Very worried about first semester freshman grades

[ssrnen06]

Hey all. I'm a current freshman at a T30 intending to major in neuroscience and go down the MD route at hopefully a T30, but my grades this past semester have me wondering if this path is even possible for me. I've got A's in statistics and English, a B in a gen ed class, a B- in introductory bio and a D+ in introductory bio lab. These grades are not a good reflection of the kind of student I am, as I usually score very well and put in the right amount of work, but I fell ill during this past finals week and it really hurt my performance. My bio lab TA was also an extremely harsh grader, but I'm just saying that for some context; I don't intend to make excuses and shirk responsibility. I could've done better this semester and have fixed the majority of the issues with my study habits and learning skills. My GPA is looking to be around 3.3 for this semester and next semester is only going to be harder for me, with many more STEM classes. I've heard many different things about my performance, like that I should retake the D+, that I should leave pre-med, that it's alright as long as I do better, or that it's over completely. I just wanted some genuine solid advice about where I could go from here. I am really passionate about the medical field and have been for a long time, but if my chances are too low now then I might as well diversify my options while I try to clean up the mess I've made.

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[eigen]

Relax. You can recover from literally anything in your first year. Learn from what happened, move on, and improve.

 

[11BtoMD]

I had a 0.53 my first semester, I graduated with honors and have been accepted into multiple schools. just identify and correct your issues with studying, time management, and ensuring you get those health problems fixed and you still have a shot. You will need to redo the Bio Lab for most schools as they will require it and only a C or higher is considered passing. I recommend using reddit or rate my professor to identify harsh graders and professors for your remaining classes because at the end of the day having a better grade in the class is more important than the perceived difficulty of the professor because someone told you "he will get you ready for the MCAT". If medicine is your dream, don't give it up easily.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Don't take this as a sign you're doomed, but you do need to reach out to professors/teaching assistants/etc and figure out what went wrong.

I got paid by my university in undergrad to teach other undergrads how to study. Feel free to DM me if you want to talk shop. I'm not a genius, I just use evidence-based study methods

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You aren't doomed, but it is unusual to fail an intro bio lab. I don't care if your TA was a harsh grader, but if you didn't show some willingness to learn or heed their advice or ask the professor of record (or another TA), what did you do?

In fact the only reasons why I ever failed someone who took my lab courses... I honestly can't remember if they plagiarized or just handed in a blank paper showing no work or effort.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

These grades are not a good reflection of the kind of student I am, as I usually score very well and put in the right amount of work, but I fell ill during this past finals week and it really hurt my performance.

You had a separate final for your bio lab??

Yes, you may have to retake the D+. Passing grades for med school admissions are C (75%) or better.

 

[TheKingfish]

Plenty of time to turn it around OP. I got a 3.0 my freshman year, but improved through the rest of college and had a successful cycle when I applied.

 

[AJS59]

Hey all. I'm a current freshman at a T30 intending to major in neuroscience and go down the MD route at hopefully a T30, but my grades this past semester have me wondering if this path is even possible for me. I've got A's in statistics and English, a B in a gen ed class, a B- in introductory bio and a D+ in introductory bio lab. These grades are not a good reflection of the kind of student I am, as I usually score very well and put in the right amount of work, but I fell ill during this past finals week and it really hurt my performance. My bio lab TA was also an extremely harsh grader, but I'm just saying that for some context; I don't intend to make excuses and shirk responsibility. I could've done better this semester and have fixed the majority of the issues with my study habits and learning skills. My GPA is looking to be around 3.3 for this semester and next semester is only going to be harder for me, with many more STEM classes. I've heard many different things about my performance, like that I should retake the D+, that I should leave pre-med, that it's alright as long as I do better, or that it's over completely. I just wanted some genuine solid advice about where I could go from here. I am really passionate about the medical field and have been for a long time, but if my chances are too low now then I might as well diversify my options while I try to clean up the mess I've made.

1. Don't quit atp, I bombed my first Orgo class (later majored in chemistry, funny enough) and now I'm posting here from my Pulm lectures lol
2. What you DO need to do is reevaluate your strategies and methods of studying. This isn't high school anymore. It isn't sufficient to just do the homework and passively read the textbook/watch the lectures; you need to ENGAGE with the material. What does this mean? It means take active notes, make your own questions (ChatGPT is very good at this), answer questions, try teaching it to your dog/mirror/friend/significant other, etc. And most importantly you need to be doing this CONSISTENTLY — do NOT wait until the week before an exam to begin studying.
3. Meet with your pre-health advisors to ask for their input — your school may have specialized STEM resources you can take advantage of

 

[ssrnen06]

You had a separate final for your bio lab??

Yes, you may have to retake the D+. Passing grades for med school admissions are C (75%) or better.

Yeah, my bio lab class had a final and a midterm, which were weighed almost as heavily as our lab reports. The problem with the lab reports was that I and others in the class would get failing grades despite hitting the points on the rubrics; excessive points were taken off for pretty menial problems, and explanations/feedback was pretty minimal ("lack of bigger picture," "needs more explanation"). The TA present in our class wasn't even the one grading them; our school makes it so that we don't get to know the TA that grades in order to eliminate bias. I took feedback and advice from our own TA and consulted our writing center for tips, but it wasn't enough. However, I'm just explaining here, not attempting to make excuses, I certainly should have done more on my end and been more proactive. My grades on the midterm and the final were certainly my fault. On a more proactive note, though, if I retook this class, would there be a necessity or place to indicate any of this on a med school application? Is this something that I'll need to explain somewhere?

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Relax.
Git gud.

This isn't going to sink you...unless it continues. Plenty of people flounder as freshmen; there's a reason MIT has a "pass/no record" system first semester freshman year!

Seek help and good luck.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yeah, my bio lab class had a final and a midterm, which were weighed almost as heavily as our lab reports. The problem with the lab reports was that I and others in the class would get failing grades despite hitting the points on the rubrics; excessive points were taken off for pretty menial problems, and explanations/feedback was pretty minimal ("lack of bigger picture," "needs more explanation"). The TA present in our class wasn't even the one grading them; our school makes it so that we don't get to know the TA that grades in order to eliminate bias. I took feedback and advice from our own TA and consulted our writing center for tips, but it wasn't enough. However, I'm just explaining here, not attempting to make excuses, I certainly should have done more on my end and been more proactive. My grades on the midterm and the final were certainly my fault. On a more proactive note, though, if I retook this class, would there be a necessity or place to indicate any of this on a med school application? Is this something that I'll need to explain somewhere?

This is an issue you should take to either your professor of record, the department chair, or the dean of undergraduate studies. There may be nothing you can do, but this is one of those times where you wish some student told you about the grading policies of this course sequence. If you have documentation of all of the advice you took in good faith and you still practically failed your lab, that's an issue. No chair or academic dean wants to see a large proportion of students failing their intro courses because they don't want an exodus of students from the major or the school. The professor of record should look for aberrant grade patterns (if not, then the chair does) and make corrections to the registrar. But if the professor already reported them as is, then you have to see how you can ask for oversight to review the grading. Again, nothing could be done, so you have to accept whatever happens.

You may need to be prepared to explain "academic challenges" in secondary applications you may face. Hence, the above advice on seeking help is important to follow through.