What do you think?

[TMady]

Hi everyone,

I have a question to ask, however, I will need to explain parts of my life. So if you don't wanna read my life story click the back button now!

Anyways, heres the deal. When I was a youngester my mother went through some difficulties (divorce, etc...), essentially, I got sent to her homeland; Israel. I was born here in the United States but I've been sent back and forth to Israel as a child. This hurt my academic life a lot because I missed many years of essential science and language here in the United States. I went to highschool here but I got straight F's. I believe this is because I had horrible english and was struggling to assimilate and cope with a new environment. My past hasn't been very nice to me, and now I'm paying for it.

About two years ago I got my GED and got accepted to a community college. There, I had straight A's and B's with a 3.7 GPA. Most of my classes were social science (something I seem to be decent at). I decided to apply for a university and was accepted at the university of Minnesota. This was about the same time I finally decided I want to go through with my near life-long dream of becoming a surgeon. This is where my problem started.

Being a pre-med entails a lot of physical science and math. Something I have never been taught properly because of my poor education. And as I expected, my first semester at the university of Minnesota was horrible. I got 2 B's and a D and a C. The C was for my math, and the D was for my Judaism class (which I did none of the readings for because math consumed all my time). Also, as wierd as this may sound, although math was giving me hell I fell in love with it. I am now just finishing up my second semester here, and I know I got a B- in my math class, and possibly a B in chemistry, and an A or B in my other class, except one class, which I think I will get a D (public health). I did bad in this class because this semester it wasn't the math, but rather, the chemistry which consumed most of my time. For someone who didn't know how to divide a year ago, I personally think I did great. I can manipulate quadratic equations like they are nothing! Woot!

With all that said, I'll ask my question: I do believe I'm going to be improving over time but I do expect more bad grades here and there. My GPA is currently 2.4 (very sad compared to what I came with, 3.7). I don't know how to present my situation to a medical school when I apply in a couple years. And my advisor has done nothing to help me. She knows english is my second language, I have a disability (A.D.D.) and I haven't been properly schooled, yet she still suggests I go down the traditional route to medical school. I don't know what to do, should I reconsider my life goals?

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[jeshani]

im not good at this.. but well. i'd say, work HARD, just try to make all A's.. its better than getting 2 F's and work on doing good on your MCAT..

 

[TMady]

im not good at this.. but well. i'd say, work HARD, just try to make all A's.. its better than getting 2 F's and work on doing good on your MCAT..

From the looks of it (reading posts in this forum) I don't stand a chance to get into medical school... So what does working hard include? I mean... I already have 3 D's and a couple C's with a W on my transcripts... Is a medical school going to even accept that?

 

[pjl2505]

i hate to say it, but maybe reconsider. if you didn't know how to divide up until a year ago, then the mcat will give you hell, as will physics. but if youre really deadset on being a surgeon, i guess keep going, it might just take you longer than most.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

From the looks of it (reading posts in this forum) I don't stand a chance to get into medical school... So what does working hard include? I mean... I already have 3 D's and a couple C's with a W on my transcripts... Is a medical school going to even accept that?

How many credits have you already completed and what is your GPA? Give me your CC GPA and your University GPA with the # of credits for each.

Thanks

 

[geneticclone]

I believe that you can still possibly make it into a DO school, if you start getting Straight A's right now.

 

[jeshani]

is this your junior year?

 

[PWD]

Personally, I try to take as few credits as possible per semester, while remaining challenging. You admit to having classes that do take a lot of time, and i will agree, college is tough, and you have classes that will make you work harder than you have ever had to for school, and the pressure is much higher. If i have learned anything in college it is time management.

Also, you have two things going for you. One being that compared to your overall GPA your science grades dont seem to be the problem. You still have another three chemistry courses, plus their labs, then two yrs of bio and physics,which may sound daunting but should be seen as an opportunity. The second is that you have a sincere desire (as cheesy as that sounds) and if you know you want it bad enough, you can make it work.

