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[deleted550999]

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[NeuResurgens]

A GPA of 2.0... I really don't know what to tell you. That is very, very low.

At this point, in your fifth year, no amount of undergraduate grade repair is going to fix that.

 

[Glandzburg]

I would start by retaking any F's you may have gotten and shoot for DO. They do grade replacement.

EDIT: let me add that it will be a long shot even with grade replacement. You've dug a VERY deep hole for yourself.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

It's time for you to start working on an alternative plan. You've dug yourself into a huge hole.

 

[deleted480308]

it will take 2-3 years of retakes with amazing grades....you might want to rethink it but it's possiible

 

[jbuc1081]

It's certainly possible if you have the drive and patience to go through and grade replace. I had a stellar 1.8 and boosted my gpa to a 3.57/3.89 sGPA with 4 years of school. I may be 28 when starting DO school, but that's better than never!

 

[ZedsDed]

Always been a bright and talented kid but dealt with a lot of personal problems in my life stemming from family matters/trauma.

I got into the top university in the country but the first 3 years I struggled a lot with insecurity, loneliness, and lack of identity, which led me to do a lot of drugs resulting in a less than stellar gpa. Interestingly enough, after taking psychedelics and having the curtains drawn to reveal my insecurities and demons, I was able to better deal with my problems and finally found some stable spiritual and mental footing, leading me to have the best academic school year I've ever had.

Unfortunately, It came very late, and I am going into my 5th year in September with a gpa of 2.0 with terrible first year science grades and I have yet to take the MCAT. I maintain hope that I will one day become a doctor but at the moment I am not sure how to proceed.
Would staying as an undergrad to boost my gpa for a couple more year be a good option?

Feedback and advice would be very much appreciated.

I can tell by your post that this is still a new consideration for you. I suggest spending many hours researching medicine before you decide to accept the huge amount of pain that you are going to experience going forward.

 

[AvacadosAtLaw]

I agree that you need to do some shadowing or clinical volunteering to decide if medicine is really what you want to do. If it is, its possible that you can pull yourself up from this, but it will take a lot of time and hard work.

 

[TheBatman]

You haven't dug a deep hole OP. If you retake your grades and get A's and rock your MCAT you'll get into a D.O. school. Don't let anyone tell your otherwise.

 

[ZedsDed]

You haven't dug a deep hole OP. If you retake your grades and get A's and rock your MCAT you'll get into a D.O. school. Don't let anyone tell your otherwise.

This is about as deep of a hole as it gets I'm afraid. But you're right that determination is the key.

 

[unstructured]

consider the following :
1. see how you do on the mcat. if you do well, you have more proof that you have turned a new leaf.
2. consider how old you will be when you start, how much debt you will have when all is said and done, and how long it will take for you to pay it off.
3. talk to a college counselor, and see what they say.
4. consider overseas md programs.
good luck

 

[GrapesofRath]

I can tell by your post that this is still a new consideration for you. I suggest spending many hours researching medicine before you decide to accept the huge amount of pain that you are going to experience going forward.

This exactly you don't just one day decide to do medicine and its pretty clear based on your college record its never something even on your radar before. First make sure this is something you really are interested do appropriate research then in a month if you still are interested in medicine come back here to talk about your plan

 

[NeuResurgens]

It's certainly possible if you have the drive and patience to go through and grade replace. I had a stellar 1.8 and boosted my gpa to a 3.57/3.89 sGPA with 4 years of school. I may be 28 when starting DO school, but that's better than never!

Wow, congrats! That is quite the comeback. Maybe OP has a chance after all. It'll take a ton of work and determination, but "you're saying there's a chance!"

OP - I second the advice given above. You can get into medical school, but it's going to be a long and difficult road. Do a lot of research on medicine and shadow some doctors, then decide if you really want to commit yourself to this. It's going to take you at least a few years to come back from a 2.0.

 

[jbuc1081]

Wow, congrats! That is quite the comeback. Maybe OP has a chance after all. It'll take a ton of work and determination, but "you're saying there's a chance!"

OP - I second the advice given above. You can get into medical school, but it's going to be a long and difficult road. Do a lot of research on medicine and shadow some doctors, then decide if you really want to commit yourself to this. It's going to take you at least a few years to come back from a 2.0.

