what to do with a poor GPA

[misterxji]

my first quarter grades:

chem: A-
math: B-
GE: A

i knew i messed up with the B- in math so i decided to try harder so that i'd show improvement in my GPA.

but i messed up again because the courseload was too much for me

my second quarter grades:

chem: C
math: C
life science: C

if i cant juggle this type of courseload, is med school not right for me? i feel like i should just give up since i'd probably get raped in med school if i cant even handle university courses. and i doubt i'd get into med school with these horrible grades

what should i do now? should i just keep trying harder to get A's and focus on MCATs and ECs instead?

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[naijaboi]

Retake the chem class and get a higher grade. Do not retake any classes that you got above a B, it is just not worth it. Take a higher level course and do better.

Medical schools is no doubt hard, but it is doable. You have to be a smarter student and that means staggering your course load. If you took two to three science and math classes interspersed with an easy artsy class, no one is going to care as long as you get good grades in them. If you take all hard sciences and do very well, no one's going to care that you did an insanely difficult course load. A psychology major or art major who gets a 3.9 will fare better in admissions than a biochemical engineering major with a 3.6.

From now on, make sure that you get not less that an B in your classes - and not more retakes (and yes give some thought to your ECs and MCAT, but not as substitute for excellent grades).

 

[Catalystik]

Without better grades the ECs and MCAT won't matter. Make it your priority to figure out what you're doing wrong and fix it. Attend office hours, go to tutoring/study sessions, do all the problems at the end of each chapter, or whatever.

It isn't too late for you to turn things around if you get serious now. If you understood the material in Chem II, you don't necessarily have to repeat it, but I do think you need to get an A in Chem III. And from now on, I'd make it your goal to get no less than As, though a few more Bs won't kill you. If you want medicine, only you can make it happen.

 

[misterxji]

okay i was thinking about maybe asking my counselar if i could retake the class. but dont med schools still see the grade unlike DO schools?

i think my EC's could potentially get really good. im doing work study in a lab and the lab professor really likes me and is offering me the oppurtunity to do research with her.

if i do the research and start shadowing physicians and volunteering at clinics during my freshman year, would that make my EC's strong enough to maybe help make-up for my poor GPA? or should i just focus on getting A's this spring quarter and save the research and other EC's for my 2nd year

btw im a freshman right now and for the spring quarter im plannign to take 2 GE classes and 1 math class so i can focus on getting an A in math

thanks for the help

 

[naijaboi]

ECs and MCAT scores do not make up for poor grades EVER!! Medical schools do not overlook the grades. They might take you because you have qualities that they admire and because they seriously want you (despite the grades).

Your top priority should be making the grades from now on. Admissions is not based on a numerical index - medical schools only need to be convinced that you can handle the rigors of medical school. Hence a former community college student like me (with five F's on his transcript) still gets into Harvard because of later excellent academic performance.

Research, shadowing and volunteering are standard ECs for most applicants. You should start these activities even if you had a perfect 4.0. As for ECs, aim higher - major involvement and leadership position looks better. anything that shows initiative and resourcefulness and differentiates you from the pack.

 

[VOP]

You have to do whatever it takes to make sure you don't ever get a C even if you have to seduce the professor to do it.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

okay i was thinking about maybe asking my counselar if i could retake the class. but dont med schools still see the grade unlike DO schools?

i think my EC's could potentially get really good. im doing work study in a lab and the lab professor really likes me and is offering me the oppurtunity to do research with her.

if i do the research and start shadowing physicians and volunteering at clinics during my freshman year, would that make my EC's strong enough to maybe help make-up for my poor GPA? or should i just focus on getting A's this spring quarter and save the research and other EC's for my 2nd year

btw im a freshman right now and for the spring quarter im plannign to take 2 GE classes and 1 math class so i can focus on getting an A in math

thanks for the help

Hey do you know what freshman year means? 3 more years to improve your gpa . Honestly its not that bad, you'll just need to figure out why you got bad grades and improve on from there. Mcat studying? Dude you haven't even finished the pre-reqs, hell don't even think about the Mcats until your 2nd year's summer.

 

[cubssox2000]

You will be fine. No need to retake the class. Just figure out what happened and turn B's into A's in future classes.

For further explanation, see my signature.

 

[Earl Grey]

It's still too early to mask your bad grades with ECs. Figure out why you got the grades you did and spend time trying to improve your study habits. Once you figure our your own personal success plan for good grades, then work on the ECs and MCAT.

Make sure you go to office hours!! There are usually free tutoring centers on campus if you must!

 

[MilkmanAl]

Retake the chem class and get a higher grade. Do not retake any classes that you got above a B, it is just not worth it.

ECs and MCAT scores do not make up for poor grades EVER!! Medical schools do not overlook the grades.

This is some pretty shaky advice, in my opinion. I wouldn't ever retake a class I got a C in when there was ample opportunity to succeed in a higher-level class I was going to take anyway. Hell, I'd never retake a C at all unless I had a ton of them and wanted to apply to DO schools.

Overlooking things and having some areas make up for others are totally different concepts. Let's not confuse them.

OP, get the grades up, and start doing all that fun pre-med extracurricular stuff. With 3 years of grades left to go, you'll be okay.

 

[docelh]

You may want to lighten the load to one lab science class per semester moving forward. That B- in first quarter math should have been a warning that three math/science classes is too much.

 

[misterxji]

what if assuming, i edited my original post. i may have straight C's this quarter. i dont think im allowed to retake classes unless i have a C- or below in the class.

is there a way med schools will overlook it if i can prove that this was just a mistake and do better in the following classes? such as getting an A in organic chemistry and the sequential math classes?

 

[docelh]

is there a way med schools will overlook it if i can prove that this was just a mistake and do better in the following classes? such as getting an A in organic chemistry and the sequential math classes?

How can you prove anything? All they'll think is that you got poor grades in some classes, and got great grades (presumably) in others.

All you can do is perform better moving forward. That's what you should focus on. You can't guarantee you're going to get an A, but you can plan your course schedule better and work on upping your study habits. One lab class per quarter. Anything more is beyond foolish until you've proven to yourself that you can handle it.

 

[Catalystik]

is there a way med schools will overlook it if i can prove that this was just a mistake and do better in the following classes? such as getting an A in organic chemistry and the sequential math classes?

If there is a clear demarcation in time between the old under-performing you and the new near-straight-A student you will become, they will overlook those low grades provided you understood it well enough to get a good MCAT score.

Retake the class somewhere else if you need to. When you apply, both grades will be on your AMCAS transcript. It doesn't matter what the policy of your current school might be.

 

[justdoit31]

It isn't too late to turn it around. I had 3 C's during my first 3 semesters then kept a 4.0 all the way until I was accepted to medical school (Fall of Senior year) at that point of time I relaxed a little more and got a couple B's. You have to make studying a priority-

my undergrad bio department said you could only take 2-3 hard science/math courses per semester and be successful. Also if you are working you are suppose to take a lighter load- I worked 15 hrs/wk and took about 16 hrs a semester. Science majors are a little different than others- you need to take a couple sciences courses at a time and stretch all the general education requirements out across the 4 years to help cushion your schedule.

You will need to have a solid MCAT and EC's to overcome this but it is doable- and don't try to do so many EC's that your grades suffer.