The **NEW & IMPROVED** official low gpa thread...

[Ando5]

Hey Guys,

So I've read most of the recent Low GPA posts regarding what options are available but as I also understand that each case is different so I figure that I go ahead and post my situation.

Stat. (Graduated UC 2012)

uGPA: 2.59
sGPA: 2.59

Broke my right distal radius (i'm right handed) 2 weeks into college. Took 2 years (2 surgeries) to completely heal
Averaged about 19/20 units per quarter (total units completed = 231.8)

MCAT: To be taken on 3/23/13. This saturday from the day I am posting this.

Clinical Experiences:
2 Years of Cancer Research
5 Years+ Surgical Research (Currently there researching)
- 2 Publications + couple Abstracts and posters
1 Year UROP undergraduate Research
Clinical Internship at Taiwan Tapei Medical University over the summer

Extracurricular:
Associated Study Body Conferences Intern
Lap. Surgery Conference in Palos Verdes (for surgical research)
MIS Medical Surgical Training (for research)

Basically I am stressing out with what routes are available to me as a pre-med looking to improve my low GPA. I have applied CSULA and CSUEB Post Bacc this cycle but I understand those programs are getting more competitive and require higher GPA so I'm not that optimistic regarding my admissions. Regardless of what I get on my MCAT, what other Post Bacc Options are out there? or any suggestions regarding what I should do are GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Thank you!

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[DrMidlife]

I also understand that each case is different

Not really.

I'm sorry about the trouble with your arm/hand, but you're up against med school candidates who did well missing an arm. Whoever thought it was a good idea for you to take so many units, despite doing poorly, threw you under the bus.

You shouldn't be taking the MCAT yet. You are 2-3 years away from being ready to apply to med school, and even if you do great on the MCAT on Saturday, your score will expire before you can use it. Also, the odds of you doing great on the MCAT from a 2.59 are close to zero.

From here you need to find a way to demonstrate academic excellence in a multi-year full time difficult mostly-science probably-undergrad endeavor. Such as a 2nd bachelors.

Don't take any more classes until you know what it takes to get nothing but A's. Because every grade you get, from here out, that isn't an A, is a step away from med school.

You're in the worst state to attempt a GPA comeback. If you want to go to med school, it would be in your best interest to consider moving to a state like Texas or Michigan or maybe Louisiana. You'd have to get a job and work to get residency in the new state, for at least a year, not while in school, or there's no benefit to moving. Once you've established a domicile, then you can go about your demonstration of academic excellence, and proceed from there.

Or you can stay in California and it'll take just as long.

Or you can look at DO schools.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Ando5]

Thanks for the response DrMidlife!

I'm definitely looking for ways to take upper div. science courses and I am very aware of making sure any classes I take will have to result in A's. Relocating for me might be somewhat difficult for me with my financial limitations but I am looking at any possible Post Bacc or Programs that will allow me to raise my GPA. I'm even thinking of re-taking some classes from my undergrad to try and improve the GPA.

As for Med School. I'm definitely open to DO and Caribbean but I definitely would want to try for MD schools first before I seek the latter.

Thanks again for your helpful advice and your time!

 

[common man]

Clinical Experiences:
2 Years of Cancer Research
5 Years+ Surgical Research (Currently there researching)
- 2 Publications + couple Abstracts and posters
1 Year UROP undergraduate Research

i'm not contributing much here...but this is pretty damn impressive! i hope that once you make the gpa recovery, you can sell yourself on the above.

 

[deleted248403]

Stat. (Graduated UC 2012)

uGPA: 2.59
sGPA: 2.59

Broke my right distal radius (i'm right handed) 2 weeks into college. Took 2 years (2 surgeries) to completely heal
Averaged about 19/20 units per quarter (total units completed = 231.8)

MCAT: To be taken on 3/23/13

Way too early to take the MCAT - regardless how you do, you will almost certainly not be competitive for MD, and even DO for 2-3 years. Which means your MCAT will expire

Not really.

I'm sorry about the trouble with your arm/hand, but you're up against med school candidates who did well missing an arm. Whoever thought it was a good idea for you to take so many units, despite doing poorly, threw you under the bus.

You shouldn't be taking the MCAT yet. You are 2-3 years away from being ready to apply to med school, and even if you do great on the MCAT on Saturday, your score will expire before you can use it. Also, the odds of you doing great on the MCAT from a 2.59 are close to zero.

From here you need to find a way to demonstrate academic excellence in a multi-year full time difficult mostly-science probably-undergrad endeavor. Such as a 2nd bachelors.

