chances of acceptance for a "re-applicant"

[airwolfrocks999]

My stats are the following:

Undergrad:
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Major: BS in Chemical engineering
Overall gpa: 2.9
science gpa: 2.9

Dental School:
New York University
Major: DDS
Overall gpa: 2.8
Science gpa: 2.8
Extras: did 2 semesters of community service in oral cancer screening and teaching pre-school children oral hygiene

General dentistry residency to be completed by mid next year, at a prestigious, big-name medical center

Misc: NBDE certified, ADLEX/WREB certified, will shortly be certified in Invisalign and various implant systems

I expect to work as a general dentist for ~ 5 years to finish paying off my loans from dental school before applying to medical school.

I want to get into an allopathic ( MD ) medical school. I understand that I was unable to redeem myself academically in dental school for my poor undergrad gpa. But the basic sciences in dental school is almost the same as that of medical school. And we had tons more lab work than med students. My 2.8 gpa in dental school isn't all that great but it shows that I can handle the medical curriculum, which I am familiar with by now.

How are my chances for medical school acceptance? Is there I can REALISTICALLY do at this point to improve myself? ( please keep in mind that I'm now no longer young and have financial obligations )

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[Dane07MD]

Honestly, I don't see you getting into medical school with those stats. At least an allopathic US med school. Perhaps an osteopathic school, or a carib school. You're undergrab is very sub-par, and you didn't do much in the way of proving yourself in dental school either. Plus, realizing now that you want to be a physician, but still practicing dentistry for five years might not help either. I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but given what you have shared, you have a VERY steep uphill battle to get into a US allopathic med school...

 

[glamqueen]

I would consult an admissions department of your state school for advice on where to go from here. I can't begin to speculate, but I would have to agree with the above poster. The GPA trend isn't looking so good. I don't think medical schools would see a 2.8 as "handling the material." They will want students who master the material, and a 2.8 (no offense) isn't mastering it. I don't think that shows them much based on that.

 

[airwolfrocks999]

I know 2.8 isn't hot by any means. But this was 2.8 at dental school, where the basic sciences are from med school curriculums. On top of that were hordes of dental labs. And it's a fact that most med students don't get high gpas at their schools either. Some med students are even happy to have passed an exam. I mean, a 2.8 gpa is alright for a typical med student and this gpa proves that I can at least handle the material.

So there's almost no chance I'll be seen differently?

Is there anything I can do to improve myself for admissions to a US-based allopathic school?

 

[pete0643]

Hi.
I am a dentist, as well. I have been out of school for 4 years. I will be applying to medical school for 2009. My undergrad gpa was 3.5 and dental was 3.2. I will keep posted as to what happens. Did you apply to med school at the same time as dental? I did not so I don't think I would be considered a re-applicant.

I am taking a couple undergrad classes to keep my mind in the game, also will help to boost my undergrad gpa a bit. I have only heard favorable comments from adcoms about dentists going into medicine. I am interested in preventative medicine and a DDS does give me a unique perspective on this.

I am studying for the MCAT and will be taking it in April 2008. Good luck on your ventures.

pete

 

[RxnMan]

OP - MCAT and ugrad GPA are the prome determinants of getting a med school interview. You'll probably do great on the MCAT, so that won't be a problem. The 2.8 IS a problem, and you're going to have a tough time getting past that. Understand that compared to the effect of ugrad GPA, neither having a doctorate or experience in health care fields is as good as having a 3.5 or better. You'll have to take courses to remediate.

From your comments, while it appears that the grading system in dental school is not exactly the 4 point system, you still didn't do too well. That also is not going to impress many schools.

Lastly, you will face questions about switching careers. You will need to be able to express why, especially at this late time, medicine will "do it" for you, instead of dentistry.

 

[airwolfrocks999]

. You'll have to take courses to remediate.

.

And what courses are we talking about? How many credits of them should I take? Would it make a difference if I enroll at an MS Or PHD program ? And at what type of school?

