Ok so I go to a really hard university i'm a college freshman and I am a business major and a biology minor and I have taken Chemistry 1 &2 and Biology 1 and Anatomy, BUT i have made C's in all of them. I really want to go to medical school at NYU but i'm doubting myself now becaue I have made C's in all 4 classes. Do i still have a chance if I make A's and B's in the next science classes and do well on the MCAT?
This is bad!
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yes
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The short answer is yes. The long answer is no, not if you keep up your same study habbits. People come back from a bad start to make it to med school all the time, but there are even more who keep talking themselves into believing that something will magically change and they'll start "getting it," and these people are left wondering what might've been if they'd just studdied a few more hours or gone into office hours more.
Be honest with yourself, find out why you haven't done as well in these classes as you'd like, and change your result.
Be honest with yourself, find out why you haven't done as well in these classes as you'd like, and change your result.
The world is not over yet. Having C's on your transcript is never a good thing, but as long as you make improvements over the next two years or so (hopefully, lots of A's 🙂) and med schools will look at your upward GPA trend favorably. But, you would want to do reasonably well on your MCAT to compensate those bad grades. Also, just like others said, first think about what led to those C's and how you can turn things around.
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Getting 4 C's in pre-reqs is a problem. If you work hard in your other science classes and do well on the MCAT, there is a good chance you will get in to medical school. However, I wouldn't count on getting in to a top school like NYU. Plenty of people with A's in their pre-reqs are rejected from there and schools like it every year.
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You should focus on what went wrong and evaluate how you can change your study habits to improve. I did very poorly my first year, finishing with a GPA of about 2 and failing Calc. I got in after doing much better the next year and improving each year until graduation. I got plenty of interviews and accepted on the first try. Doing well on the MCAT helps a lot.
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I read "I go to a really hard university" and that was all I needed to see.
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you surely have a chance to pull that gpa up. But you gotta work harder to make A's. If you want to bring up your science GPA, youll just have to take harder (higher level) science courses. If you're serious about medschool, you'll ask yourself what you could have done differently to have avoided those C's, then act on it.
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Everyone above has made good points on not giving up, working harder, and turning your GPA around. This is all true, and very much possible. But don't look at it like going to NYU is your only goal, and all else will be a failure. You'll just make yourself crazy that way.
Don't give up, though.
Don't give up, though.
Even those with amazing GPAs and great MCATS get rejected at NYU. Dont focus on getting into one school but rather just improving yourself so that your competitive everywhere. You are not screwed yet, so just get to work!
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👍 absolutely. getting into medschool (ANY medschool in the US) is a huge accomplishment. You will receive a great education. It's nice to have NYU as a goal, but know that if you get in anywehre else, its a big deal.
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Make friends with some really smart people and study with them. Or, make friends with your profs and take advantage of their office hours.
Do all your lab reports, papers, homeworks, ect. early so you have time to give them a second look before you turn them in. Heck, give them five looks that way you can eliminate all your flaws to make the best grade you can.
As for tests, just study them in advance and highlight anything that seems to merely escape your mind. gl 🙂
Do all your lab reports, papers, homeworks, ect. early so you have time to give them a second look before you turn them in. Heck, give them five looks that way you can eliminate all your flaws to make the best grade you can.
As for tests, just study them in advance and highlight anything that seems to merely escape your mind. gl 🙂
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I just dont want the OP to waste 3 years for nothing... I mean, there are other things out there other than being an MD..
If the person wanted encouragement, they should have said, "Is it really that bad?" instead of "This is bad!"
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The OP surely realizes that his/her situation is bad. The only reason they'd post here is for some encouragement. There's been so many instances where people mess up their freshman year, but get their act together and do really well thru graduation.
Even if the OP decides against medicine at some point, he/she still would have good grades to help them get into a different profession. Telling someone they have absolutely no hope for a career isnt really beneficial to anyone, especially because they still have so much time to remedy themselves. As far as I can tell, the OP has already realized the soup he/she is swimming in, and if this person is serious about medicine, they will get their act together.
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It really depends on the students. Attitude is everything. If you are willing to study versus go party every night, then you will probably make progress.
Not every medical student was an A+ student for every class. It is normal to have a rough patch in the beginning. Some people actually shape up to be game for med school once they realize what they are doing to their future. If you want MD, then keep working.
gl
Not every medical student was an A+ student for every class. It is normal to have a rough patch in the beginning. Some people actually shape up to be game for med school once they realize what they are doing to their future. If you want MD, then keep working.
gl
yes, but not everyone is med school material..
im not trying to be toolish.. but not everyone does well in sciences.. I have friends who literally study for hours everyday for introductory science classes and still get B's in there... some people are just not good at science... which seems to be what is wrong with the OP..
