too late? grades too bad?

[Trance Ninja]

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I am starting my second semester of my sophomore year of college.

I started out as a biomed major. I hated engineering... and my grades reflect it.

I have all A's and B's... except in 2 classes... one which I failed once... and the other which I failed twice. I can blame that on whatever I want, but the fact is that those F's are there.

is it too late to fix those? retake the classes? get back aboard the ship which is my destiny? (meladrama intended).

I generally am good with standardized tests, which should help when it comes time for the mcat. If I retake the classes, and get back in the routine of making good grades, doing extra-carricular activities (I volunteer a good bit), and just generally get myself in gear... is it still too late?

 

[coffeebythelake]

There will be red flags all over, and they will ask how you could conceivably fail a course twice. You need to think hard about how you would respond to a question like this, and whether you would be suited to the intense workload of medical school.

Most medical school applicants volunteer for a "good bit". You need to do a helluvalot more to make yourself stand out where your academics don't. It doesn't matter if you have straight A's if you have a couple F's mixed in there... I think Adcom's would rather take a B average student. International volunteering medical missions, physician shadowing, scientific research with publications. I would also recommend kicking the MCAT's ass... like a 38 or higher.

Blunt. I know. But I think it is also realistic assessment of your situation.

 

[UMP]

it's never too late... don't retake those classes unless you need them for your major or are applying DO... MD schools will see everything so it won't matter.

The more time that passes between those failed courses and your application the better... you can address your maturity at that point

 

[Trance Ninja]

yeah blunt. but thats how I would rather have it. thanks.

explanation... which I have no idea if its a "good" explanation or not:

course 1, time 1: severe depression, undocumented
course 2, time 1: same

course 1, time 2: I thought I was changing majors, and my guidance counselor said that the course didnt matter and wouldnt show up on the transcript for international business. now I finally settle upon pre-med as a major.

so all in all: lack of final goal? Ive heard that it is important that you improve as you go. would retaking the classes get rid of the red flag?

I have some doctors I can shadow. my gf's dad is a doctor. my mom works at a cardiovascular clinic. they said I can shadow there.

pre-stress major

 

[Trance Ninja]

it's never too late... don't retake those classes unless you need them for your major or are applying DO... MD schools will see everything so it won't matter.

The more time that passes between those failed courses and your application the better... you can address your maturity at that point

good info that I didnt know thanks 👍

and so youre saying with distance between those two, as well as good interviewing skills (along with all of the other reqs), that its a good possibility to get in?

 

[UMP]

good info that I didnt know thanks 👍

and so youre saying with distance between those two, as well as good interviewing skills (along with all of the other reqs), that its a good possibility to get in?

in theory, even a murder charge can be spun in to a positive light and a growth experience with enough time passing by

 

[coffeebythelake]

in theory, even a murder charge can be spun in to a positive light and a growth experience with enough time passing by

I can just imagine what a great conversation starter for that physician... "I will kill you. And then I'll use my powers as a physician to bring you back to life."

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

I am torn between the advice to give. I somewhat agree with eikenhein that extraordinary factors on your app would be most beneficial to your situation. However, we are only speaking of two courses here, albeit yes you did fail one of them twice. But this isn't 6 or 7 C's we are talking about (actually was my situation), so running off to do an SMP or a post bacc, or running out of the country to do missions may be a bit premature.

First and foremost, determine exactly - specifically - why you failed your courses. Undocumented depression is an easy blanket statement that we are not unacquainted with here, in fact several individuals have posted that same reason for their academic failures in past weeks. Figure out what exactly it was, even if it was truly medical depression, what exactly changed in your study habits, etc. - and try to make sure these changes to your academic routine never happens again no matter what the circumstances, medical or otherwise.

I would say retake the two courses eventually, since it is just two, and not five or six. The only thing that would be difficult to explain is failing a course more than once. I have no idea how to resolve such an issue with adcoms, except with the bare truth. But first beef up your other areas - volunteering, clinicals, and ace the MCAT and the rest of your classes. When you are near application time, and all goes well, perhaps retake those two courses, apply early and hope for the best.

If you have any other slipups, or if any other area of your app is not as strong as it can be, then i would resort to eikenhein's suggestion.