 

[glamqueen]

If you enroll in a PhD program, they will want you to finish the degree before matriculating in a medical school. Same with a MS. You may think this is crazy, but I suggest undergrad science classes to boost the undergrad GPA. They filter and look at this. It will also show you are unabashedly not ashamed to work on your stats, because medical school is your goal i.e. not above taking more science classes and repeating similar courses if and when you matriculated in a medical school (as the science courses there may be similar to what you took in dental school). Make sense?

 

[RxnMan]

And what courses are we talking about? How many credits of them should I take? Would it make a difference if I enroll at an MS Or PHD program ? And at what type of school?

Doctoral or Masters degrees won't help your ugrad GPA - you have to take ugrad courses. I shouldn't have said "remediate" which implies "redo," but take new upper level (300-400) undergrad courses to boost that ugrad GPA. You need to look at your transcript, come up with a target GPA, and estimate a sustainable GPA you can achieve, in order to calculate how many credit hours of classes you'll need to take.

These sorts of things are referred to as "post-baccs" in the SDN community, and can be formal or informal. People have been successful doing both. There are also SMPs, which are built on taking MD-like courses and have good histories of getting people admitted to MD school. I know this may seem preposterous, especially for someone in your situation. I thought it was when I went through the application process too. Understand that admissions committees (ADCOMs) want to see a 3.6/30 (ugrad GPA/MCAT score) when evaluating your application. And as uncompetitive as you are on one scale, you need to be that much more competitive on the other.

So many people apply from so many backgrounds that ADCOMs need to have everyone go through the same pipeline. You are competing against students who have been preparing for this all their lives. There are many more applicants than there are admissions spots. In order to compete with all of the other applicants, you have to the same numbers they do.

Look in the Mentor Forums (top of the main page) to see some of the responses in the Medical School Admissions thread.

 

[directdoc]

Try looking at schools outside of the US.

 

[silas2642]

My stats are the following:

Undergrad:
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Major: BS in Chemical engineering
Overall gpa: 2.9
science gpa: 2.9

Dental School:
New York University
Major: DDS
Overall gpa: 2.8
Science gpa: 2.8
Extras: did 2 semesters of community service in oral cancer screening and teaching pre-school children oral hygiene

General dentistry residency to be completed by mid next year, at a prestigious, big-name medical center

Misc: NBDE certified, ADLEX/WREB certified, will shortly be certified in Invisalign and various implant systems

I expect to work as a general dentist for ~ 5 years to finish paying off my loans from dental school before applying to medical school.

I want to get into an allopathic ( MD ) medical school. I understand that I was unable to redeem myself academically in dental school for my poor undergrad gpa. But the basic sciences in dental school is almost the same as that of medical school. And we had tons more lab work than med students. My 2.8 gpa in dental school isn't all that great but it shows that I can handle the medical curriculum, which I am familiar with by now.

How are my chances for medical school acceptance? Is there I can REALISTICALLY do at this point to improve myself? ( please keep in mind that I'm now no longer young and have financial obligations )

I don't think that your chances of acceptance into a US allopathic school are very good-- your undergraduate gpa is very low and your gpa from dental school is unimpressive as well. As a result of your dental school performance, I'm not sure how useful an SMP is going to be in remediating. While the first year in dental school is similar to the first year in medical school, a lackluster performance is still a lackluster performance-- medical schools will be looking for more. And as others have mentioned, the rather quick decision to change careers is a red flag. How will adcoms know that you're going to stick with medicine this time?

Your best bet would be to go with the Caribbean or to stick with dentistry. Good luck with the future.

 

[cleothecat]

Dentistry is a gr8 fields with some fascinating sub-specialties.

Consider closely why you really want to become an MD physician cw a doctor of dentisry?

In research there are dentists doing work on mundane diseases such as CV, tissue repair, pain etc.

What really motivates you?

 

[Tracie Smith]

When you say that Doctoral or Masters degrees won't help your ugrad GPA - does that also include Special Master's programs such as what Georgetown offers?

I sure hope not because my son went to the SMP at Georgetown and did OUTSTANDING work (3.9 GPA) in classes concurrent with actual Georgetown med students. That was nearly $50,000 for that 11 month accelerated master's so I sure hope that helps to elevate his 3.3 ugrad GPA. What do you think?

