Very Depressed and worried about my GPA :(

[CalBear456]

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Hello Everyone,

I am new to SDN and I am really looking for some feedback on my situation, and what I can do to improve. So, I am currently a third year undergraduate student at UC San Diego and I just finished my first quarter here, as I am a transfer student from a community college. Anyways, I transferred in with a 3.8 overall and a 3.7 science gpa with only upper division classes left for me to take. Long story short, this quarter was a rough transition for me as it was the first time I was away from home and I was very homesick. I am not making any excuses but I think its a very legitimate reason, as I do miss my family a lot.

So this quarter I got a 3.1 gpa taking three classes 🙁. I got a B- in Biochemistry, B- in an independent research class and an A- in a Biomedical research class. I think my cumulative right now with these grades is a 3.72, and science gpa is a 3.62. I am very down, and very depressed right now because I set very high expectations for myself and I literally feel that I got a death sentence with this gpa. I never ever could have imagined, that I would get this low of a gpa; I am motivated to study very hard and work even harder the next quarters ahead. But I would really appreciate any feedback on how my gpa looks right now, and should I articulate the reason for my lower gpa this quarter in my application? I think my situation is very similar to a freshman who kind of has a low gpa from being away from home as well, but im a junior 🙁

Thank you everyone, I appreciate your feedback.

 

[Skye2]

I would calculate your overall and science gpa to make sure it went down that much before getting to upset about it. After you calculate your current gpa add the classes from next semester and assume you get an A in them and it iwill go back up. One bad semester is okay (honestly it could be worse) just do better the rest of the time you have in undergrad and get a good MCAT score and you will be fine 🙂 try and keep your head up.

 

[CalBear456]

Hey man, my overall gpa is a 3.727 and my science gpa a 3.625.

 

[Skye2]

Hey man, my overall gpa is a 3.727 and my science gpa a 3.625.

my complete overall gpa from CC is like a 3.0 science is a 2.7 at best... at my 4yr I have a current s/cGPA of 3.89. I still have a chance as bad as it seems

 

[pewpew95]

Hey man, my overall gpa is a 3.727 and my science gpa a 3.625.

Don't be depressed about this, you're still slightly above average! But you need to make a strong rebound for the rest of your time at UC San Diego, otherwise med schools will think you're not able to handle coursework at a 4 year university (which they value more than CC). I would take advantage of your school's tutoring and counseling services, and find a supportive friend group who will become your second family!

 

[CalBear456]

Don't be depressed about this, you're still slightly above average! But you need to make a strong rebound for the rest of your time at UC San Diego, otherwise med schools will think you're not able to handle coursework at a 4 year university (which they value more than CC). I would take advantage of your school's tutoring and counseling services, and find a supportive friend group who will become your second family!

Thanks for your feedback, I will definitely work very hard the next few quarters to ensure that I have a strong gpa man. My goal is to bring it up to a 3.8 by the time i apply and I think its finitely doable but I have to really fix my mistakes and study smarter. If you were part of a research lab, how many hours a week do you recommend? Currently, im doing around 20-25 hours a week and its just too much.

 

[Longshot.308]

This might be one of the most pathetic posts I have ever read.

First off you transferred from a community college with a 3.8 GPA... Community college just screams academic excellence and rigor....lol....give me a break. Many admissions committee will take your community college gpa with a huge grain of salt.

You finally went to big boys and girls school and didn’t do so hot.....and oh my you took a whole 3 classes...........I hope you didn’t over work yourself.

Medical school in your first semester will require you to take the equivalent of 20-25 credit hours of which most of those classes will be significantly harder than these undergrad classes you are taking.

You are homesick as a junior....cry me a river. Medical school is interviewing people who will ultimately go to residency which could entail 80-100 hour work weeks with life and death on the line. Someone who is overwhelmed with Home sickness taking 3 undergrad classes clearly doesn’t have the mental toughness for medical school and certainly not residency.

