GPA reality check

[david_66]

I go to U of T and have already finished the first semester. I have 4 As and one A- in my five courses as of now. That is a 3.9 GPA approximately. I came to this university thinking and hearing how hard it would be; it was the exact opposite.

 

I can't believe some of you are failing your courses and thinking of medical school. My best advice to you all is seriously think about your prospects and strengths. The reality is: some of you will never make it no matter how hard you try. Some of you eventually makes it in the end because you have both academic talent and are hard working. This is a rare combination and most of you don't have it.

 

Beware of false hopes, it can crush you in the end. If somewhere deep inside you, you know you are not good enough, accept it and move on. University is not all about academics. Party hard, hit the hot chicks, and have the best time of your life. Quit endulging on a goal that you will never achieve.

[h3jk5h]

%#*)&%$@*(

[m30wc0w]

Good luck with your GPA goals in 2012

[charmer08]

I loled...

[xkittens]

lulz

[Outlaw]

LOL solid advice from somebody who has finished 1 semester of uni.

[Lunasly]

I highly doubt you "party hard".

[Let'sGo1990]

Excellent topic.

[xkittens]

Beware of false hopes, it can crush you in the end. If somewhere deep inside you, you know you are not good enough, accept it and move on. University is not all about academics.

 

My first sem GPA is 3.98, I sometimes think I'm not good enough, I should quit you say? You should probably quit too, let's quit together

[h3jk5h]

I am actually taking him seriously

[Clever]

4a + 1a- = 3.86

[psychoswim]

OP does have a (very very poorly expressed) point in that not everyone can get into med school. But having one bad semester or one bad course mark (as he told someone in another thread) certainly doesn't mean you should just drop everything! If it stays that way for longer than yes it might be a good idea to reconsider and think about a plan B but not before.

[vvelieva]

marks are not everything. Experience is.

 

This only shows that once you fail something it will hit you so much harder.

 

Me and my fiance are both in music. He is currently teaching a couple of adult students who have accomplished a lot in their lives and are looking for a hobby. Music being one of their choices, it is amazing to see how unmotivated they are when they realize that they can't just pick it up and be able to play anything they want.

 

You should probably look into something that challenges you. Marks are mostly about being able to adjust to the system. Did you actually learn something or was it all review for you? Do you actually know the subject or do you only know how to correctly answer?

 

I'd like to believe that med schools are not only looking for people who have been able to work the school system, but also can work in the environment where everyday somebody dies no matter how much you've learned in school.

 

P.S. first year is supposed to be easy. Most people who do badly usually deal with many non-school related factors.

[david_66]

If you get a rare 70 in one elective course, that's fine. But my point is that if you fail at a course, that clearly shows something..

[Singh]

congrats on your first semester, you did alright. but i think hard work CAN make up for a lack in talent. i managed to get by first year physics unscathed. I had no previous physics experience, and I completely sucked going in. Putting in time and effort definitely made a difference. yes, there is a limit for some people with respect to academic performance. but on the whole, for others who are not as perceptive/ gifted as you, i say keep on trying, pushing as hard as you can.

 

btw, you're the reason a lot of U of T life sci students get a bad rep.

 

and kid, don't get too cocky. it's one semester. over-confidence can be your downfall.

[A-Stark]

I can't believe some of you are failing your courses and thinking of medical school. My best advice to you all is seriously think about your prospects and strengths. The reality is: some of you will never make it no matter how hard you try. Some of you eventually makes it in the end because you have both academic talent and are hard working. This is a rare combination and most of you don't have it.

 

Beware of false hopes, it can crush you in the end. If somewhere deep inside you, you know you are not good enough, accept it and move on. University is not all about academics. Party hard, hit the hot chicks, and have the best time of your life. Quit endulging on a goal that you will never achieve.

 

Not bad advice, but a bit rich coming from someone around 18 years old who's finished exactly one semester of university. And it's spelled "indulge". I agree that false hopes are unhelpful and that recovering from failed courses and the like can be very difficult. But it's hardly impossible. And many, many people apply multiple times and eventually succeed or otherwise find something else to do with their lives.

[Dino]

I go to U of T and have already finished the first semester. I have 4 As and one A- in my five courses as of now. That is a 3.9 GPA approximately. I came to this university thinking and hearing how hard it would be; it was the exact opposite.

 

I can't believe some of you are failing your courses and thinking of medical school. My best advice to you all is seriously think about your prospects and strengths. The reality is: some of you will never make it no matter how hard you try. Some of you eventually makes it in the end because you have both academic talent and are hard working. This is a rare combination and most of you don't have it.

