Below 3.0 gpa Support Group/Thread

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Hello everybody! Here's my story.

AGE: 23
CURRENT UNDERGRAD CGPA: 2.53 SGPA: 2.2 And I am in my 5th year at a state university.
RESUME: I have participated in undergraduate research for a year and a half, this year will make two and a half years (hoping to present at nationals this year). (I'm also hoping to become part of the Undergraduate Research Center's student counsel) I volunteer at the local hospital and much as possible and recently got involved with the Red Cross as a disaster services volunteer. I have also worked part time all through college and I am planning on going on a medical (surgery) based missions trip to Nicaragua next fall.

I thought about pursuing medical school for years before I even came to college, but never had the guts to do it. I finally built up the courage to do it a year ago (which was when i started volunteering and such). My grades have significantly improved, although they still aren't straight A's (but this semester is pretty close so far!), and I have been thinking about enrolling in a postbacc program, but I can't seem to find ANY information on it. My goal is to practice Internal Medicine. I know it's a long shot from where I'm at, but eventually I will get there and I need some advice about how to get there.
My adviser is also my research mentor and I know he truly cares about what I do with my life so I spoke to him about my interest in medical school. He told me my best shot was somewhere in the Caribbean OR if i significantly improve my grades MAYBE a DO school would take me, but he says I would nail an interview if I got one (apparently the personality fits).

I am very open minded when it comes to ideas about how to get to where I want to be, but I do not want to leav the US.



so in summary.....
HELLLPP.:wideyed:
 
InspiredUnderdog said:
Hello everybody! Here's my story.

AGE: 23
CURRENT UNDERGRAD CGPA: 2.53 SGPA: 2.2 And I am in my 5th year at a state university.
RESUME: I have participated in undergraduate research for a year and a half, this year will make two and a half years (hoping to present at nationals this year). (I'm also hoping to become part of the Undergraduate Research Center's student counsel) I volunteer at the local hospital and much as possible and recently got involved with the Red Cross as a disaster services volunteer. I have also worked part time all through college and I am planning on going on a medical (surgery) based missions trip to Nicaragua next fall.

I thought about pursuing medical school for years before I even came to college, but never had the guts to do it. I finally built up the courage to do it a year ago (which was when i started volunteering and such). My grades have significantly improved, although they still aren't straight A's (but this semester is pretty close so far!), and I have been thinking about enrolling in a postbacc program, but I can't seem to find ANY information on it. My goal is to practice Internal Medicine. I know it's a long shot from where I'm at, but eventually I will get there and I need some advice about how to get there.
My adviser is also my research mentor and I know he truly cares about what I do with my life so I spoke to him about my interest in medical school. He told me my best shot was somewhere in the Caribbean OR if i significantly improve my grades MAYBE a DO school would take me, but he says I would nail an interview if I got one (apparently the personality fits).

I am very open minded when it comes to ideas about how to get to where I want to be, but I do not want to leav the US.



so in summary.....
HELLLPP.:wideyed:
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Don't go Caribbean. Read up on the DO grade replacement policy. Basically, if you retake a class you did poorly in and do better, DO schools only care about the better grade. As you can imagine, this can make a huge impact for those of us who didn't do well and have a lot of credits under our belts. Even an F can become an A with grade replacement. Make peace with the fact that it is going to take a few years to get where you need to be. Make sure you get good grades from here on out.

Have you taken the prereqs yet? Don't worry about getting into a formal postbacc, most probably won't take you with your GPA, but that is okay. Look around your local schools for their policies on taking classes as a nondegree student, or enrolling in a second bachelors, every school differs a bit on this. Extension and community college courses are also an option, especially if you are focusing on DO.
 
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BlastedHeath said:
Don't go Caribbean. Read up on the DO grade replacement policy. Basically, if you retake a class you did poorly in and do better, DO schools only care about the better grade. As you can imagine, this can make a huge impact for those of us who didn't do well and have a lot of credits under our belts. Even an F can become an A with grade replacement. Make peace with the fact that it is going to take a few years to get where you need to be. Make sure you get good grades from here on out.

