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Admission with a 2.4 GPA?!!?
- Thread starter necta
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ForensicPath
Most schools won't even look at your application unless you have a 3.0
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Hmm. I'm of the opinion that nothing is impossible. But wow, what a tough haul you've got ahead of you. I guess it goes something like this (and this is just one guy's speculation)... you might have a shot if you:
1. Demonstrate a rock-solid understanding of what you're getting into. Immerse yourself in EC's that show you to be someone who is put on this Earth to practice medicine. Be brilliant, be consistent. Make people want to write letters for you.
2. Get nothing but A's on every test in every pre-req class. Show 'em that the 2.4 is a reflection on a totally different person. Make it look like you love to study and take tests in sciences more than a fat kid loves cake.
3. Spank the MCAT like a naughty, bad, bad doggie.
Do all that, and a school that would not at least want to interview you, and see what this kid is all about, is probably a school that you wouldn't feel good attending anyway.
I've got a 3.0 from undergrad, five years ago. I root for underdogs, because I am one. Good luck to you.
1. Demonstrate a rock-solid understanding of what you're getting into. Immerse yourself in EC's that show you to be someone who is put on this Earth to practice medicine. Be brilliant, be consistent. Make people want to write letters for you.
2. Get nothing but A's on every test in every pre-req class. Show 'em that the 2.4 is a reflection on a totally different person. Make it look like you love to study and take tests in sciences more than a fat kid loves cake.
3. Spank the MCAT like a naughty, bad, bad doggie.
Do all that, and a school that would not at least want to interview you, and see what this kid is all about, is probably a school that you wouldn't feel good attending anyway.
I've got a 3.0 from undergrad, five years ago. I root for underdogs, because I am one. Good luck to you.
LOL!Originally posted by Vokamis
Hey everyone!
I'm just curious to see what people think about the chances of admission to medical schools with an undergrad GPA of 2.4 without all the science classes. Is it possible ?!?!
All replies are welcome. Thank you...
you can't even get into dental school with a 2.4. you are forever doomed to be a high school biology teacher.
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I'm surprised that you have so much time posting all these sarcastic posts.
Anyway, it'll be really hard to get in with a 2.4 GPA, but it's not impossible. Prove yourself academically, and keep your options open on low-tier schools and foreign medical schools. At the end, you'll still get a MD at these schools (Or DO).
Anyway, it'll be really hard to get in with a 2.4 GPA, but it's not impossible. Prove yourself academically, and keep your options open on low-tier schools and foreign medical schools. At the end, you'll still get a MD at these schools (Or DO).
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You have several years of work ahead of you.
It helps if you're a closet genius and just didn't know it. Then, you could do something truly astonishing that might make a medical school really consider you.
Otherwise, look forward to the following:
1.) Re-taking several classes, making sure to get an A grade.
2.) Getting a great score on the MCAT.
3.) Building up some credibility with recommenders who know you're history and are willing to vouch for you. This is done via significant extra-curricular or academic involvement. Doing good research also helps.
Like I said, if you're a genius, this won't take very long to do, but you have your work cut out for you either way. Definitely not impossible. You may have knocked yourself out of the running for some of the best schools in this country, but you can do it. Hopefully, I'll be living proof that it can be done by next fall. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Good luck!
AAJK
It helps if you're a closet genius and just didn't know it. Then, you could do something truly astonishing that might make a medical school really consider you.
Otherwise, look forward to the following:
1.) Re-taking several classes, making sure to get an A grade.
2.) Getting a great score on the MCAT.
3.) Building up some credibility with recommenders who know you're history and are willing to vouch for you. This is done via significant extra-curricular or academic involvement. Doing good research also helps.
Like I said, if you're a genius, this won't take very long to do, but you have your work cut out for you either way. Definitely not impossible. You may have knocked yourself out of the running for some of the best schools in this country, but you can do it. Hopefully, I'll be living proof that it can be done by next fall. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Good luck!
