Below 3.0 gpa Support Group/Thread

[Eccesignum]

Thank you for your honesty...I have done so and I need about 48 credits to pull my gpa up to a 3.0. Also one benefit I have is I haven't taken most of the pre reqs yet. Currently im enrolled in gen chem 2 lab & lecture, genetics & ecology lab & lecture, and stats. I have yet to take any physics courses, organic chem, or any upper level bio. So I still have somewhat of a shot at getting my gpa above 3.0 sooner than later. I know it won't be easy, but this is my defining moment. Also I plan to apply to mostly D.O schools since they favor grade replacement. But, I definitely appreciate the feedback or any other helpful info you may have for me now or in the future .

Oh man, I wish I'd only had to pull 48 credits, lol. That's fantastic! Best of luck to you.

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[glepurple]

Oh man, I wish I'd only had to pull 48 credits, lol. That's fantastic! Best of luck to you.

Thanks, applicants like yourself give me hope that I can get through this challenge. Good luck on your app cycle!!

 

[Eccesignum]

Thanks, applicants like yourself give me hope that I can get through this challenge. Good luck on your app cycle!!

There is hope. My cGPA is quite low but thankfully I'd had almost no science classes before and so my science GPA (all recent) is very high, and my MCAT is decent. I have interviews at several MD schools right now (not bragging, just trying to keep the candle lit for you).

Beast your classes, but also keep your ECs strong. Take the time you need to study for the MCAT. The "whole package" is so important, not just the grades. You can do it!

 

[glepurple]

There is hope. My cGPA is quite low but thankfully I'd had almost no science classes before and so my science GPA (all recent) is very high, and my MCAT is decent. I have interviews at several MD schools right now (not bragging, just trying to keep the candle lit for you).

Beast your classes, but also keep your ECs strong. Take the time you need to study for the MCAT. The "whole package" is so important, not just the grades. You can do it!

What are your stats if you don't mind sharing because I think if I get good grades the highest cgpa I can get is 3.2. But that is not factoring any grade replacement and I plan to apply D.O

 

[Eccesignum]

What are your stats if you don't mind sharing because I think if I get good grades the highest cgpa I can get is 3.2. But that is not factoring any grade replacement and I plan to apply D.O

cGPA 3.28 / sGPA 3.85 / MCAT 30

But I also have a story, and I can't even begin to stress how important that is. I have several interviews at schools where my stats really have no business being invited to, but my background was in-line with their mission. And likewise I have seen people posting in those school threads with much higher stats than mine being rejected. It's not just about stats. Obviously they're important, but it's also about doing your homework and figuring out which schools will be interested in you as a collection of experiences and goals.

Now of course, I can only talk as an applicant right now. But this is what I feel like I've learned so far.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

You need to keep in mind that what you are going through will take time. Do not plan to take any MCAT until you have completed the remediation of your GPA. Do not set any time limits for yourself, this will make you anxious and it can affect your grades. Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint.

To give you an idea, I had a 2.56 GPA in undergrad from 1997. I started graduate school in 2001 to help with my grades. I decided to try for medical school in 2003. I completed residency in 2014. So this whole process took me 11 years to complete. I am in fellowship now and will be done in 2016 for a total of 13 years to go from deciding to apply to medical school to being totally complete with my journey. I tell you this because you should not give yourself a time limit. Do it right the first time and there will be less that you have to fix. Focus on your grades, then when the time is right focus on the MCAT but not before.

 

[glepurple]

You need to keep in mind that what you are going through will take time. Do not plan to take any MCAT until you have completed the remediation of your GPA. Do not set any time limits for yourself, this will make you anxious and it can affect your grades. Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint.

To give you an idea, I had a 2.56 GPA in undergrad from 1997. I started graduate school in 2001 to help with my grades. I decided to try for medical school in 2003. I completed residency in 2014. So this whole process took me 11 years to complete. I am in fellowship now and will be done in 2016 for a total of 13 years to go from deciding to apply to medical school to being totally complete with my journey. I tell you this because you should not give yourself a time limit. Do it right the first time and there will be less that you have to fix. Focus on your grades, then when the time is right focus on the MCAT but not before.

Appreciate the advice. I want to apply in 2 years, but I'm not gonna make that the end be all. One thing I learned reading this forum is I only wanna apply once. So I won't apply if my grades & mcat are not competitive.

 

[Gonefission]

Hi all! This is my first time posting after spending too much time lurking on this site! So some info on me..25 years old, married, live in the Midwest. I currently have a 2.81 c gpa and 2.44 s gpa. I graduated in 2011, some of my grades include an entire semester of Fs that I just didn't show up for, of course 16/18 credits were science after returning to school I had decent grades ranging between 3.2 and 3.8.

I started a DIY post-bacc last spring and have gotten a 4.0 both semesters and was invited to do research over the summer and this spring.

I am hoping to do a mentored student research program over this coming summer and think I have a good shot. I worked in mental health case management for about 4 years and currently work doing both recreation therapy and hc tech at a local hospital (part time) I am starting to volunteer at a hospital 4 hours per week in 2 weeks. I also have volunteered at habitat for humanity on and off over the past year. I am also starting a program where I volunteer reading to kids one hour per week. I am considering a service trip (non-medical). I'm unsure about this due to the cost!!