 

[sehnsucht]

I know 2.8 isn't hot by any means. But this was 2.8 at dental school, where the basic sciences are from med school curriculums. On top of that were hordes of dental labs. And it's a fact that most med students don't get high gpas at their schools either. Some med students are even happy to have passed an exam. I mean, a 2.8 gpa is alright for a typical med student and this gpa proves that I can at least handle the material.

So there's almost no chance I'll be seen differently?

Is there anything I can do to improve myself for admissions to a US-based allopathic school?

why didn't you do any better at dental school?

 

[RxnMan]

When you say that Doctoral or Masters degrees won't help your ugrad GPA - does that also include Special Master's programs such as what Georgetown offers?

I sure hope not because my son went to the SMP at Georgetown and did OUTSTANDING work (3.9 GPA) in classes concurrent with actual Georgetown med students. That was nearly $50,000 for that 11 month accelerated master's so I sure hope that helps to elevate his 3.3 ugrad GPA. What do you think?

Didn't see your post until just now. Programs like Georgetown have a history of getting people into med school, and so he'll have a better chance of getting in now than before.

SMPs are considered separate from other graduate degrees because they have a different curriculum and a completely different structure from the regular MS, PhD, etc.

 

[Tracie Smith]

Didn't see your post until just now. Programs like Georgetown have a history of getting people into med school, and so he'll have a better chance of getting in now than before.

SMPs are considered separate from other graduate degrees because they have a different curriculum and a completely different structure from the regular MS, PhD, etc.

Thank you so much for your response. Although he did get a 37o on his MCAT - that 3.3 ugrad GPA really pulls the cumulative GPA score down. He applied way too late last time - in late October/early November (what an expensive lesson to learn!) Plus, he applied to all upper tiered schools. I know he's smart and committed but all of you are that are applying for medical school! I would NEVER have been able to go to medical school and I am in awe of all of you that are sooooo incredibly dedicated to a lifestyle of studying, studying, studying! We're crossing our fingers for admission this time - he'll be a wreck if he doesn't get in. That's what I worry about about as a mom. Anyway...thanks again RXnMan!

 

[ATP Synthase]

My stats are the following:

Undergrad:
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Major: BS in Chemical engineering
Overall gpa: 2.9
science gpa: 2.9

Dental School:
New York University
Major: DDS
Overall gpa: 2.8
Science gpa: 2.8
Extras: did 2 semesters of community service in oral cancer screening and teaching pre-school children oral hygiene

General dentistry residency to be completed by mid next year, at a prestigious, big-name medical center

Misc: NBDE certified, ADLEX/WREB certified, will shortly be certified in Invisalign and various implant systems

I expect to work as a general dentist for ~ 5 years to finish paying off my loans from dental school before applying to medical school.

I want to get into an allopathic ( MD ) medical school. I understand that I was unable to redeem myself academically in dental school for my poor undergrad gpa. But the basic sciences in dental school is almost the same as that of medical school. And we had tons more lab work than med students. My 2.8 gpa in dental school isn't all that great but it shows that I can handle the medical curriculum, which I am familiar with by now.

How are my chances for medical school acceptance? Is there I can REALISTICALLY do at this point to improve myself? ( please keep in mind that I'm now no longer young and have financial obligations )

Why do you want to go to an Allopathic versus Osteopathic or Dentistry? It will almost be like starting over again(including lots of debt), but I guess if your heart is into being a MD and not in Dentistry I can see why you want to make the switch. Did you apply to Dental school in hopes of using it to get into medical school or was it just a backup plan. I hope you are making the switch for the right reasons because both are very prestigious and great fields. Either way, good to you!

 

[Biochemist]

Similar to above, most schools will not even consider you for a secondary application, most schools have an undergrad cut-off of 3.0 and some 2.75, you'll be lucky if any schools offer you a secondary app or let alone an interview. For sure take some post-bacc classes and raise your gpa.