Yeah, it's definitely abnormal to have that kind of a situation. I wasn't even going for medical school or anything closely related when I started college - was a music major that did well in everything that involved playing saxophone, but nothing else - so there is that. I didn't even know what a DO was until 2012, which was several years after I started seriously pursuing medicine. Chances are that I wouldn't have gotten into any MD school, so I feel pretty lucky that my young ignorance didn't permanently screw me over.

 

[IslandStyle808]

It's time for you to start working on an alternative plan. You've dug yourself into a huge hole.

OP has dug himself/herself a hole for the majority of alternative plans...

 

[tortelliniboy]

have you done any kind of shadowing or clinic work? Do you have the means to support yourself for X years while doing damage control for your grades? Do you want medicine bad enough that you'd delay going on with your life for the next 10+ years (2-3 years of damage control for grades/accumulating experience/extra curriculars + 4 years of med school + 3-7 years of residency + ?? for fellowship)

 

[NeuResurgens]

Yeah, it's definitely abnormal to have that kind of a situation. I wasn't even going for medical school or anything closely related when I started college - was a music major that did well in everything that involved playing saxophone, but nothing else - so there is that. I didn't even know what a DO was until 2012, which was several years after I started seriously pursuing medicine. Chances are that I wouldn't have gotten into any MD school, so I feel pretty lucky that my young ignorance didn't permanently screw me over.

Awesome! I'm a saxophonist myself, although I'm not nearly good enough at it to pursue it full time

Sometimes you need some luck in these things, especially when it comes to awareness about certain opportunities. Sometimes you just don't know what's out there, and if not for luck, you might never have known. Several of my ECs are that way.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Always been a bright and talented kid but dealt with a lot of personal problems in my life stemming from family matters/trauma.

I got into the top university in the country but the first 3 years I struggled a lot with insecurity, loneliness, and lack of identity, which led me to do a lot of drugs resulting in a less than stellar gpa. Interestingly enough, after taking psychedelics and having the curtains drawn to reveal my insecurities and demons, I was able to better deal with my problems and finally found some stable spiritual and mental footing, leading me to have the best academic school year I've ever had.

Unfortunately, It came very late, and I am going into my 5th year in September with a gpa of 2.0 with terrible first year science grades and I have yet to take the MCAT. I maintain hope that I will one day become a doctor but at the moment I am not sure how to proceed.
Would staying as an undergrad to boost my gpa for a couple more year be a good option?

Feedback and advice would be very much appreciated.

I suggest you go to a psychologist ASAP to deal with your emotional issues (to learn about coping techniques). The university usually has one.

The next step is to go to a learning specialist and see if you need help in learning how to study.

The third step is to seriously decrease your credit load. Try to take 6-9 credits and then work your way up. You won't see improvement over night.

As it stands right now, the vast majority of upper education is closed to you. You need to improve from here on out and I definitely think you can go DO. However, this will take 3 years, BARE MINIMUM, of reinvention.

 

[jbuc1081]

Awesome! I'm a saxophonist myself, although I'm not nearly good enough at it to pursue it full time

Sometimes you need some luck in these things, especially when it comes to awareness about certain opportunities. Sometimes you just don't know what's out there, and if not for luck, you might never have known. Several of my ECs are that way.

Such a small percentage of people can make a living just playing that I didn't want to do that to myself. I'll always play music, but I want enjoyment out of it and not the daily struggles of having to play stupid pop songs from the radio to only get paid $45 for 3 hours. It can be fun to do that from time to time, but not if you need to pay bills or eat haha.

 

[ZedsDed]

consider the following :
1. see how you do on the mcat. if you do well, you have more proof that you have turned a new leaf.
2. consider how old you will be when you start, how much debt you will have when all is said and done, and how long it will take for you to pay it off.
3. talk to a college counselor, and see what they say.
4. consider overseas md programs.
good luck

If you are going to give advice to people who need it, please try and know what you are talking about.

1.)Ill give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume you meant "take the MCAT after multiple years of 3.7+ grades." Otherwise, s/he will get crushed. The fact that the OP is even considering taking the MCAT now does not bode well for his/her decision making skills.

