Any of you guys have some past academic "boo-boos?"

[Kwame E]

So I just got my grades back and I'm disappointed. The bright side is that I have about 50 credits left and all of my upper-level science classes to "prove" myself to the admissions committee. Plus there's other parts of the application, like GRE, HCE and LORs.

 

But in the back of my mind I keep thinking that I really did myself a disservice by messing up in school so much. There have been spouts of good academics, for a year and half my GPA was 3.5+ however right now my cumulative GPA is a 2.8 and my science GPA is a 2.9.  I know there's nothing I can do to change the past, but I really wish I could go back in time and tell my 18 year self to buckle down more. I'm 22 now and I still have issues with studying the proper amount of hours each night. A shame I know..SMH. 

 

Can anybody else relate? 

[JamBra0]

If you keep academic mishaps to a minimum, you could still end up with a very solid GPA.

 

In my senior year of undergrad...I received my first C (78.6!) of my college career and it was microbiology (had some person stuff going on and at this point I hated my school).  Since I wanted to apply to PA school, it was a double whammy!  Then the next semester I took Chem II and received a C in the lecture and a B in the lab (same reason).  Since then I have re-taking Micro and received a B.  My overall GPA is a 3.5 even though I have to pretty epic blunders. 

Keep your head up and ALWAYS try your hardest...you will feel better about yourself afterwards.  Those two grades are the worse of my academic career and I'm mostly disappointed because I let personal stuff interfere with me trying my hardest. 

[pglaser01]

Oh yeah...there's a lot of us in that boat. Ask Timon or PAtoB...plenty of threads.  Shoot I failed to withdraw properly halfway through a semester, why? Immaturity and thinking others would take care of it for me.  Wound up with 16 hours of F's.  But you can do it if you really want it.  I retook a bunch of classes and concentrated on higher level courses and as much HCE as possible.  Now I'm very, very high on the alternate list at my top choice school and expect to get in based on years past.

[nandosport]

So I just got my grades back and I'm disappointed. The bright side is that I have about 50 credits left and all of my upper-level science classes to "prove" myself to the admissions committee. Plus there's other parts of the application, like GRE, HCE and LORs.

 

But in the back of my mind I keep thinking that I really did myself a disservice by messing up in school so much. There have been spouts of good academics, for a year and half my GPA was 3.5+ however right now my cumulative GPA is a 2.8 and my science GPA is a 2.9. I know there's nothing I can do to change the past, but I really wish I could go back in time and tell my 18 year self to buckle down more. I'm 22 now and I still have issues with studying the proper amount of hours each night. A shame I know..SMH.

 

Can anybody else relate?

*waves hand* Me! My GPA went from a 3.5 to 2.91 in one school year (2011-12). I was in and out of school for the 2012-13 school year due to a misdiagnosed illness, a couple of unsatisfactory changes of major, and depression-fueled stupidity. The semester I finished with a 2.9 was the semester I found out PAs existed. Perfect timing. Lol! No one here is in as bad a shape as I am. I have about 15 Ws, 2 Fs, and 6 Cs on my transcript (Note: Don't take orgo 1 with physics and calculus 2. And don't take orgo 2 while taking 18 semester hours. It'll be easier to love yourself.) During my time out I felt like I would never get into PA school because of everything that I had done. I can't change it. I wish I had known this was an option before I messed up my transcript.

 

The dream boat sailed. I changed my major to nursing in the fall of 2013 (a career which I plan on enjoying). I just completed my first year back in school and applied to my nursing program. I have about 54 hours left in school, but with the hours I've taken this year I have 100+ total hours with a 3.2 cGPA and a 3.08 sGPA. My GPA isn't going to move drastically. If all goes well in nursing school, I'll have about a 3.4 cGPA and a 3.5 sGPA.

 

I'm going to go live my life. I'll come back to this later, maybe in 5-10 years. By then I'll have accumulated thousands of hours of healthcare experience and I'll be in a position to truly consider whether I want this career. Who knows what I'll become? If I find a nursing gig where I'm completely happy, I may not return to school to become a PA. I'll always have an earnest respect and deep admiration for this profession. And I'll be hanging around these forums reading the pre-PA section and keeping up with the happenings in the PA world. This place is pretty interesting and somewhat addictive.

 

Anyway, I'm rambling. I said all of this to say: So what! What's done is done. Come up with a plan to rectify your GPA. It may take a little longer than expected, but what's the rush? Don't get so caught up with this that you forget to enjoy your life because once time has passed you won't get it back. Make progress, but don't stress yourself with extreme timelines.