Don't take any more classes until you know what it takes to get nothing but A's. Because every grade you get, from here out, that isn't an A, is a step away from med school.

You're in the worst state to attempt a GPA comeback. If you want to go to med school, it would be in your best interest to consider moving to a state like Texas or Michigan or maybe Louisiana. You'd have to get a job and work to get residency in the new state, for at least a year, not while in school, or there's no benefit to moving. Once you've established a domicile, then you can go about your demonstration of academic excellence, and proceed from there.

+1

A broken arm isnt really a compelling reason for the GPA.... heck there is a kid who graduated from one of the michigan med schools who is completely blind...google it

Thanks for the response DrMidlife!

I'm definitely looking for ways to take upper div. science courses and I am very aware of making sure any classes I take will have to result in A's. Relocating for me might be somewhat difficult for me with my financial limitations but I am looking at any possible Post Bacc or Programs that will allow me to raise my GPA. I'm even thinking of re-taking some classes from my undergrad to try and improve the GPA.

As for Med School. I'm definitely open to DO and Caribbean but I definitely would want to try for MD schools first before I seek the latter.

Thats what financial aid is for... or jobs

The Carib door will be well and truly shut by the time you get there.

 

[Pokemon88]

I am editing this because, I made my decision. Thank you guys anyway!

 

[Ando5]

.

 

[Ando5]

Thats what financial aid is for... or jobs

The Carib door will be well and truly shut by the time you get there.

Sorry I didn't quite get the last part. Do you mean Caribbean schools will no longer be an option or it's difficult to even get in there? Just wanted to clarify. Thanks!

Also by no means recovering from my arm fracture explains my entire GPA or how I got into this situation in the first place but regardless I'm focused on what I need to do rather than how I got there since I learned the lesson but I appreciate the bluntness!

Thanks again guys!

 

[deleted248403]

Sorry I didn't quite get the last part. Do you mean Caribbean schools will no longer be an option or it's difficult to even get in there? Just wanted to clarify. Thanks!

Look into the residency squeeze and how it will likely affect IMGs

 

[intrepid111]

Long time lurker, first time poster here. I have an abysmally low gpa (not much higher than a 2.0) with 3 straight semesters of failing grades. I had a horrible time undergrad with chronic depression and a whole mess of issues. There's been about 7 years time since my awful stint undergrad. I went to NYU and graduated from their business school. Went on to work in finance and life has been going well. My depression has completely resolved and things are great now. I just can't shake this crazy idea of being a physician.

I finally worked up the courage to begin taking the prereqs (had none as I was a business major). I'm doing them at the local community college and plan on completing a second bachelor's in biology at a state school (SUNY). I'd have to quit my job to do the upper level courses full time next year. This time around I'm doing very well and I'm genuinely loving it. I've been in contact with the advisor at the SMP at NYMC who advised that I take as many science courses as possible before applying.

I'm trying to see if anything can be done about my failing grades (i.e. retroactive withdrawal) however, it's not looking good. I've done the math and I'd be at a 2.75 gpa after 70 credits of postbacc work. It would take a herculean effort on my part sustained over several more semesters to hit 3.0.

I'm done beating myself up over the past. What's done is done and I'm ready to pursue my goals wholeheartedly, but I do want to know what my chances are realistically.

Is it hopeless for allopathic or ostepathic schools? Is an SMP necessary and is it worth it/risky? I'm 33 years old and single. I know this is going to require a lot of time, effort and money and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense objectively, but I still want to give it a try.

I know no one can tell me if it's worth pursuing, but I suppose I'm asking anyway. Thanks in advance.

 

[GorgeousBorges]

Long time lurker, first time poster here. I have an abysmally low gpa (not much higher than a 2.0) with 3 straight semesters of failing grades. I had a horrible time undergrad with chronic depression and a whole mess of issues. There's been about 7 years time since my awful stint undergrad. I went to NYU and graduated from their business school. Went on to work in finance and life has been going well. My depression has completely resolved and things are great now. I just can't shake this crazy idea of being a physician.

I finally worked up the courage to begin taking the prereqs (had none as I was a business major). I'm doing them at the local community college and plan on completing a second bachelor's in biology at a state school (SUNY). I'd have to quit my job to do the upper level courses full time next year. This time around I'm doing very well and I'm genuinely loving it. I've been in contact with the advisor at the SMP at NYMC who advised that I take as many science courses as possible before applying.