 

[scrubsaresexy]

Maybe you should take less classes next semester. Figure out which class will give you hell (like you said, first it was math, and then chem) and make sure that don't have a class that is going to get ignored because of it. Also, could you possibly switch advisors? I'm not sure if you're talking about an academic advisor or a pre-med advisor if the person is the same for both, but if he/she is suggesting a traditional route to med school, its kind of sending up red flags in my mind. It's obvious that because of your past, you aren't going to be able to jump into that kind of intense science sequence thats needed for the MCAT, so I'm not sure what your advisor is playing at.

Also, I would try to find a tutor and take advantage of office hours. Most professors are so willing to help if you mak an effort, or at least they take notice that you're trying your best. A lot of students peer-tutor for honor societies and the like, and they're always good to take advantage of.

You also seem incredibly committed to making this happen, which I think is very, very commendable. I don't know enough about this whole process to be able to tell you "Yes, this is possible" or "Give up now" but I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

Honestly? These grades are seriously, seriously problematic. At the rate you're going, med school is simply not going to be a possiblity for you.

If you want to get into med school, I think the best thing to do is to withdraw from college entirey for awhile and shore up your academic knowledge on your own. It sounds like you are greatly lacking in both language proficiency and quantitative skills. You really need to spend a whole year, at least, bridging the gap and learning on your own. This could be possible through strategic hiring of tutors, and use of resources like Curriki, which offers self-study course outlines for free: http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

But if you keep up at your current rate, you[re headed for disaster. You need to stop, regroup, and catch up with your peers before you try to move forward.

 

[candbgirl]

MAybe you should take a couple of very basic science courss at a community college over the summer. This might sort of bridge your deficits and get you more ready to take your pre-med science stuff at the University. I do agree that you will have a hard time with physics if you are new to math. Good Luck.

 

[TMady]

How many credits have you already completed and what is your GPA? Give me your CC GPA and your University GPA with the # of credits for each.

Thanks

I finished about 30-35 credits at the CC, I was there for about a year. My GPA there was about 3.7+ -- I've finished about 15 credits here at the U, and I took 15 this semester, so about 30+ credits this year. And my current GPA is 2.4, however, I haven't recieved all my grades from my classes. I expect my GPA to go up. The truth is, I'm having a lot of doubts, but I'm passionate about what I want to do, and I take college very seriously. This can be pretty much seen in how much intellectual curiosity I have, I mean, I'm in love with math, chemistry and physics. I can't wait to get into physics!

 

[TMady]

Honestly? These grades are seriously, seriously problematic. At the rate you're going, med school is simply not going to be a possiblity for you.

If you want to get into med school, I think the best thing to do is to withdraw from college entirey for awhile and shore up your academic knowledge on your own. It sounds like you are greatly lacking in both language proficiency and quantitative skills. You really need to spend a whole year, at least, bridging the gap and learning on your own. This could be possible through strategic hiring of tutors, and use of resources like Curriki, which offers self-study course outlines for free: http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

But if you keep up at your current rate, you[re headed for disaster. You need to stop, regroup, and catch up with your peers before you try to move forward.

I really don't see how leaving school and ending up working full time and teaching yourself basic math/chem is any different than being in college and taking lower level courses and slowly building your way up? I'm not taking extremely difficult stuff, and I'm slowly building up more and more to face the challenges ahead. I mean, I have no math backround but in this past year I've acquired a lot of knowledge about math, so... Even though I'm now college level math I will still do bad in physics because I don't have a "backround"???

 

[pjl2505]

in the process of "building up," however, you are killing your gpa, and that you can never erase when you begin applying. furthermore, just knowing how to manipulate quadratic equations probably won't cut it. have you taken a calculus course yet? your mind needs to be working well at that level before you delve into some of the higher level sciences courses. but you definitely have the drive, so i agree with the previous post that suggested you take some time off to catch up to your peers in the fundamentals. definitely don't give up.

 

[TMady]

in the process of "building up," however, you are killing your gpa, and that you can never erase when you begin applying. furthermore, just knowing how to manipulate quadratic equations probably won't cut it. have you taken a calculus course yet? your mind needs to be working well at that level before you delve into some of the higher level sciences courses. but you definitely have the drive, so i agree with the previous post that suggested you take some time off to catch up to your peers in the fundamentals. definitely don't give up.