AAJK
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not to be mr. meany here, but come on people, let's not build this person's hopes up falsely. we worry about getting a single B in organic chemistry, but we're gonna tell someone they have a shot at medical school with a sub-2.5 gpa? it's just not going to happen at any american or canadian med school. i don't know about carribbean schools, but that would seem to be this person's best chance.
the other options is to re-take all of your classes to prove that the 2.4 is a result of sloth. it's still going to be incredibly tough, but at least that would show that the person is in fact intelligent, and they were just unmotivated before.
last, i know this is supposed to be a supportive community, but again, let's be realistic. if someone was trying their best and could only muster a 2.4 gpa, do you really think they'll be able to handle the academic requirements of medical school? high standards exist because medical school is hard, and if this person did in fact get in and then fail out, that's a lot of wasted time, money, and effort that medical school endures.
the other options is to re-take all of your classes to prove that the 2.4 is a result of sloth. it's still going to be incredibly tough, but at least that would show that the person is in fact intelligent, and they were just unmotivated before.
last, i know this is supposed to be a supportive community, but again, let's be realistic. if someone was trying their best and could only muster a 2.4 gpa, do you really think they'll be able to handle the academic requirements of medical school? high standards exist because medical school is hard, and if this person did in fact get in and then fail out, that's a lot of wasted time, money, and effort that medical school endures.
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Two things...
1. The OP did NOT say this was their BEST effort. Who knows what he or she was doing in college....goofing off, recovering from a disease,.whatever... this is why I think MOST people are quick to give suggestions to overcome this gpa. I also think its pretty wack to assume this is was a maximum effort and therefore this person should not even be thinking about med school. The OP just didn't give us enough insight on that issue...
2. The OP also clearly said that this was without all of the sciences... If this meant the person took NO sciences or prereqs...they probably have a better shot assuming they bust out As in a post-bacc program. (although it might be hard getting into one of those..since they usually require a 3.0) If some of the sciences were taken...and are subpar..they clearly need to be taken over.
I agree with the other major suggestions of turning this around....
1. The OP did NOT say this was their BEST effort. Who knows what he or she was doing in college....goofing off, recovering from a disease,.whatever... this is why I think MOST people are quick to give suggestions to overcome this gpa. I also think its pretty wack to assume this is was a maximum effort and therefore this person should not even be thinking about med school. The OP just didn't give us enough insight on that issue...
2. The OP also clearly said that this was without all of the sciences... If this meant the person took NO sciences or prereqs...they probably have a better shot assuming they bust out As in a post-bacc program. (although it might be hard getting into one of those..since they usually require a 3.0) If some of the sciences were taken...and are subpar..they clearly need to be taken over.
I agree with the other major suggestions of turning this around....
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Keep in mind the types of people you are asking. From what I see in these forums, a certain percentage of the people are crushed when they get a B instead of an A and think they screwed because of that. For them to fathom having a 2.4 GPA or the like is near impossible and they will tell you your quest is much the same. So take what people say with "a grain of salt". It won't be impossible, but it will be very difficult and it might take a few application cycles. The way I think of it is as such; It's not a question of if, it's a question of when. You will just have to maintain an open mind about things and be optimistic. WORK HARD AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED.
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This is a forum, expect to get the good with the bad. *shrug* Honestly do I think your chances are high at getting into med school with an overall cum. gpa of 2.4? No. Is there still an opportunity for you? Of course but as everyone else mentioned it will take a lot of work and a lot of time. I just shutter at the horror stories of so and so with a 3.9 gpa and a 33+ mcat that applies to low/mid tier schools not getting accepted. As the facts go, however, grades are not everything and the humanity aspect does have quite a bit to do with medicine. Schools do look for humanistic qualities in applicants. With that said, take what you will and ignore what you want but I wish you the best of luck.
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there is a kid in my class whose undergraduate GPA is lower than yours. She had to bust her butt in post-bac and did a bunch of research (years, not summers). But, she is here (at Pitt) and is a really sharp good student. it can be done but I think its a long uphill road. good luck.
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I actually had a 2.4 cum gpa after 5 years of slobbering drunken slothfullness. I left school entered the real world and woke up one day asking myself what is it I really want to do with my life? The answer was medicine so I immediately got a job as a research assistant and spent 2 years ploughing through. At the same time I was taking evening courses and volunteering in the ER as well as participating in some community stuff.
