will give you a nice fallback plan if medicine doesn't work out. However, your current GPA is not competitive for medical schools, and you may require additional time to adequately bring up your GPA (3.1 students rarely become 4.0 students overnight).

I agree with others to seek help from your school's learning center. Also take a lighter course load for now to maximize your chances for getting better grades. Whether to switch majors would depend on your own preferences, ability to do better with your current major, etc.

Since you haven't done much shadowing, I would start with that first to make sure that medicine is even something you want to pursue. Also read about the process to become an independent practitioner. For many, the length and rigor of training required doesn't make sense when they have other equally (or more) desirable and fulfilling career options available.

Ok, I'll look into shadowing!

 

[Goro]

Hey all! I'm very new to SDN and I'm looking for advice. I'm a biomedical engineering pre-med student about to go into the 4th semester. I love BME and I love what I'm learning, which is why I'm sticking to it rather than switching to another major (Chemistry is my next choice). However, my first 3 semesters are absolutely awful.

1st Semester = 3.19 GPA
2nd Semester with 18 credits (withdrew from Physics 1 as I did not want a C) = 3.4
Cummulative GPA projection: 3.0 - 3.2.

This is not good. I did a research lab this semester and I had little time to study. I screwed up my health and I didn't give it my all. Is there still hope for me? I have very little clinical volunteering, which i look to rectify this summer with a scribe job. I have a few hours of regular volunteering (100-200 hours). I have not shadowed anybody eyet. I wanted to leave that last because its kind of determined on how well i do with the pre-med GPA.

I am looking to complete my degree in 5 years.

What should I focus on the most?

Get to your school's learning or education center, stat.