[taotaox1]

I had 21 hours of F from my first 3 semesters. I kept dropping out but was too lazy to even withdraw. It was hard work but I graduated with 3.48 and got into a good school.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[jtmathew]

This guy. Finished undergrad with a cGPA of 2.4. ~60 hours later Im right at cGPA of 3.0, sGPA of 3.5. Work very hard at making the rest of your application look stellar. It aint easy. Started with 0 hours of HCE and now I am cresting the 2000 hour mark and just moved into a great tech position, all within the last year. Hit the GRE hard. Absorb information and experience like a sponge. Keep your nose to the grindstone and be persistent. Matriculation certainly wont just "happen" to you. Im on my third app cycle and if it takes 10, I will do it. Good luck.

[DiggySRNA]

I had 21 hours of F from my first 3 semesters. I kept dropping out but was too lazy to even withdraw. It was hard work but I graduated with 3.48 and got into a good school.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

21 Fs and still graduated with a 3.48 GPA? I have 1 C, 1 B-...rest B's-A's and I'm only at a 3.38 cGPA. 

GOod job!

[whoRyou]

Robert Kiyosaki in his book, "If you want to be rich and happy, then don't go to school.", By making people believe that mistakes are wrong/bad, people then become afraid to make them. This then transpires that people don't innovate in their jobs or school because they are so afraid of being wrong!

 

The missing key ingredient here about mistakes, is that you are meant to learn from them! It is by learning from your mistakes that you grow and gain more knowledge and insights. If anything, mistakes should be encouraged with the proviso that you learn from them. Much as we should learn from the mistakes of the past in our collective human history, so the same mistakes aren't made again!

 

People are afraid to make mistakes because of a deeply entrenched societal norm that communicates that a mistake is equal to failure. People don't want to fail. The problem is that the fear of making mistakes immobilizes people. People who are highly capable, people who are well intentioned, people who can make a difference will shy away from even attempting something because of the fear of failure.

Whether or not you actually complete a task mistake free, you've set yourself apart from the masses who would rather not try then make a mistake if you simply try. There can be no success without an attempt. The think the question really lies, why are so afraid to make mistakes? Is it because we are told that mistakes are not tolerated? Could it be our education, from our family and school, that mistakes should be avoided at all cost or hidden when they happen? Daniel Dennett's seven tools for thinking  Source: The Guardian

[jbscoops20]

Robert Kiyosaki in his book, "If you want to be rich and happy, then don't go to school.", By making people believe that mistakes are wrong/bad, people then become afraid to make them. This then transpires that people don't innovate in their jobs or school because they are so afraid of being wrong!

 

The missing key ingredient here about mistakes, is that you are meant to learn from them! It is by learning from your mistakes that you grow and gain more knowledge and insights. If anything, mistakes should be encouraged with the proviso that you learn from them. Much as we should learn from the mistakes of the past in our collective human history, so the same mistakes aren't made again!

 

People are afraid to make mistakes because of a deeply entrenched societal norm that communicates that a mistake is equal to failure. People don't want to fail. The problem is that the fear of making mistakes immobilizes people. People who are highly capable, people who are well intentioned, people who can make a difference will shy away from even attempting something because of the fear of failure.

 

Whether or not you actually complete a task mistake free, you've set yourself apart from the masses who would rather not try then make a mistake if you simply try. There can be no success without an attempt. The think the question really lies, why are so afraid to make mistakes? Is it because we are told that mistakes are not tolerated? Could it be our education, from our family and school, that mistakes should be avoided at all cost or hidden when they happen? Daniel Dennett's seven tools for thinking  Source: The Guardian

 

Well said.  Remember that the nice thing about PA school adcoms is they look at your application in a holistic manner, they're not solely looking at your GPA.  Re-take the courses you did poorly in and display a commitment to excelling and get A's.  You can't change the past but if you really want to be a PA, you'll do what you have to to make that dream a reality.  If you can get all A's in the prereqs while carrying 8-12 credits along with working full time, you can proudly go into an interview and say "this is what i'm capable of and why I will succeed in your program."  I had to do a some extra work and take 40 credits of prereqs and other sciences to make up for some poor marks in my undergrad but it was worth it when I got accepted into an excellent program.  Don't let the fear of not getting in deter you in your goal.