At long last I began a 30 credit post-bac year+ and am just about 1/8 the way through it. It's been nothing but A's so far but it has been one challenging road filled with sacrfice. The funny thing is is that it only gets tougher the 2nd time around because you take nothing but science courses along with all the volunteering. You just gotta forget about having a life outside fullfilling that one dream. Everyday you wake up your faced with it staring you in the face and you need to not only accept the sacrifices as they come, but welcome them. You will kiss your friends and any kind of social life good-bye in the mean time. They will understand. You will watch your friends progress in their careers will you are living with your parents cause you can't afford to take out any more loans. You MUST eat sleep and breath the dream that one day you will get accepted. And through the whole process you need to WORK YOUR TAIL OFF. By that work harder than all of those around you. If after all of that you are still hungry to practice medicine than I would go for it and don't settle until you're in. Remember...nothing but A's.
Tooth
Any questions just holla back
Peace
At long last I began a 30 credit post-bac year+ and am just about 1/8 the way through it. It's been nothing but A's so far but it has been one challenging road filled with sacrfice. The funny thing is is that it only gets tougher the 2nd time around because you take nothing but science courses along with all the volunteering. You just gotta forget about having a life outside fullfilling that one dream. Everyday you wake up your faced with it staring you in the face and you need to not only accept the sacrifices as they come, but welcome them. You will kiss your friends and any kind of social life good-bye in the mean time. They will understand. You will watch your friends progress in their careers will you are living with your parents cause you can't afford to take out any more loans. You MUST eat sleep and breath the dream that one day you will get accepted. And through the whole process you need to WORK YOUR TAIL OFF. By that work harder than all of those around you. If after all of that you are still hungry to practice medicine than I would go for it and don't settle until you're in. Remember...nothing but A's.
Tooth
Any questions just holla back
Peace
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0% chance as a white male!
Do a post doc and kill it, then kill the MCAT. Have essay edge do your PS. And you better have a ton of clinical exp.
Do a post doc and kill it, then kill the MCAT. Have essay edge do your PS. And you better have a ton of clinical exp.
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Most recent work counts. This has been said before, but if you create a new set of strong grades, I think you'll have a chance.
Also, look at some of your weak grades, if you have D's or even an F on your transcript. Consider retaking those classes because aacomas (Osteopathic) application only considers the second grade when determining your GPA. New grades and fixing a few old grades will bump you up soon.
I would focus on applying to Osteopathic programs for several reasons: They have a tendency to be open to non-traditional applicants. They often look at life experiences and that's important. The quality of their applicants is not measured by just GPA and MCAT. And your clinical skills and paramedic exposure will make you a strong candidate.
I would suggest that you start shadowing a DO now. Contact a local osteopathic school, meet with director of admissions, go to an open house, express interest a year or two before you even apply. Show a strong osteopathic bent.
So, with some work, fixing some low D's or F's from the transcript by retaking them. Getting mostly A's now. And by committing yourself to DO's, you'll be ready to go in a couple of years. I'm confident that this is a strong option and it will work out for you.
Best of luck.
Also, look at some of your weak grades, if you have D's or even an F on your transcript. Consider retaking those classes because aacomas (Osteopathic) application only considers the second grade when determining your GPA. New grades and fixing a few old grades will bump you up soon.
I would focus on applying to Osteopathic programs for several reasons: They have a tendency to be open to non-traditional applicants. They often look at life experiences and that's important. The quality of their applicants is not measured by just GPA and MCAT. And your clinical skills and paramedic exposure will make you a strong candidate.
I would suggest that you start shadowing a DO now. Contact a local osteopathic school, meet with director of admissions, go to an open house, express interest a year or two before you even apply. Show a strong osteopathic bent.
So, with some work, fixing some low D's or F's from the transcript by retaking them. Getting mostly A's now. And by committing yourself to DO's, you'll be ready to go in a couple of years. I'm confident that this is a strong option and it will work out for you.