Have you taken the prereqs yet? Don't worry about getting into a formal postbacc, most probably won't take you with your GPA, but that is okay. Look around your local schools for their policies on taking classes as a nondegree student, or enrolling in a second bachelors, every school differs a bit on this. Extension and community college courses are also an option, especially if you are focusing on DO.
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I am a Biomedical Science Major, so I have completed a majority of the prereqs. Fortunately I have no F's, just a lot of C's. I did find a post bacc school in AZ that has a min gpa requirement of a 2.75 which I think I can accomplish before graduation. Would a master's degree be helpful?
I graduate next fall. Would it be worth even taking the MCAT and applying to any med schools? (live in MN so no DO schools around here, but there is the University of Minnesota).
 
InspiredUnderdog said:
I am a Biomedical Science Major, so I have completed a majority of the prereqs. Fortunately I have no F's, just a lot of C's. I did find a post bacc school in AZ that has a min gpa requirement of a 2.75 which I think I can accomplish before graduation. Would a master's degree be helpful?
I graduate next fall. Would it be worth even taking the MCAT and applying to any med schools? (live in MN so no DO schools around here, but there is the University of Minnesota).
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A masters degree won't be helpful without raising your undergrad GPA. If you raise your undergrad GPA, then further down the line it may be helpful. When you apply, your GPA is broken up between undergrad and grad, and adcoms care a lot more about undergrad. Many schools screen at a bare minimum 3.0 GPA, so even with everything else amazing, the odds of your app getting reviewed at all would be extremely slim. For grade replacement at DO schools, you can still retake Cs and going from C-->A can still make a pretty big GPA difference, so maybe in your situation a combination of retakes and new courses would be helpful.
 
BlastedHeath said:
A masters degree won't be helpful without raising your undergrad GPA. If you raise your undergrad GPA, then further down the line it may be helpful. When you apply, your GPA is broken up between undergrad and grad, and adcoms care a lot more about undergrad. Many schools screen at a bare minimum 3.0 GPA, so even with everything else amazing, the odds of your app getting reviewed at all would be extremely slim. For grade replacement at DO schools, you can still retake Cs and going from C-->A can still make a pretty big GPA difference, so maybe in your situation a combination of retakes and new courses would be helpful.
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So what would be a reasonable GPA to shoot for when it comes to DO school? like a 3.5? Would an MD school even consider me after I raise my GPA? Should I retake only science courses or should I retake courses in the humanities too? Sorry for all the questions, but you are giving me the best advice I've gotten since I started college! :)
 
Hey team. I work 9-5 full time gig. I need to take 2 gen bios, 2 gen chems, 2 orgos, 2 physics and 1 biochem. I 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. Please advise.
 
InspiredUnderdog said:
So what would be a reasonable GPA to shoot for when it comes to DO school? like a 3.5? Would an MD school even consider me after I raise my GPA? Should I retake only science courses or should I retake courses in the humanities too? Sorry for all the questions, but you are giving me the best advice I've gotten since I started college! :)
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This thread has some averages for DO schools http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/do-med-school-data.1054842/ There are some MD schools that reward reinvention and like to see people who turned things around, but I wouldn't build your whole strategy on it. I'd focus on science classes because those will influence both cGPA and sGPA and are a better barometer for med school, but if you have an easy humanities class that would bump your GPA up I wouldn't ignore it.

My personal strategy is that I'm retaking some science classes, taking a lot of additional science classes and considering doing an SMP next year. I'll be applying MD + DO, I'm realistic about my chances at MD, but I can't let go of the idea that I should at least try for it. My GPA will end up around 3.2/3.05 for MD and for DO it will be around 3.4/3.5, I have a ton of units and many classes that for whatever reason I can't replace. I'm obviously trying to offset my GPA with a great MCAT.
 
long time/first time, coming from the non trad thread

I tooled around a lot in engineering school, but managed to come out with a 2.7. It is probably the singular regret I have in life (I have lived a pretty good life, so this weighs on me a lot), considering how well I COULD have done if I was mature enough to put in a little bit of effort

BUT
I did great research my last year, won a whole host of awards and graduated. I took a year and worked as a designer of an EMR system for a very poor hospital. From the experience, I realized that I was on the wrong side of care and wanted to be a doctor.

I applied to graduate engineering programs to build up my grades and ended up going to a top 5 program. I crushed the program (4.0), and did some incredible research on imaging systems that few other people have worked with and I got to see the body in a way that I could have never imagined.