I didn't say the only thing I know is how to manipulate quadratic equations... obviously... But you're missing my point, doesn't catching up with my peers constitute taking lower level courses?

 

[pjl2505]

i'm sorry, i guess i did miss your point. it seems that your problem is youre trying to tackle too much at once. like someone also said above, cut down on the course load, and just focus on 2-3 clases at a time for a couple of semesters; maybe take a math and a science at the same time, and that's it. then if you can do well on this level, you're in good shape, while at the same time you won't indelibly hurt your gpa.

 

[TMady]

i'm sorry, i guess i did miss your point. it seems that your problem is youre trying to tackle too much at once. like someone also said above, cut down on the course load, and just focus on 2-3 clases at a time for a couple of semesters; maybe take a math and a science at the same time, and that's it. then if you can do well on this level, you're in good shape, while at the same time you won't indelibly hurt your gpa.

Yes, I know. I'm tackling a lot but to be honest with you, for what I'm going through right now I think I'm doing great. I mean, as I mentioned before, a year ago I didn't know how to divide. Now I'm college level math and chemistry. It was a stressful year learning things that I should have learned in highschool but it was worth it. I'm very good at math and chemistry now, and I really think I can pull A's and B's off in the future with some sort of side help. I can't afford a tutor right now, I'm financially in the hole. But essentially, my question is do you think my past bad grades are going to hurt me a lot? I mean, am I out of the game? Or do I have another chance?

 

[Green Pirate]

But essentially, my question is do you think my past bad grades are going to hurt me a lot? I mean, am I out of the game? Or do I have another chance?

I don't think any of us can answer that question. All we can do is advise you to continue pursuing your goal in the way you best see fit. But don't place all your hope on meeting success--consider the idea that med school is difficult to get into even for people with stellar gpas, and that you may benefit from keeping your mind open to alternative career paths.

I wish you well, mate. Keep giving everything you've got to reach your goal.

 

[JJMrK]

I have two suggestions.
1. Take fewer units per semester, even if it takes you an extra year to graduate. You can't afford any more D's because of time-management problems.
2. Check out DO schools. They're definitely your best option if you want to stay in the States.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yes, I know. I'm tackling a lot but to be honest with you, for what I'm going through right now I think I'm doing great. I mean, as I mentioned before, a year ago I didn't know how to divide. Now I'm college level math and chemistry. It was a stressful year learning things that I should have learned in highschool but it was worth it. I'm very good at math and chemistry now, and I really think I can pull A's and B's off in the future with some sort of side help. I can't afford a tutor right now, I'm financially in the hole. But essentially, my question is do you think my past bad grades are going to hurt me a lot? I mean, am I out of the game? Or do I have another chance?

You can probably turn things around but we are talking years. No point even thinking about things like the MCAT now because it will expire before you are med school ready. The troubling things I have seen in your post are the indication that you got D's in F's in some courses because you were struggling with others. I hate to tell you this but the pace of med school is far faster than any semester you have taken thus far, and so if you can't keep your head above water in all your classes at the same time, you might not be ready for this challenge just yet. I agree with the folks who suggested take fewer classes for A's for a while and see where that gets you. You can still potentially get there but we are talking about a marathon here, not a sprint.

 

[TMady]

You can probably turn things around but we are talking years. No point even thinking about things like the MCAT now because it will expire before you are med school ready. The troubling things I have seen in your post are the indication that you got D's in F's in some courses because you were struggling with others. I hate to tell you this but the pace of med school is far faster than any semester you have taken thus far, and so if you can't keep your head above water in all your classes at the same time, you might not be ready for this challenge just yet. I agree with the folks who suggested take fewer classes for A's for a while and see where that gets you. You can still potentially get there but we are talking about a marathon here, not a sprint.

I apologize if I said I have any F's. I don't. I've been in college two years now and got 3 D's. 1 at my old community college and 2 here. Plus a C here.

 

[Law2Doc]

I apologize if I said I have any F's. I don't. I've been in college two years now and got 3 D's. 1 at my old community college and 2 here. Plus a C here.