I am currently lost on when to apply. My top pick would be a local DO school because that will allow me to not sell my house. However, I don't want to look back and feel as if I've settled. It's a really good school and I love it though! I should have a 3.45c/3.49s gpa (DO) by summer 2016 if I continue getting 4.0 grades. I also need to get some good shadowing experiences in the works.

Anyways, thank you all for sharing your stories! I really appreciate the support! Best wishes to anyone applying.

 

[jujak04]

Hi al! Another lurker here. Right now I'm kind of in the same boat as everyone else. I graduated 7 years ago with a cGPA ~2.77. I know I have a long road ahead of me but this thread really gives me hope.

I'm also looking into a local DO school to keep my house.

I have a question I couldn't really find an answer to. So I'm attempting a career change from biotech to medicine. There is a position that just opened up for tissue recovery with the local donor network. I have zero volunteer work and the only clinical thing I've done is work in a pharmacy.

I'm kind of feeling that the decks are not stacked in my favor lol

 

[deleted520847]

Any news @MajorUnderDog

 

[Major]

Any news @MajorUnderDog

Nothing. Eerily quiet. Just 8 pre-interview rejections so far. Applied to 24 total DO schools.

 

[doit4humanity]

@MajorUnderDog would you mind sharing your school list?

 

[Major]

@MajorUnderDog would you mind sharing your school list?

Not on my list: Michigan St., Ohio, Rowan, New England, Chicago, Touro NY, OSU, and NYIT DO

 

[doit4humanity]

Thank you sir, I wish you the best.

 

[Major]

Thank you sir, I wish you the best.

Thank you, Same to you!

 

[nontradhopefulOBGYN]

I come to this blog almost everyday since I found it. It is really encouraging! I am a hopeful nontrad. cGPA 2.8 BS Marketing graduating Dec 2015. Only science classes taken physics B+, environmental bio A- enviro bio lab A- . Decided I wanted to do med school late in the game so decided to finish my marketing degree and do post bac starting 2016 for med school. Thanks for all the inspiration!

 

[ellew00ds]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums here at SDN but I think I finally found my thread!

For some background info, I am turning 30 this year and considering applying to medical school. I am currently single with no dependents. I have a bachelor's degree in sociology and graduated with a 2.94 GPA. (I was really sick for one semester and neglected to withdraw from my classes.) I had originally started out as premed but scoring a 60 on my first chemistry exam really discouraged me and I subsequently dropped both general chemistry and physics. However, I kept the general biology courses and ended up doing fairly well in them and received an A- both terms. Thankfully, I think those are the only science classes I've taken. As for math courses, I received a D in Intro to Statistics, C+ in Discrete Math, and a B+ in Statistics for Social Science majors. Needless to say, the prospect of taking calculus terrifies me. Right now, I am working as a case manager at residential treatment facility for mentally ill youth.

If you're wondering why I want to apply to medical school now since I've been out of school for eight years, it's because I suffered from major depression for three years post-graduation and I've tried to make other paths fit. For a while, I've been running from the daunting pre-med curriculum and I tried fooling myself into thinking I wanted to be a lawyer or clinical social worker. The truth of the matter is that I want to be neither. From my earliest days, I've wanted to be pediatrician or child psychiatrist. I guess I'm coming back for it now.

Sadly, I don't know too much about being a non-traditional medical school applicant but I do know I want to get into an allopathic school.

How should I start this long process off?
Should I be doing a structured post-bacc program or would I be okay with doing an unstructured program and just taking the pre-reqs at a community college?

 

[Eccesignum]

Not on my list: Michigan St., Ohio, Rowan, New England, Chicago, Touro NY, OSU, and NYIT DO

PM'd you re: Rowan. You actually might want to add them.

 

[nontradhopefulOBGYN]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums here at SDN but I think I finally found my thread!

For some background info, I am turning 30 this year and considering applying to medical school. I am currently single with no dependents. I have a bachelor's degree in sociology and graduated with a 2.94 GPA. (I was really sick for one semester and neglected to withdraw from my classes.) I had originally started out as premed but scoring a 60 on my first chemistry exam really discouraged me and I subsequently dropped both general chemistry and physics. However, I kept the general biology courses and ended up doing fairly well in them and received an A- both terms. Thankfully, I think those are the only science classes I've taken. As for math courses, I received a D in Intro to Statistics, C+ in Discrete Math, and a B+ in Statistics for Social Science majors. Needless to say, the prospect of taking calculus terrifies me. Right now, I am working as a case manager at residential treatment facility for mentally ill youth.

If you're wondering why I want to apply to medical school now since I've been out of school for eight years, it's because I suffered from major depression for three years post-graduation and I've tried to make other paths fit. For a while, I've been running from the daunting pre-med curriculum and I tried fooling myself into thinking I wanted to be a lawyer or clinical social worker. The truth of the matter is that I want to be neither. From my earliest days, I've wanted to be pediatrician or child psychiatrist. I guess I'm coming back for it now.