But after graduating, my dad got really sick and I put everything else on hold and decided to work for one of the big4 doing consulting while spending time with my family. (health scares will really wake you up, especially after you've lived away for a while)

I spent 2 years working and I ended up shifting to implementing healthcare initiatives in sub saharan africa and southeast asia. It was incredible and got my head back on track for medicine. (I also tried taking the MCAT while working 70+ hours a week - HUGE mistake.)

I decided to start strategizing early before apps... and then thats when I got the kick in the gut from my IS school where the dean of admissions said "your grad degree tells me nothing about how prepared you can be - biomedical engineering isn't that hard" (I politely beg to differ - didn't tell him that though).

I took his advice but before even getting in to an SMP, I quit my job, and went b*lls to the wall studying for the MCAT again. I lived, ate, and breathed the material for MCAT2015, and after 3 months, I nailed it. A week later, I got in to an SMP at the same IS school and almost cried. For my 3 gap months, I shadowed my pediatrician full-time and he even let me interact with patients and develop my own relationships! It was the most fun I have ever had

So here I am now - I am in the first semester of my SMP, but what I wanted to say was:
Don't let anyone get you down, even sub-3.0, you can do it. All you have to do is have a plan! I'm not in yet, but I am well on my way. And while you can get advice from people on here, admissions isn't one-size-fits-all. Everyone has their own story to tell, but you only GET to once you've earned the opportunity. Whatever your gap is, identify it and do whatever it takes - scrape, claw, kill (figuratively) to overcome it

I can't wait to post back here and say that I've matriculated, but until then, I'm going to keep trucking along.
 
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Also, just fyi, the abbreviated story of my sister.

Her situation was similar to mine - She graduated and spent 4 years consulting. She had a 3.0 in undergrad, but when she decided to go in to medicine, she completely committed herself to becoming the best candidate possible.

She ended up going to a great MD school in the midwest and graduated with honors. She is now a pgy5 urologist at a really great hospital and going to an elite fellowship.

Anything is possible if you want it bad enough
 
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BlastedHeath said:
This thread has some averages for DO schools http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/do-med-school-data.1054842/ There are some MD schools that reward reinvention and like to see people who turned things around, but I wouldn't build your whole strategy on it. I'd focus on science classes because those will influence both cGPA and sGPA and are a better barometer for med school, but if you have an easy humanities class that would bump your GPA up I wouldn't ignore it.

My personal strategy is that I'm retaking some science classes, taking a lot of additional science classes and considering doing an SMP next year. I'll be applying MD + DO, I'm realistic about my chances at MD, but I can't let go of the idea that I should at least try for it. My GPA will end up around 3.2/3.05 for MD and for DO it will be around 3.4/3.5, I have a ton of units and many classes that for whatever reason I can't replace. I'm obviously trying to offset my GPA with a great MCAT.
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This might be a stupid question but what is an SMP? Your strategy sounds pretty good. I think I'm going to do something similar!
 
SMP stands for "special masters program"
basically a graduate academic record enhancer
 
noDream said:
Hey team. I work 9-5 full time gig. I need to take 2 gen bios, 2 gen chems, 2 orgos, 2 physics and 1 biochem. I 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. Please advise.
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I would make sure it is something that I know I can manage. Check to see what prof's are teaching the classes because sometimes that can make a world of difference in how much studying you have to do. If your schedule is better with the night classes that's what I would do.
 
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Well just got a C in my second cell bio exam. Getting really frustrated. Got a B in the first exam. The material is really interesting but for some reason I am not preparing properly and then performing badly on the exam. The exams are all free response, which is a first for a science class for me. No multiple choice. So I need to change up my study patterns for this. Anyone have any advice for studying for these type of exams? Mix of short essay answers and then a couple of long essay questions.
 
Also blowing off the dust on a good book I higly recommend, "Mastering The Art of Learning" by Darrin King.
 
Usually I just study the main point and during the test writing anything I can think of that can relate to the topic. This would prevent me from leaving anything important out and gaining the most possible points.
 