News flash.....being homesick is not “a very legitimate reason”. Unless your expecting to go to medical school next to your mommy and daddy’s house and your mommy pack your lunch everyday. Medical school and residency doesn’t have time for someone who is homesick and can’t perform. They are actually trying to weed those people out and put them on the path to being 7th grade biology teachers where they belong teaching at the middle school where they grew up close to their family.

You better realize how competitive this process is. Someone out there is busting their ass to be better than you and take that spot in medical school.

I have been very harsh on you in an effort to give you a reality check. Most will say I am overly harsh but I am telling you the truth. The admissions committee won’t be hard on you they just won’t accept you.

With all this being said.....you still are not out of it. You don’t have a death sentence. You just need to really refocus and come to reality. Your GPA is still ok but your effort and excuses need to be eliminated. Your effort and MCAT score will determine a lot. No medical school or residency has time for a depressed resident that is homesick. They want people that find a way no matter what. You still have a good chance at this deal but you need to completely refocus your mindset. Toughen up and get yourself together and do what it takes to get a spot.

I think what you really want with your post is someone to say, “oh it’s ok and it will be alright”. Someone probably will because it feels good to tell people what they want to hear and that there’s still hope.

The absolute truth is.....your still in the hunt with your GPA but you better lose the pathetic excuses. The rigor of medical school is 3-4 times that of your 3 class semester in undergrad and your community college gpa doesn’t mean anything. Take some time to refocus and adjust and get the job done.

 

[CalBear456]

This might be one of the most pathetic posts I have ever read.

First off you transferred from a community college with a 3.8 GPA... Community college just screams academic excellence and rigor....lol....give me a break. Many admissions committee will take your community college gpa with a huge grain of salt.

You finally went to big boys and girls school and didn’t do so hot.....and oh my you took a whole 3 classes...........I hope you didn’t over work yourself.

Medical school in your first semester will require you to take the equivalent of 20-25 credit hours of which most of those classes will be significantly harder than these undergrad classes you are taking.

You are homesick as a junior....cry me a river. Medical school is interviewing people who will ultimately go to residency which could entail 80-100 hour work weeks with life and death on the line. Someone who is overwhelmed with Home sickness taking 3 undergrad classes clearly doesn’t have the mental toughness for medical school and certainly not residency.

News flash.....being homesick is not “a very legitimate reason”. Unless your expecting to go to medical school next to your mommy and daddy’s house and your mommy pack your lunch everyday. Medical school and residency doesn’t have time for someone who is homesick and can’t perform. They are actually trying to weed those people out and put them on the path to being 7th grade biology teachers where they belong teaching at the middle school where they grew up close to their family.

You better realize how competitive this process is. Someone out there is busting their ass to be better than you and take that spot in medical school.

I have been very harsh on you in an effort to give you a reality check. Most will say I am overly harsh but I am telling you the truth. The admissions committee won’t be hard on you they just won’t accept you.

With all this being said.....you still are not out of it. You don’t have a death sentence. You just need to really refocus and come to reality. Your GPA is still ok but your effort and excuses need to be eliminated. Your effort and MCAT score will determine a lot. No medical school or residency has time for a depressed resident that is homesick. They want people that find a way no matter what. You still have a good chance at this deal but you need to completely refocus your mindset. Toughen up and get yourself together and do what it takes to get a spot.

I think what you really want with your post is someone to say, “oh it’s ok and it will be alright”. Someone probably will because it feels good to tell people what they want to hear and that there’s still hope.

The absolute truth is.....your still in the hunt with your GPA but you better lose the pathetic excuses. The rigor of medical school is 3-4 times that of your 3 class semester in undergrad and your community college gpa doesn’t mean anything. Take some time to refocus and adjust and get the job done.

Thanks for your advice man. I really appreciate it, and you are definitely right I shouldn't have any excuses and just fix this. I was only taking three classes but i was also working 25 hours a week in my lab, which was just a super poor decision. As my Pi still gave me a B-, and I will speak to her about this. I will definitely put in max effort next quarter and I will aim for a 4.0 man I know it might see like a joke at this point but I think if i apply myself seriously i can do it. Also, ill take it quarter by quarter and ultimately will aim for a 3.8 at the end of my two years.