Sadly, I don't know too much about being a non-traditional medical school applicant but I do know I want to get into an allopathic school.

How should I start this long process off?
Should I be doing a structured post-bac program or would I be okay with doing an unstructured program and just taking the pre-reqs at a community college?

I am currently weighing out my options. I too, am early in the process. I am trying decided between apply for a second bachelors at my current university and a traditional post bac program. Personally, I like both options better than DIY unstructured just because I like the support system and assistance provided by advisors who have helped many other students do the exact same thing and have seen what works, what doesn't, and possibly have easier connections to shadowing opportunities. Lastly, I am considering the second bac option because I think it will look good if I gain a leadershipship position in some of the organizations I have recently joined such as Public Health Brigades and AMSA rather than being in them for just one semester.

As I said, I am early in the process as well so maybe some others can chime in and offer advice.

 

[beestrng]

I have taken undergrad anatomy/physio (combined) 1 and 2 twice. Taken Anatomy and physio in grad school once. Are all the anatomy classes replaced for DO schools? Or separated as undergrad and grad?

I read MajorUnderDog having some issues with AACOMAS accepting classes as retakes and I wanted to avoid the same kind of probs myself in the future.

 

[michum87]

Hi All,

I've been lurking around SDN for a few weeks now and just created a profile. I'm 28 yo non trad hoping to become a doctor. My undergrad performance was not very stellar (messed up pretty bad one semester abroad) and came away with a cGPA 3.14 and a sGPA 2.0 (only one bio course=C). Graduated in 2009 and afterwards I went straight to the Peace Corps where I volunteered as a rural health facilitator. Plenty of healthcare experience there, not all clinical. After my return to the US, I secured a job as a clinical research assistant (taking height, weight, blood samples) and enrolled in the MPH program. I will complete my masters in June and I am at a 3.45 now and could bring that up to a solid 3.5 by June. I have no idea what my chances are at med school. I know that i have to take all the prereqs and possibly get in some shadowing experience. One advantage is that I work at a major university and my MPH profs are all MDs, so I should be okay with finding shadowing opportunities. I know that this'll be a long journey, but I know that I'm cut out for it. It can be a bit discouraging at times. I'm now looking at post bacc programs. I would like to get into one that has linkage agreements. Mine currently does not. Any advice would be great!

 

[saxplay3r]

Hey all, like the guy above I just created an account and need some advice.

- 2.65 GPA, Biomedical engineering at top engineering school
- no MCAT yet (got accepted by lithuanian med school before deciding to take it)
- accepted by med school in Lithuania
- 2 years clinical experience
- 2.5 years clinical research, 1.5 as research coordinator
- no publications yet, but submitting an abstract for recently finished research
- good rec letters available from several doctors
- rec letter outlook not quite as good from undergrad science faculty
- probably not enough money for Ms degree or second undergraduate to boost GPA, but could go into engineering job to save money. This would take forever though.
- lithuanian program is 6 years
- have EU and US citizenship so tuition will be very low
- in the newly developed English program (established 2012), not yet accredited in CA but will be soon? (Called CA accred board and they said it was a formality or something)

ok so now that I have covered all that, my question is based on what options I have. I can see that I have three at this point

1) 2nd undergrad or MS, probably both to raise my GPA or show academic ability ($$$$)

2) stay in Lithuania a minimum of a year, then apply for transfer (Or withdraw after 1 yr and apply US? not sure whether one year of foreign med school would be beneficial in showing ability)

3) forget the whole thing and go into engineering, maybe pursue later in life

If anyone has advice they are willing to share I am definitely willing to listen. Thank you. let me know if anything is missing.

 

[BlastedHeath]

Hey all, like the guy above I just created an account and need some advice.

- 2.65 GPA, Biomedical engineering at top engineering school
- no MCAT yet (got accepted by lithuanian med school before deciding to take it)
- accepted by med school in Lithuania
- 2 years clinical experience
- 2.5 years clinical research, 1.5 as research coordinator
- no publications yet, but submitting an abstract for recently finished research
- good rec letters available from several doctors
- rec letter outlook not quite as good from undergrad science faculty
- probably not enough money for Ms degree or second undergraduate to boost GPA, but could go into engineering job to save money. This would take forever though.
- lithuanian program is 6 years
- have EU and US citizenship so tuition will be very low
- in the newly developed English program (established 2012), not yet accredited in CA but will be soon? (Called CA accred board and they said it was a formality or something)

ok so now that I have covered all that, my question is based on what options I have. I can see that I have three at this point

1) 2nd undergrad or MS, probably both to raise my GPA or show academic ability ($$$$)

2) stay in Lithuania a minimum of a year, then apply for transfer (Or withdraw after 1 yr and apply US? not sure whether one year of foreign med school would be beneficial in showing ability)

3) forget the whole thing and go into engineering, maybe pursue later in life

If anyone has advice they are willing to share I am definitely willing to listen. Thank you. let me know if anything is missing.