Hey everybody,

I know i'm not in the right section..
I live in Belgium, 20 years and currently study a undergrad course.
I Will finish after 3 years..
Please don't mind my english i'm working on it.
I want to study in the us and know that you Will have to go to pre med school first.. I was looking on the internet and found a lot universities and colleges who give those (including Harvard uni). Can i just Apply to go to Harvard uni.. For pre med school? Will you get interview to go to pre med school?

Please help
 
MajorUnderDog said:
Well just got a C in my second cell bio exam. Getting really frustrated. Got a B in the first exam. The material is really interesting but for some reason I am not preparing properly and then performing badly on the exam. The exams are all free response, which is a first for a science class for me. No multiple choice. So I need to change up my study patterns for this. Anyone have any advice for studying for these type of exams? Mix of short essay answers and then a couple of long essay questions.
Click to expand...

I don't really have much advice, except to know the material inside and out and then stick to the relevant points. For essays, set up a brief outline on scrap/test booklet that you can use as a guide to fully answer the question. Make a few bullet points for short answer, think about what you are strongest on, and then go from there. I'm dealing with a similar situation myself and there's definitely no skimping on the studying when you have to write out answers.
 
MajorUnderDog said:
Well just got a C in my second cell bio exam. Getting really frustrated. Got a B in the first exam. The material is really interesting but for some reason I am not preparing properly and then performing badly on the exam. The exams are all free response, which is a first for a science class for me. No multiple choice. So I need to change up my study patterns for this. Anyone have any advice for studying for these type of exams? Mix of short essay answers and then a couple of long essay questions.
Click to expand...

Writing exams are my favorite! My typical study method is to review my notes very regularly before class/after class. It helps me to solidify the information. If you can look for possible quiz questions while going through the material and test yourself, it is a better use of your time. About once a week I rewrite everything that we learned that week into a study guide. When the exam comes close, I condense this study guide again, but try to do it from memory quizzing myself constantly over the material. Anything I'm shaky on earns itself a flash card or an in depth review session with a whiteboard. It seems like a lot, but theoretically you shouldn't have to study much since you've been doing it all along. If your learning style is different than mine than maybe take the concept of quizzing yourself and studying as you go and modify it to fit you. Also I like to tell myself positive things before an exam, "you can do this, you're awesome!" Hope some of this helps you a bit! There is still time to pull it around for the semester! Have you met with your professor at all? Maybe going through exams with them would help to see what they are looking for more specifically.
 
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Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poster. Sorry, in advance, for the extremely long post!

I graduated about 7 years ago 2.5 ugpa//2.3BCPM GPA from a large state school. Biology major. I was "pre med" but just wasn't focused, didn't care, wasn't doing it for the right reasons etc. During that time I worked at a hospital for 20hr/wk, shadowed, ran two clubs in college, volunteered at the ED, volunteered in Big Brothers, Big Sisters. In short, I did everything I needed to to get into medical school EXCEPT the most important which was to study and get good grades. Whoops :bag:

After graduation, I did my MS in public health (in a research oriented program requiring original research and a thesis). I got a 3.8 GPA. I did NOT do this masters with the intent to go to med school but once I finished I found myself really wanting med school again.

So my husband and I talked and I decided to do about 70 hrs of post bacc, raise my GPA and get into med school. I'm now 2 semesters (plus a summer semester) into my postbacc and second guessing myself. I've done 30 hours and I've maintained my GPA (all science) at a 4.0. I redid Biochem (bye bye D+, hello A!) and now I have one more year and then I'll apply. No MCAT yet. After ALL this, I will have a 3.1 UGPA and a 3.15 BCPM GPA. I knew that going in. I had calculated it before I started.

My problem is that I had convinced myself that an ADCOM would be able to look past my original grades and see ME -- see the effort, the desire, the drive and motivation that it took for me to get where I am/will be. However, SDN has 100% killed that hopeful side of me. Seeing these "3.6UGPA/3.55 science GPA WHAT SHOULD I DO?? POSTBACC OR SMP???" threads is killing me. Even worse, the responses, "Don't worry, 3.6 isn't THAAAAAAAT bad. It could be waaaaaay worse. You could have a 3.2 or something horrible like that!" :yeahright: Not to mention the "Well, med school is extremely competitive and it will only get worse. They can afford to choose the candidate that had the 4.0 from the beginning over someone who messed up and "reinvented" themselves."

