First semester

[Aspiringdoctor_56]

I'm going to retake a class I got an F in to get at least a B so the F will be removed from my gpa calculation but still be on my transcript. I can only retake one class which means I can't retake any of the pre reqs I got a C in (bio, calc 1, chem lab). If I raise my cum up to a 3.0 by second semester, will I still have a solid shot at internships? I'm pretty sure I'm screwed for MD but maybe DO?

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[rilte4]

It sounds like these rules regarding retakes are set by your university? Taking them at a different university would be your best bet, if that's the problem. A retake just has to be an equivalent course, not an identical one. There are financial considerations that come with this, but if you're shooting for med school and have a decent amount of low grades, retaking them (and doing well) would be your solution.

 

[Ismet]

What internships?

You're a first semester freshman. You have at least 5 more semesters to go until you apply to medical school, which is 5 more semesters to improve your GPA. No one is going to estimate a freshman's chances at getting into medical school because there's no point with just 1 semester of GPA and nothing else.

Figure out why you got an F and C's, fix that, and work on bringing it up. Many people struggle at the transition to college, but the successful ones make changes to improve.

 

[bwc]

In general, I'm pretty sure adcoms want to see you just move on if you got a C in a course. Definitely retake anything that is a C- or below. If you retake a course, nothing less than an A on the second attempt should be considered acceptable. An A- in a second attempt might not be frowned at, but a B+ will only look mediocre.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

In general, I'm pretty sure adcoms want to see you just move on if you got a C in a course. Definitely retake anything that is a C- or below. If you retake a course, nothing less than an A on the second attempt should be considered acceptable. An A- in a second attempt might not be frowned at, but a B+ will only look mediocre.

I disagree. Obviously, if you retake a course, you should aim for an A. You should always aim for A's. But if you retake an F and bring it up to a B+, I can't imagine schools looking down on that. A B+ is a perfectly fine grade and shows significant improvement over an F or even a C-.

 

[Aspiringdoctor_56]

What internships?

You're a first semester freshman. You have at least 5 more semesters to go until you apply to medical school, which is 5 more semesters to improve your GPA. No one is going to estimate a freshman's chances at getting into medical school because there's no point with just 1 semester of GPA and nothing else.

Figure out why you got an F and C's, fix that, and work on bringing it up. Many people struggle at the transition to college, but the successful ones make changes to improve.

Thanks for the advice but I know med schools want to see students who really want to go to med school from the start. So would you instead recommend joining clubs or shadowing instead of internships? If so when would you recommend applying to internships?

 

[Ismet]

Thanks for the advice but I know med schools want to see students who really want to go to med school from the start. So would you instead recommend joining clubs or shadowing instead of internships? If so when would you recommend applying to internships?

Med schools don't need to see that you wanted to go to med school from the start. I don't know where you got that idea from.

Med schools want to see
1) That you can handle the rigorous academics of medical school. That is shown by a high GPA and solid MCAT score. That is what gets your foot in the door.
2) That you know what you're getting into. That is shown by clinical exposure via clinical volunteering, shadowing, or a job in a clinical setting where you interact with patients as well as healthcare providers.
3) That you possess the qualities we like to see in physicians. Among other things - maturity, professionalism, altruism, leadership, interpersonal communication skills, teamwork, cultural competency, etc.
4) Some schools place importance on having research experience. You don't NEED research experience, but it helps, and for some schools (top schools) most people have at least some research exposure.

So you see, you don't need to show that you've always wanted to do medicine. You need to show that you know what medicine is about, you've done your research and you've gotten your experience, that you possess the qualities of a good physician, and that you can handle the academic courseload of medical school.

I'd suggest shadowing. Learn what it's like to be a doctor, talk to doctors about their experiences, etc.

"Joining clubs" doesn't do anything. No one will care that you were a member of X number of clubs if you didn't do anything but attend meetings. Shoot for a leadership position of some kind. Or if you can do volunteer work through a club, that's great too.

I wouldn't pursue research until your GPA improves. Unless you do a summer internship, doing actual research during the school year requires at LEAST 10 hours per week of work. I don't know that a summer research internship would be a possibility for this coming summer, as you usually apply for those around this time and all the ones I know of have a minimum GPA requirement. There's always next summer. Focus first on your grades.

 

[WedgeDawg]

I agree with everything @Ismet has said with the addendum that according to the most recent version of MSAR (and even older versions), most applicants to medical school have some level of research experience, even if it's only a single summer or semester. Thus, I always recommend that all medical school applicants take at least that much time to delve into research, as it not only is quickly becoming an unofficial standard, but it is also a valuable experience in and of itself.

Additionally, even if your school allows a retake, the old grade will be factored into your AMCAS GPA for MD school applications (not for DO though).

Also, because you only have on semester of college under your belt, your first order of business should be to figure out why you are getting Cs and Fs and fix that. Do this before doing anything else. It is a lot easier and cheaper to add ECs later on than it is to fix a bad GPA. You have the fortune of having 7+ more semesters of undergrad left to fix one semester's worth of bad GPA. Even if you have a 1.5 right now, if you average a 3.8 all your other semesters, you'll still end up with a 3.5+ GPA by the end of college, which is great for DO and acceptable for MD (probably even good when combined with a strong upward trend). However, the only way this will happen is if you figure out how to fix your study habits. Talk to academic advisors. Talk to upperclassmen. Get a tutor or join a study group. Do whatever is necessary to fix your study habits and your GPA. This will make the most tangible difference in your eventual application.

 

[robin911]

@Goro does anyone have a chance at any DO school with a cGPA of 3.0?

 

[Goro]

Yes, especially with the newer ones.

@Goro does anyone have a chance at any DO school with a cGPA of 3.0?

 

[Aspiringdoctor_56]

I agree with everything @Ismet has said with the addendum that according to the most recent version of MSAR (and even older versions), most applicants to medical school have some level of research experience, even if it's only a single summer or semester. Thus, I always recommend that all medical school applicants take at least that much time to delve into research, as it not only is quickly becoming an unofficial standard, but it is also a valuable experience in and of itself.

Additionally, even if your school allows a retake, the old grade will be factored into your AMCAS GPA for MD school applications (not for DO though).

Also, because you only have on semester of college under your belt, your first order of business should be to figure out why you are getting Cs and Fs and fix that. Do this before doing anything else. It is a lot easier and cheaper to add ECs later on than it is to fix a bad GPA. You have the fortune of having 7+ more semesters of undergrad left to fix one semester's worth of bad GPA. Even if you have a 1.5 right now, if you average a 3.8 all your other semesters, you'll still end up with a 3.5+ GPA by the end of college, which is great for DO and acceptable for MD (probably even good when combined with a strong upward trend). However, the only way this will happen is if you figure out how to fix your study habits. Talk to academic advisors. Talk to upperclassmen. Get a tutor or join a study group. Do whatever is necessary to fix your study habits and your GPA. This will make the most tangible difference in your eventual application.

I have a 1.85 rn so it is possible to get a 3.5 at least i think. Thanks for the advice!

 

[rilte4]

Completely missed that you're in your first semester of college. I can't human today.

You have years of damage control ahead of you! G'luck OP.