Best of luck.
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I agree with some of the last posts. If I were in your situation I wouldn't bother with most of the US allopathic schools, they aren't accomodating to low gpa applicants. DO schools tend to look at the whole person more, and are not as rigid about GPA/MCAT. Depending on your money situation, try applying to a few state MD schools, and a number of the middle/lower tier DO schools. Keep in mind tho that plenty of 3.5+ students enter DO, and so it will still be a long shot. the other things i can think of are to make some contacts at your local med/DO school.
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Agreeing with some posts.
Do I think you have a chance *NOW* with a 2.4? No.
Can you improve your chances? Most definetly.
If you've only recently come to the decision to pursue medicine, and if you haven't taken your basic science courses yet, then I think you can overcome a 2.4. But you're going to have to bust your ass working to do it. It sounds like you're going to have tons of experience through EMS (congrats on the national registry!). Do a post-bacc program, and do very well. If you can get some lab research in while you do it-- even better. And you probably already know this without me telling you, but you're going to have to do very well on the MCAT. If you were applying now I wouldn't think that you had a chance, but since it sounds like you haven't done any of the pre-reqs, then you definetly have the opportunity to do well. But I do think that applying to med school is still a few years down the road for you.
Best of luck to you!
Do I think you have a chance *NOW* with a 2.4? No.
Can you improve your chances? Most definetly.
If you've only recently come to the decision to pursue medicine, and if you haven't taken your basic science courses yet, then I think you can overcome a 2.4. But you're going to have to bust your ass working to do it. It sounds like you're going to have tons of experience through EMS (congrats on the national registry!). Do a post-bacc program, and do very well. If you can get some lab research in while you do it-- even better. And you probably already know this without me telling you, but you're going to have to do very well on the MCAT. If you were applying now I wouldn't think that you had a chance, but since it sounds like you haven't done any of the pre-reqs, then you definetly have the opportunity to do well. But I do think that applying to med school is still a few years down the road for you.
Best of luck to you!
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You DO have a chance - passion means more than anything, including the numbers. Skip over the sarcastic replies and realize the ones who post those will also be the same future doctors who patients view the same way we SDN participants do, negatively.
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I haven't read all the replies, but I'll put my 2 cents in.
I came out of undergrad with a 2.4, mostly nonscience. Had an undergrad science gpa of 1.7 (like 12 hours worth)
Went and did post bac classes in biology and neuroscience while completing all my premed requirements. Ended up with an overal gpa of like 3.35 and a science gpa of 3.45.
I applied to the Texas schools and DO schools. Got no love from the Texas schools. Overall, even with my higher post bacc grades in pretty much science only, my overall was still below 3.0 so I was ignored.
I got 3 DO interviews. Waitlisted at 1 and rejected from 2. Probably hurt my chances because I decided to apply a little late.
I started at Ross University last May. Got a 3.8.
Got my highest gpa ever in my first year of med school.
Think what you will about foreign med schools. But we study the same stuff and get tested over teh same material. We take the Shelf exams. I scored over 70 in my histology and biochem shelfs.
So what to take out of my post?
A. You're probably not going to make it into an allopathic US med school. Too much ground to make up and those grades could still haunt you even if you showed a 4.0 for 3 years taking only grad level science courses. Unless you have some major hookup at a med school.
B. that 2.4 doesn't mean you can't do well at this level. You don't have to be a genius to do well in med school. It just takes time and effort.
C. You are probably better off looking at the osteopathic route because of the way they approach admissions and how they calculate your gpa. More room for big improvement there.
D. Always foreign med schools like SGU or Ross.
I came out of undergrad with a 2.4, mostly nonscience. Had an undergrad science gpa of 1.7 (like 12 hours worth)
Went and did post bac classes in biology and neuroscience while completing all my premed requirements. Ended up with an overal gpa of like 3.35 and a science gpa of 3.45.
I applied to the Texas schools and DO schools. Got no love from the Texas schools. Overall, even with my higher post bacc grades in pretty much science only, my overall was still below 3.0 so I was ignored.
