Help!!!

[lilaznbballer06]

Hi, I am a junior at the moment with a cGPA of 2.5 and a sGPA of 2.1. Is there any way I could get in if I do well on my MCATs and bring my gpa up this coming year? Thanks in advance for any advice.

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[msion]

Depending on which cycle you are applying for. If you wait 'til your senior year and then apply with a better GPA, you will have a chance. Otherwise this coming application cycle is a little rush unless you did really well on the MCAT.

 

[bobdolerson]

Lemme get this right...

...You piddled around through years of undergrad, and are trying to get into a program that is exponentially more difficult to succeed in?

As for your question, maybe with a solid 30+ on the MCAT and a 4.0 (seriously, no less) you'll have a shot. The applicant pool is pretty slim, so you've always got /some/ chance...

More importantly, where did you "all of a sudden" find this new motivation to work much harder than you've demonstrated so far? For years and years no less...
It seems closer to the truth that you messed around and partied for a few years, and now you're either facing debt with no means to pay it off, or an uncertain future with the realization that you squandered a golden opportunity to test yourself against mediocre competition.

So you got the great idea to try an easy-to-get-in program (easy peasy) with an easy (not so much) path to riches (not so much)?

I would recommend rethinking your career goals, and finding something more suited to your apparent lack of motivation in school. Nothing against you as a person, but the academic requirements for succeeding in med school are intense, and I don't really see any sign that you're ready to even succeed in undergrad, much less a program that's much harder.

 

[lilaznbballer06]

Hi bobdolerson,

I will admit that I have done poorly my first 2 years as an undergrad...however, i did have to hold down a couple jobs to help pay for my tuition...but as of last year, I reassessed my career goals and looked into whether or not I would still like to pursue a medical career. In doing so I found out about podiatry, specifically that the requirements are lower than for medical school. Having found this out, I have been shadowing a podiatrist for about a year now and have been slowly bringing my gpa up. I will be taking the september mcats this year and plan to spend my senior year bringing my gpa up even more before applying for next year's application cycle. I just wanted to know if it was possible for me to get into a pod school if my gpa is a turnaround from from my first two years and i do well on my mcats, preferably a score of 30 or higher?

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Hi bobdolerson,

I will admit that I have done poorly my first 2 years as an undergrad...but as of last year, I rethought my career goals and looked into whether or not I would still like to pursue a medical career. In doing so I found out about podiatry, specifically that the requirements are lower than for medical school. Having found this out, I have been shadowing a podiatrist for about a year now and have been slowly bringing my gpa up. I will be taking the september mcats this year and plan to spend my senior year bringing my gpa up even more before applying for next year's application cycle. I just wanted to know if it was possible for me to get into a pod school if my gpa is a turnaround from from my first two years and i do well on my mcats, preferably a score of 30 or higher?

next year as in fall 2014 matriculation? That's a better idea.

Based on your GPA, you will need to take only upper level science courses next year, and get A's in all of them. I'm not kidding. I don't know what you've taken, but next year take biochemistry, genetics, cell phys, micro, histology, physical chemistry, I mean, as many upper level courses as you can get your hands on and then get A's in them. This is what podiatry school WILL be like, and this is what your GPA tells the ADCOMs - can you handle the course load. Right now, the answer is a resounding no.

I don't think you're capable of getting a 30 MCAT, unless you went out of your way to get a poor GPA, with that said, start studying yesterday for the september MCAT and put in AT LEAST 4 hours a day for the next 4 months.

Do you really want it?

 

[bobdolerson]

Turnarounds do happen, but I think you may be underestimating the difficulty of graduate school.

Having lower requirements for admittance don't really correlate to an easier time in school.

As a recommendation that's as much for you to get a better understanding of grad school as well as show admissions a genuine change of motivation, I'd take a helluvalot of upper level sciences for your remaining tenure, and focus on completely dominating them (as in, solid As). If that's something you can't or won't do, then look for a different choice of career (honestly, the last thing you need is that much debt when you don't want to keep going)

I don't think it's impossible for you to get in, but it will be an uphill battle, and you'll need to make top-notch grades with everything to do from here on out.

 

[bmhsacosta]

I am an example of someone who screwed up incredibly early in my undergraduate career. While I do try to be optimistic about your chances I cannot with honesty tell you that your numbers will get you into podiatry school. It seems as though you have determined to raise your GPA at a point when it has become too late in the game to do so. I am assuming you are a Junior coming into your Senior year and I don't believe you realize the amount of grade points (provided you even receive A's, sometimes your plan to do better doesn't pan out like you think) needed to raise your GPA even .1 at this point in your undergraduate career. My best piece of advice for you would be to start thinking about a post bacc program to try and raise your GPA quite a bit more and take the MCAT at some point this year (if you are ready) to see where you stand. Goodluck to you and hopefully you have seriously changed your study habits.

