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Boy am I jealous!
Well, I wish you good luck, Both you and the missus.
Sunny...
Well, I wish you good luck, Both you and the missus.
Sunny...
Crake said:Wait? You got expelled, had a 2.6 undergrad GPA and you managed to land 6 interviews? You say your MCAT alone wasn't sufficient to get into BU SMP so what's the story? Do you have a Ph.D. or a Nobel Prize or what? I'm not saying you're lying, I'm just stunned that you got that kind of reaction with those numbers.
liverotcod said:I have that most delicious of all problems: trying to decide among a host of good things. It's like the terminally delicious brunch buffet at the Jefferson Hotel here in Richmond.
I don't know. Wisconsin is closest to family and is "home" for both me and my wife. We really want our kids to be closer to family. Minnesota is still a possibility too, at least until they reject me . Meanwhile, I'm fantasizing about the Pitt scholarship. EVMS is pretty unlikely, I guess. I'm going to sit down with my wife tonight or tomorrow and cull the list to release some positions for wait listers.
junebuguf said:...now with improved sudsing action to rinse clean even the filthiest of gpas.
I'm on crack... Anyway, I noticed that it had been a while since the old low gpa thread had been in significant use, so I thought I would start up a new one with info/advice for those of us with bad undergrad gpas. It might be useful to identify yourself with stats for comparative purposes. Let me start the cleansing:
Myself:
University of Florida undergrad. Graduated in 2001 with the following numbers:
ugad cumulative gpa: 2.24
undergrad BCMP: 2.68
Since then, completed 10 graduate credits and 32 post-bacc credits (basically, retook all the pre-reqs) with a an overall gpa of 3.97. Now my numbers are: AMCAS ugad gpa:2.70 AMCAS BCMP: 3.06
Progress in gpa has been slow, but moved up quite a bit since graduation.
I'm planning on completing another post-bacc year, taking the April 2005 MCAT and then possibly doing an SMP program (Georgetown, BU, Finch).
For all the other low gpa'ers, speak up! Lets hear numbers, stories, plans for the future, where you plan to apply, when you plan to apply.... Keep up the faith. Its a long road to overcome a poor undergrad performance, but it can be done!!!
You might have better luck in the Pre-Dental or International Dental forums on this site. Most of us here are more familiar with medical school issuesl.hettis said:
Hi,
I really need help in my career. I am a Foreign Dental Grad with the most horrible GPA anyone could have, 1.89. I have lost all hopes to do a Master's here in US. Is there any way I could do a masters in the dental field or any science fields? Ihave no clue what to do. Looks like I am wasting my life here. Please advice me what to do about my horrible GPA and how to make the board people overlook it. I would really appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Hetti
Congrats lightnk102! It's great to see all these low GPA success stories!lightnk102 said:As the application season winds down, I figured I'd add my story to the growing list (especially since it now has a happy ending!).
Started auspiciously at UPenn as a Bio major with a 3.5 GPA at the end of freshman year, and was told by the premed advisor there that I'd never get into medical school . Went home. Cried. Came back and decided to add a second major as a safety net in case I didn't get into med school. This major (Computer Science) then proceeded to ensure that I would never get into med school by sinking my GPA down to a grand low of 2.3 my spring semester junior year (including 1 failed class). Gave up on medicine. Interned at an investment bank that summer. Finished up my college education in 2001. Never took the MCAT. Worked in consulting with ACN in New York City for a little while. Great money and lifestyle, but had a slight nagging feeling that cubicle-dwelling wasn't a good career-of-choice. I left the consulting firm and matriculated into BU's SMP program in 2003. Was laughed at by an advisor at BU who asked me why I was wasting my time with medical school. Graduated from BU's SMP with a 3.6. Same advisor who laughed at me at the beginning of the year then offered to write me a recommendation. Applied to med school this cycle with a cum of 3.14 and a BCPM of 3.01. Took the August MCAT's, scored 36S. Found job at Children's Hosp. writing code to analyze microarray data. Volunteered abroad (and now want to do international health and practice medicine in developing countries). 10+ interviews later, I have 4 acceptances in hand, and am trying to choose between Jefferson and BU. Hurrah!
My dad: "Well. I have to say. This whole thing has turned out better than what I expected from you."
