worried already

[undergrad]

hi, im a premed sophmore. i came from a small town high school and did extremely well. now im at an ivy league school and struggled a bit my freshman year in chemistry. i did not come close to the 4.0 med schools are looking for, but my GPA is steadily going up each semester. do you think my chances are shot after one not so great year. would it be smart to take orgo at another less competetive school over the summer where i know i’ll get a better grade?

[twu]

The problem with taking organic chemistry at a “less competitive” school is that the admissions committees already know that to be a tactic within the premed community. Take organic chemistry at your institution and avoid taking it over the summer periods which, again, are viewed as less detailed and less competitive compared to the regular session courses.

The admissions committees like to see improvement, and “steadily going up each semester” is fine as far as the schools themselves are concerned. You don’t need a 4.0 to get into med school. The average GPA for admission to med school in the latest year for which data is available is a little over 3.5. An off-year won’t kill an application so long as the applicant shows improvement in successive years.

And don’t forget the MCAT being a big factor in all of this. The effect of poor grades can be offset with a super MCAT score.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[Author]

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