what if you're doing worse in postbacc?

[nycpizza]

Hello, I'm new here.

It's nice to be part of an active post-bacc community forum such as this!

anyway, I've been going through some issues...I'm in my second year of Post-Bacc at Columbia University and my grades have been dropping. I've been working harder than ever but my gpa in postbacc is now lower than my gpa in ugrad. I am utterly disgusted because I really wanted to show the admins that I am more than capable of doing well in school. I'm just really discouraged and needed a place to vent.

Any comments?

If you must know: my gpa in undergrad was 3.37 (engineering)
my gpa now is now sinking to 3.2 (postbacc)
please don't judge me

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[Law2Doc]

Hello, I'm new here.

It's nice to be part of an active post-bacc community forum such as this!

anyway, I've been going through some issues...I'm in my second year of Post-Bacc at Columbia University and my grades have been dropping. I've been working harder than ever but my gpa in postbacc is now lower than my gpa in ugrad. I am utterly disgusted because I really wanted to show the admins that I am more than capable of doing well in school. I'm just really discouraged and needed a place to vent.

Any comments?

If you must know: my gpa in undergrad was 3.37 (engineering)
my gpa now is now sinking to 3.2 (postbacc)
please don't judge me

I don't know much about Columbia's program but is there any opportunity to take the courses fewer at a time and finish at a slower pace? You don't want to rush through and end up with a GPA prohibitive of med school. Alternatively, maybe you want to consider taking some time off -- maybe there's something distracting you and you need a break.

 

[PurpleHaze]

I feel your pain. I don't have advice... but I can let you know that you are not alone in that boat. Good luck to you!

 

[politik]

Keep your head up. The program and Debbie M's reputation proceed themselves. One bad semester will not kill you, but you MUST kick ass this semester.

My advice: 1) Take Nuckolls' Orgo II. His midterms are a bitch, but the curve is very, very forgiving and he repeats questions on the final, giving you the opportunity to really kick ass on what constitutes 50% of your grade. 2) Push off Orgo Lab until the summer. It's not hard, but it is a great deal of busywork and you'll need the time to dedicate to prepping for the MCAT. The April MCAT, especially with low undergrad and postbacc GPAs will be crucial.

Semester II Debbie, believe it or not, is actually MUCH easier than Semester I since she flip-flops the normal biology sequence material. You will now finally learn about the cell, cellular transport, genetics, etc. Firestein's neurobiology unit is a wonderful break (be warned, however, Debbie still creates the exam even though he lectures). Her problem book is much more relevant this semester.

thank you nefarious. we need more people like you.
i am actually an undergrad at columbia and orgo I killed me this semster. Debbie M wasn't much help to my gpa either. My overall GPA hasn't suffered much but my science GPA got killed b/c I have very few science courses.
Nefarious, since you seem to know so much, can columbia's name and mow's rep. alleviate some of those bad grades when compared to applicants from other schools?
Also do you know how many does Columbia med take of their own?

 

[politik]

Thanks, politik, who did you have for Orgo I this past semester?

Columbia's name will certainly allow forgiveness for some bad grades...but will only bandage your transcript to a certain extent. Debbie M's reputation is a little less far reaching, but it can play in your favor. Here's the real key: Kill yourself next semester for the A/A- in her class and ask for a recommendation. Her recommendations specifically address the unique nature and difficulty of her course in addition to commenting on your performance. If you have an upward trend, she will highlight it greatly. With an overall lack of quality recommendations from the intro science classes available, a positive spin from Debbie is a real boon to your application.

If you have the time available to you, take a few advanced bio courses (I highly recommend Firestein's Neurobiology course). Achieve better grades in these courses and it will show the adcoms that 1) you've really mastered the material and studying techniques and/or 2) the earlier grades were a fluke. If you're already applying, these grades will make for a great section in your update/interest letters mid-cycle.

From what I've heard, Columbia P&S discriminates against its own. Its entering class profile, unfortunately, does not break down matriculates by undergraduate institution.

you rock!!! very helpful.
nefarious i pmed you.