Me: "Aw, thanks dad."
It's curious, too, because in general private schools have better advising resources than public, and I hadn't heard horror stories about UPenn, or any other Ivy League school for that matter. Certainly my Harvard advising team (!) has been absolutely fantastic to work with, even 10 years out from graduation. It's one of the definite benefits of "exclusive" private colleges, IMHO.Phil Anthropist said:Congrats lightnk102! It's great to see all these low GPA success stories!
Two random observations:
(1)Parents are very odd creatures. They always find the exact wrong words to say. Support...is that so much to ask?
(2) The boldfaced statement above strengthens my belief that the vast majority of premed advisors haven't the slightest clue what they are talking about.
Phil Anthropist said:SDN >>>>>> my undergrad premed advising
liverotcod said:It is my belief that there are very real knowledge and confidence benefits to be gained by having role models/coaches from further along in the process. For example, I remember reading all about exmike's progress and finding it a source of relief and of tips for my own application. Even though there are many differences: for example, he is a researcher and I have no research at all.
....
It's curious, too, because in general private schools have better advising resources than public, and I hadn't heard horror stories about UPenn, or any other Ivy League school for that matter. Certainly my Harvard advising team (!) has been absolutely fantastic to work with, even 10 years out from graduation. It's one of the definite benefits of "exclusive" private colleges, IMHO.
Maybe lightnk102 just got unlucky.
lightnk102 said:Thanks everyone .
Regardless. In my thank you Oscar-style speech , I'd have to thank my parents (for their support, however grudging), cammy1313 (for making the BU SMP program that much more bearable, and for introducing me to SDN. Curse you!), SDN (for causing hours of neuroses on top of being a fountain of information), and of course - exmike, who was utterly indispensable and has amazing amounts of patience for neurotically insane girls who talk too much and bother him online when he's trying to study for exams.
lightnk102 said:Thanks everyone .
I've actually struggled with UPenn for a long time (as have some of my friends). I had a tough time getting them to write my committee letter, and I eventually flew to Philadelphia from Boston just to make sure they'd write one since it was required. The explanation I gave myself was that private schools tend to be more statistics-oriented, so they discourage the borderline applicants. It's fantastic that Harvard's been so supportive!
Also, it wouldn't be fair for me to write my story without mentioning exmike.
Mike and I go waaay back to his freshman days at Hopkins, when he'd buy Snapple at the school store and toss in an extra one for me. These days, he still doles out the "Best stuff on earth", except in the form of med school advice. Ever since we got back in touch while I was at BU's SMP and he was at Georgetown's, he's been nothing short of amazing. He gave me hours of help with choosing schools to apply to (my biggest regret is not listening to him when he told me to apply to Case. he reserves the right to say "i told you so"), he predicted my MCAT score (and I laughed in his face. Guess who laughs now in my face?), and he provided even more hours of emotional support during the anguished waiting period between the August MCAT scores coming out and the interviews rolling in. I was simultaneously surprised and not surprised when I first logged onto SDN in October, and found him lurking around these parts as well, with a helping hand when necessary.
Regardless. In my thank you Oscar-style speech , I'd have to thank my parents (for their support, however grudging), cammy1313 (for making the BU SMP program that much more bearable, and for introducing me to SDN. Curse you!), SDN (for causing hours of neuroses on top of being a fountain of information), and of course - exmike, who was utterly indispensable and has amazing amounts of patience for neurotically insane girls who talk too much and bother him online when he's trying to study for exams.
mvrd said:I just have to say that you all are my heros!
I too have an abyssmal undergrad GPA of 2.79, science GPA about the same. I also have an MPH-in Epidemiolgy (GPA 3.47) and work doing research with lots of publishings. I also have shadowed several doctors as well as worked with several clinicians. I am taking my MCATs soon and scoring in the mid 30s on practice tests. My fear is; I wont even be looked at any US schools, I also fear that I wont even be looked at Caribbean schools. I am 26 now and really hoping to be a phsysician. Although the idea of a post bacc sounds wonderful, I wonder if I can get into one of those and start this fall! What do you guys think I should do? Plz help!
Hello mrvd!mvrd said:I just have to say that you all are my heros!