Do you want to practice in the US? I wouldn't go foreign med school if you want to practice here, transferring will be impossible, completing school there and trying to find a residency here will be extremely difficult, and going there for a year and dropping out to come here isn't going to help you here.

Do 2nd undergrad or just enroll in open enrollment at a university, take science classes, get good grades and raise your GPA as much as possible. If it takes a few years, then it takes a few years, there isn't really any way around that (trust me I wish there was a fast track where I was doing this younger). If you are open to DO, your options are better because you can retake courses you did poorly in and erase those grades, however I am not sure how the DO degree works internationally so I don't want to advise that if you are looking for an option you could take advantage of your duel citizenship with. To go MD you want your overall GPA above 3.0 minimum, but preferably as high as possible.

 

[BlastedHeath]

Hi All,

I've been lurking around SDN for a few weeks now and just created a profile. I'm 28 yo non trad hoping to become a doctor. My undergrad performance was not very stellar (messed up pretty bad one semester abroad) and came away with a cGPA 3.14 and a sGPA 2.0 (only one bio course=C). Graduated in 2009 and afterwards I went straight to the Peace Corps where I volunteered as a rural health facilitator. Plenty of healthcare experience there, not all clinical. After my return to the US, I secured a job as a clinical research assistant (taking height, weight, blood samples) and enrolled in the MPH program. I will complete my masters in June and I am at a 3.45 now and could bring that up to a solid 3.5 by June. I have no idea what my chances are at med school. I know that i have to take all the prereqs and possibly get in some shadowing experience. One advantage is that I work at a major university and my MPH profs are all MDs, so I should be okay with finding shadowing opportunities. I know that this'll be a long journey, but I know that I'm cut out for it. It can be a bit discouraging at times. I'm now looking at post bacc programs. I would like to get into one that has linkage agreements. Mine currently does not. Any advice would be great!

Since you only have that one undergrad bio course under your belt and all your prereqs to take, you have the opportunity to raise your GPA and be a competitive applicant. It sounds like you are totally on the right track with the ECs, so do well in your prereqs, get that shadowing, and you should be golden.

Don't worry so much about post baccs with linkage, for most of them with linkage, it is rare to link. Think of it more as a plus for a program rather than an essential, and if you are really interested in that aspect of it, make sure the program can give you actual numbers of people who have linked.

 

[BlastedHeath]

I have taken undergrad anatomy/physio (combined) 1 and 2 twice. Taken Anatomy and physio in grad school once. Are all the anatomy classes replaced for DO schools? Or separated as undergrad and grad?

I read MajorUnderDog having some issues with AACOMAS accepting classes as retakes and I wanted to avoid the same kind of probs myself in the future.

Was the anatomy and physio you took in grad school classified as undergrad or grad? I believe they would be separate, but @MajorUnderDog might have a better clue after his struggles with replacements.

 

[BlastedHeath]

I am currently weighing out my options. I too, am early in the process. I am trying decided between apply for a second bachelors at my current university and a traditional post bac program. Personally, I like both options better than DIY unstructured just because I like the support system and assistance provided by advisors who have helped many other students do the exact same thing and have seen what works, what doesn't, and possibly have easier connections to shadowing opportunities. Lastly, I am considering the second bac option because I think it will look good if I gain a leadershipship position in some of the organizations I have recently joined such as Public Health Brigades and AMSA rather than being in them for just one semester.

As I said, I am early in the process as well so maybe some others can chime in and offer advice.

Personally, with choosing post bacc programs, I really believe it doesn't matter that much what route you take, as long as you do well in your courses. If you are in this thread, it is likely the "top tier" post baccs like Bryn Mawr and Goucher are out of reach. Find the program that is going to create the best environment for you to take the classes you need and get the highest grades possible. Keep costs low and keep things simple, this whole process is complicated enough as it is.

 

[BlastedHeath]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums here at SDN but I think I finally found my thread!

For some background info, I am turning 30 this year and considering applying to medical school. I am currently single with no dependents. I have a bachelor's degree in sociology and graduated with a 2.94 GPA. (I was really sick for one semester and neglected to withdraw from my classes.) I had originally started out as premed but scoring a 60 on my first chemistry exam really discouraged me and I subsequently dropped both general chemistry and physics. However, I kept the general biology courses and ended up doing fairly well in them and received an A- both terms. Thankfully, I think those are the only science classes I've taken. As for math courses, I received a D in Intro to Statistics, C+ in Discrete Math, and a B+ in Statistics for Social Science majors. Needless to say, the prospect of taking calculus terrifies me. Right now, I am working as a case manager at residential treatment facility for mentally ill youth.

If you're wondering why I want to apply to medical school now since I've been out of school for eight years, it's because I suffered from major depression for three years post-graduation and I've tried to make other paths fit. For a while, I've been running from the daunting pre-med curriculum and I tried fooling myself into thinking I wanted to be a lawyer or clinical social worker. The truth of the matter is that I want to be neither. From my earliest days, I've wanted to be pediatrician or child psychiatrist. I guess I'm coming back for it now.

Sadly, I don't know too much about being a non-traditional medical school applicant but I do know I want to get into an allopathic school.