Obviously, I can't stop now. I'm too far in. I don't know what I'm looking for here exactly, maybe some reassurance, positive energy, thoughts, anything. Thank you all!:clap:
 
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MajorUnderDog said:
Well just got a C in my second cell bio exam. Getting really frustrated. Got a B in the first exam. The material is really interesting but for some reason I am not preparing properly and then performing badly on the exam. The exams are all free response, which is a first for a science class for me. No multiple choice. So I need to change up my study patterns for this. Anyone have any advice for studying for these type of exams? Mix of short essay answers and then a couple of long essay questions.
Click to expand...

My cell bio exams were the same. Try to picture/draw out whatever they're talking about in the lectures. I tried to understand the lectures fully and then did what i usually do - make a whole bunch of flowcharts in blank white paper, and anytime i "make a connection" i write it out in red. I end up with ~10-15 pages of flowcharts at the end of a course. I go through them over and over while flipping through the pictures associated with the concepts. Helped me get A's in most (Biochem :bang:) of my senior year bio courses :)
 
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Well, you clearly don't need anybody to tell you that it won't be easy. But you still have the chance to improve your application a lot with a strong MCAT. Work hard on killing it and you'll be more likely to get attention from schools. And even though schools can afford to be picky, some do appreciate re-invention and will like that 4.0 you have now. So here's some encouraging smilies:

:soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited:

... hypnotizing.
 
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Thank you. And yes, quite hypnotizing! Mayhaps I'll use these smileys to hypnotize my kid when he throws a tantrum
 
You guys, I promise you, you can do it. GPA comeback here, just got an acceptance to Wayne State. Keep your heads up and work the hardest you ever have, and it WILL happen for you.
 
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2.86 Cumulative GPA from 6 years ago, dropped out due to not being able to secure my last year and a half worth of loans.

Paying off school now to transfer to a school in my new state to finish night school.

If I make A's in my future classes I can get up to a 3.4 cGPA and 3.8sGPA.
 
Just to share:

My first degree was a BSc in Biology. After 5 years, I ended up with a 2.5 degree GPA and sGPA somewhere within that range. My 3rd/4th year coincided with the economic meltdown and our household income dropped significantly during that period. Having signed a 1 year lease with 2 month's worth of deposits, couldn't get out of it. Family struggled to scrounge enough to pay the mortgage each month, much less my rent/tuition/monthly living expenses. Government loans were based on prior year income which made me ineligible for assistance until the next filing. The university did try to help with an increase in bursaries but it was still a rather large shortfall. LOCs were not an available option as my father was skipping payments = ruined credit. Ended up working multiple jobs and essentially traded grades for money. Was it a happy period? No. Ended up with a degree that led to nowhere with grades that were pathetic even if I wanted a lab technician job. I was finally eligible for some government loans in my 5th year which really helped. Did I still have to work? Quite a bit but at least I didn't have to spend all nighters at the gas station and attend classes the next morning. Graduated but I wasn't happy with no job prospect.

Spent a month thinking about what I'd do with my life and how to go forward. Figured a second degree in something more useful would be better. With loans available and living with family, I decided to enter a business program and graduate to work as an accountant should I not be eligible for medical school.Thing is, science courses aren't really applicable to business programs so I have to do all 4 years for my second degree. Kind of just went through the motions, made new friends, enjoyed life for what it is, and studied my ass off as there was no second chance with this. It's my last lifeline as I won't be able to take out more loans afterwards nor complete a 3rd degree. With the monetary problem solved for the most part, I've been acing the majority of my classes and should end up with a degree GPA of 3.9+. I've also been retaking all the science courses in which I underperformed (Ds/low Cs/and an F somewhere) when I can by overloading my semester without going over the limit to avoid having to pay extra (my university allows 7 courses per semester which costs the same as the standard 5 courses). With my performance in finance (love this much more than accounting), I opted to major in it and have made a surprisingly large sum of money during the summers at a particular bank focused on asset management (seems to have taken a liking to me and I have been offered the opportunity to work there once I graduate) while investing time on ECs during the school term.