I too have an abyssmal undergrad GPA of 2.79, science GPA about the same. I also have an MPH-in Epidemiolgy (GPA 3.47) and work doing research with lots of publishings. I also have shadowed several doctors as well as worked with several clinicians. I am taking my MCATs soon and scoring in the mid 30s on practice tests. My fear is; I wont even be looked at any US schools, I also fear that I wont even be looked at Caribbean schools. I am 26 now and really hoping to be a phsysician. Although the idea of a post bacc sounds wonderful, I wonder if I can get into one of those and start this fall! What do you guys think I should do? Plz help!
There are always postbac programs of some sort (see my post above). Check out the career changer programs on the AAMC postbaccalaureate website. I'm not too familiar with career-changer postbac programs, but I do know that some are designed to be completed in one year. Some even have strong linkages, but sometimes this requires a certain undergrad GPA and even SAT/ACT scores. You'll have to check the linkages for each program to see the specifics.ms6 said:I'm worried about not getting accepted into a post-bac program. What kinds of programs should I look into. I want to take the MCAT next april 2006. Are there programs geared to people that need to finish the post-bac credits in a year?
Finish your JC courses that you're currently enrolled in, but after that, you need to take courses at a 4-yr school if possible. Fair or not, some med schools frown on coursework taken at 2-yr schools.ms6 said:What do you all think? Should I continue to finish my pre-meds at the JC, or should i opt for something more structured.
It's worth a shot. And congrats! Also, don't forget to consider osteopathic schools--these tend to be somewhat more forgiving than allo schools with low GPAs. You've got Touro and Western in Cali.ms6 said:The other issue I have, is that i'm getting married next summer, and it will be difficult for me to take the August Mcat... which is why i'm opting for April. Is one year enough time to boost up my resume? and get in to 'a' school in the US?
organicmatter said:I'm a third year medical student in the upper 1/3 of my class who scored a 230 on Step I of the boards (average was a 217 or so). My undergraduate GPA was a 2.3, I kid you not, and my science GPA was even lower. When I graduated from college I kissed a career in medicine goodbye.
But I went to graduate school and busted my ass. I also gained experience in the real world as a teacher and busted my ass. I then retook some undergraduate requisites (ochem and physics) and busted my ass. Then I studied for the MCAT and REALLY busted my ass. It's all about busting one's ass. If you want it badly enough, and you're reasonably intelligent, medical school is within reach.
jbcarlso said:Thank you to everyone for sharing your stories. My first two years of school were pretty much a disaster. My overall GPA for those years is 1.8 with about 56 credit hours in an Engineering program. I simply wasn't motivated to study, didn't go to many classes, and one semester I didn't go to any classes but didn't drop them either (yep, all Fs). I started fresh at a different school as a Freshman and graduated with a 3.6 in Computer Science. My decision to pursue medicine came after graduation, at which time I enrolled as a post-bac at another school and took care of my pre-reqs with a 4.0. I've got plenty of extra-curricular experiences: teaching assistant for 3 years, black belt martial artist, EMT and subsequent volunteer and work experience, even a publication in Mathematical Biology (cancer modeling), all of which came after my lackluster two year college debut. I'm set to rock the MCATs this April and I have three very strong letters so far. My grades obviously show a strong upward trend, but I'm worried that my application my get screened out if schools automatically discard apps with GPAs below, say, 3.5. Do you think I'll be fairly competitive in spite of a full two years of terrible performance? I was 18-19 years old when that happened and I'm an entirely different person now at age 26, something I intend to mention briefly in my personal statement (I intend to concentrate on the positive rather than dwell on the negative). Thank you all again for your insights and advice.
Best,
Jon
Thanks for the tip, but I didn't see a doctor for my depression either. It was just kind of a rough time with family and personal situations in a new and rather unsupportive environment; the last thing I was ready to do was apply myself to my studies. However, I jumped back on my feet and have been there ever since. Also, I think I'm required to report those grades even if they get expunged from the transcript, as per the AMCAS application packet insturctions...although that begs the question of how they would ever find out given that the grades are no longer on the transcript. In any case, if the AdCom takes a good look at my application I'll be at least somewhat competitive. My main concern is that they'll see the CUM GPA and not take a second look.imrep1972 said:I had never heard of this, but my post-bac prof suggested it to me. I looked into it and appealed my grades. I was not successful, personally, but if you have a legit reason for not going (ie, medical... were you depressed, did you see a doctor? - I didn't), you might be able to convince your school to drop those grades from your transcript and significantly improve your GPA.