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Yes but the OP isn't wasting any time at all. She (?) is a business major...so in the end she'll have something to fall back on regardless, so she should be encouraged to take and try to do the pre reqs well from here on out so that she can try to get into med school, since that is what she would like to do.
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I shadowed an attending trauma surgeon and she told me she had a 2.0 after her freshman year and she was like "crap I should start studying..." she ended up getting into the university of maryland shock trauma center (which is an awesome med school probably equivalent to NYU)
moral of the story YES YOU CAN. but you have to make some changes.
NYU IS AWESOME ILL KEEP MY FINGERS CROSSED FOR YOU. CHEAA BELLAVUE!!
Yes, but you have to remember that times have changed and things are far more competitive today. My family doctor had a similar story; his premed advisor told him to give it up because he wouldn't get in anywhere, but ended up getting into like 11 schools or something. However, I don't think the same can hold true today, at least to the same extent.
she's (or he) not a science major, and that is why I said that she stands less of a chance.. 4 science classes are already reserved with C's for her.. and since she'll only do a few more science classes compared to other pre-meds who are majoring in a science... her sGPA won't recover that much..
everybody's like oh, you can do it... and this and that.. but in OP's situation, she won't be taking like 60 more credit hours of science and math.. maybe only 20-30... while keeping in mind a 2.0 for 12 credits is already reserved for her..
Please..
Nothing is impossible. However, you really need a lot of A's since you won't be taking that many science courses. I'm assuming your minor is only 20-24 credits and you've already taken at least 12. You will also need to do very well on the MCAT since your BCPM GPA may not recover, but don't give up and good luck
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AdemTD
Not true at all. I failed my gen chem I class and have gotten As in every chemistry class after that.
I would try to figure out what it is you like so much about NYU and realize that you can find it at a bunch of other schools, and get your heart set on going to med school, instead.
Obtain near/above the average sGPA, GPA, and MCAT for NYU, and sure you'll have a chance of getting in, in spite of your early stumbles, but many superior applicants are rejected every year...so going to NYU is a really unhealthy goal to set for yourself if you are going to be crushed not to attain it.
By the 3rd time I applied, I made happy peace with the thought of going to ANY med school (D.O. inlcuded) rather than any specific med school. This process is too much of a gamble. If I'd been concertedly gunning for NYU or the like, I think I would have given up.
Obtain near/above the average sGPA, GPA, and MCAT for NYU, and sure you'll have a chance of getting in, in spite of your early stumbles, but many superior applicants are rejected every year...so going to NYU is a really unhealthy goal to set for yourself if you are going to be crushed not to attain it.
By the 3rd time I applied, I made happy peace with the thought of going to ANY med school (D.O. inlcuded) rather than any specific med school. This process is too much of a gamble. If I'd been concertedly gunning for NYU or the like, I think I would have given up.
Just want to point out that from what I remember, Ochem is incredibly different than Gen chem. True, Ochem is traditionally thought to be harder than gen chem. But, I don't think a bad grade in gen chem dooms her to have a bad grade in Ochem, or even biochem for that matter. The subjects overlap, to an extent, but in all reality they are unique to themselves.
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Agreed. Odds of getting a single specific school are generally pretty negligible. You don't pick a med school, you pick a group of med schools and apply. Your credentials will determine how big a group you have to make it. But nobody can say I plan to go to X school. X school may decide you aren't a good fit for them. It's not all about number, and it's not about where you want to go as much as it's a mutual thing between you and the school. Best to pick a group of places you'd be happy at, and once you have successful interviews, you can decide which is your dream school. But I'd have to say if the question is -- what are my chances at NYU? The chances are near zero. If the question is -- what are my chances at med school? The chances are still okay, but you have to dig yourself out of a hole you are creating, and not go any deeper.