How should I start this long process off?
Should I be doing a structured post-bacc program or would I be okay with doing an unstructured program and just taking the pre-reqs at a community college?

Luckily, your GPA isn't crazy low below 3.0, and you have very little math/science grades, so you have the opportunity to do well and raise those GPAs. Since you seem to be relatively early in this process, have you shadowed a doctor yet? The most important thing you want to know is that if you are committing yourself to being a doctor, you know exactly what being a doctor entails. You might want to start off slow, with one course, since you have been out of class for a few years. Science classes are tough, and it is better to take it slow and get good grades than to dive in headfirst and tank your GPA further. Prove to yourself you can get high grades in these courses, and then keep doing it. The grades you get matter a lot more than the program you are in.

The good news is, you probably don't need calculus for medical school, but you will need to make sure your basic math is up to speed to succeed in gen chem and physics.

 

[TheZaLord]

So I've got a quick question. I calculated my cumulative gpa from all the institutions I've bee in. I'm not below a 3.0 but was surprised to see just how low it was. I had two Ds that I re-took, and one C on my record. So that brought it down to the low 3s from about a 3.5.
Which really is disheartening. My grad school GPA is 3.8, however.

My question is, I'm doing a post bacc now because I never had the science courses I need to apply, but how damning is this GPA, assuming I can't get it to a 3.5 at least, given my grad coursework was much much better?

Also, I never finished high school. I got a GED, so I took some classes at my community college. Many were beginner's math because I had not had it before- so not even 100 level courses. Will those need to be calculated into AMCAS? They're not bad but they're not great.
I was a bit of a putz back in the day.

 

[BlastedHeath]

So I've got a quick question. I calculated my cumulative gpa from all the institutions I've bee in. I'm not below a 3.0 but was surprised to see just how low it was. I had two Ds that I re-took, and one C on my record. So that brought it down to the low 3s from about a 3.5.
Which really is disheartening. My grad school GPA is 3.8, however.

My question is, I'm doing a post bacc now because I never had the science courses I need to apply, but how damning is this GPA, assuming I can't get it to a 3.5 at least, given my grad coursework was much much better?

Also, I never finished high school. I got a GED, so I took some classes at my community college. Many were beginner's math because I had not had it before- so not even 100 level courses. Will those need to be calculated into AMCAS? They're not bad but they're not great.
I was a bit of a putz back in the day.

Schools will differ as to how they look at grad coursework, but undergrad coursework is almost always weighted much more heavily. It's difficult to quantify how damning your undergrad GPA is because there are so many factors that go into the decision. Are you saying you think you can get it to a 3.5? If so, then that would be great, if not, it is not the end of the road but you need to get the best grades possible in your courses and blow them away with MCAT, ECs and your story. If you are open to DO, they will replace your old grades and that can give you a significant bump. For many of us, mathematically we will never get to 3.5 without grade replacement, but we are still clawing our way back up as best as possible. Yes, those courses you took in community college will count, any college course you have ever taken will count.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Community college courses will count IF the community college gave you "college level" credit for the courses. For example, anything below college algebra at my university and community college does not count on an official transcript as it is not a college level course. Check with your university to be sure.

Grad school GPA is usually high does not count towards the med schools admission statistics, which is why undergrad gpa is so heavily weighted.

If you can retake the two Ds, the C, and some B-/B that would go a long way towards helping your GPA for DO schools (which allow for grade replacement and not grade averaging). It will be the most expedient way to raise your GPA without spending a significant amount of money to pursue med school. DO schools place graduates into the same residencies as MD schools and can become the same types of physicians later on.

So I've got a quick question. I calculated my cumulative gpa from all the institutions I've bee in. I'm not below a 3.0 but was surprised to see just how low it was. I had two Ds that I re-took, and one C on my record. So that brought it down to the low 3s from about a 3.5.
Which really is disheartening. My grad school GPA is 3.8, however.

My question is, I'm doing a post bacc now because I never had the science courses I need to apply, but how damning is this GPA, assuming I can't get it to a 3.5 at least, given my grad coursework was much much better?

Also, I never finished high school. I got a GED, so I took some classes at my community college. Many were beginner's math because I had not had it before- so not even 100 level courses. Will those need to be calculated into AMCAS? They're not bad but they're not great.
I was a bit of a putz back in the day.

 

[TheZaLord]

I think possibly I can raise it to 3.5, with the number of courses I still have to take, but I need to figure out the math. I did already re-take the Ds, I did that almost immediately then. With grade replacement it's almost a 3.6.

The math classes were not college level. It was algebra 1&2, and geometry.

To give a run down, of where I'm at-

Undergrad now about a 3.35, may be able to get to 3.5 if I rock all my new classes, which will be no small feat.
Grad GPA is 3.8.

I was definitely going to apply DO anyway, I just don't want to be cut off from state MD schools as well.

 

[beestrng]

Was the anatomy and physio you took in grad school classified as undergrad or grad? I believe they would be separate, but @MajorUnderDog might have a better clue after his struggles with replacements.

Yeah classified as grad classes.