With my current grade trends, I can apply to a few Canadian medical schools but it's still a crap shoot considering students with much better stats aren't able to get in anywhere. But who knows? Maybe my luck will change! While I'm not eligible for MD schools in the US, I figured DO is a plausibility. With the retakes, I'm currently at a 3.2+cGPA/3.24+sGPA. By the end of this upcoming summer when I've retaken some more courses, I'd be looking at a 3.4+cGPA/3.5+sGPA which isn't the best but it's much better than before. I'll put in effort into applying for 2-3 cycles. If I don't manage to get in, I suppose I could simply continue working in the finance sector. I'd make decent money and it's fun some days but I'm not really sure I'd enjoy the corporate life with my limited experience with it.

If you've read this far, I hope you enjoyed my slice of life. All in all, why did I bother sharing? I don't know exactly.I guess I just want others who are in similar situations to realize that opportunities arise elsewhere even when you think it's all over and SHTF. You need to sit down and think about your long term goal/objective. From there, you make short term goals to reach the long term goal. Be aware of your competencies, utilise them, and then grind through it.
 
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What an awesome thread! I am 36 years young and working to become an optometrist. I spend a lot of time on the optometry forum but everyone is 22!!!!!!

My undergraduate GPA from William and Mary 2002 was a whopping 2.3. But optomcas calculated it to be 2.1!!! I took pre-med/ pre-optometry classes as a post-bac August's state University and pulled it up to a 2.7. This GPA was not enough to get me accepted anywhere.

The only reason I applied was that I have 10 years of unique experience in optometry. I am nationally certified as an optometric vision therapist. And I'm trained as a low vision therapist committing years of my life helping blinded vets and soldiers. Optometry schools should want someone like me on their roll!!!

So now I am currently enrolled in a graduate biology/medical science program at Mississippi college. My gpa is 3.48 and climbing. I scored well 300 on the OAT. And I'm reapplying.

My fear is that my undergraduate GPA will still outweigh the improvements I have made.

Any advice on how I can sell myself? If I can just land an interview I know I can get accepted.
 
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I guess I'll chime in and share my story.

I graduated from an engineering school in '08 with a degree in computer science (CS). My cGPA was 2.36. I was reluctant about my choice of major at the time, and I fought it every step of the way. It's a very difficult curriculum, and has the highest dropout rate of any major, but I didn't know what else I wanted to do with myself. There were a lot of other issues going on in my life as well, and ultimately I ended up with my shamefully low GPA. I was quite naive, and had I known the price I'd be paying now for it, maybe I'd have done things differently.

Anyway, I finished up my degree and worked as a software engineer for about seven years. I was quite successful eventually: the real world conditioned all of the immaturity out of me. But, I realized about two years ago that one only gets one shot at this life. Working a desk job and doing something I wasn't passionate about for the rest of my life seemed like hell. I became determined to make a difference and strive for something more. I made a few iterations in trying to figure out how best I could serve this world, and eventually I enrolled at a state school (with a medical college) and signed up for the prereq classes. I'm 36 credit hours into my DIY postbac and have a 3.85 so far. I'm quite committed to this path and will do whatever it takes to become a physician.

Next semester I'm taking only biochemistry while I study for the MCAT, which I'm taking in April. Afterwards, I'm taking a quick 12 credits of track 1 summer courses at a community college to retake some classes I didn't do well in the first time around. This should get my DO cGPA above 3.0. I plan to have my application finished July 1st. Assuming all goes according to plan, my DO GPAs will be: cGPA 3.011, sGPA 3.873; MD will be: cGPA 2.707, sGPA 3.132.

Though it's what I'd really like, I'm not sure I have a snowball's chance in hell of getting into an MD school. I think I'd need about another 50 credits of coursework just to get my cGPA up to 3.0. I have a family and I've taken time off from work to do my postbac, so I don't think another 50 credits is an option presently. I know some schools have a policy of only looking at the last 30ish credits (like LSU). But, I think medical schools are quite concerned with their rankings, and average undergrad MCAT/GPA of its student body has a lot to do with that, so there has to be an extremely compelling reason to accept students with stats like ours. For that reason, I think it's imperative that we do exceedingly well on the MCAT (like 37+ or 520+). So that's the goal!

Let's stay motivated and keep our eyes on the prize! We can do it!
 
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I just wanted to share my story/give an update. I know that this process is stressful enough even when you do have good grades so when you're starting behind the mark it makes a stressful situation even more difficult.