A bunch of C's in the prereq means your group of target med schools will have to be large. And you need to right that ship, before you take any more science courses. I would probably recommend to the OP that he stop all science courses for now, lose the bio minor, concentrate on the other stuff, graduate, and pick up the remainder after graduation, in an informal post-bac, when he can spend whatever time is necessary to get through these courses with A's. What s/he is doing now isn't working, and another C would dig OP deeper and deeper into the hole s/he created. Alternatively, OP could get a tutor, take courses one at a time with a very light load of other courses, and proceed with caution. What you don't want to do is try to stay on some imaginary timeline where you have to take two science courses a semester to try to take the MCAT at a certain date, and still have other academic requirements on top that divert your time. AND you obviously need to be putting together a nice resume of ECs on top, which further diverts your time. So I kind of think you put the sciences on hold until time is freer because another C will pretty much be the nail in your premed coffin. For nonsci majors, the BCPM is very important (as it tends to be more different than cumulative GPA than that of a sci major), and yours is quite low.
So stay far away from another science course until you have a good plan for how to fix things. My suggestion is more time per subject and fewer things going on at the same time, which generally means taking them postbac, when all the business courses are done. Tutors and lighter courseloads might help if you are anxious to take more courses now, but I'm not optimistic. Sometimes it takes time for things to "click" in the sciences. So don't be in a rush -- this isn't a race.
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Yep. News flash, OP: the classes you listed are all notorious wash-out classes at most schools. For the most part, education is what you make out of it. A C in a class at Harvard in no way beats out a B or an A from a pac-10, big ten, or big twelve school.
Don't set your sights on NYU, New York state has many medical schools. Apply to all of them and study harder. The fact that you are a buisness major can hurt you because you won't have as much science classes compared to bio/chem/phys/etc majors. You should take some upper level bio to show adcoms you can pull it off.
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Totally untrue. I'd say it's easier to due well in Ochem than gen chem. It is clear cut what you need to do in Ochem to get an A; do all the practice problems and study hard. Ochem is just pure memorization with a little application. Gen chem is mostly application with a little memorization.
As an anecdote, I had A-,B+, and B in my gen chem's and A's in all my ochems, including labs.
Point is, OP needs to change her study habits.
Actually I'm majoring in Biology and taking the extra prereqs (which are alot) so my science GPA will be ok if I continue to do well. I'm not a person who gives up I try and try till I get it. I also majored in Business because I like it alot and because If I want to open a clinic I'll at least know some aspect of Business.
I shadowed an attending trauma surgeon and she told me she had a 2.0 after her freshman year and she was like "crap I should start studying..." she ended up getting into the university of maryland shock trauma center (which is an awesome med school probably equivalent to NYU)
moral of the story YES YOU CAN. but you have to make some changes.
NYU IS AWESOME ILL KEEP MY FINGERS CROSSED FOR YOU. CHEAA BELLAVUE!!
Thanks I'm going to just try harder
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Your GPA will only be ok if you start to do well in the first place
Here's a Einstein quote for you: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
Don't try harder. Figure out what you did wrong and change it. Trying more doesn't do ****.
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I guess we know who the future gunner is going to be based on this post...🙄
I'll tell you what...why don't you let people decide for themselves what's good for them? After all, it isn't as if you're not in the exact same boat.
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Excellent advice.
I think this is any entirely personal response... For me, general chemistry was raw memorization with number crunching. First quarter, percent yield etc. Second quarter, gas laws etc. Third quarter electrochemistry etc. (I am skipping A LOT for conservation of space). As an anecdote, I received 4.0, 4.0, and 4.0 in the gen chem series. 4.0, 3.8, 3.7 in the ochem (honors that is) and 3.9, 4.0 in the labs (honors again) and a 4.0 in the biochemistry series (honors).
This alone seems to suggest that there is a considerable difference in the course material. I don't want her to get her hopes up either, but I don't think its necessary to condemn her as finished. True, she needs to work on her study habits, but it is false to predict she won't do well in upper level classes, especially since the upper level classes are far easier (due to the lesser amount of competition).
My organic chemistry class had just about zero memorization (minus, of course, certain cookie-cutter mechanisms and nomenclature). My class was focused on synthesis and application to history. I.e., I recall doing a polymer question based on this synthetic polymer developed in the early 20th century (nylon, "baked") as well as kevlar.
Biochemistry, on ther otherhand, was pretty much memorization...
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Generally the opposite.
If I'd relied on memorization to try and get through my organic chem class, I would have FAILED with a capital F-A-I-L-E-D. I'm not sure how people can think it's a memorization-intensive course; I guess some instructors teach it that way? Anyway, tjquinn hit the nail on the head. It is highly variable, depending on the person. Some people find the number-and-calculation nature of gen chem easier than the more conceptual nature of organic chem. For others, it's the other way around.