I'm trying to see if anything can be done about my failing grades (i.e. retroactive withdrawal) however, it's not looking good. I've done the math and I'd be at a 2.75 gpa after 70 credits of postbacc work. It would take a herculean effort on my part sustained over several more semesters to hit 3.0.

I'm done beating myself up over the past. What's done is done and I'm ready to pursue my goals wholeheartedly, but I do want to know what my chances are realistically.

Is it hopeless for allopathic or ostepathic schools? Is an SMP necessary and is it worth it/risky? I'm 33 years old and single. I know this is going to require a lot of time, effort and money and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense objectively, but I still want to give it a try.

I know no one can tell me if it's worth pursuing, but I suppose I'm asking anyway. Thanks in advance.

To get into an MD school: you would need to raise your GPA to 3.0 or very close to it. At the very least get it above 2.75. After doing that, you would need to take the MCAT and do very well on it (aim for 32+, maybe even higher). At this point, you'd still be too weak a candidate for medical school, but you'd be strong enough to apply for an SMP. So then you'd go do an SMP for another year. I'd say that you should do one where there's a high rate of matriculation into the host med school. RFU and EVMS are particularly good at this. Cincinnati is good at that but probably not as good as RFU or EVMS. Unless you got your GPA above 3.0, you probably couldn't get into Cincinnati, but people do get into RFU and EVMS with GPAs less than 3.0 but close to 3.0. After the SMP, if you did well, you'd probably be able to matriculate right into the host MD school.

That's 3+ (almost certainly 4+) years of sustained effort. The only thing that you have going for you is that you've got a chance at having a super-high science GPA. But if your cGPA is less than 3.0, that only helps so much.

You're right, only you can decide if that's worth it or not.

 

[intrepid111]

Thanks for your advice. Do you think I would be better served continuing undergraduate work instead of an SMP. My concern is that with a low gpa an SMP wouldn't be enough to compensate. If I can make it to 3.0 would I still be not be competitive? How much can a good MCAT score mitigate a bad gpa and record like mine?

I have to figure out what my gpa is for DO schools since I have so many retakes. It could be significantly higher but is there a limit to how many retakes you have before adcoms stop taking your app seriously?

I realize that I have to rebuild completely, so a second bachelor's will be necessary. Besides biology what other majors would be a good idea? This is somewhat controversial but would nursing as a major be a terrible idea and would it hurt my application?

Lastly, does it matter where I do the second bachelor's? My inclination is to do it at a state school because it is much more affordable than the private schools in my area.

 

[tomz1385]

I've been reading the threads on this sub-board for the past 4 years. I just wanted to share.

5 Years ago, I had a very low GPA. I decided I needed to work as hard as I could from that point on. 2 years later of 3.7-4 GPA semesters finally brought my BCMP to 2.9. I tried to take the difficult courses (pchem, biochem, genetics, microbiology, immunology, etc) - but I had so many units that it would probably take me another year of 4.0's to bring it past a 3.0 and I didn't think any medical schools would take me even when the upward trend.

I had the usual:
Volunteer experience, hospital experience, shadowing experience, research (no publications until my SMP years). But my GPA was so low, and I needed a way to overcome it.

So I came to this board and read up on SMP's. One school just opened a campus in Sacramento (Drexel), and that was close to home, so I decided to apply and attend. I earned a bit above a 3.5 GPA, had a 30 MCAT and applied to medical schools the following summer. Drexel just guaranteed 25 spots to the IMS/MMS/MBS programs, so that really increased my chances of being accepted (especially without having to be waitlisted).

The staff, professors, dean, etc have been so helpful and supportive of my application and throughout the application process. They did everything they could to help me. Now here I am, with a < 3.0 BCMP GPA and 30 MCAT with an acceptance to Drexel. I also had an interview to my state school as well.

Without the Drexel SMP program, I'd say my shot at a school would have been pretty close to zero. I know it has been given some bad press in the past, but hopefully with this new guarantee of at least 25 seats (Even though in the past they've accepted 30+ students from these programs), people applying to SMP's will decide to give it a closer look. The curriculum is very well planned and taught well. Dr. Soslau, Dr. Tamse and Dr. G have all been very supportive and helpful. And the Kaiser hospital in the Sacramento area and the doctors we work with have also been extremely helpful.

I must caution that Drexel's SMP has just as many unit hours as any other SMP program. So if you decide to attend, do not think you can get away with anything less than full dedication. Don't think you can take lots of trips, have a part time job and still do well. You need to put your full effort in for 8 months! Remember you are trying to show them you have changed from your past transgressions!

