pursuing an MD

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kate daniels

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I just want a honest answer. I have always thought about becoming a doctor but I'm scared I won't get into medical school, or that I'm not good or smart enough for medicine. I already have a bachelor's degree in psychology and I have taken all my prerequisites for med school. However my grade trend fluctuates alot. One semester I got a 3.7 the next it's a 2.9 then a 4.0 etc. In the end my cumulative GPA is a 3.4. I thought if a got a master's degree in biomedical science and did very well then I may still have a chance is this true? Should I still keep trying or should I consider something else.

I already took a year off because I was debating whether I should still pursue a career as a physician. I just want to know if my odds of getting into medical school good.

Here are my grades for prerequisite courses:

General bio 1 - B
General bio 2- A
Gen chm 1- B-
Gen chm - B
Orgo 1- A
Orgo 2- B+
Physics 1 - B
Physics 2- B-

I also took some upper level science course Work but a got a C's.

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It depends what you want to do. Are you looking at competitive med schools/specialties? Take a post bacc (masters in biochem would work, but you need to do extremely well). If not, you could likely apply to DO schools provided you do some research on the philosophy of osteopathic medicine and figure it's right for you. I also think you need to shadow doctors because it doesn't sound like you're 100% set on medicine right now. Figure out if you really want to do it before doing the other stuff.
 
How do you know you want to be a doctor? Have you investigated the DO option or are you only interested in MD? Have you spent anytime reading this forum? Your GPA now is below average for MD. What about the MCAT?have you taken it? Cs in upper level science classes are not good. You need to start getting As in every course you take. But first go work in a hospital! Go shadow some docs! See if you really want to be a doc-if you have the passion for medicine that you will need!
 
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I had the same exact GPA as you and I got into a US MD school, so yes, it is possible. No, I didn't do any additional degrees.

If you're not 100% sure you want to be a doctor, don't go. You need to be 100% sure.
 
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If you really want to be a doctor, then yes you should still try and pursue it. As the other posters mentioned, you haven't said anything about your MCAT scores, which can help offset the GPA.

Having Cs in upper level science courses can be looked at quite negatively by the adcoms, especially since all the classes you will be taking in medical school will be "upper level". Have you taken biochem?

In terms of pursuing a masters, I would definitely consider looking into an SMP, especially one in which you are taking classes alongside the medical students. It shows that you can handle the rigors of medical school and work hard. Doing well on the MCAT and doing extremely well in the SMP (no fluctuations in your grades, get all A's/Honors) will give you a better shot at getting into MD school. If not, I would suggest considering DO.
 
Your uneven level of performance makes you a high risk candidate in a conservative seller's market.

I suggest a post-bac or SMP, preferably one given by a med school. Ace these and do well on MCAT and you'll be a competitive candidate. Get in all the required ECs as well.
 
Actually, I think you have a fair shot at med school. If this is something you're serious about, you have options. And did you mention your MCAT score? I couldn't find it in the thread.
 
Thanks for the advice... And no I have not taken the MCATS yet. I noticed a lot posts talks about SMP or post baccalaureate, so a graduate degree in biomedical science would not help?
 
Graduate degrees don't usually help! For MD schools they don't impact your GPA at all and many schools feel graduate school grades are greatly inflated. So your only options should be a SMP or a post bac! I think DO schools might average graduate grades with the undergrad grades! But I'm not sure and you'd have to research that! Have you looked into DO schools? It is very hard to offer advice when we don't know your MCAT. When are you thinking about taking it?
 
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