I got 3 DO interviews. Waitlisted at 1 and rejected from 2. Probably hurt my chances because I decided to apply a little late.
I started at Ross University last May. Got a 3.8.
Got my highest gpa ever in my first year of med school.
Think what you will about foreign med schools. But we study the same stuff and get tested over teh same material. We take the Shelf exams. I scored over 70 in my histology and biochem shelfs.
So what to take out of my post?
A. You're probably not going to make it into an allopathic US med school. Too much ground to make up and those grades could still haunt you even if you showed a 4.0 for 3 years taking only grad level science courses. Unless you have some major hookup at a med school.
B. that 2.4 doesn't mean you can't do well at this level. You don't have to be a genius to do well in med school. It just takes time and effort.
C. You are probably better off looking at the osteopathic route because of the way they approach admissions and how they calculate your gpa. More room for big improvement there.
D. Always foreign med schools like SGU or Ross.
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after reading the entire thread all i can say is i am totally rooting for you..with hard work NOTHING is impossible. i went from a 2.6->3.3 and im still trudging on best as i can. believe in yourself and do your best from this moment on...see everything in the past as just that .." in the past"..start new, mentally, and be optimistic.
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I have no direct personal experience with your specific situation but there are general similarities between our situations. I have a very high G.P.A in a non-science degree but the relative math aptitude of a salad shooter.
The similarities are, of course, if we want this, we will have to work for it...and by work for it I mean sweat drops of blood.
I am in no position to tell you what is and is not possible...it seems as though some on this forum may be surprised to find that they do not control the limits of possibility. History is full of individuals who succeeded despite unbelievable odds. Perhaps you are one of these people. On the other hand, perhaps you are destined to fail miserably and catastrophically?
Having said that...a quote that I often think about regarding my natural (current) position and where I hope to be:
Vincent: "You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton...I never saved anything for the swim back. "- Gattaca
---It might help to see the whole movie to put it into context but perhaps you could be one such story of success???
XT777
The similarities are, of course, if we want this, we will have to work for it...and by work for it I mean sweat drops of blood.
I am in no position to tell you what is and is not possible...it seems as though some on this forum may be surprised to find that they do not control the limits of possibility. History is full of individuals who succeeded despite unbelievable odds. Perhaps you are one of these people. On the other hand, perhaps you are destined to fail miserably and catastrophically?
Having said that...a quote that I often think about regarding my natural (current) position and where I hope to be:
Vincent: "You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton...I never saved anything for the swim back. "- Gattaca
---It might help to see the whole movie to put it into context but perhaps you could be one such story of success???
XT777
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Originally posted by Vokamis
Hey everyone!
I'm just curious to see what people think about the chances of admission to medical schools with an undergrad GPA of 2.4 without all the science classes. Is it possible ?!?!
All replies are welcome. Thank you...
Take a look at www.mdapplicants.com and do a search for GPA <3.0. You will see that there are people getting in with <3.0 GPA's, but they usually had good MCATs to make up for it.
I had a 2.5 GPA coming out of college but I spent about 5 years working and taking post bac classes, and finally got it up to about a 2.8 before I finally was accepted. My GPA was also pretty much the only weakness in my application, since I had a good MCAT and somewhat unusual EC's.
ttac
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Dear OP,
If you really want to become a doctor and you're ready to work hard - bring those grades up and go to Ross. Otherwise, you will waste too many years trying to get into a US medical school with no luck. If medicine is your dream then, cut your losses and go to Ross - given your 2.4 you really have no room to be picky about the whole MD/DO/Caribbean issue. lmbebo offered you the best advice.
Good Luck
If you really want to become a doctor and you're ready to work hard - bring those grades up and go to Ross. Otherwise, you will waste too many years trying to get into a US medical school with no luck. If medicine is your dream then, cut your losses and go to Ross - given your 2.4 you really have no room to be picky about the whole MD/DO/Caribbean issue. lmbebo offered you the best advice.
Good Luck
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When I was twenty and three years in one of the most prestigous performing arts schools I lost all hope of becoming a professional dancer and failed miserably my junior year. D's and F's that fall. Flunked out (straight F's) in spring. My ending GPA...a 1.43. Spent fours years growing up and realizing that it was important to do something meaningful with my life.