 

[ellew00ds]

Luckily, your GPA isn't crazy low below 3.0, and you have very little math/science grades, so you have the opportunity to do well and raise those GPAs. Since you seem to be relatively early in this process, have you shadowed a doctor yet? The most important thing you want to know is that if you are committing yourself to being a doctor, you know exactly what being a doctor entails. You might want to start off slow, with one course, since you have been out of class for a few years. Science classes are tough, and it is better to take it slow and get good grades than to dive in headfirst and tank your GPA further. Prove to yourself you can get high grades in these courses, and then keep doing it. The grades you get matter a lot more than the program you are in.

The good news is, you probably don't need calculus for medical school, but you will need to make sure your basic math is up to speed to succeed in gen chem and physics.

Thanks for the advice. I am extremely early in the process and just really putting my feelers out. I may have tabulated that I need to take seven classes: Gen Chem 1 & 2, Gen Physics 1 & 2, Biochem, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Organic Chem 1 & 2, and Physiology. Are there any others I should be aware of and would help come MCAT time?

What does shadowing a doctor entail and how would I get started on this process?

Does anyone know of any programs that caters to nontraditional students? I'm starting to wish nontraditionals had a program like the FlexMed or HuMed programs they have at Mount Sinai...

 

[228]

So I'll get things started here

Almost 27 years old.

ACCOMAS cgpa = 2.54, sgpa= 2.1, non-science = 2.85

No kids, single, live alone with my dog, work part time, volunteer at two different organizations, and now I am retaking classes part time

I finished all of my undergrad degree requirements in the spring so I wanted to get my diploma/graduate and then stay at my university as a post-bach But my school has this goofy policy have only allowing non-degree seeking students to only be allowed to take classes for 2 semesters then no more.


So my advisor basically told me to just file for graduation whenever I get accepted to grad school. I can keep taking as many classes as I want/need for as along as I want. I just can't apply for graduation lol. I could graduate then seek another degree but then I would have to be taking more classes I don't need.

So technically I can't call my self a post-bach but I have finished all my degree requirements. All there is to do now is start retaking all my F classes and work my way up through the C's...

My schedule looks like this:

Summer 2013: Microbiology- 3 credits
Ochem Lab- 2 credits


Fall 2013: Microbiology Lab- 2 credits
History of Science- 3 credits
Genetics - 3 credits


Spring 2014: Immunology - 3 credits
Ecology - 3 credits
Algebra&Trig - 4 credits


Summer 2014: Ochem 1 - 3 credits
Ochem 2- 3 credits


Fall 2014: Gen. Biology I - 4 credits
Gen. Chem I - 5 credits


Spring 2015: Physics I - 4 credits


Summer 2015: Physics II - 4 credits


After that I don't know what else to take. I'll have every F and C replaced except Spanish I which is 5 credits....


I take the mcat this September 12th. So I know I need to score really really well on it....

SO glad that I found this thread!

My stats:

First two years..one major university, two community colleges (online)..GPA 2.03

Last two years..University I graduated with honors from...GPA 3.6

sGPA is at 3.6 as well

Not sure what my cumulative GPA would look like..I'm guessing somewhere around a 2.75-2.8. Pretty bad. But I've taken a ton of courses and my last 80 hours I have about a 3.75...


A little glimmer of hope for people in situations like mine..I saw online that Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Virginia, South Carolina and Alabama had this to say about GPA upon application:

"The minimum overall GPA for acceptance is generally 3.2 in the last 120 hours. The admissions process is competitive; however, and a higher grade point average (above 3.4 in the last 120 hours) results in improved chances for acceptance. VCOM places emphasis on the last 120 credit hours and on the science and required courses when choosing between competitive applicants"


If this is indeed true it puts me from paper shredder to competitive applicant, provided I have a good MCAT score.


Any other schools that put more or all emphasis on your last 90-120 hours? This would be a lifesaver for a lot of folks here who started off really poorly but got their act together

 

[228]

Wait...*heart stops* Does grade replacement not count at a different school or for upper division??

I think I am about to pass out...

I would like to know this as well as I have many courses I took my first two years that would raise my GPA significantly if they were able to be replaced..provided you can do so at another university...

 

[Eccesignum]

Any other schools that put more or all emphasis on your last 90-120 hours? This would be a lifesaver for a lot of folks here who started off really poorly but got their act together

There are some that don't auto-screen sub 3.0 (Rowan SOM is an example, they said at interview day that they've had several sub-3.0 overall students who had compelling stories, strong upward trends, and competitive MCAT scores).

Since you're open to DO schools, have you considered doing grade replacement? I don't know if you're aware, but if you retake a course and get a higher grade the second time, DO schools will only look at the second grade. This can make a huge difference in GPA for a lot of people.

 

[BlastedHeath]

Thanks for the advice. I am extremely early in the process and just really putting my feelers out. I may have tabulated that I need to take seven classes: Gen Chem 1 & 2, Gen Physics 1 & 2, Biochem, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Organic Chem 1 & 2, and Physiology. Are there any others I should be aware of and would help come MCAT time?

What does shadowing a doctor entail and how would I get started on this process?

