GPA Damage Control

[BigBoi]

Wow! SDN is indeed therapeutic! (at least after several posts that mirror my situation) Anyway greetings to everyone, I'm a newbie to SDN and I look forward to having a great time and discovering a wealth of information as well.
So this is my situation: (Damn, I can't believe I'm doing this but here goes)
I'm 33, with four years of military service under my belt. I got out of the service in 'O3 and since been trying to school, with part-time to full time job all along. I did a year at a CC then transfered to a 4 yr University. At the CC, of all the courses I took (36cr in one year), I got B's and A's in all non science courses and C's in Biol 100 and Micro; oh yes and I got B in Gen Chem I then an F in Gen Chem II . After I transfered, I retook Gen Chem II, had to take a molecular bio-based Biol 100 and lab got a C's in them. I retook the Bio's and got B's. Then I took Ochem I 2x, C-B in lec but C in lab, Phys I, C, Genetics C with some W's in between, some semester withdrawals. My overall GPA is 2.69 (again still working full time, got mortgage, bills up my aDamn! Now mind you I did great in HS sciences, I was a star on my school Quiz (or meet the challenge) team. I've experimented with several majors (all along working in health care-Nursing home/Assisted Living and now with Pysch patients) and I'm resolved to finish up with Biology degree. I have up to 100+ credits with a 2.69 GPA
I'm really loving the whole flow of Psychiatry. What do I do

1. GPA Repair:
-I'm considering going back to retake ALL the courses that got C's in to bring them to at least A's. My rational here is that even if I get out with some degree, I'd have to go back and do the same damage control. I couldn't enter a MS program with such low GPA anyway.
-I also thought about switching school and starting fresh with new focus.
I need to do this. I need ADVICES and some constructive criticisms.
I'd also appreciate some advice on other LEARNING approaches to the sciences

So I'd appreciate y'all honest views, strategies, especially from those who may have been similar situation (which I doubt) and rose out of it and succeeded.

Help Pleeeeeeeeease!!!!!!!!!

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[Cherrypoopers]

What is your educational goal?

 

[BigBoi]

MD/DO
My mind is made up now more than ever.

 

[Cherrypoopers]

Don't do retakes of bio/chem/math courses if you got at least a C. Take upper levels of bio/chem/math. Get As. Take courses until you at least get over a 3.0, preferably much higher than that around a 3.7, but do what you can do. Beat up the MCATs. If you have to, then do an SMP.

Also, don't work fulltime while taking courses.

Focus, you are are not going to do better than average just because you were a smart kid in high school.

 

[BigBoi]

Ok, thanks. I'll consider that.

 

[Blade28]

You've got a way to go if your GPA is 2.69 and you're shooting for an MD school. They don't replace grades like DO schools, but instead count both the original and retaken grade - so it's harder to pull up your GPA.

I agree that an SMP may be a good idea - and you definitely need to rock the MCAT!

While I greatly appreciate your military service and you've certainly had your share of hardships while going through school, please bear in mind that many of us have also had less-than-ideal studying circumstances during undergrad. I worked 40 hours/week all 4 years of undergrad and had to struggle like crazy to keep up my grades.

Best of luck.

 

[Nasem]

well, if your going to retake classes, that will help you, esspecially if your applying to DO programs (not MD tho)

Based on your story, I assume you'll need to retake any where from 15 to 20 classes, if your going to do it part time, this will take... I dunno... another 2-4 years (depends on how "part-time" you go), if you go full time to school, maybe less than 2 years...

Honestly, the best advice we can tell you is to directly call / contact every medical school that you are interested to attend, ask to speak to an admission advisor and tell him/her your whole story, they'll best advice you on what to do

 

[BigBoi]

No, actually only eight courses I'd have to retake not including the two/three from the CC I transfered which I'm not even bothering about. But one problem is I think my school has this weird policy where you can't retake a lower course of A sequence after doing an upper course of the same sequence. Do you guys really think it makes any difference especially when there's nothing stopping you from registering?

 

[Valvool]

I have a couple of C's, one in biochemistry and one in General Chemistry II (I got A's in both organics, which counterbalances this to an extent), and I had an F in Physics II. Physics II is the only course I retook (for an A). Other than that I just took different science courses and did well in those, rather than retaking my C courses. My overall GPA is 3.6 but my science GPA is 3.1. I've had two acceptances (both MD and DO) and one waitlist and I'm waiting to hear from one more school at which I interviewed. The C's aren't the kiss of death in my opinion, just do well in future science courses.

 

[BubbleHead]

You will need to finish-up something and call it done. Get the degree and take the MCAT. If you get in the low 20s like I suspect, you'll need to consider DO or FMG (Ross, St. George's, etc...) otherwise you'll spend your whole life retaking courses to fix your GPA. Nothing gets any easier from here on, Med School is much tougher than Pre-Med courses, and Residency is 60-80 hours/week at work, then you study when you're home.

So, no more excuses, not to anyone including yourself. Medicine is for the very few self-centered people that can exclude everything in order to push themselves beyond normal limits in the name of helping other people.

If you were active duty, then you understand how your job is your only true focus. If you were deployed, then you get the idea of what type of full on, nothing else matters commitment Medicine really needs to become for you.

 

[Blade28]

Great post above.

 

[bcl2life]

Have you thought about research? I know for at least the non-traditional students, success in research equates to future success in other walks in life.