Went back to school like I had a clean slate. I have a GPA of 3.84 and a science GPA of 3.85. I sacrificed alot and I feel that with my extracurriculars and my letters of recommendation and my personal statement, I will get in.
If you have a lower GPA than an average 3.5...a good personal statement can help to distinguish yourself as someone special. Straight from the dean's mouth.
Good Luck
P.S. Be ambicious (sp) and tenacious and seize every opportunity available.
Went back to school like I had a clean slate. I have a GPA of 3.84 and a science GPA of 3.85. I sacrificed alot and I feel that with my extracurriculars and my letters of recommendation and my personal statement, I will get in.
If you have a lower GPA than an average 3.5...a good personal statement can help to distinguish yourself as someone special. Straight from the dean's mouth.
Good Luck
P.S. Be ambicious (sp) and tenacious and seize every opportunity available.
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link26 :its like any other school. You get some good and bad ones. At this level you have to do a bit more self learning anyways.
Overall, the school is treating me pretty decently. Im getting my a$$ wiped in anatomy though. Having the hardest time getting interested in the course.
Ross gets its reputation from its previous owners. The school is now owned by DeVry Univeristy. The school is also expanding like crazy. New buildings and more students. Average class size is 300 for the september class and like 240 for the january and may classes.
The school has a different philosophy too. Medical schools will arbitrarly select people for different reasons. Doesn't mean the person who got in is anymore qualified than the person that got rejected. So with that in mind, Ross will accept a large number of applicants. Ross tries to give everyone a chance. What you do with that chance is up to you basically. Most american schools try very hard to keep you in. Ross doesn't care if you stay in or leave.
Also, the school is opening a new building. The new lecture hall holds over 300 people and has some really new and fancy equipment. Better than what I saw from my american medical school interviews. It has large plasma screens and other stuff I have yet to learn of.
The anatomy lab is huge. A lot better than what I saw at LECOM where they had only 13 cadevars. We have 24 here and would have more if my class was bigger. A good ratio of students/body.
The bad part of the school is where its located. I dislike the island immensly.
Anyways, I must study more.
g/l
Overall, the school is treating me pretty decently. Im getting my a$$ wiped in anatomy though. Having the hardest time getting interested in the course.
Ross gets its reputation from its previous owners. The school is now owned by DeVry Univeristy. The school is also expanding like crazy. New buildings and more students. Average class size is 300 for the september class and like 240 for the january and may classes.
The school has a different philosophy too. Medical schools will arbitrarly select people for different reasons. Doesn't mean the person who got in is anymore qualified than the person that got rejected. So with that in mind, Ross will accept a large number of applicants. Ross tries to give everyone a chance. What you do with that chance is up to you basically. Most american schools try very hard to keep you in. Ross doesn't care if you stay in or leave.
Also, the school is opening a new building. The new lecture hall holds over 300 people and has some really new and fancy equipment. Better than what I saw from my american medical school interviews. It has large plasma screens and other stuff I have yet to learn of.
The anatomy lab is huge. A lot better than what I saw at LECOM where they had only 13 cadevars. We have 24 here and would have more if my class was bigger. A good ratio of students/body.
The bad part of the school is where its located. I dislike the island immensly.
Anyways, I must study more.
g/l
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I firmly believe that you can do it. The "longshot" stories in this thread are hopefully very encouraging to you.
It may seem like you are doomed to podiatry school if you don't have a 3.5 and 33 on the MCAT, but that is simply not the case. Last week, I posted a thread here that outlines some data from the 2003-2004 Medical School Admissions Requirements book. Read and reread the summary I posted in that thread. It will be what motivates you when the naysayers tell you it can't be done.
