Below Average Undergrad

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

waltlindseyworld

New Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi there! I'm new to SDN, so apologies if this has been posted before.

I could use some advice. I'm currently in my freshmen year of undergrad, majoring in psychology. My goal is to go to med school and become a psychiatrist. I was homeschooled for high school, and I feel like that has really held me back. Right now I'm taking a developmental math class to get me where I need to be. I'm pretty okay with the sciences, so I don't think biology classes will be a problem for me.

Here is where I'm struggling. The picture in my mind is that med school students are all brainiacs who graduated top of their class and went to ivy leagues. I'm going to a community college for my AA before transferring to a state university to finish out my BA. I'm a solid B student. Am I at a disadvantage when it comes to med school?

I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm ready to put in the work. I could use all the advice I could get! Thanks!

Members don't see this ad.
 
Hi there! I'm new to SDN, so apologies if this has been posted before.

I could use some advice. I'm currently in my freshmen year of undergrad, majoring in psychology. My goal is to go to med school and become a psychiatrist. I was homeschooled for high school, and I feel like that has really held me back. Right now I'm taking a developmental math class to get me where I need to be. I'm pretty okay with the sciences, so I don't think biology classes will be a problem for me.

Here is where I'm struggling. The picture in my mind is that med school students are all brainiacs who graduated top of their class and went to ivy leagues. I'm going to a community college for my AA before transferring to a state university to finish out my BA. I'm a solid B student. Am I at a disadvantage when it comes to med school?

I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm ready to put in the work. I could use all the advice I could get! Thanks!

The prestige of your undergraduate institution is not important at all for general admissions. It matters more, from a little to quite a bit, the closer you get to the top of the medical school rankings. So, you don't have to worry about that.

What does worry me is that you say you are a "solid B" student. That will not cut it. You need to become a solid A-/A student ASAP. That doesn't mean you can't get Bs, but your GPA needs to be as high as possible to be competitive for medical school. You want your Science and cumulative GPAs to be at least above 3.5 and an MCAT above 508. Your state of residency will also affect how competitive you will be for medical school as some states are "luckier" than others.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
ur mental picture is wrong but understandable.

make use of the learning resources at your CC -- maybe you just need time to adjust to class. maybe there is an issue. do you have to transfer after 2 yrs? what do the supports at your 4 yr look like? consider how you're getting your B's-- is there something that's just not clicking? do you need to study more or differently? are they 80-B or 89-B?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
The prestige of your undergraduate institution is not important at all for general admissions. It matters more, from a little to quite a bit, the closer you get to the top of the medical school rankings. So, you don't have to worry about that.

What does worry me is that you say you are a "solid B" student. That will not cut it. You need to become a solid A-/A student ASAP. That doesn't mean you can't get Bs, but your GPA needs to be as high as possible to be competitive for medical school. You want your Science and cumulative GPAs to be at least above 3.5 and an MCAT above 508. Your state of residency will also affect how competitive you will be for medical school as some states are "luckier" than others.

They can even just become a solid B+ student (3.3) and go to DO school. It's not unrealistic to match psychiatry somewhere in this country as a DO.
 
They can even just become a solid B+ student (3.3) and go to DO school. It's not unrealistic to match psychiatry somewhere in this country as a DO.
OP is also a solid B student at the community college level in (presumably) intro level courses as a freshman. This could translate to a C student (or lower) at the university level. OP should be getting straight A's right now in community college if they want to stand a chance for being competitive enough for med school.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Exactly. You MD schools accept people usually within 3.7. That's an A-. So I suggest you develop better studying techniques
 
Here is where I'm struggling. The picture in my mind is that med school students are all brainiacs who graduated top of their class and went to ivy leagues. I'm going to a community college for my AA before transferring to a state university to finish out my BA. I'm a solid B student.

Am I at a disadvantage when it comes to med school? !
This picture is dead wrong and you're NOT at a disadvantage.
 
You are not at a disadvantage, but I agree that you are not yet performing to the level of a competitive applicant yet. You probably need to step up your hours studying (I espouse the rule of 3 hours studying per each hour in class even though no one, including me, follows it. But it's a good aspiration lol) AND find different study tools and techniques. Definitely go for study groups and go to office hours.

And do NOT retake Bs.
 
Last edited:
You are not at a disadvantage, but I agree that you are not yet performing to the level of a competitive applicant yet. You probably need to step up your hours studying (I espouse the rule of 3 hours studying per each hour in class because no one, including me, follows it. But it's a good aspiration lol) AND find different study tools and techniques. Definitely go for study groups and go to office hours.

And do NOT retake Bs.
Espouse or eschew?
 
I come from Cali, and I transferred to UCLA. I guess since it was my dream school I had to go there, and I didnt have the bigger picture in mind (medical school). If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldve gone to a cal state TBH. It really doesnt matter where you went. I was talking to a med student at UCLA who went to Cal state LA (not one of the best universities). If that guy got into a top medical school so can you, no matter where you went. GPA, MCAT, and extracurriculars matter the most.
 
Espouse or eschew?

Lol poor phrasing. I tell people the 3-to-1 rule even though I know no one follows it. Changing original post. I was so proud I successfully used espouse I didn't pay attention to the rest of the sentence.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top