 

[Master Thinker]

OP, honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about this...you're still above the average for accepted GPA. However, it is imperative that you figure out what you did wrong so that you can improve in the future and have an upward trend.

 

[bluemamba7]

OP, I was originally in the same boat as you in that i transferred from a CC to a UC with relatively the same ccGPA as you although I was able to maintain that same GPA at a university taking human/plant physiology and biochem my first quarter. A lot of students have problems transitioning, especially if their CC did not prepare them well enough, so I'll let you know what I did differently at a UC vs CC!

1) Ask questions at the end of lecture, even if you don't have any make one up, it really helps to get in the head of the professor and see how they think, as well as they usually explain the material in more depth which makes it easier to learn the concept
2) ALWAYS ATTEND OH --> it gives you a good idea on how the professor asks questions and allows you to develop a good relationship with them
3) Study. Every. Single. Day. (even weekends or on your birthday or etc.)
4) Try to read ahead before the next lecture --> this one I cannot emphasize enough if you have enough time on your hands
5) Take time to relax and do what you love to do outside school

I'm sure this is obvious and what you were doing, however the quarter based university level requires you to do what you were doing at a cc semester based system at a much more rigorous level (although personally I find that the quarter based system is actually slower than semester based for some reason)

I think 20-25 hours of lab is too much in general, although in your case it seems that you may have taken such a large amount for more units to meet the minimum course load (I think 2 "real" classes per quarter is a little low honestly). From what I've hear, 15hrs per week is average for a research position, and I think 3 classes (besides research) should be a bare minimum, otherwise med school might question if you can handle the course load (I'm taking 3 courses/1 research internship and am still worried about my workload being low). I hope this helps OP, just remember that it really comes down to hard work, as in anything in life, and to not give up, like the previous posters said you can still make up for it if you apply yourself the remainder of your stay at UCSD and kill it on the MCAT (God willing I do the same as well 🙂)! Good luck!

 

[deleted799625]

Hello. Im a fellow UCSD student. Im a sophmore and honestly freshman year killed because I wasn’t used to the quarter system. You need time to get used to it but I’m seeing an improvement in myself because I finally figured out how to manage my time and you should do that too. Review your notes everyday because once you fall behind it’s very hard to get back on track. Good luck!


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[HomeSkool]

Admissions committees aren't going to like the GPA hit when you went from CC to UCSD, but as others have said, this isn't a death sentence if you recover well. From now until graduation, you need an upward GPA trend and a strong MCAT. Others have given you good advice for improving your academic performance, and I don't have much to add there. Get out there and do it.

Regarding homesickness: it's totally within your control. Moping around and missing familiar surroundings will make it worse. Finding a great support system of friends and enjoying the garden paradise that is San Diego will make it better. Instead of longing for where you were, enjoy where you are and where you're going. Home is where you make it.

@Longshot.308: I agree the OP needed some tough love, but it can be done without so much condescension.

 

[PrinceElvis97]

I think schools won’t look at ur individual quarter gpa so firstly don’t worry about that. They look at your year to year trends, so your fresh to sophomore to junior to senior. If you can get close to the gpa you had prior to transferring last year then don’t worry at all. You still have two more quarters this year that will count towards this years gpa, so just rock your classes! I am a transfer student at UCLA too, so in the same boat.


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[Goro]

Realistic advice can be tough love and even salty, but it doesn't have to be vicious.

This might be one of the most pathetic posts I have ever read.

First off you transferred from a community college with a 3.8 GPA... Community college just screams academic excellence and rigor....lol....give me a break. Many admissions committee will take your community college gpa with a huge grain of salt.

You finally went to big boys and girls school and didn’t do so hot.....and oh my you took a whole 3 classes...........I hope you didn’t over work yourself.