 

[dancingdoctor]

yes, unfortunately you will have to take more undergrad classes to raise that gpa, and I read somewhere that only ~1-2% of applicants with a < 3.0 GPA matriculate into med school. Im in your same shoes with a low GPA and am prepared to take 3 more years of undergrad classes to boost it. Good luck...

 

[drdion]

Hi I am a practicing dentist for 21 years. I think your best bet is to do a OMFS program dual degree and get your MD that way. I think this may give you the education your looking for and make use of your dental training. Just a idea but i'm sure you have thought of this,no?

 

[airwolfrocks999]

why didn't you do any better at dental school?

huh? The medical sciences at dental school is the same ones that med students take.

These were classes where people are relieved to have passed. I know I didn't do too hot in them but surely enough, it proves that I'm more than capable of handling medicine. ( at least academically )

And it's really hard to get anything over a B in medical sciences.

 

[airwolfrocks999]

Hi I am a practicing dentist for 21 years. I think your best bet is to do a OMFS program dual degree and get your MD that way. I think this may give you the education your looking for and make use of your dental training. Just a idea but i'm sure you have thought of this,no?

It's harder to get into an OMFS program ( with or without the MD option ) than it is for an undergrad to get into a medical school.

Each major medical center only accepts like 1 or 2 OMFS residents / yr, and you really think I have a better chance at OMFS with my crappy grades?

 

[Meatwad]

huh? The medical sciences at dental school is the same ones that med students take.

These were classes where people are relieved to have passed. I know I didn't do too hot in them but surely enough, it proves that I'm more than capable of handling medicine. ( at least academically )

And it's really hard to get anything over a B in medical sciences.

You're right, the medical sciences are the same; which is why you probably won't get in anywhere with a 2.8 from dental school. They don't want to accept people that will only master the material to the degree of a B-. When students do a Special Master's degree, they take medical schools classes side by side with med students, with the exception of gross anatomy usually. Under a 3.0 (which is what you have) usually means you are on probation, and many times kicked out. Even a 3.0 is usually a sign that you wasted your money on the program. Usually SMP students with OK undergrad recrods need at least a 3.3 in the SMP to get in, where something with a very low GPA like yours (2.9 undergrad) get 3.6's or so. Honestly, look to the Caribbean if you want the MD that bad. Even then, you probably won't be able to get into SGU, but Ross would probably take you.

 

[Meatwad]

It's harder to get into an OMFS program ( with or without the MD option ) than it is for an undergrad to get into a medical school.

Each major medical center only accepts like 1 or 2 OMFS residents / yr, and you really think I have a better chance at OMFS with my crappy grades?

I've heard desire and networking also goes real far in getting an OMFS residency. What were your board scores? If you didn't get a 90, or close to it, retake them, get over a 90, and do an internship. After that, you'd probably have a better shot at OMFS than you would at a US MD school.

 

[airwolfrocks999]

I have an idea. Can't I just enroll at a local community college as a regular BA/BS bio major?

I'm definitely sure I can pull off above a 3.7 gpa if I were to redo my college education. Heck, maybe I can do just as well while taking like >20 credit hours per semester and graduating with a BA degree in way less than 4 years.

I know that the AMCAS application will require that you submit grades from EVERY institution you attended. But there's no way they can figure out if I really even attended college and dental school to begin with. The admissions staff is usually busy and I doubt they'll look into my circumstances with really deep thought beyond my numbers.

Do you guys think this is a better option of entering med school? ( I know it's not the "proper" way to do it. But if I can get a 3.7+ if I did college over again, I know I'm "better" than other MD candidates, especially since I'm older and already have a strong medical background. The other candidates would be fresh noobs who are just barely starting out )

 

[airwolfrocks999]

why didn't you do any better at dental school?

well, at least I still ranked higher than half of my graduating class. And at the end, I was actually accepted to an Ivy League residency. According to the residency's program director, this residency typically attracts strong candidates and my numbers were near the bottom in comparison to other applicants.

 

[Haro4130Frame]

Every school you go to only knows the grades u report to them. So if u go to X university whereas u used to go to Y university, then as long as you dont tell X about Y grades they will never know u went to college before.