Even so, C's and D's aren't the kind of grades you want to rack up if you have dreams of med school. Turning a 2.4 GPA into med school ready stats is going to be a multiple year effort, how ever you slice it.

 

[TheGreatHunt]

There are many rewarding fields that are similar to Medicine:

Pharmacy(Also tough to get into) and Dentistry(accepts students regularly with a 3.3 GPA).

Have you considered a PA program? A program to become a Nurse(They make very good money), more set schedules, often.

I would look at your choices before you decide for sure on becoming a doctor.

Good luck, and work hard!

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

I finished about 30-35 credits at the CC, I was there for about a year. My GPA there was about 3.7+ -- I've finished about 15 credits here at the U, and I took 15 this semester, so about 30+ credits this year. And my current GPA is 2.4, however, I haven't recieved all my grades from my classes. I expect my GPA to go up. The truth is, I'm having a lot of doubts, but I'm passionate about what I want to do, and I take college very seriously. This can be pretty much seen in how much intellectual curiosity I have, I mean, I'm in love with math, chemistry and physics. I can't wait to get into physics!

With all of your credits 3.7 with 35 credits and a 2.4 at 35 credits, you have a 3.05 GPA. You're going to need to rip off a ton of A's in the coming years with no more C's or lower and I would advise getting your overall GPA up to at least a 3.4, but like Law2doc said, it's going to take a while to raise a 3.05 already with 70 credits in the books.

Good luck!

 

[WantsThisBad]

Hi everyone,

I have a question to ask, however, I will need to explain parts of my life. So if you don't wanna read my life story click the back button now!

Anyways, heres the deal. When I was a youngester my mother went through some difficulties (divorce, etc...), essentially, I got sent to her homeland; Israel. I was born here in the United States but I've been sent back and forth to Israel as a child. This hurt my academic life a lot because I missed many years of essential science and language here in the United States. I went to highschool here but I got straight F's. I believe this is because I had horrible english and was struggling to assimilate and cope with a new environment. My past hasn't been very nice to me, and now I'm paying for it.

About two years ago I got my GED and got accepted to a community college. There, I had straight A's and B's with a 3.7 GPA. Most of my classes were social science (something I seem to be decent at). I decided to apply for a university and was accepted at the university of Minnesota. This was about the same time I finally decided I want to go through with my near life-long dream of becoming a surgeon. This is where my problem started.

Being a pre-med entails a lot of physical science and math. Something I have never been taught properly because of my poor education. And as I expected, my first semester at the university of Minnesota was horrible. I got 2 B's and a D and a C. The C was for my math, and the D was for my Judaism class (which I did none of the readings for because math consumed all my time). Also, as wierd as this may sound, although math was giving me hell I fell in love with it. I am now just finishing up my second semester here, and I know I got a B- in my math class, and possibly a B in chemistry, and an A or B in my other class, except one class, which I think I will get a D (public health). I did bad in this class because this semester it wasn't the math, but rather, the chemistry which consumed most of my time. For someone who didn't know how to divide a year ago, I personally think I did great. I can manipulate quadratic equations like they are nothing! Woot!

With all that said, I'll ask my question: I do believe I'm going to be improving over time but I do expect more bad grades here and there. My GPA is currently 2.4 (very sad compared to what I came with, 3.7). I don't know how to present my situation to a medical school when I apply in a couple years. And my advisor has done nothing to help me. She knows english is my second language, I have a disability (A.D.D.) and I haven't been properly schooled, yet she still suggests I go down the traditional route to medical school. I don't know what to do, should I reconsider my life goals?

Regardless of how much you want to be a doctor- you should really consider the fact that if you cant handle chem and a few other classes that med school will be a complete joke!!!! Even if you try your best, which it sounds like you might already be doing, I think you should look at some other options...maybe even heading to College in your country of origin.

 

[TMady]

With all of your credits 3.7 with 35 credits and a 2.4 at 35 credits, you have a 3.05 GPA. You're going to need to rip off a ton of A's in the coming years with no more C's or lower and I would advise getting your overall GPA up to at least a 3.4, but like Law2doc said, it's going to take a while to raise a 3.05 already with 70 credits in the books.