Your 2.4 is obviously your achilles heel. However, as others have mentioned, you do have some things going for you. I don't know this for sure, but I think that you will mostly be judged on what you do from here on out, since you are just now deciding that you want to pursue medicine. You have a great chance to shine in the pre-med science courses, as well as a great shot of rocking the MCAT. My advice to you would be to take it slowly. Don't feel like you have to rush through the science courses and take the MCAT in a year's time. Go ahead now and give yourself a couple of years to take those science courses, really learn the material, and then immerse yourself in MCAT prep. Throughout this time, you can continue to improve your extracurriculars.
Do not neglect the importance of your whole application. After all, that is what admissions committees judge you by. You may have a low undergraduate GPA, which cannot be changed, but you can control how well-reasoned your personal statement is, and how good your letters of recommendation are. These things carry important weight. If they didn't, you would never see those applicants with 2.0 GPA's accepted to medical school.
Once you formulate your plan of attack, post it here. You can do it!
It may seem like you are doomed to podiatry school if you don't have a 3.5 and 33 on the MCAT, but that is simply not the case. Last week, I posted a thread here that outlines some data from the 2003-2004 Medical School Admissions Requirements book. Read and reread the summary I posted in that thread. It will be what motivates you when the naysayers tell you it can't be done.
Your 2.4 is obviously your achilles heel. However, as others have mentioned, you do have some things going for you. I don't know this for sure, but I think that you will mostly be judged on what you do from here on out, since you are just now deciding that you want to pursue medicine. You have a great chance to shine in the pre-med science courses, as well as a great shot of rocking the MCAT. My advice to you would be to take it slowly. Don't feel like you have to rush through the science courses and take the MCAT in a year's time. Go ahead now and give yourself a couple of years to take those science courses, really learn the material, and then immerse yourself in MCAT prep. Throughout this time, you can continue to improve your extracurriculars.
Do not neglect the importance of your whole application. After all, that is what admissions committees judge you by. You may have a low undergraduate GPA, which cannot be changed, but you can control how well-reasoned your personal statement is, and how good your letters of recommendation are. These things carry important weight. If they didn't, you would never see those applicants with 2.0 GPA's accepted to medical school.
Once you formulate your plan of attack, post it here. You can do it!
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You could maybe consider doing a masters programm. I know a lot of them have really high acceptance rates into some med school after u have completed there programm. A large percentage go straight into the med school where u did ur masters.
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I like giving blunt opinions so here's mine:
At many med schools, you have as many as 5000+ applicants vying for 100 spots. Do you think out of the 100 applicants they end up selecting, they won't find more than enough people with the grades/MCAT scores AND the good personality?
You're right that personality goes a long way. Why is it that people with 4.0's and 35+ on the MCAT get rejected while others with 3.5's and 30 get in? The interviewer probably didn't like how they came off--it's that simple (what else could it be?)
Also, think from the viewpoint of an admissions officer. Would you let a person with a 2.4 and a "good personality" into your school when there are hundreds of other people that have worked a lot harder than this person and have good personalities as well? I think you are automatically concluding that people with good grades have no personality but you are mistaken. A lot more of the med school applicants are well rounded and have the grades and the humanness you speak of.
Hey, you said all comments are welcome (not just the ones meant to make you feel better.)
Alexander
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I think this is the crux of the matter. I can tell you that unless you have mega connections, even if you rock the MCAT, with a 2.4 GPA you WILL NOT be accepted to any US allopathic school, and osteo ain't looking good either. I wouldn't place my faith in stories about 2.5GPA people getting in... most likely these are people plugged into the old-boys network (even if they don't admit it).
First of all, you should retake some of the classes you bombed horribly in. This will show adcoms you can handle those courses. Then you need to rock your science classes. LORs that talk about how you've matured over time are a must. A corker of a personal statement where you address why you didn't do well at first and how you matured will also help. It goes without saying that you need to do well on the MCAT (30+, 35+ is even better). Research will help show academic rigor. And try to make some contacts at a med school-- every little bit helps.
So no, it's not impossible. Certainly at your current trajectory, you stand no chance. Your only hope is to pull up out of the nosedive you're in. Good luck.
Naphtali
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The OP has a better chance than if the 2.4 were his science GPA. So long as he rocks on all his science classes and does well on the MCAT he isn't out of the picture for medical school.