2.)Age is not really important, finances are.

3.) If s/he want's to. But they don't know anything >90% of the time. They're just going to tell him/her to quit anyway.

4.) Just no. I won't get into it here. OP do some research on Caribbean match rates if you want to see why this is not a good decision.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

OP has dug himself/herself a hole for the majority of alternative plans...

In graduate health care? Yes. I was thinking more along the lines of going into nursing then NP or doing something completely unrelated to health care.

 

[IslandStyle808]

In graduate health care? Yes. I was thinking more along the lines of going into nursing then NP or doing something completely unrelated to health care.

Even graduate school outside of healthcare have minimums of 3.0 which will take a ton of time without grade replacement. Nursing school have bare minimums of 2.5-3.0, which would still require 1.5 years of 4.0GPA (depending on credits). However, these are bare minimums and so realistically it would be more like 2 years at a 3.8 GPA to have fair shot at nursing. OP might as well do grade replacement in 3 years and have a shot at DO with a good MCAT.

I do agree there are other options, but OP has shut the door to the vast majority of them at the graduate level.

 

[darkeon]

Some of the nursing programs in my state specify that only the first attempt of a pre-req (Bio,Chem, Orgo, etc) will be counted in the gpa. It's one of those fields where tons of people go to so I guess these nursing programs have to find a way to cut down the pool.
To OP, while grade replacement can save you for DO, I recommend you find something to keep yourself in a good state of mind. Retaking 4-5 years of courses will feel daunting. You'll feel that you are stuck in limbo since you're not obtaining any new degree. Thus with all this, you're more prone to burn-out. You need something to keep yourself going, whether it be the support of a friend, family, significant other, or activity. Good luck!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Even graduate school outside of healthcare have minimums of 3.0 which will take a ton of time without grade replacement. Nursing school have bare minimums of 2.5-3.0, which would still require 1.5 years of 4.0GPA (depending on credits). However, these are bare minimums and so realistically it would be more like 2 years at a 3.8 GPA to have fair shot at nursing. OP might as well do grade replacement in 3 years and have a shot at DO with a good MCAT.

I do agree there are other options, but OP has shut the door to the vast majority of them at the graduate level.

You'd be surprised. There are a lot of private universities that are really small that will accept you with a 2.0 for their masters programs. They are just money making schemes. If OP wanted to do nursing, it would be best to start in the community college route then transition from RN to NP.

 

[Goro]

Time for Plan B.

Always been a bright and talented kid but dealt with a lot of personal problems in my life stemming from family matters/trauma.

I got into the top university in the country but the first 3 years I struggled a lot with insecurity, loneliness, and lack of identity, which led me to do a lot of drugs resulting in a less than stellar gpa. Interestingly enough, after taking psychedelics and having the curtains drawn to reveal my insecurities and demons, I was able to better deal with my problems and finally found some stable spiritual and mental footing, leading me to have the best academic school year I've ever had.

Unfortunately, It came very late, and I am going into my 5th year in September with a gpa of 2.0 with terrible first year science grades and I have yet to take the MCAT. I maintain hope that I will one day become a doctor but at the moment I am not sure how to proceed.
Would staying as an undergrad to boost my gpa for a couple more year be a good option?

Feedback and advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[GonnaBeADocOneDay]

Frankly a couple of years, or even a few consistent semesters with As will show you have an upward trend and paired with a great MCAT and quality ECs could definitely get you looked at by low and mid tier schools. All is not lost!

PS don't go to a caribbean school if you want to practice

 

[deleted480308]

here's a question.....have you had any >3.7 semesters?

 

[Muffinho]

I did an entire degree with an overall GPA of 2.0. Since then I've done about 90 credit hours at 4.0. I won't break 3.0, but you can definitely improve. Maybe it won't get you (or me, for that matter) into medical school, but it will probably help you carve out a career in something health care related.

 

[IslandStyle808]

You'd be surprised. There are a lot of private universities that are really small that will accept you with a 2.0 for their masters programs. They are just money making schemes. If OP wanted to do nursing, it would be best to start in the community college route then transition from RN to NP.

