Right now I am somewhat torn on how I should go about the next couple of semester to meet my pre-med requirements. This past semester was my first semester back in school since I finished my B.A. over 11 years ago. I took Bio I, Bio II, Chem I and Algebra earning 3.673GPA. While that is a good GPA, it is not satisfying enough for me. I was focused on earning a 4.0 for myself but also to help work against a 2.8/2.9 GPA from my B.A. degree. In the fall I am enrolled to take Chem II, Physics, Pre-Cal and Cell Biology. Would it be best to drop Cell Biology and just take a 12 credit load and work harder to earn a 4.0 or should I keep with the 16 credit load. From my understanding, Medical schools separate science from non-science courses and evaluate both gpas, however do they also consider how many science/math courses taken at the same time? Bottom line I am very concerned having started my pre-med path with an o.k. gpa coupled with an average B.A. gpa.
I think that “rushing” to get all pre-reqs done quickly is one common mistake that many non-trads make. It is always better to show A’s with a couple of B’s than to have more B’s than A’s. This is true moreso for those individuals trying to overcome a soso GPA. So to answer your question go slow and get a 4.0 than trying to rush through the process. Admission folks have little time as they wade through thousands of applications to see what classes you took or how many…as long as you are going to school and doing well that is what counts. Now, this may not be true for ALL schools but it is my general understanding that this holds true for most schools. The bottom line is GPA regardless if you took one science with two non-science or four sciences together…
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Right now I am somewhat torn on how I should go about the next couple of semester to meet my pre-med requirements. This past semester was my first semester back in school since I finished my B.A. over 11 years ago. I took Bio I, Bio II, Chem I and Algebra earning 3.673GPA. While that is a good GPA, it is not satisfying enough for me. I was focused on earning a 4.0 for myself but also to help work against a 2.8/2.9 GPA from my B.A. degree. In the fall I am enrolled to take Chem II, Physics, Pre-Cal and Cell Biology. Would it be best to drop Cell Biology and just take a 12 credit load and work harder to earn a 4.0 or should I keep with the 16 credit load. From my understanding, Medical schools separate science from non-science courses and evaluate both gpas, however do they also consider how many science/math courses taken at the same time? Bottom line I am very concerned having started my pre-med path with an o.k. gpa coupled with an average B.A. gpa.
You are being too hard on yourself. To start with, your GPA is not “OK”, on the contrary, it is very good. It has been some time since you have been in school and you need to take that into consideration.
I do not know if you also have children, work full time, or what. But you need to remember that this is not a race. I did a masters degree and did not achieve a 4.0. I will probably achieve a 3.6-3.8. While going to work and raising a family.
Relax.
You did done good.
Enjoy the summer knowing that you did a job well done.
smhamlin4,
my plan right now is somewhat similar: I’ll be working on a 1 yr BS in Bio. I only need the science courses but I’m looking at 15 to 18 hours per semester. The dean (also the premed advisor) said 18 hours is not unusual for a pre-med. I may also try to distribute some of it over the winter and summer sessions. We’ll see. More on my circumstances at the thread “The Waitlist Thread…”