Does anyone know of any programs that caters to nontraditional students? I'm starting to wish nontraditionals had a program like the FlexMed or HuMed programs they have at Mount Sinai...

Microbiology, cell biology and physiology won't be required for the MCAT, but are a great idea since you haven't taken bio in a few years. Shadowing a doctor is basically what it sounds like, following a doctor around as they see patients and go about their day to see what things are like. If you know any doctors, that is the best way to find someone to shadow, otherwise it is basically cold-calling and emailing. Med schools will want to see that you have shadowed and know what you are getting into.

I'm at UC Berkeley Extension myself, and there is a huge range of nontraditional students, with a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Given the nature of postbacc work, I'm guessing that most postbacc programs will be a similar story.

 

[deleted520847]

Another way to shadow and get paid for it is to apply for medical scribe jobs. They pay minimum wage but you would essentially get paid to shadow a doctor. I got this info from a current med student who was able to use her time as a medical scribe as her shadowing experience

 

[doit4humanity]

I hope you're getting some II @MajorUnderDog so it can give me some motivation to continue this crazy journey

 

[Major]

I hope you're getting some II @MajorUnderDog so it can give me some motivation to continue this crazy journey

Nothing yet,

But thats OK because it is still early in the DO cycle and my AACOMAS app just got updated with my summer grades. So I have a little bit of a gpa bump from that, which I hope convinces some DO school somewhere to give a chance at a Interview

 

[doit4humanity]

Nothing yet,

But thats OK because it is still early in the DO cycle and my AACOMAS app just got updated with my summer grades. So I have a little bit of a gpa bump from that, which I hope convinces some DO school somewhere to give a chance at a Interview

That's great I hope to hear some good news from you soon! How long till DO cycle end anyways?

 

[TheZaLord]

Nothing yet,

But thats OK because it is still early in the DO cycle and my AACOMAS app just got updated with my summer grades. So I have a little bit of a gpa bump from that, which I hope convinces some DO school somewhere to give a chance at a Interview

Good luck, man I hope it works out.

What are your stats with grade replacement, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Mimi111]

Everyone on this thread is so awesome and hardworking!! You guys give me hope and motivation to keep striving for my goal of becoming an MD!

 

[Major]

Good luck, man I hope it works out.

What are your stats with grade replacement, if you don't mind me asking?

3.01 cgpa, 2.96 sgpa, and 3.4 for premed classes

 

[TallPreMed]

Hello there!

So I graduated from college in 2013 with a comm studies degree. I originally went to college wanting to be a doctor, but I played basketball and had a work study job, so I didn't always place my grades above as a priority. I did just enough to keep my academic scholarship and ended with a 3.18 cGPA.

My sGPA is a 2.1 (yikes!) but I only have 21 credits for sciences so that's easily fixable (If I retake those and get all As, my cGPA will go up to a 3.5 for DO apps!) My in-major GPA was a 3.8 and I concentrated on health communication, so I have some really cool classes I got to take, like Health Policy, Health & Media, and Sport Psych.

Currently I work in marketing for a hospice agency as a liaison. I interact with our patients on a daily basis and work with our nurses to make sure they have the best care possible. I work in hospitals, doctors offices, nursing homes, assisted livings, and personal care homes. Needless to say, I have thousands of clinical hours racked up already! But while I love what I'm doing and I make great money, I know that I belong in the clinical setting as a physician, not a marketer.

I'm going back to school part time while I am working full time for my second bachelors in natural sciences. If I can get accepted to med school before getting my bachelors, I'll definitely dip out early.

My boyfriend/soon to be fiancé has actually been the one to push me towards medical school. He's an electrician within the union and makes more than enough to support us both when I go to med school. We plan on getting married before I go (2018 hopefully). I live in Pittsburgh and would love to go to LECOM at Seton Hill.

I know a lot of people volunteer to get clinical experience, but since l have clinical experience with my job already, would it be necessary?

Predicted GPA will be a c3.5-6, s3.8 (I refuse to get anything lower than a 90 in any class). I played college basketball which I feel like is a nice differentiating factor for me. Clinical hours will be over 4500 with my job, and I am setting up shadowing hours with our team physicians/medical director who have ties with UPMC.

I'm hoping this will be enough to get me into LECOM, or even Pitt if I play my cards right! I would like to stay in Pittsburgh as my boyfriend is looking to be promoted soon within the union and doesn't have much ability to move. I apologize for the lengthy response but I am trying to get all of my cards in line to give myself the best shot possible. I want to be a doctor more than anything.

 

[thekiterunner89]

I need the motivation so ill write here.

Just turned 26, i started law school in 2010 and took 5 years to finish a 3 year degree because i had to take time off twice to work to pay for it. Now, I'm doing a second degree in Psychology because i wanted to go to med school- this again has taken over 4 years because i keep needing to take tiem off to work- money as you can imagine has been tight. Not in school for this semester as im Working two jobs

My grades through high school and law school were good but it was the UK education system very different from the US as only the final exam dictated your final grade/gpa etc. Past few years however my grades have been extremely poor no matter how hard I worked- i knew it was some form of a learning disability as I had been diagnosed at 16 but my parents refused treatment. In July i gor diagnosed with severe untreated adhd and have been taking medication-lowest dose as i still feel it's unfair to other students.. But my grades immediately changed from Cs to As. Having had to take this fall semester off and work- I'm also studying for the mcat and planning on retaking whatever science class i got less than a B- in over the next yeAr.

