valerierose

I'm usually not one to make excuses but here goes. I currently have a 3.3 cumulative GPA and a 2.6 science GPA. Unfortunately, it's the science classes that I'm getting C's in (gen chem and phys). The other classes I've taken, writing, poly sci, psychology are subjects i'm comfortable with so it was relatively easy to get A's in them without really studying.

So here's when the excuses come in. Two weeks before finals week of fall quarter, my mom had called me and told me that the doctor had found 2 spots on her liver and stomach, relatively close together. Being the nervous wreck that I am, I immediately started freaking out and thinking the worst, the worst being metastatic cancer. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and definitely could not study for finals. As a result of that, I suffered a panic attack, which made me even less prepared for finals. So, I went into my finals with a 3.5 science GPA and came out with a 2.5 GPA. Soon afterwards, during winter break, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 2 Stomach Cancer. Her tumor was operable but the doctor suggested my mom go through chemo as well. To pay for my mom's treatment, my family was close to bankruptcy and decided to sell our house to avoid it and to pay off our debts. My father soon had a heart attack the beginning of spring quarter. I handle my emotions pretty well but by that time, I had cracked under pressure and was diagnosed with minor depression. I've been going to therapy and taking antidepressants since then.

I'm trying to get my life back on track and hoping for the best. My mom is still going through chemo but the doctors remain optimistic. My father has somewhat recovered from his heart attack and has since retired. The hospital's hospital bills continue to be a problem but my entire family is helping. My parents and my younger sister have moved into a smaller apartment and they seem to be getting by. I've been hiding my grades and depression from my mom because i didn't want to worry her. But, recently, we had a long talk and it reconfirmed my wishes to go to med school.

I know my grades are way too low to be accepted at any med school in the US at this point and the C's are definitely going to hurt me a lot. But, do I still have a shot at med school or have I just blown my chance?

WayOutWestMom

You have 3 more years to improve your GPA and sGPA. There is hope, but you have major work to do in order to raise your GPAs. Plan on delaying your med school application until after you've graduated to give yourself additional time to improve your GPA.

You need to take plenty of higher level science classes to dilute those Cs. You may want to consider even taking a higher level physics class to show you're capable of doing better than a C.

You should also consider DO (osteopathy) schools which allow grade replacements.

You've had a rough year, but you cannot use this as an excuse for poor grades on your application. (Medicine is notorious for having a tough guy mentality. You're supposed to soldier on and do well despite adversity.)

My condolences on your family's difficulties. I hope things look brighter in the future.

valerierose

I'll be retaking physics fall quarter (I took physics 1 during the summer and got a C+) and will definitely be taking upper division chem (I'm a neuroscience major). I've read that that's not the best thing to do but I want to make sure I understand the concepts and am prepared for the entire series. I'm just hoping that getting Cs in those classes won't destroy me altogether. As of right now, I'm planning to apply for medical school after graduation and am hoping to take the complete the BS/MS program at my school. Hopefully that extra year will make a big enough of a difference that I'll be accepted.

I was hoping that medical schools will be more lenient with my C's but I guess the sob story doesn't work. Well, time for me to step up my game.

bluebayou

deleted post, sorry.

somemom

A person can recover from a bad first year, but the key to it all is that you realize the problem and you correct it. Since you are now aware of the issue, family crisis, you need to decide whether or not you have gotten things under control. From now on, your record needs to be strong.

Adcoms here too many sob stories, I think they lose sensitivity to them. We can all agree you had some bad luck with bad news & bad timing, but the point now is that if you are in med school or residency and you get bad news you are expected to trudge forward and keep going.

When the time comes to apply, you may find a way to insert the info about the medical crises in your freshman year as part of your decision to become a doctor, but don't use it as an excuse, instead focus on how to be a strong student every single day from now until graduation.

Lemaitre1

I would advise you not to take any higher level Physics courses once you have completed the required ones. If the Physics course you got a C+ in was Algebra based you are certain to fail any upper division Physics courses and even if it was Calculus based, upper division Physics courses are so much more difficult than lower division courses I do not see how it could possibly help your GPA.

valerierose

Well, I honestly did not expect to get such low grades. I've always been a pretty solid student and getting a GPA like this really dented my confidence. But, I'm determined to succeed and I know that I can pull up my GPA if i work hard at it. So that I don't fall behind next year, I've actually began to look over my O-Chem book. If I can raise my grades and continue to do so for the next years, would that look good to the adcoms? I've also been in the talks for shadowing and research so hopefully my ECs will begin to shape up as well.

WayOutWestMom

An upward trend always look good. Your OChem grade is one that many adcomm take a closer look at--rock the class! Rack up the As and destroy the MCAT.

Good luck.

milkweed

You wrote "Being the nervous wreck that I am, I immediately started freaking out and thinking the worst" -- if you really are a worrier, medicine might not be the best fit.
I am speaking from experience. PM me if you like.

valerierose

I think I used the wrong word choice to describe myself. I'm a pretty calm person. Usually, under pressure and stress, I do remarkably well. But, sometimes, when a disaster happens, such as a health scare or money problems, my mind starts to wander and I can't keep myself from thinking about that bad thing. I think it's more of an attitude problem and I'm trying hard to break that habit and start thinking positively. Heck, an optimist usually fares better, physically and emotionally. But, I think I'm going to to talk to my therapist more about my panic attack and how I typically handle stress. I know that GAD definitely runs in my family (my mom has it, my grandma has it, my aunts have it).