I would be wary of those money making schemes. There are of course bottom of the barrel programs out there that OP could qualify for. However, this is no different than telling a person with a 3.0 and 22 MCAT that he/she has a chance for medical school. This is also money wasted because they are not giving themselves a strong chance to begin with. One has to be careful of entering such programs because they may come out as a sub-par health practitioner or whatever the field maybe. Even among PA programs there is a great divided from the ones with high stats and high clinical experience from the ones that have low stats and low clinical experience.

Why would the community college route be better for RN, if you mind me asking?

 

[swollcat]

I would be wary of those money making schemes. There are of course bottom of the barrel programs out there that OP could qualify for. However, this is no different than telling a person with a 3.0 and 22 MCAT that he/she has a chance for medical school. This is also money wasted because they are not giving themselves a strong chance to begin with. One has to be careful of entering such programs because they may come out as a sub-par health practitioner or whatever the field maybe. Even among PA programs there is a great divided from the ones with high stats and high clinical experience from the ones that have low stats and low clinical experience.

Why would the community college route be better for RN, if you mind me asking?

Because it won't cost you 60k for an ADN

 

[swollcat]

Tbh the OP is still better off doing a monster grade replacement for 3 years at the rate of fall, winter, spring, summer x3. RN programs at community colleges have become so impacted that many now employ lotterys. By the time OP does some minor gpa repair , gets into an RN program, graduates with an associates, and maybe works a year or two while upgrading to a BSN, it'll be somewhere upwards of 6 years down the road

 

[Grace184]

Always been a bright and talented kid but dealt with a lot of personal problems in my life stemming from family matters/trauma.

I got into the top university in the country but the first 3 years I struggled a lot with insecurity, loneliness, and lack of identity, which led me to do a lot of drugs resulting in a less than stellar gpa. Interestingly enough, after taking psychedelics and having the curtains drawn to reveal my insecurities and demons, I was able to better deal with my problems and finally found some stable spiritual and mental footing, leading me to have the best academic school year I've ever had.

Unfortunately, It came very late, and I am going into my 5th year in September with a gpa of 2.0 with terrible first year science grades and I have yet to take the MCAT. I maintain hope that I will one day become a doctor but at the moment I am not sure how to proceed.
Would staying as an undergrad to boost my gpa for a couple more year be a good option?

Feedback and advice would be very much appreciated.

Am I the only one who is concerned about the "years of drug use" and "pschadelics...that made you better able to deal with your demons?" I am by no means saying I, or anyone, is perfect, but trauma issues are a real and serious issue that need more help than mescaline. It's like playing whack-a-mole (remember that game at Chuck E Cheese?)- you may feel okay now but it will pop up again later if you don't address the issues plaguing your past. Fixing the 2.0 is great, but fixing what LED to the 2.0 should be first and foremost. If you can't take care of yourself now, doing so in med school, and especially caring for someone's life- will be impossible. I say this all with heartfelt intentions- get healthy first.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Because it won't cost you 60k for an ADN

Can a person with just an ADN enter a NP masters? I thought having a BSN was a requirement?

 

[swollcat]

Can a person with just an ADN enter a NP masters? I thought having a BSN was a requirement?

Albinohawk doesn't mean that literally. The OP should get their feet wet and minimize debt by getting a community college ADN with little risk. This is preferred over the accelerated BSN route where the OP could potentially fail out with upwards of 80k in debt given their poor academic history.

Best case scenario would be to become an RN on the cheap via an ADN and then subsequently go for their BSN with NP as the ultimate goal. But as I mentioned before, the OP will easily spend 10-12 years down this path so they're probably better off doing a DIY grade replacement and applying DO assuming they can get their act together. If not, there goes 12 years of futility

 

[kthxbai]

Ask yourself if YEARS of work are worth even getting into med school (so the real work can begin).

I suppose you could do it, but at what cost at this point?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I would be wary of those money making schemes. There are of course bottom of the barrel programs out there that OP could qualify for. However, this is no different than telling a person with a 3.0 and 22 MCAT that he/she has a chance for medical school. This is also money wasted because they are not giving themselves a strong chance to begin with. One has to be careful of entering such programs because they may come out as a sub-par health practitioner or whatever the field maybe. Even among PA programs there is a great divided from the ones with high stats and high clinical experience from the ones that have low stats and low clinical experience.