Just a thought.
Good luck.
jbcarlso said:Thanks for the tip, but I didn't see a doctor for my depression either. It was just kind of a rough time with family and personal situations in a new and rather unsupportive environment; the last thing I was ready to do was apply myself to my studies. However, I jumped back on my feet and have been there ever since. Also, I think I'm required to report those grades even if they get expunged from the transcript, as per the AMCAS application packet insturctions...although that begs the question of how they would ever find out given that the grades are no longer on the transcript. In any case, if the AdCom takes a good look at my application I'll be at least somewhat competitive. My main concern is that they'll see the CUM GPA and not take a second look.
Best,
Jon
jbcarlso said:Thanks for the tip, but I didn't see a doctor for my depression either. It was just kind of a rough time with family and personal situations in a new and rather unsupportive environment; the last thing I was ready to do was apply myself to my studies. However, I jumped back on my feet and have been there ever since. Also, I think I'm required to report those grades even if they get expunged from the transcript, as per the AMCAS application packet insturctions...although that begs the question of how they would ever find out given that the grades are no longer on the transcript. In any case, if the AdCom takes a good look at my application I'll be at least somewhat competitive. My main concern is that they'll see the CUM GPA and not take a second look.
Best,
Jon
I had a 3.0 GPA, then decided to go to graduate school, bailed out after my MS... Then did some research and went to a midwest Med School. From there back to cali for residency. If you want to go to med school, GO ANYWHERE!!! It is only four years and you can get to know a new city. Best of luck.mR LaZy said:anyone with low gpas, made a comeback and got into california schools?
ORS said:I had a 3.0 GPA, then decided to go to graduate school, bailed out after my MS... Then did some research and went to a midwest Med School. From there back to cali for residency. If you want to go to med school, GO ANYWHERE!!! It is only four years and you can get to know a new city. Best of luck.
In general, more recent coursework is given more weight than old coursework, especially if many years have passed. But in some cases, schools won't look past the cumulative GPA to see that level of detail.blankguy said:Do medical schools in general stress recent coursework or do they weigh it equally with course that you took undergrad a while back?
very true, that is why personal statements are important!liverotcod said:In general, more recent coursework is given more weight than old coursework, especially if many years have passed. But in some cases, schools won't look past the cumulative GPA to see that level of detail.
DO is same thing ... consider it and good luck. I have the same issues with career vs. family but if you want to make it work somehow you will.jeepney said:Another factor is the family vs. career thing. I want to start a family eventually and because of family history (cousin with Down syndrome, younger brother has autism) I do not want to start too late. That is part of the reason I'm seriously considering going to the Carribean if I'm rejected from post-bac programs. If that weren't too much of a worry I'd be happy to spend years of post-bac before starting med school in the US. My boyfriend has been trying to get me to consider doing DO. I'm starting to do some research on it, don't know too much about it yet. Not sure what to do.
Thanks for reading.
liverotcod said:jeepney, have you considered starting your family now or within a year or two, possibly while working on a masters, and then starting medical school a little later after the kids are born? Not exactly by choice, I'm starting med school at age 37 with my eldest in kindergarten. I don't feel bad about where I am.
jeepney said:Want to first start off by saying I'm so glad I found this forum and this thread. All of you have given me a little hope and tons of information. I'm a little lost right now.
I'm embarrassed to post about my past academic performance. I won't even show my boyfriend my transcripts. I started my college education back in '97 at a junior college. I was a totally different person back then, didn't give a crap about my future and only went to school so my parents wouldn't cut me off. I shouldn't have even bothered. Long story short, I ended up on academic probation and was dismissed from junior college. I think my GPA at the time was 0.0, no joke. Tons of F's and W's.
My academic counselor felt sorry for me (family problems and in retrospect I was probably depressed) and readmitted me the term following the dismissal. I saw my future going nowhere and started working a little harder. Eventually transferred to a state university as a psych major.
