Semi-doomed

[SalaamPremed]

Hello, I am new on the board. I am a sophomore biology major at a grade deflating school, and I am really fretting about medical school admissions. My parents are struggling to send me here (financially), and I have a feeling that I will be sorely disappointing them if I do not get into at least a mid tier medical school. (At this point, I have basically given up my dream of going to a high tier medical school). One thing that really messed me up is that I did not take gen chem in freshman year (due to a fear of chemistry in high school). I am taking it now and will have to take orgo my junior year. That said, can I still make it into a US medical school without deferring? I will take my MCAT at the end of next year, with barely any time for preparation...

Stats:

Freshman Year GPA, semester 1: 3.51

Freshman Year GPA, semester 2: 2.889. I went through a personal crisis at this time, so my GPA dropped a lot. I still cringe when I see this GPA.

Sophomore Year GPA, semester 1: 3.500.

Science GPA: 3.14
Cumulative GPA: 3.35

Total credits: 40 (32 counted towards GPA).

Involved in biopsychology research and a few clubs (no leadership positions, trying to fix that for next year)

Is it better to defer? I would like to get into a top tier medical school (but that is really unrealistic at this point)... I am a female South Asian, and I think that it would definitely not go over well with my parents if I deferred.

Any input is appreciated. God bless and good luck to us all.

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[swimmergirl2010]

You're not doomed. Most med schools question your maturity at that age to begin with, and the GPA doesn't help. I'm not trying to preach, I'm in a similar situation except I've graduated college. At least you haven't accumulated too many credits and you have time to repair it! Some people are in your position after 4 or 5 years of undergrad and can't move their GPA up much, so they have to do a Master's program. You're not a failure for taking a year between undergrad and med school, you can still do something prestigious in that time, such as research or a Fulbright. Explain to your parents that your chances of getting into a better med school will increase if you can take the time to make your application the best it can be. Also, don't take the MCAT if you're not ready to take it. Try to take it only once (although many people take it multiple times). Good luck to you.

 

[SOMBound13]

Doing a glide year or gap year is a good idea because you're going to have to dilute those lower grades and get your GPA up.

As for your parents, you can use the financial excuse since they're already struggling to pay for undergrad. The app process is expensive....primaries, secondaries, last minute plane travel, hotels, taxis, etc. They certainly aren't going to want to pay for all of that twice, and they won't want to have an unsuccessful pricey attempt while also paying for senior year.

 

[Aerus]

Hello, I am new on the board. I am a sophomore biology major at a grade deflating school, and I am really fretting about medical school admissions. My parents are struggling to send me here (financially), and I have a feeling that I will be sorely disappointing them if I do not get into at least a mid tier medical school. (At this point, I have basically given up my dream of going to a high tier medical school). One thing that really messed me up is that I did not take gen chem in freshman year (due to a fear of chemistry in high school). I am taking it now and will have to take orgo my junior year. That said, can I still make it into a US medical school without deferring? I will take my MCAT at the end of next year, with barely any time for preparation...

Stats:

Freshman Year GPA, semester 1: 3.51

Freshman Year GPA, semester 2: 2.889. I went through a personal crisis at this time, so my GPA dropped a lot. I still cringe when I see this GPA.

Sophomore Year GPA, semester 1: 3.500.

Science GPA: 3.14
Cumulative GPA: 3.35

Total credits: 40 (32 counted towards GPA).

Involved in biopsychology research and a few clubs (no leadership positions, trying to fix that for next year)

Is it better to defer? I would like to get into a top tier medical school (but that is really unrealistic at this point)... I am a female South Asian, and I think that it would definitely not go over well with my parents if I deferred.

Any input is appreciated. God bless and good luck to us all.

Do a gap year and get a job to make some money. EC+$=two birds with one stone.

 

[SalaamPremed]

Thank you, everyone. I will definitely tell my parents about the gap year idea. I am a little confused about the application process, though. If I plan on taking a gap year, do I apply in the fall of my senior year, or can I apply later (maybe in the summer after senior year)? Also, when is the latest I can take the MCAT if I am going this route? Can I just forward my MCAT scores to the schools I am interested in?

 

[Goro]

First, grow a spine and pick a career that's right for you, NOT your parents. Otherwise, what will happen is halfway through medical school you'll either burn out, or commit "suicide by professor" (as opposed to "suicide by cop") and fail out.

Sadly, I've seen this happen too many times with my students.

A 3.5 is NOT going to get you into a top-tier school. A 3.8 will.

ANY medical school will make you a doctor, whether it's Rosy Franklin or Harvard.

If finances are a problem for the current school, try a CC for the first two years and then transfer. Or try a cheaper school.

Hello, I am new on the board. I am a sophomore biology major at a grade deflating school, and I am really fretting about medical school admissions. My parents are struggling to send me here (financially), and I have a feeling that I will be sorely disappointing them if I do not get into at least a mid tier medical school. (At this point, I have basically given up my dream of going to a high tier medical school). One thing that really messed me up is that I did not take gen chem in freshman year (due to a fear of chemistry in high school). I am taking it now and will have to take orgo my junior year. That said, can I still make it into a US medical school without deferring? I will take my MCAT at the end of next year, with barely any time for preparation...

Stats:

Freshman Year GPA, semester 1: 3.51

Freshman Year GPA, semester 2: 2.889. I went through a personal crisis at this time, so my GPA dropped a lot. I still cringe when I see this GPA.

Sophomore Year GPA, semester 1: 3.500.

Science GPA: 3.14
Cumulative GPA: 3.35

Total credits: 40 (32 counted towards GPA).

Involved in biopsychology research and a few clubs (no leadership positions, trying to fix that for next year)

Is it better to defer? I would like to get into a top tier medical school (but that is really unrealistic at this point)... I am a female South Asian, and I think that it would definitely not go over well with my parents if I deferred.

Any input is appreciated. God bless and good luck to us all.

 

[swimmergirl2010]

xxxxxx

 

[SOMBound13]

Thank you, everyone. I will definitely tell my parents about the gap year idea. I am a little confused about the application process, though. If I plan on taking a gap year, do I apply in the fall of my senior year, or can I apply later (maybe in the summer after senior year)? Also, when is the latest I can take the MCAT if I am going this route? Can I just forward my MCAT scores to the schools I am interested in?

If you do a gap year, then you'll apply in June right as you graduate from college. You do NOT apply during the fall of senior year. That is the same cycle as those who are applying after junior year. Applying during the fall is LATE.

The latest you should take your MCAT is about March of your senior year.

No, you don't send your MCAT scores to med schools. It will go to AMCAS who will send the scores to the schools that you apply to. This isn't like the SAT or ACT where you send scores directly to colleges. You will also send your transcripts to AMCAS. You don't send things to your schools except sending later updates.

Your parents may have no idea that the app process is as expensive as it can be. If you take a Kaplan class, that's $2,000. Doing primaries can be $1000. Doing secondaries can be another $1500-2000. Flying across the country for various interviews can be $500-1000 per visit (flight, hotel, taxis, food). Then there are "Second Looks" to pay for. The entire process can be $10,000. So, if your parents are stressing to pay for your undergrad, doing a glide year will have the add'l benefit of occuring when they won't be paying for tuition and you can be working to help pay for some of it.