I think u could theoretically do it that way but how would that make you "better"? You couldnt tell adcoms u were better cause u have a strong medical background since u were already in dental school. You are also going to have to have a reason for not have a job or going to school for so long. Overall, I dont think it is very smart to do that but its ur choice.

 

[Blade28]

Surely they're going to ask what you were doing in those 7-8 years, if you're going to pretend you didn't already attend undergrad and dental school. What would you say? You don't want to have a huge gap of that many years...and you don't want to lie to them if they ask!

I'm in favor of being honest. And I don't think repeating your undergrad experience is the solution.

 

[DrKendrickLamar]

Out of curiosity, why all of the sudden do these Doctors of Dentistry want to switch over to the MD field? Not liking the profession? or what?

 

[Meatwad]

Funny... there's an MD over in the pre-dental forums trying to get into dental school


He'll probably have an easier time getting in though... I think he said his undergrad GPA was a 3.7 and he did well on the Steps.

The moral of the story is think about your decision long and hard before committing to either profession. Do you want to go through 4 years of hell just to find out it's not what you thought it was? You'll probably be a quarter of a million dollars in debt by then, and 4 years older. I'd totally hate to be in that situation. If you aren't 100% about your career choice, take a year off before applying; hell, take two years off. Get it right the first time.

Got a little off topic there, sorry.

 

[DrKendrickLamar]

Funny... there's an MD over in the pre-dental forums trying to get into dental school


He'll probably have an easier time getting in though... I think he said his undergrad GPA was a 3.7 and he did well on the Steps.

The moral of the story is think about your decision long and hard before committing to either profession. Do you want to go through 4 years of hell just to find out it's not what you thought it was? You'll probably be a quarter of a million dollars in debt by then, and 4 years older. I'd totally hate to be in that situation. If you aren't 100% about your career choice, take a year off before applying; hell, take two years off. Get it right the first time.

Got a little off topic there, sorry.

i agree

 

[airwolfrocks999]

I guess it all boils down to the fact that I won't get accepted to med school.

It's something I've honestly known all along but I had to post here to exhaust some ideas.

only if I did well in college.........

oh well, thanks for all your feedback

 

[RxnMan]

I guess it all boils down to the fact that I won't get accepted to med school.

It's something I've honestly known all along but I had to post here to exhaust some ideas.

only if I did well in college.........

oh well, thanks for all your feedback

Thanks for the update. I hope you are happy in your career and in the future.

 

[donvicious]

With good MCAT scores you may still have a shot at an osteopathic school. There is no difference from MD once you get out into practice. Honestly though would you really want to go through 4 years of school and at least 3 of residency? Certaintly the pathology is different but the lifestyle is pretty similar to Dentistry. I bet Dentistry is better in terms of hours, call, and vacation.

 

[brianmartin]

I don't know why everyone is being so harsh on this guy. His chances aren't stellar, but they aren't horrible either. He got a 2.8 in dental school, so what? That's amazing as far as I'm concerned.

My advice would be to do two things, first raise the ugrad GPA with an informal post-bacc, take 45 credits and get all A's, that should boost you up into the 3.1-3.2 range, plus it will be strong proof that you're serious. Then, and this is the most important thing, rock the MCAT, blow it away, ace it, whatever.

If you can do that, it seems like you might have a decent chance. I think the fact that you have your DDS is a positive...solid proof that you have already busted your ass learning medical science and come out with fairly solid grades already.

I would say, talk in person with some ad com members or some admissions people and feel it out. You might be surprised, maybe they would welcome a non-traditional transplant from dentistry like yourself. What have you got to lose? Maybe a year?

 

[galois]

airwolfrocks999,


I concur with brianmartin, you do have a chance if you rock the MCAT. I am not sure that you really need to boot up your ugrad Science GPA, because the basic science curiculum in the first two years of dental school is tough and very similar to med school.


Having a DDS is probably positive at some schools and negative at others. So you just have to apply to a lot of schools. You have track record for serving community, you can write in your PS that you want to serve the underserved comunity not in the oral health but also the overall health...etc.