Good luck to anyone who is looking for redemption as well!

 

[lakeshow22]

thats great to hear tomz1385! Congratulations!! Your hard work led you to achieve your goal and that must feel great

 

[tomz1385]

Thanks lakeshow22, I can't wait to start next year!

 

[deleted248403]

thats great to hear tomz1385! Congratulations!! Your hard work led you to achieve your goal and that must feel great

+1 - great job tomz1385

 

[justalittlestar]

Thanks lakeshow22, I can't wait to start next year!

I'm guessing Drexel was your first choice but did you apply to D.O. school as well or was M.D. your goal?

 

[tomz1385]

Thanks robflanker!

justalittlestar:
I should have applied to DO schools. In the end, I just wanted the chance to practice medicine and I just wanted to be accepted anywhere. I think the biggest mistake I made while applying was not limiting the number of MD schools I applied to. I was really busy in the Fall with my interviews and filling out a lot of the MD secondaries (I actually didn't get screened out of a lot of schools with my <3.0 BCMP GPA). I was also doing the 2nd year of the Drexel program and taking Path + doing a lot of research and tutoring... so instead of making the same mistakes I made years ago by putting too much on my plate, I decided to limit myself to just MD schools until December and see how my interviews would go.

However from the feedback, I felt like I had a really good chance of getting in that I decided not to complete the DO applications (In December) and add on to the 3000+ dollars in application fees in addition to the travel expenses. Looking back, I should have probably just applied to only about 10 MD schools that I had a good chance of getting an interview at and maybe a few DO schools in case things didn't work out with Drexel.

Side note:
If anyone has any questions on Drexel or anything, feel free to PM me. I've gotten a few so I'll respond to those and I'll write a review in the upcoming days in the stickied thread above. I'll include things like acceptances for my year after I've talked to some of my classmates (two managed to get in California schools (UCI and UCSD) after doing the Sacramento-Drexel IMS program - it may seem small, but we only had 14 people finish last year) or any other common questions that I've received.

Be warned, don't think that Drexel's SMP is an easy ticket to get into Medical School. Everyone that has gotten in has put it as their number 1 priority and put in lots of effort. Just because it doesn't get the same attention on these boards doesn't mean that the curriculum is easier. They will give you the opportunity, but it is on the individual to make the most of it.

 

[DrMidlife]

(I actually didn't get screened out of a lot of schools with my <3.0 BCMP GPA)

Just a note on that: some schools screen pre-secondary, some schools screen post-secondary. I got probably 25 MD secondaries when I applied to 30 schools with a 2.9. And then I got 24 rejection letters and a courtesy in-state interview...followed by a rejection letter. (Then I did an SMP and got in to the host school, same as tomz.)

 

[toaster10]

Hello everyone, first time poster here. I'm looking at SMP programs after getting rejected from 25 MD schools this cycle. I applied slightly late (primary done in late June, secondaries done in Sept/Oct) because I didn't know what I was doing the first time around - won't make that mistake again. No interviews.

3.4 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, 32 MCAT. Finance and Psychology undergraduate majors, been doing clinical research in the dialysis field for ~2 years, with 2 recent publications. Limited volunteering, played a Division I sport in college.

I'm looking at an online nutrition master's program at St. Joseph's as well as SMPs such as Drexel, Temple, and RFUMS. Does anyone have insight as to whether the nutrition master's program would carry nearly the same weight as an SMP? I do have a strong interest in that field and think it would be useful as a physician, but money is an issue so I want to make wise choices and not blow another year for nothing. I'm planning to apply to about 20 MD schools and 10 DO schools this spring.

Thanks!

 

[tomz1385]

Hello everyone, first time poster here. I'm looking at SMP programs after getting rejected from 25 MD schools this cycle. I applied slightly late (primary done in late June, secondaries done in Sept/Oct) because I didn't know what I was doing the first time around - won't make that mistake again. No interviews.

3.4 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, 32 MCAT. Finance and Psychology undergraduate majors, been doing clinical research in the dialysis field for ~2 years, with 2 recent publications. Limited volunteering, played a Division I sport in college.

I'm looking at an online nutrition master's program at St. Joseph's as well as SMPs such as Drexel, Temple, and RFUMS. Does anyone have insight as to whether the nutrition master's program would carry nearly the same weight as an SMP? I do have a strong interest in that field and think it would be useful as a physician, but money is an issue so I want to make wise choices and not blow another year for nothing. I'm planning to apply to about 20 MD schools and 10 DO schools this spring.