Medical school in your first semester will require you to take the equivalent of 20-25 credit hours of which most of those classes will be significantly harder than these undergrad classes you are taking.

You are homesick as a junior....cry me a river. Medical school is interviewing people who will ultimately go to residency which could entail 80-100 hour work weeks with life and death on the line. Someone who is overwhelmed with Home sickness taking 3 undergrad classes clearly doesn’t have the mental toughness for medical school and certainly not residency.

News flash.....being homesick is not “a very legitimate reason”. Unless your expecting to go to medical school next to your mommy and daddy’s house and your mommy pack your lunch everyday. Medical school and residency doesn’t have time for someone who is homesick and can’t perform. They are actually trying to weed those people out and put them on the path to being 7th grade biology teachers where they belong teaching at the middle school where they grew up close to their family.

You better realize how competitive this process is. Someone out there is busting their ass to be better than you and take that spot in medical school.

I have been very harsh on you in an effort to give you a reality check. Most will say I am overly harsh but I am telling you the truth. The admissions committee won’t be hard on you they just won’t accept you.

With all this being said.....you still are not out of it. You don’t have a death sentence. You just need to really refocus and come to reality. Your GPA is still ok but your effort and excuses need to be eliminated. Your effort and MCAT score will determine a lot. No medical school or residency has time for a depressed resident that is homesick. They want people that find a way no matter what. You still have a good chance at this deal but you need to completely refocus your mindset. Toughen up and get yourself together and do what it takes to get a spot.

I think what you really want with your post is someone to say, “oh it’s ok and it will be alright”. Someone probably will because it feels good to tell people what they want to hear and that there’s still hope.

The absolute truth is.....your still in the hunt with your GPA but you better lose the pathetic excuses. The rigor of medical school is 3-4 times that of your 3 class semester in undergrad and your community college gpa doesn’t mean anything. Take some time to refocus and adjust and get the job done.

 

[Robin-jay]

This might be one of the most pathetic posts I have ever read.

You haven't been here very long, have you?

First off you transferred from a community college with a 3.8 GPA... Community college just screams academic excellence and rigor....lol....give me a break. Many admissions committee will take your community college gpa with a huge grain of salt.

I don't know how much medical schools care about CC grades, as some people have been successful in convincing ADCOMs they can handle the rigor of medical school. It appears that CC is general easier than a university, but having never experienced CC, idk.

You finally went to big boys and girls school and didn’t do so hot.....and oh my you took a whole 3 classes...........I hope you didn’t over work yourself.

The point of this quote OP, is that you need to obtain a better work ethic, and keep increasing your time management skills.

News flash.....being homesick is not “a very legitimate reason”.

Its hard to be homesick if you are really busy learning OP. You shouldn't have "time" to be homesick. Priorities.

With all this being said.....you still are not out of it. You don’t have a death sentence. You just need to really refocus and come to reality. Your GPA is still ok but your effort and excuses need to be eliminated. Your effort and MCAT score will determine a lot. No medical school or residency has time for a depressed resident that is homesick. They want people that find a way no matter what. You still have a good chance at this deal but you need to completely refocus your mindset. Toughen up and get yourself together and do what it takes to get a spot.

This advice is perfectly fine.

 

[PrinceElvis97]

Wait @Goro don’t schools look at year by year trends? Not individual quarter by quarter trends right?


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[nymd22]

Don't be afraid to seek out counseling if you need it.

 

[Goro]

Wait @Goro don’t schools look at year by year trends? Not individual quarter by quarter trends right?


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Year by year is what we see.

One can dig deeper into transcripts to discern quarter by quarter or semester by semester.

 

[CalBear456]

Year by year is what we see.

One can dig deeper into transcripts to discern quarter by quarter or semester by semester.

As I still only received an A- and two B-‘s do you think it would be a huge deal for adcoms provided I continue to get Mostly A’s from here on out? My main worry is that my first transfer quarter my gpa went down, but I’m positive I can do better the next two quarters and bring my cumulative up to a 3.7.