I am finally graduating this June as a double major, bio/psych. My GPA is now a 2.98, will be above a 3.0 hopefully by the end of this term. My GPA' s the past few years have ranged from 3.3-3.9 each term. I did about 2 years of research in a neurolab, got a research grant during that time from NIMH, volunteered at county for a few months.
Applied last year not expecting to get in anywhere and I was correct in my prediction. Have taken the MCAT twice. 8B, 7B, 11V the first time. 10B, 7P, 11V the second time. I am pondering whether or not to take it a third time and try to improve my physical science score, but physics is the bane of my existence and I'm not sure if I can improve.
Applied to the RFU AP program back at the end of Dec. My boyfriend is in the program and it would've been nice to be at the same school. I am all the way in CA. They rejected me in early Feb...I don't think they even looked at all of my application Still stings.
I am working on my applications to other post-bac and SMP programs and should have them done by next week. I'm just really scared they will reject me straightaway. From what I've been reading I don't think my stats are good enough and it seems I'm applying a little late in the game. Plus I'm thinking my horrible past will haunt me for the rest of my career. My fear is that they'll see the dismissal from jc and think I'm a lost cause regardless of anything else. I've been working my butt off and am willing to work harder at post bac, but I don't know if I'll even get the chance. I've also applied Carribean schools as a backup, but who knows if they'll accept me either?
Another factor is the family vs. career thing. I want to start a family eventually and because of family history (cousin with Down syndrome, younger brother has autism) I do not want to start too late. That is part of the reason I'm seriously considering going to the Carribean if I'm rejected from post-bac programs. If that weren't too much of a worry I'd be happy to spend years of post-bac before starting med school in the US. My boyfriend has been trying to get me to consider doing DO. I'm starting to do some research on it, don't know too much about it yet. Not sure what to do.
Thanks for reading.
2bkiddoc said:Hey Jeepney-
Keep your head up, first of all. I hear despair in your posts!
I'm wondering what your personal statement is doing for you. I know a number of people with sub 3.0 gpas with some "interesting" circumstances. I wonder if you are really "selling" your package as fully as you can be. Have you showed your personal statement to a number of people? I'm in a special program at Penn for GPA boosters and people who are taking upper-level science courses. There are a lot more people in this process with what many undergraduate advisors would consider "poor" stats.
Have you drawn the connections between the past that you've had and how it will only add to the classroom interactons of the future students (and professors) with whom you interact? Sometimes the internal reflection is difficult - it sure was for me... but there are pieces of gold beneath the dust of the past...
I'm sure that there are a number of low-gpaers willing to help you draw the connections... what's your advisement system like at your current school??
lmbebo said:I feel like Im proof that a low undergrad gpa doesn't mean squat in terms of med school performance.
Brandeis 2.39 gpa, science ~1.9?
med school pre-reqs at UTD - 3.3
Ross - 3.8 after 1.5 years. Earning my 1st 4.0 ever too.
Sometimes it just takes a hard slap in our behind to get ourselves going the right way. It took time to learn how to study well instead of just studying (ie putting the time in, but not really using that time well and not seeing any results).
...
Yes there are a few post-bacc that are for those who have completed the pre-requisites. If you search this forum you can find quite a few threads on it. Most likely you are looking at an SMP (Special Masters Progam) or a masters program in which you are either taking graduate level sciences, upper level undergrad sciences, or medical school classes with actual medical student. There are plenty of lists on this forum so feel free to use the "search forum" button on the heading for the forum. There are many people just like you as well. Best of luck!enigmafive said:This is my first post, so I'm not entirely sure how it works.
I will finish undergrad in about a year. My non-science GPA is about a 2.75, my major GPA is a 3.7 I believe. My GPA is so low because I have been suffering from depression and have taken a very long time to do anything about it. There is such a discrepancy in my grades for my major because I can practically write papers in my sleep and get As, whereas we all know that is not true for pre-med classes.
Rather than applying to med school right away, I discovered the option of applying to a postbacc. My problem is, most of them say that they are not remedial; they are for those who have not taken pre med courses before. I've done very poorly in my pre-reqs, even failing one or two of them.
My question is, are there postbaccs I can apply to where I will be accepted? And assuming I do very well in these (which I believe I can), do I have a chance at getting into a med school?
Sorry for writing so much--I'm just overwhelmed right now and I want to get on with sorting out my life.