Terrible start to college, what are my options?

[biogirl236]

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[Sardinia]

Please don't cross post in other threads when you just posted this in "What are My Chances?".

 

[biogirl236]

How do I delete this thread? Someone recommended I post on this channel instead

 

[yungdoc]

Science Grades (at UW- Madison)
Gen. Chem. I: BC
Gen. Chem II: C
Intro Bio I: C
Intro Bio II: D
Stats: BC
(Freshman, sophomore year)
Current GPA (w/ non-science courses included): 2.47
Still have to take ochem, biochem, physics, and many more.

My freshman and sophomore year I followed a cramming strategy for a lot of these classes which clearly hasn't worked well. However, I think my study habits have improved and I've gotten smarter about what to study. Our introductory general chemistry and biology courses were a lot worse than I anticipated and I did not prepare myself for that. For Gen chem II I had a B average for every exam, but I barely had time to study for the final and failed it. Intro bio second semester focused on plants which I detested since I prefer human biology and crammed heavily.
If I had to do this over I would probably study every day rather than cramming.

What are my options if I still want to pursue premed? Is a steady upward trend of grades going to be enough? Or am I going to have to consider post-bacc? Or should I stop thinking medicine altogether?

I want to go into pediatrics for a million reasons but mostly because medicine is my biggest passion. I feel like I can do it but I feel like I just need to figure out how to stop setting myself up for ****ty grades.

Study more. every day. get straight A's from now on. If at the end of your undergrad years your GPA is still too low, do a post-bacc. It's not easy but it's very simple.

 

[Balo]

Like everyone else said, studying daily or frequently is ultimately better than cramming, especially for classes with a lot of material.

Most people will tell you to retake Bio II for sure; a D is unfortunately failing. Don't overload your coursework. If you feel you can't handle a lot of science/ technical courses, just take some at a time. Sure, people might say that you're not necessarily demonstrating an ability to handle an intense amount of courses, but taking a few courses and doing very well is better than taking too many courses and failing. Remember that for MD, the more credits you take and do poorly in, the less weight your later (hopefully salient) credits will have.

With DO, you have grade replacement, which could easily bring you up to a decent GPA if you do well in retaken courses. DO is pretty good for pediatrics, as far as I've heard, so you should consider that option; it will be a lot easier for you in terms of meeting GPA thresholds.

With MD, you get an average of grades if you retake courses, which will make it a lot tougher for you if you want to try allopathic; it's not impossible if you show an upward trend and with good grades (mostly or all A's) in science courses from now on, but an SMP or a post-bacc would probably be recommended to respectively prove that you are capable of rigorous coursework or to bring up your undergrad GPA. Try to get your cGPA to at least 3.0+ if you want to do an SMP or formal post-bacc.

Only after you can confidently get your study habits up (this may be a while from now depending on which year you are and which year you plan on applying), then you should consider studying for and taking the MCAT. A good MCAT score may help prove that you are capable of the material that you previously did not demonstrate.