Also as I got a B- in biochem do you think I should take an additional biochem course to show I learned from it? I don’t need to for my major but I wouldn’t mind if I have to.

Is a B- still viewed as sort of a B or basically equivalent to a C to adcoms? Is it bad to have that in a prerequisite class?

Thank you


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[HomeSkool]

As I still only received an A- and two B-‘s do you think it would be a huge deal for adcoms provided I continue to get Mostly A’s from here on out?

If you show solid improvement from here on out, it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Also as I got a B- in biochem do you think I should take an additional biochem course to show I learned from it?

No. Take stuff you can do well in. The best way to prove you learned the biochem is to kill it on the MCAT.

Is a B- still viewed as a B to adcoms?

No. AMCAS differentiates between the two.

Is it bad to have that in a prerequisite class?

I think the question you're really asking here is whether you should retake the B- courses, and the answer to that is no. You should never retake any course in which you earned a C or better. Refer to this post for an explanation: Simple rules for retaking courses.

Stop fretting! Just focus on doing well during the new semester.

 

[CalBear456]

If you show solid improvement from here on out, it shouldn't be much of a problem.


No. Take stuff you can do well in. The best way to prove you learned the biochem is to kill it on the MCAT.


No. AMCAS differentiates between the two.


I think the question you're really asking here is whether you should retake the B- courses, and the answer to that is no. You should never retake any course in which you earned a C or better. Refer to this post for an explanation: Simple rules for retaking courses.

Stop fretting! Just focus on doing well during the new semester.

When I meant that is a B- viewed as a B, I was referring to if adcoms view it in the same manner as a C and not really like a B. This are the first two B-‘s I got along with three other B’s but all A’s and one A- so far.


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[HomeSkool]

When I meant that is a B- viewed as a B, I was referring to if adcoms view it in the same manner as a C and not really like a B. This are the first two B-‘s I got along with three other B’s but all A’s and one A- so far.


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They see a B- as a B-: worse than a B, better than a C+. AMCAS differentiates between all those grades for GPA-calculation purposes, and that's how adcoms view them.

FWIW, I got two B-'s in college and it mattered not a bit. The most important thing for you is to have an upward trend from now on and do well on the MCAT.

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[Goro]

As I still only received an A- and two B-‘s do you think it would be a huge deal for adcoms provided I continue to get Mostly A’s from here on out? My main worry is that my first transfer quarter my gpa went down, but I’m positive I can do better the next two quarters and bring my cumulative up to a 3.7.

Also as I got a B- in biochem do you think I should take an additional biochem course to show I learned from it? I don’t need to for my major but I wouldn’t mind if I have to.

Is a B- still viewed as sort of a B or basically equivalent to a C to adcoms? Is it bad to have that in a prerequisite class?

Thank you


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Quit fussing about one grade and just aim to do better. And NO, it's not bad to have a B- in a pre-req.

 

[CalBear456]

They see a B- as a B-: worse than a B, better than a C+. AMCAS differentiates between all those grades for GPA-calculation purposes, and that's how adcoms view them.

FWIW, I got two B-'s in college and it mattered not a bit. The most important thing for you is to have an upward trend from now on and do well on the MCAT.

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Yea man I’m not overtly worried about that grade because I know that in the next two quarters I can definitely get my cum to a 3.7. My main concern is that this first quarter after transferring I got a 3.2. If they look at year by year trends then I’m fine with it; that’s no problem, but this one quarter having this low of a gpa, if they look at it, is something I’m kind of stressing.

Your takes? @Goro @gyngyn @LizzyM


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[Goro]

Yea man I’m not overtly worried about that grade because I know that in the next two quarters I can definitely get my cum to a 3.7. My main concern is that this first quarter after transferring I got a 3.2. If they look at year by year trends then I’m fine with it; that’s no problem, but this one quarter having this low of a gpa, if they look at it, is something I’m kind of stressing.

Your takes? @Goro @gyngyn @LizzyM

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How many times do we have to tell you to quit fussing about a single quarter??????????????