I hope you are not in the camp " the grass is always greener from the other side". But if you really want to become a medical doctor, noone can stop you (except God, of course).

 

[Nasem]

My opinion....
I don't think you'll have a hard time getting into a MD USA school.
Yes your stats are not great at all, but you have already completed one professional school and you passed through it just fine.... there is absolutely no reason for them to think you won’t make it through med school.

One of the biggest things MD schools fear is applicants not being able to complete their curriculum and ending up dropping out…. They hate that…. However, there is no reason for them to think that you’ll drop out.

One thing I’d like to add is, I know dental education is not very similar to MD education, but at least the first 2 years are very similar in nature.

I do have to ask though, why do you want to be a doctor…. I mean, dentistry is a great field and the compensation along with the 35-40 hrs work weeks are pretty nice.

 

[Jericho1057]

I graduated from undergrad with a 3.27 GPA and a 3.1 science GPA. Every semester I was at school my CUM improved. Nonetheless, I knew I didn't stand a chance of getting into med school so I went to the Georgetown SMP in 2007. I graduated from this program with a 3.7.

I took the MCATs twice
30 Verbal 8 Biological 9 Physical 13
32 Verbal 8 Biological 11 Physical 13 (most recent)

This year I am volunteering at my local fire department and getting certified as an EMT. I am also conducting research at a local laboratory on breast cancer.

I applied to a couple of schools last year but only got an interview from Georgetown... i Didn't get in. I am applying to a bunch of med schools (26) for 2008. I have devoted a lot into getting into to med school and I am getting a little gunshy. Does anyone have an idea of what my chances actually are?

 

[Meatwad]

Chances are very good. Excellent MCAT score and amazing SMP GPA. Kill the interviews and I think you will get in at least somewhere.

 

[berkshiredoc]

I graduated from undergrad with a 3.27 GPA and a 3.1 science GPA. Every semester I was at school my CUM improved. Nonetheless, I knew I didn't stand a chance of getting into med school so I went to the Georgetown SMP in 2007. I graduated from this program with a 3.7.

I took the MCATs twice
30 Verbal 8 Biological 9 Physical 13
32 Verbal 8 Biological 11 Physical 13 (most recent)

This year I am volunteering at my local fire department and getting certified as an EMT. I am also conducting research at a local laboratory on breast cancer.

I applied to a couple of schools last year but only got an interview from Georgetown... i Didn't get in. I am applying to a bunch of med schools (26) for 2008. I have devoted a lot into getting into to med school and I am getting a little gunshy. Does anyone have an idea of what my chances actually are?

I assume you are already complete at those 26 schools----early application is crucial. With your SMP GPA plus a solid MCAT, your chances are good, assuming you applied to a broad range of schools and put reasonable thought into your personal statement and secondaries. I hope your Georgetown advisors are still helping you out, given their tuition! Good luck!

 

[lilmuck03]

I am a first time re-appliant and am worried that I may become a second time re-applicant and would like some opinions.

I scored a 26 on the first MCAT and a 29 on the second.
3.84 undergrad GPA
Have volunteer experience in public health and E.R. and work in a Cancer Researh lab.

I have gotten one interview (Sept. 21) and think it went ok, not great, but not poor either. I had two interviewers. One was hit or miss and the other was wonderful. Is it unusual to only get one interview? Everyone else there seemed to have been to three or four.

This waiting game is so stressful!

 

[drugdealer3000]

I just stumbled on this thread by accident. I don't know why anyone would leave dentistry to go to medical school. Be forewarned that a lot of dentists make more money and have a better lifestyle than a lot of doctors. The title might not be as sexy but the profession has its upside.

I would assume the work day of a dentist is a heck of a lot better than that of a family practitioner or general IM doc. You're resigning yourself to at minimum 7+ years of unpleasantness. If you go the DO or foreign route your access to juicy specialties that make more than dentists will be compromised... by how much? I simply don't know.

The GPA thing is a bit of a problem. Call up a couple of medical schools you would never apply to and speak to a dean of admissions or someone else with real authority and find out what they think. Our opinions don't matter.

