MD & DO Is a concentration in Diabetes worth it?

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

So.... I have a Associate in Applied Sciences and a 3.0 GPA......

Gotten nothing but straight A's the last two semesters. Now I'm going to a University (transferring).
There I plan to get a Bachelors in Biology and a Concentration in Diabetes.... also, I lack all math/chemistry courses and probably have three years ahead of me instead of 2, making a sudden career change here. I'm young (22) so time isn't a major worry.... but I need to bring that GPA up now that I'm serious about med school, should I put in the time and effort into getting a concentration in diabetes (which I'm very interested in) or should I put it off or just not do it.. because it might hurt my chances and result in a lower GPA due to more coursework?


(I should add that most of my courses are career specific courses and I have a few 90%+ B's on my record and 2 80%+ C's on my record).... and furthermore.... I was a bad student at one point and got two D's in a semester in intro to chem and AP 2, also got hurt.. took 16 credits and other stuff that semester........ retook AP 2 now got A......

I've got my personal life in shape so I think I can ace this diabetes stuff.... but should I lay off.... I mean clearly I have some serious GPA rebuilding to do, and pre-reqs to take

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[Spirit of the Student Doc]

Also, I haven't spoken to any pre-med advisors yet.... I will once I start classes in the Fall.

 

[tarheel1408]

I think the important thing here is to do GPA repair. In the eyes of adcoms, which subject specifically you study isn't quite as important as how much you excel in your field of study. If you are very interested in diabetes and think that it will help you stay focused and do well in class, then I would suggest you do it. If you want to take a lot of classes about diabetes because it will look good to medical schools, then I would advise against it.

 

[Spirit of the Student Doc]

I think the important thing here is to do GPA repair. In the eyes of adcoms, which subject specifically you study isn't quite as important as how much you excel in your field of study. If you are very interested in diabetes and think that it will help you stay focused and do well in class, then I would suggest you do it. If you want to take a lot of classes about diabetes because it will look good to medical schools, then I would advise against it.

That seems fair and sensible.

I feel like I can ace these courses, but I can take twice as many random easy courses that will boost my GPA more and require little to no effort. Therefore, I'm on the fence..... Med school itself will probably cover this stuff anyway so I'm leaning on the load up on a ton of easy courses option at the moment.

Thanks for the response

 

[487806]

So.... I have a Associate in Applied Sciences and a 3.0 GPA......

Gotten nothing but straight A's the last two semesters. Now I'm going to a University (transferring).
There I plan to get a Bachelors in Biology and a Concentration in Diabetes.... also, I lack all math/chemistry courses and probably have three years ahead of me instead of 2, making a sudden career change here. I'm young (22) so time isn't a major worry.... but I need to bring that GPA up now that I'm serious about med school, should I put in the time and effort into getting a concentration in diabetes (which I'm very interested in) or should I put it off or just not do it.. because it might hurt my chances and result in a lower GPA due to more coursework?


(I should add that most of my courses are career specific courses and I have a few 90%+ B's on my record and 2 80%+ C's on my record).... and furthermore.... I was a bad student at one point and got two D's in a semester in intro to chem and AP 2, also got hurt.. took 16 credits and other stuff that semester........ retook AP 2 now got A......

I've got my personal life in shape so I think I can ace this diabetes stuff.... but should I lay off.... I mean clearly I have some serious GPA rebuilding to do, and pre-reqs to take

Diabetes concentration sounds like a complete waste of time, because you'll learn enough (or self-study) through physio, cell bio and biochem courses (which I figure you already have taken).

The 3.0 is low, so retake any coursework that are C's or below and apply to DO. Though make sure you do well in remaining prereqs and do well on the MCAT (30's your aim, but 27-29 is also good).