Good luck!

My 2.4 GPA is only from 1 semester. When I transferred from my community college it reset my GPA... What GPA are we talking about here? The 2.4 is simply from my first semester at the U

 

[ExKitty Doctor]

From the looks of it (reading posts in this forum) I don't stand a chance to get into medical school... So what does working hard include? I mean... I already have 3 D's and a couple C's with a W on my transcripts... Is a medical school going to even accept that?

I have an F, three Cs and a W on my transcript and I was accepted. So don't listen to anyone who says that med schools will throw away your application because of some bad grades. Its just not true. It is true, however, that you need to improve your grades. I recommend tutoring, attending office hours, making special friends with students in the class who can help you...whatever you have to do. Make it your full time to job to kick butt in your classes. And when you succeed there, the path will open up for you and you can start doing some ECs and other necessary pre-med activites. Dont give up hope!

 

[brianmartin]

There is only one thing you can do - kick ass in all of your classes and see where you end up. Go get 45 credits of A's and then re-evaluate your position.

 

[docmode]

I hate to suggest this but it's another option. Have you thought about a surgical nurse? They get paid really well and it could be a good possibility. Those D's thrown in are really going to hurt you. You simply can't get any more. If you find history repeating itself in an "off" subject, I would drop it BEFORE you receive a W on your transcript. I would give it one more semester and see how you improve. It's tough to swallow but you might really gain a lot of satisfaction from the other.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

My 2.4 GPA is only from 1 semester. When I transferred from my community college it reset my GPA... What GPA are we talking about here? The 2.4 is simply from my first semester at the U

The GPA people are talking about is your overall undergrad GPA, which is how AMCAS looks at it. I don't think they especially care about your specific GPA at each institution.

 

[dln72183]

Yeah, as I remember it, your GPA is calculated from every undergraduated institution you have attended. Therefore, your 3.7 plus the 2.whatever will be added together. The positive opportunity you have ahead of you at the U of M is to start low and end high. If you can bring your avereage up and be consistent about it, it shows major determination and the ability to struggle through adversity. Both very good traits. Though, you have to be realistic with your abilities and the difficult task ahead of you. If you think you can manage it, continue on your route towards medicine. I have a friend who went that path and ended up having a child in her 3rd year. We helped her through (by baby sitting a lot) and instead of the MD route she went to Augsburg (in minneapolis) and is becoming a PA (someone mentioned it before). You don't have to take the MCAT for that and it is a great option.

Anyway, good luck with your decision, and congrats on coming so far. Quite an achievement.

 

[Karina 07]

A 2.4 for *one semester* is not the end of the world. So long as you do *much better* in future semesters. Take easy courses. Find courses with high medians. And take few courses. Don't overload.

As someone else here said, AMCAS will combine your community college GPA with your current university's GPA. They will look at how many credits they should give you for each course, and make a weighted average based on that.

My boyf took some community college courses before starting uni. They counted in his GPA, and since he had a perfect 4.0 there, it raised his otherwise 3.28 GPA to a 3.34 GPA.

That being said, adcomms will notice if you've only done bad things since getting to this university.

Take easy courses. Find courses with high medians. And take few courses.

I wouldn't give up yet. Even if AMCAS eventually determines your average to only be a bit over 3.0, you can take a post-bacc program and if you do well there you will stand a chance. Even with a low GPA, you can also possibly get into a D.O. school, right away if you're lucky.

Aside from that, you could try the Caribbean. Overall, no use in giving up yet -- but be VERY WISE with your future course choices. If there IS a hard course you need to take, save it, if possible, for after applying, like for senior spring or whatever. And you will definitely need to apply EARLY when the time comes, like as SOON as the AMCAS comes out, submit in June/July.

Good luck.

 

[tacrum43]

Don't read too much into one semester. You can still pull it up! But certainly take it slowly with the math and physics. Getting a tutor might be a good idea.

As for applying to medical school, focus on your grades for now. However, it does sound like you could apply as "disadvantaged" on AMCAS. That might help somewhat too.