 

Beware of false hopes, it can crush you in the end. If somewhere deep inside you, you know you are not good enough, accept it and move on. University is not all about academics. Party hard, hit the hot chicks, and have the best time of your life. Quit endulging on a goal that you will never achieve.

 

You got a 3.9 with that grammar? It's almost as bad as mine and I'm French.

[david_66]

Haters, I know you are just jealous bro..

[Robin Hood]

Haters, I know you are just jealous bro..

 

Hope you will become more mature by the time you get an intervie, else you will fail it.

[apache]

How do you know what combination of talent and ability to work hard most people have? In fact, there are an an infinite number of interacting variables that effect people's performance in life. I listened to teachers who spoke in a similar condescending and patronizing tone for 12 years... and failed a number of courses. Eventually, when I was lucky enough to have a teacher who went out of his way to illustrate the link between what I was learning and real life problems I sort of realized the importance of an education, the real importance that is, as well as what a real education was. How knowledge can ignite change, alleviate suffering, and allow you to iconoclastically paint a colorful image of beauty over a previously dreary, grey canvas.

 

I don't think you really realize the potential for change people have, and this has nothing to do with medicine, if I listened to people who said I would never lose the weight I did, I wouldn't have done a marathon run, never sat over the side of a bank of a waterfall. If I would have listened to what people said about this girl I dated for 3 years, she would have slit her throat or swallowed a bottle of pills and been dead by now, or hearing voices, still loaded up on psych drugs, a couple marathons, volunteer trips abroad, a 4.0 in a business degree and 40 pounds of psych med weight later, she's got a pretty sick job, and yeah, doesn't hear any more voices.

 

You will never approach the level talent I have, nor come close to being as intelligent, because you've never had the extreme experiences which prime extreme motivation that you can never harness, sounds a little presumptious, eh?

I go to U of T and have already finished the first semester. I have 4 As and one A- in my five courses as of now. That is a 3.9 GPA approximately. I came to this university thinking and hearing how hard it would be; it was the exact opposite.

 

I can't believe some of you are failing your courses and thinking of medical school. My best advice to you all is seriously think about your prospects and strengths. The reality is: some of you will never make it no matter how hard you try. Some of you eventually makes it in the end because you have both academic talent and are hard working. This is a rare combination and most of you don't have it.

 

Beware of false hopes, it can crush you in the end. If somewhere deep inside you, you know you are not good enough, accept it and move on. University is not all about academics. Party hard, hit the hot chicks, and have the best time of your life. Quit endulging on a goal that you will never achieve.

[skier87]

Hahaha....wow. Who the hell do you think you are doling out life advice after 4 months of uni. Come back in 3 years and then we'll talk. If every doctor was a straight A student (nothing wrong with that) with your attitude, the profession would fall apart.

 

I can attest that there are many people out there that do not truly realize the calibre of hard work that is required to become a doctor. I actually used to be one of those people, and had my own reality check multiple times in 2nd and 3rd year. But with time and experience things change. I've started on another career path in the meantime and am now actually preparing to interview for UBC med.

 

Btw failing or struggling through a course doesn't mean you lack intelligence...it means you're human. Everyone has challenges that they encounter in their lives. It's what you do with that obstacle and what you learn from it that counts. Real-life example: family friend who nearly failed an upper-level enzymology course at UBC. Has been working as an anesthesiologist in Vancouver now for the past couple of decades and is one of the brightest and most down-to-earth people I know. Still want to say that doing badly in a course eliminates one's dream of medicine?

[Dino]

Haters, I know you are just jealous bro..

 

I already got accepted in med school, but I try not to rub it in people's faces (except for this post). You had one good freshman semester; with only 5 classes. And you seem to have miscalculated your GPA. I know you're proud of your achievement, but you are the novice preaching to the priesthood.

One mile is not the end of the marathon.

[phear8]

To OP:

 

Academic smarts is not everything in the world. While you do make some good points (realizing your own potential, more to academics than university), your tone makes it seem as if you're looking down on people who aren't as academically gifted as you.

 

I've been raised in a good family, and am fortunate to have decent enough grades for medical school. But I respect everyone else - good grades or not - because everyone's path in life is different. It's this type of respect - I believe - that is beneficial for any type of relationship in the world: friend-friend, professor-student, and even doctor-patient.

 

You've got good grades. Congratulations. Keep up the good work, but don't lose sight of how fortunate you are to be put in this scenario.

[aaronjw]

Is this medigeek under a new handle?

[thehumanmacbook]

Is this medigeek under a new handle?

 

I was kinda guessing the same thing...