 

[bobdolerson]

To give you an idea as to just where your grades stand, there are threads here constantly about the frustration many have with the low standards of admittance, and if you look at most any "what are my chances?!!?" thread, most all of them end with "yeah, you'll prolly get in, admission standards are low".

To put your grades in perspective, this is the first post I've seen where I think your chances are slim.

I don't say this to be rude or mean, or put salt in the wounds, I'm only saying this to say that /because/ the standards are so low, that being at the low end of /those/ is a tough place to be, and will likely take far more effort than you understand just to get to the bottom of "acceptable".

Not impossible, but like the previous poster said, you may want to look for a post-bacc program and concentrate on getting As over and over and over.

You have a long long road ahead, so good luck and godspeed.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

To give you an idea as to just where your grades stand, there are threads here constantly about the frustration many have with the low standards of admittance, and if you look at most any "what are my chances?!!?" thread, most all of them end with "yeah, you'll prolly get in, admission standards are low".

To put your grades in perspective, this is the first post I've seen where I think your chances are slim.

I don't say this to be rude or mean, or put salt in the wounds, I'm only saying this to say that /because/ the standards are so low, that being at the low end of /those/ is a tough place to be, and will likely take far more effort than you understand just to get to the bottom of "acceptable".

Not impossible, but like the previous poster said, you may want to look for a post-bacc program and concentrate on getting As over and over and over.

You have a long long road ahead, so good luck and godspeed.

 

[bmhsacosta]

To give you an idea as to just where your grades stand, there are threads here constantly about the frustration many have with the low standards of admittance, and if you look at most any "what are my chances?!!?" thread, most all of them end with "yeah, you'll prolly get in, admission standards are low".

To put your grades in perspective, this is the first post I've seen where I think your chances are slim.

I don't say this to be rude or mean, or put salt in the wounds, I'm only saying this to say that /because/ the standards are so low, that being at the low end of /those/ is a tough place to be, and will likely take far more effort than you understand just to get to the bottom of "acceptable".

Not impossible, but like the previous poster said, you may want to look for a post-bacc program and concentrate on getting As over and over and over.

You have a long long road ahead, so good luck and godspeed.

I would definitely take bobdolerson's advice, including that of the difficulty of podiatry school. He is a current pod student, while I am just starting next year (so I have no idea the horrors in store for me lol.). He generally has well thought out posts and wouldn't tell you something just to break you down.

 

[amaprez]

Since he's a junior already, it's going to that much HARDER to pull his gpa upwards. Even if he were to get straight A's in science classes for his entire senior year, if he already has 100+ units, would it be enough to get him past 2.5 sgpa by graduation? I'm too lazy to calculate it right now It's understandable that someone with poor grades discovers podiatry's low entrance requirements and is like ! But if you're a beyond borderline student, what are the chances that you will be able to step your game up and do drastically better in a much more difficult environment than undergrad? Only you can really answer this question.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Since he's a junior already, it's going to that much HARDER to pull his gpa upwards. Even if he were to get straight A's in science classes for his entire senior year, if he already has 100+ units, would it be enough to get him past 2.5 sgpa by graduation? I'm too lazy to calculate it right now It's understandable that someone with poor grades discovers podiatry's low entrance requirements and is like ! But if you're a beyond borderline student, what are the chances that you will be able to step your game up and do drastically better in a much more difficult environment than undergrad? Only you can really answer this question.

I bet if the OP got straight A's next year in upper level science courses and a 30 MCAT he/she'd get in. The GPA wouldn't matter as long as he/she can show he/she can handle pod school..

 

[Ferocity]

Your science GPA is really hurting you. You'll be able to pull up your cumulative GPA to a 2.8'ish which realistically puts you at the bottom of the barrel, but at least gives some chance. If you really ace your upcoming science courses, I'd imagine that you should be able to pull your sGPA up to ~2.6.

So if you do manage to pull of the above, you still probably wont get in UNLESS... you score at minimum a 29 on the MCAT. At that point, I would say that getting an interview is within the realm of possibility (assuming that your letters of rec and personal statement are excellent).

Long story short, bust your ass in school, take the MCAT and see where you stand. If you can't meet the conditions above, then I would either consider a different career path or shine in a post-bac program.

 

[SuperFeisty]

I absolutely agree with Anklebreaker. Hope isn't lost for the OP. I myself had a bottom of the barrel experience (actual bottom 10% of my majors). I turned it around junior and senior years. While it is hard to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, coming out the other side leaves u with a burning passion to excel (or work at McDonalds, depending on what kind of person you are). There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing a postbac. I worked 2 years full time while taking postbac courses. It definitely made me more competitive and prepped me as best I could for pod school. Also, if you're a graduate of a top university, they WILL look at that. Don't be afraid to take time off; 4 years undergrad + 4 years pod school is exhausting if you go straight through without supreme motivation.