I will attempt to write this and just report my situation. My goal is to not come across as making excuses or asking for pity but more so to paint a picture of my background and how I overcame certain obstacles. My hope is that someone in a similar situation will read my story and draw encouragement and motivation to keep going.

I grew up an only child with my mother. My father was deported from the US in the 80's and when this happened we went from a family that was living comfortably/somewhat wealthy to below the poverty line. We went from Texas to NY and when we came to NY we had nothing. I remember trips to Salvation Army for clothes and eating rice and spaghetti sauce for dinner because that's all we had. My mother and god are actually the driving forces behind my ability to overcome and succeed on this path to becoming a physician. With a middle school education my mother rebuilt our life together, getting her GED, bachelor's, and master's. She worked her way from LPN to NP and was always striving to give us a better life. Without her ambition and resolve, I'm not really sure that I can say where I would be right now.

Like many, I stumbled around a bit after high school. I wanted independence and my own apartment, etc so I worked as a hairstylist and bartender for a while which I really enjoyed but I started to get this nagging feeling in my head that I could and should be doing something else, something that would give me a bigger sense of purpose. I enrolled in community college and then transferred to my local state university.

It's funny because as I write this I have flashbacks of certain memories- sitting and talking to my mom and her agreeing that I should pursue a different career and direction, receiving my acceptance to SUNY Albany, etc. It's funny how your brain and heart choose certain memories and hold on to them tightly.

It took me a few years of community college to finally get into the right direction. I enrolled in a science program solely because I had loved science in high school. The real ah-hah moment for me came when I joined an ambulance service as a volunteer at the university. I actually fell in love with EMS first, and medicine later. I left the university mid-way through my program to pursue a paramedic certification. I worked for a year as a medic, gaining experience and then returned to finish my bachelor's degree. During that time I also started working as a scribe. I thought it would be great to see what happened with patients after I parted ways with them in the ER, I couldn't have been more correct. As a scribe I was like a medical student of sorts- I had to learn the medicine and the thought process behind it if I was going to document it. It was about 2-3 years after being a scribe, and with a lot of encouragement from the physicians that I worked with, that I decided that being a physician was that fulfillment that I had wanted and thought about several years before. To be honest, I didn't think that someone like myself could ever realistically become a doctor. I had my GED, didn't have stellar grades in my undergraduate career (other than my paramedic program where I aced classes), and I just didn't think that people with my background had a shot. I started to think about what my mom did with her life and I decided that I wouldn't allow a pre-conceived notion about something stand in the way of what I wanted.

I learned about grade repair through the DO program and decided that this would likely be my best chance at landing an acceptance somewhere. I started out around the 2.7/2.8 range. In 2008 I walked into my best friend's apartment and found him dead on his couch. It was the beginning of my spring semester at the university and I tried attending classes but just stopped. It was the worst few months of my life and to be honest medical school wasn't even on my radar at that point so I never formally withdrew and that hurt my GPA a lot. There were also a few scattered classes that I had a C in. I took the old MCAT once, scored a 21, studied for two more months and was able to get in on the last date for the old test and take it again and scored a 26. The MCAT process in and of itself was an incredibly tough process for me and delayed me a year in applying. After my grade repair (and a long, stressful battle with the new AACOMAS application system) I was at 3.0c/3.2s. I applied EARLY, by early I mean I pre-wrote secondaries starting in March of the application year, worked on my application from the day it opened (refining descriptions, etc) and submitted my application THE FIRST DAY that I could. In my head I was starting this race behind so I needed to do whatever I could to get ahead of the pack so to speak.

The cycle is still in motion but to date I've had two DO interviews and two acceptances, one of which I already declined (though it was a great school and program) and the other which I am beyond happy and excited to accept. I still have applications out there and am on hold at a few MD programs but at this point I just want to see what my end results will be. I realize that the probability of me getting an acceptance was pretty low but I believe that during the interview my true character and passion for medicine came through and my interviewers were as convinced as I am that I will succeed and have a lot to contribute if given the opportunity.