Why would the community college route be better for RN, if you mind me asking?

I suggested it because community college programs typically don't care about the bachelors grades, so there's a better chance to get in than trying for a university program.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Albinohawk doesn't mean that literally. The OP should get their feet wet and minimize debt by getting a community college ADN with little risk. This is preferred over the accelerated BSN route where the OP could potentially fail out with upwards of 80k in debt given their poor academic history.

Best case scenario would be to become an RN on the cheap via an ADN and then subsequently go for their BSN with NP as the ultimate goal. But as I mentioned before, the OP will easily spend 10-12 years down this path so they're probably better off doing a DIY grade replacement and applying DO assuming they can get their act together. If not, there goes 12 years of futility

The point AlbinoHawk DO was making that being a doctor was out of the picture and that OP should consider alternate plans. However, the work needed to even have a shot at an alternative plan would be work just as long if not longer than if OP did massive grade replacement. My point being if the quickest alternative plan is going to take 2 years, why not take 3 with full grade replacement and actually become a doctor. The only reason why I would see to agree with AlbinoHawk DO is if OP is going nowhere with the grades.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I suggested it because community college programs typically don't care about the bachelors grades, so there's a better chance to get in than trying for a university program.

If OP is okay with this route, then it is a viable alternative. If OP wants to pursue higher education, then OP would be better off doing massive grade replacement and going DO.

 

[Dares Dareson]

I've been instructed not to respond to trolls, but I'm curious, what is the "the top university in the country"?

 

[deleted436726]

I've been instructed not to respond to trolls, but I'm curious, what is the "the top university in the country"?

Colorado Mountain College - Leadville, which is situated at an elevation of 10,152 ft above sea level.

 

[The Real SVB]

I've been instructed not to respond to trolls, but I'm curious, what is the "the top university in the country"?

http://cambridgecommunitycollege.org

 

[Dreamstoo]

Even graduate school outside of healthcare have minimums of 3.0 which will take a ton of time without grade replacement. Nursing school have bare minimums of 2.5-3.0, which would still require 1.5 years of 4.0GPA (depending on credits). However, these are bare minimums and so realistically it would be more like 2 years at a 3.8 GPA to have fair shot at nursing. OP might as well do grade replacement in 3 years and have a shot at DO with a good MCAT.

I do agree there are other options, but OP has shut the door to the vast majority of them at the graduate level.

I would have to agree with this. A 2.5-3.0 is definitely the minimum of where you should be. I have a friend who currently was told by his PI who has influence over those who get influence on the PhD admissions that if he can bump his 2.3-2.4 GPA up to a 2.6-2.7 GPA, he can get him to work under him for a PhD. He's spending a few extra years in undergrad to bring up his grades in order to go that route (low GPA is due to many personal factors).

A sibling of mine had a 3.0-3.2 GPA from a top school for their field and did well on their graduate school exam in order to land in a top tier school. Sadly for medical school, a stellar MCAT score with a 3.0-3.2 GPA might not get the same results.

That GPA will have to become a 3.0+ GPA IMO even for alternative careers. GPA replacement is a good option if you are still interested in DO schools although it may take 3-4 years of retakes.

 

[Mad Jack]

I would have to agree with this. A 2.5-3.0 is definitely the minimum of where you should be. I have a friend who currently was told by his PI who has influence over those who get influence on the PhD admissions that if he can bump his 2.3-2.4 GPA up to a 2.6-2.7 GPA, he can get him to work under him for a PhD. He's spending a few extra years in undergrad to bring up his grades in order to go that route (low GPA is due to many personal factors).

A sibling of mine had a 3.0-3.2 GPA from a top school for their field and did well on their graduate school exam in order to land in a top tier school. Sadly for medical school, a stellar MCAT score with a 3.0-3.2 GPA might not get the same results.

That GPA will have to become a 3.0+ GPA IMO even for alternative careers. GPA replacement is a good option if you are still interested in DO schools although it may take 3-4 years of retakes.

Given that OP only made one post and hasn't been back since June 2nd, I'm betting they've figured it out.

 

[Spector1]

I'd look into a post bac