Despite having over 1000 hrs of community service, exceptionally difficult life circumstances which may sound silly, but really its unusual stuff people don't normally go thru, great MD LORs, shadowing experience etc, i feel terrible about never getting into med school. My sgpa for md schools will be below 3.0 even if i take every science class and get an A since all grades count. I'm set on med school, I've tried looking into other grad programs etc but it doesn't feel right and I'm constantly at unease because i want this so bad but I'm thinkkng: am i just wasting my life chasing a dream?

I teach for a living and giving my bar exam in the US after my mcat (aug next year) so i have something more to offer on the applicstion.

You don't have to say anything, im Just venting because i feel too ashamed to say this out loud to anybody else.

Thanks for making this group, i went through many mang posts and i wish you all the best of luck.

 

[Labrat07]

Hang in there guys. I know it's tough but we'll have to deal with it. One day at a time!!! I'm having a tough time with hectic schedule as well. Let's not forget our dream and keep doing your things. Vent on here if you have to.

 

[Labrat07]

@thekiterunner89
I think you have to take some time sorting out couple things:
1/ Truly understand yourself and make sure this is your dream. I'd take sometime traveling a bit if you're not really sure. Traveling/spending time by yourself alway make me think deeply and clearly.
2/ When I first started, I used to care what everyone say/think. But you know what. what they say/think don't matter. I got a number of people told me straight up in my face my dream is silly, it's not possible... Even my mom did try to convince me couple time (I'm not joking). I don't give a rat ass. Realize that they use their logic/lifestyle to judge you. Do what make you happy. By now, I don't think anybody would tell me that's not possible. They see me do the works day in and day out. Let it be rain, snow, no sleep, exhausted, ...Let your work ethic speak for itself. Along the way, you'll start to see people around you got influence by you and do their things as well. This is your life, man. really follow your happy path.
3/ The final point is be proud of who you're. Why are you not content with yourself? The past made you who you're right now. Don't be ashamed because of it. I tell people around me all the time any failure I made. It made me stronger. IMO, failure is what made a man not success. I rather fail at something with my best than success the whole way through. By doing that, you realize that was your limit. You got up and beat it. That sastisfaction is so good. For me, that's better than sex/foods.

I hope my posts motivate you a bit. I wish you the best of luck!!

 

[thekiterunner89]

@thekiterunner89
I think you have to take some time sorting out couple things:
1/ Truly understand yourself and make sure this is your dream. I'd take sometime traveling a bit if you're not really sure. Traveling/spending time by yourself alway make me think deeply and clearly.
2/ When I first started, I used to care what everyone say/think. But you know what. what they say/think don't matter. I got a number of people told me straight up in my face my dream is silly, it's not possible... Even my mom did try to convince me couple time (I'm not joking). I don't give a rat ass. Realize that they use their logic/lifestyle to judge you. Do what make you happy. By now, I don't think anybody would tell me that's not possible. They see me do the works day in and day out. Let it be rain, snow, no sleep, exhausted, ...Let your work ethic speak for itself. Along the way, you'll start to see people around you got influence by you and do their things as well. This is your life, man. really follow your happy path.
3/ The final point is be proud of who you're. Why are you not content with yourself? The past made you who you're right now. Don't be ashamed because of it. I tell people around me all the time any failure I made. It made me stronger. IMO, failure is what made a man not success. I rather fail at something with my best than success the whole way through. By doing that, you realize that was your limit. You got up and beat it. That sastisfaction is so good. For me, that's better than sex/foods.

I hope my posts motivate you a bit. I wish you the best of luck!!

A short ans to both 1 and 2;
1: travelled to about 15 countries, mostly to look for work and try and relocate somewhere before settling in the US
2: its gettkng to me because my premed advisor told me to consider nursing because its easier. I feel stupid and ******ed. I have chased after this for so long and I feel stuck. Hell i learnt a new language just to go to med school in a country that has free mes school in said labguage. Didn't end up getting a visa so never ended up enrolled there.

Your post was nice.
Thank you

 

[noDream]

Hey-yo to my favorite thread! I've been monitoring this one for some time. Here is my intro and as always looking for advice/love. I graduated from Univ. of Mich in 2011 w/ a 2.9 overall gpa. I was not a science major nor a premed.

I've been working as a technology (IT) business analyst for 5 years now. I'm about to jump in the deep end and start my post-bac. It will be an informal post bac and part time as I have too many financial commitments (ie. putting loved ones through college). I need to take 2 gen bios, 2 gen chems, 2 orgos, 2 physics and 1 biochem. I work from 9-5 and can take courses in the nighttime as well as weekends. I would like your help to figure out if I should just take a 1-2 courses per term at a 4-year university or try to squeeze in community college courses that are more readily available at night.

noDream but this dream. <-- corny i know