Thinking about dropping premed??

[deleted734794]

I have recently finished my third semester of college, and my grades just aren't where I want them to be. My overall GPA is 3.19 and my science GPA is about 2.9. I am wondering if it is worth continuing with premed? I want to be able to graduate in time, and so I need to know if I need to change my path now, while I still have time to complete any other required courses.

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[MerciMerci]

If you are more concerned with being able to graduate in time and are willing to just drop "pre-med", then I would follow Shia LaBeouf's advice and just do it. People have raised gpa's from far lower than that and have made it into both DO and MD programs (especially when it's only been 3 semesters).

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

To have a chance at med school, you really need to improve your GPA. (Just to give you an idea: the average GPA for people accepted to MD schools is about 3.7 - not exactly sure for DO.) It's not impossible to get in with a GPA below 3.7 but your current GPA is way too low.

You're only a sophomore so you do have some time to get back on track. But only you know if you have the motivation to do so! Which science classes have you taken so far? Why do you think you got the grades you did? How badly do you want to be a doctor? Have you explored the resources available at your school? Tutors, professors' office hours, study groups, etc.

If you haven't done so already, it might not be a bad idea to try to shadow a doctor now. It might help you decide if this is really the right career path for you and if you want it badly enough to work your ass off for the rest of undergrad so that you might have a shot at medicine.

 

[deleted734794]

Ive taken Gen Chem 1 and 2. I got an A- in 1 and a C+ in 2 probably because it was flipped classroom and that teaching style just doesn't jive with me. My school requires a semester of Analytical Chemistry and I got a B in that. As for Organic 1, that will most likely be a C+. The rest of my premed classes I've taken (Anatomy, Biology 1) I've gotten an A-. I had to take Pre-calculus and calculus, and I got a C+ in both of those. I've shadowed doctors before, and I am sure that if I am able to continue with this path, it is the right one for me. I feel like I am putting in the work during the year to be getting better grades, but I always seem to underperform on my final exams, which have consistently bumped me down each semester.

 

[MerciMerci]

After reading that post, it's worth noting that DO programs don't count math grades into the science GPA. You can also retake and replace that general chemistry C+. With the 6 classes you posted, as gen chem 1: A-, gen chem 2: C+, analytical chem:B, Orgo 1:C+ (assumption), Anatomy: A-, Bio1: A- your sGPA for osteopathic programs is close to 3.12 (this is an estimate, as I don't know the credit amount for each class). This isn't great, but it's also not horrible and can be raised. Just food for thought.

 

[Goro]

Only you can answer this. Not everyone is meant to be a doctor.

I have recently finished my third semester of college, and my grades just aren't where I want them to be. My overall GPA is 3.19 and my science GPA is about 2.9. I am wondering if it is worth continuing with premed? I want to be able to graduate in time, and so I need to know if I need to change my path now, while I still have time to complete any other required courses.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

As of right now it doesn't seem like you could handle med school. You've gotten too many mediocre grades and too many hard classes.
If you want to it may be possible to turn it around however you are going to have to identify why you are getting Cs instead of As and Bs.
If you don't think you can realistically improve as a student then it may be time to move on to plan B.

 

[Turkishking]

I have recently finished my third semester of college, and my grades just aren't where I want them to be. My overall GPA is 3.19 and my science GPA is about 2.9. I am wondering if it is worth continuing with premed? I want to be able to graduate in time, and so I need to know if I need to change my path now, while I still have time to complete any other required courses.

It's not for everyone.