Now having said that... My view is that you already have a long science/clincal GPA track record. Going back and taking a science class at a community college would look silly to me. And its true that graduate GPAs in MS/PhD programs really don't count.

Your situation is interesting because you basically took a medical school curriculum and proved you could pass it. Medical schools are worried about people that are going to get into academic trouble. You didn't have stellar grades but you never got into academic trouble and now you are going to repeat the same classes. You should be in a far better position than a lot of your colleagues. If English majors can go to medical school a dentist with a 2.8 should really have no problems. I can't believe some of the really negative things people have said to you on this forum. Admissions committees may be similarly biased. But that doesn't change the fact that I think you would do well... or at least pass without trouble.

I don't know about taking a five year break though. That may make financial sense, but it will destroy your chances. If you go in immediately you still have the academic mindset. After five years residency NO MD would want to go back and review subjects for the USMLE Step 1, and I think they'll take that into account when looking at you.

You're going to have to write a stellar personal statement and explain your motivation.

Before you take the plunge though please read the article I've attached. You may have very noble reasons for wanting to become a doctor but you have to realize the reality that you are leaving a safe six figure job with a wonderful lifestyle for a career that is frankly waaayyyy oversold.

 

[maristella]

off topic, but how did you get into NYU dental with a 2.9?

 

[coffeebythelake]

I know 2.8 isn't hot by any means. But this was 2.8 at dental school, where the basic sciences are from med school curriculums. On top of that were hordes of dental labs. And it's a fact that most med students don't get high gpas at their schools either. Some med students are even happy to have passed an exam. I mean, a 2.8 gpa is alright for a typical med student and this gpa proves that I can at least handle the material.

So there's almost no chance I'll be seen differently? Is there anything I can do to improve myself for admissions to a US-based allopathic school?

I don't know what kind of curriculum you are thinking of, but at my medical school the average medical student get the equivalent of a B. When you are at the graduate level of education, anything less than a B is considered poor performance. What is your class rank? 50th percentile? Or less?

And we had tons more lab work than med students.

How do you figure that?

 

[DenaDoc]

I'm in a similar situation:

My undergrad science GPA was low (2.54) so four years later I did a post-bacc and got a 3.55. When I took the MCAT in 04, I got at 27(VS-8, PS-9, BS-10, WS-Q). I applied for the entering '07 class, but got waitlisted.

Now, nearly six years after undergrad with a new MCAT 33(VS-10, PS-11, BS-12, WS-R). I am also doing a Master's in Molecular and Cell Biology and my first semester GPA is 3.43. I'm kind of concerned that this will kill my application. I do have one more semester to raise my grades before I apply, but if any of you (particularly those who have gone through the same and been accepted) have any advice or feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.

DenaDoc

 

[solumanculver]

I'm in a similar situation:

My undergrad science GPA was low (2.54) so four years later I did a post-bacc and got a 3.55. When I took the MCAT in 04, I got at 27(VS-8, PS-9, BS-10, WS-Q). I applied for the entering '07 class, but got waitlisted.

Now, nearly six years after undergrad with a new MCAT 33(VS-10, PS-11, BS-12, WS-R). I am also doing a Master's in Molecular and Cell Biology and my first semester GPA is 3.43. I'm kind of concerned that this will kill my application. I do have one more semester to raise my grades before I apply, but if any of you (particularly those who have gone through the same and been accepted) have any advice or feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.

DenaDoc

Hi Denadoc,
I'm applying for medical school this year and I've received a few acceptances... So I'm not an expert at medical school applications but I have a little experience and I can try to answer your question. My opinion is that with an MCAT of 33 and an undergraduate/post-bacc GPA of 3.55 you will be accepted to a medical school. The graduate GPA is probably not that relevant, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Probably the most important thing is to fill out the rest of your application with volunteer work and whatever. Are you open to applying DO? It seems like you'll definitely make it into a DO school. Well, if it will be 7 years after undergrad that you're applying to medical school you should probably just get to it... DO school or caribbean school or whatever you can get... but I think you can also get some US MD acceptances. Good luck
Soluman

 

[michaelparera]

Try looking schools outside!