People come on this forum for so many reasons. I know that specifically when I started looking at this thread I was feeling pretty hopeless and needed to know that someone else had gone through what I was going through and had made it. I am here to tell you that the struggle, the pain, the sadness, the obstacles, the feeling of defeat- it is ALL WORTH IT. Medicine isn't a career to me, it's a path of life that some of us were just meant to be on. It requires you to be strong, to miss your family, friends, and special events, to give your time and energy to others, selflessly. I believe that there are many people that would be excellent physicians but hold themselves back because of what they fear they "cannot do". I encourage those people, and anyone else doubting themselves to keep going and to remember the end game of all of this- obtaining a "career", or a being granted the privilege to walk down a path that will provide a lifetime of purpose, love, and intellectual wealth- is so worth the struggle that it takes to achieve it.
 
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HiddenDickbutt said:
What happened?
Click to expand...
The AACOMAS system wasn't calculating grade replacement the same way it did in the past and there was a lot of back and forth as to whether the policy had changed without an announcement. I think most people ended up getting it worked out, but it sounded like a huge headache.
 
BlastedHeath said:
The AACOMAS system wasn't calculating grade replacement the same way it did in the past and there was a lot of back and forth as to whether the policy had changed without an announcement. I think most people ended up getting it worked out, but it sounded like a huge headache.
Click to expand...
what kind of policy change?
 
treecat said:
what kind of policy change?
Click to expand...
As far as I know, it didn't change, but the AACOMAS application system was overhauled and wasn't replacing grades correctly, so when everyone applied their GPAs were significantly lower than expected. I didn't go through it so I don't know particulars, but @MajorUnderDog did so maybe he has more information
 
I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but I just read something on a thread somewhere (can't remember which one to link to it) wherein someone said that the average GPA/MCAT for DO schools is going up every year...anyone have any insight on this?
 
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Here's a question for you guys: If I retook some classes and received only Bs the second time around... Is that a major problem? I've heard that when people retake classes, it only really helps if they receive As the second time around.
 
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It certainly doesn't look great. They're going to be wondering why you've seen this material twice and can still only manage a B's. Especially considering the purpose of your retakes is medschool.

I'm not an adcom though. You def need to crush any remaining classes. Good luck!
 
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I think I misunderstood the AAMC grade replacement policy. Would someone here help me? I thought if I took Microbiology at School 1 with grade C+, and 20 years later took Microbiology at School 2 with grade A, those 2 grades would be averaged. For this reason, I selected "Repeat" on my application when listing the 2 courses. After the stress of getting everything done, I got to thinking that maybe I misunderstood this repeat thing, so I emailed the AAMC with this specific question. She responded with a "no" in that I incorrectly entered this course as a repeat. Instead, these classes would be counted as 2 classes, 2 grades, 8 credits, because they were taken from 2 different schools. Is this how you understand my repeat course example as well? I only question her response because there were 4 spelling/grammer errors in her short email response to me, which just made me really question its validity!
 
Hey guys, Canadian here. Just wondering if any of you can shed some light on how your GPA calculations work... I have a 65 in some classes and it's showing me at a 0.0 GPA for said course... really!? 0.0 for a 65? I feel like this isn't correct.
 
TheShowGoesOn said:
Hey guys, Canadian here. Just wondering if any of you can shed some light on how your GPA calculations work... I have a 65 in some classes and it's showing me at a 0.0 GPA for said course... really!? 0.0 for a 65? I feel like this isn't correct.
Click to expand...

Refer to https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...140d8acb35af/amcas_grade_conversion_guide.pdf

That looks like it is anywhere from 2.0 to 2.7 out of 4.0 depending on your school. If you need more assistance, post the grading scale from your school.
 
Quick question regarding grade replacement since everyone is asking ..

When I took my science classes the first time around at my university, the labs were counted as a separate, 1 credit course, and the lectures were counted as a 3 credit course. I'm retaking some of them now at a CC. However, these classes at the CC are combined (lab and lecture are counted as one course and one grade, for 4 credits). How would I calculate that when I'm calculating my GPA? Is my logic correct in that I just replace each lab and lecture grade with the same new grade I got from the CC course?
 
It's just based on quality points. Multiply each grade (numerical gpa) by crefits and divide out 4*credits

Just sum each. I.e. 3.0 in 3 credit class and 4.0 in 1 credit lab would be (3*3+1*4)/4*4
 
Loving this thread. I've been reading the previous posts from you all for a little over 3 hours :hardy: and I must say, its inspiring :soexcited:.
 
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