First attempt at a blog, basically because I'd like advice and I don't really know where else to ask
So, Im a pre-med student. Currently on track to get a bio major and chem minor with a GPA for both science and cumulative courses as a 3.73. The reason these are the same is that I transferred twice, and then decided to go pre med. So all my courses have been basically science except a couple.
I took my Gen bio and chem at a different school. Dont remember my grades but I know that they werent all A's. I mightve snuck 1 or 2 in though. I do remember my calc grade, that was an A.
I've taken my Ochem, immunology, nutrition, micro, all A/A-. Now I'm taking my physics and Human Gross Anatomy. After I finish these up Im gonna study and attempt the MCATs for the first time. In physics its looking like an A. Human Gross is another story.....
Got my first two tests back (1 lecture 1 lab). 82 and 80 T.T What the duck? I studied alot for those. If I end up getting a low B in this class how bad is that? Am I gonna be screwed? All my other hard classes werent nearly as tough. Im worried, especially because I dont know how schools will weight my lvl 1 courses from before I transferred.
I've heard that a minor doesn't matter to schools, so I might take extra time and double major since I'm good at chem? Should I retake my generals to make sure I have good grades in them? I was thinking about trying to do research with my professors too but Idk which would be better.
Relax a bit. Grades matter but focusing on them isnt going to get you far. Just focus on learning, you sound smart enough that if you just do that, the grades will follow. Research is always a good option, in any field. It shows all sorts of good problem solving and independence criteria.
I would never draw an inference from the first test. Personally I never do quite as well on the first test because I am not familiar with the teachers style and honestly don't even know what to study going into it.
Also, your grades sound fantastic. You sound really smart TT
you have too few posts for me to tell if this is sarcasm or not.
Don't know what country educational system you are in, but obviously you know how tests can vary and also a raw score is pretty meaningless without relation to how the class as a whole did.
if you got an 80 but class mean is like 70 +/- 5 then obviously you're still top of the class (waht A's generally correspond to, like top 15% or top 20%)
As mentioned, marks are important but you also need volunteer work. I believe your gpa is pretty good(3.7 is A-) though. Doing research with your professor, volunteering at a hospital, distress centre, possibly food bank should all help when you apply. I can't comment on the transfer courses part though.
Thanks for all the advice and support guys No Im not being sarcastic haha. I know that I can talk to a counselor, but I like to get opinions from people who have had experience applying to next level education/real life situations too. Plus, for some reason it's easier for me to vent this stuff anonymously.
BigFan and Sea, is the volunteer type stuff more important than boosting my GPA with more science?
N.geNuity I'm in a U.S. university, the average I believe for the lecture was 75. Idk the lab average though.
i've had some friends with 4.0s from top undergrad programs along with great (43, 44 etc) mcat scores get rejected from ivy league med schools, take it with a grain of salt.. i also had a friend with a 3.5 and a 40 on the mcat get into harvard med, so from my perspective it's all about having a "desirable personality and disposition towards medicine and helping people" as cliche as that is..
of course if you're not looking to go to a competitive medschool like harvard you can easily get in with like a 2.5 and a 30 on the mcat.. i'm assuming you're aiming for the top
Endymion, that's reassuring, sine while I would definitely be pumped to get into a Harvard type school, I was worried about getting into medical school period! Hopefully I can keep up my current work since Rhett sounds like it will get me in. I just have no perspective with med school stuff. In my head it seems unobtainable :p
Why drive yourself crazy for 4 years to get perfect grades to get into a high stress med school where you will spend 4 more years in extreme stress mode in order to get a super high stress job for the rest of your life.
On October 06 2012 06:56 Endymion wrote: i've had some friends with 4.0s from top undergrad programs along with great (43, 44 etc) mcat scores get rejected from ivy league med schools, take it with a grain of salt.. i also had a friend with a 3.5 and a 40 on the mcat get into harvard med, so from my perspective it's all about having a "desirable personality and disposition towards medicine and helping people" as cliche as that is..
Honestly, for every one person who gets into top med schools with 3.5 GPAs and a 40 on the MCAT, you can find tons more who get in with 4.0s from top undergrad programs along with great MCAT scores. It's not impossible, but it does lower his chances considerably.
Ofc, if you're just looking to go into any ol' med school, then it matters a lot less.
EPT