Thanks!

You have a competitive GPA and MCAT score... I'm thinking that adcoms will just shrug at the master's program. They'll say "that's cool" but it won't really hold too much weight into making the decision. Honestly, I feel some graduate level courses are even easier than competitive undergraduate courses. SMP's are designed to help lower GPA's - but you have decent numbers. I'm not sure what the difficulty of your courses are though. Because you were a Finance and Psychology major, I'm guessing you haven't had a lot of upper division sciences aside from pre-reqs. I think Adcoms really look at the "difficulty" of the courses you are taking. So if you are getting a 3.5 in just pre-reqs, sometimes it might not be the same as someone getting a 3.5 taking a lot of upper division courses such as Biochemistry, Genetics, etc. Usually students that take these courses in undergrad are a lot more prepared for med school than just having the pre-reqs.

I would definitely apply early, see if you have any holes in your application (Volunteering, Clinical experience, etc) and try to fill those voids and spend your year working on these. You could take some "Do it yourself" post-bac courses at any college which would cost less if you want to stay sharp and show you can handle some rigor. It would also slightly increase your undergrad GPA - try to pick a few of the harder science courses if you haven't had them and do well (Biochem, immuno, etc). Make sure they are counted as undergraduate credits and not graduate credits. You can usually do this by just applying to your previous school or any school and pick any undergrad major - but it might differ, so ask!

Again, your numbers are decent for MD and DO applications. I wouldn't spend money on an SMP this year (mainly because of the high risk if you don't do well). Unless you are a horrible interviewer or have some huge red flags, I'd imagine you'd get into somewhere, especially if you apply early and fill some of those holes in your application. Of course if you do decently in an SMP, it would help if a school put you on hold for semester grades... but it is a risk.

 

[johnnyscans]

Hello everyone, first time poster here. I'm looking at SMP programs after getting rejected from 25 MD schools this cycle. I applied slightly late (primary done in late June, secondaries done in Sept/Oct) because I didn't know what I was doing the first time around - won't make that mistake again. No interviews.

Primary wasn't that late, but your secondaries were. That's a shame, I feel like you could have gotten an interview or two if you had returned those earlier but, oh well, lesson learned for next time right?

3.4 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, 32 MCAT. Finance and Psychology undergraduate majors, been doing clinical research in the dialysis field for ~2 years, with 2 recent publications. Limited volunteering, played a Division I sport in college.

Your numbers are too high for an SMP. I'm thinking that either additional upper-level undergraduate coursework may be the trick for you. 16-20 credits could jack that sGPA up another .1, or even .2, depending on how many science courses you've taken.

You may also be lacking clinical exposure. Do you have both shadowing and clinical volunteering? Your research is strong though, make sure you weave it into your application.

I'm looking at an online nutrition master's program at St. Joseph's as well as SMPs such as Drexel, Temple, and RFUMS. Does anyone have insight as to whether the nutrition master's program would carry nearly the same weight as an SMP? I do have a strong interest in that field and think it would be useful as a physician, but money is an issue so I want to make wise choices and not blow another year for nothing. I'm planning to apply to about 20 MD schools and 10 DO schools this spring.

I don't think a masters will do the trick. I think you need to jack your uGPA/sGPA up a touch while rounding out your application. Hell, I think that if you just cranked up volunteering and clinical exposure your current numbers + research experience would get you into a school.

 

[toaster10]

Primary wasn't that late, but your secondaries were. That's a shame, I feel like you could have gotten an interview or two if you had returned those earlier but, oh well, lesson learned for next time right?


Your numbers are too high for an SMP. I'm thinking that either additional upper-level undergraduate coursework may be the trick for you. 16-20 credits could jack that sGPA up another .1, or even .2, depending on how many science courses you've taken.

You may also be lacking clinical exposure. Do you have both shadowing and clinical volunteering? Your research is strong though, make sure you weave it into your application.



I don't think a masters will do the trick. I think you need to jack your uGPA/sGPA up a touch while rounding out your application. Hell, I think that if you just cranked up volunteering and clinical exposure your current numbers + research experience would get you into a school.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I appreciate the honest opinion about the MS in nutrition. I feel like I'm one of those in-between applicants, with just a decent gpa and mcat, and I was hoping to add a strong element to my resume (which is the reason I'm considered the master's programs) to get me noticed. I really think I will be fine once I get a couple of interviews, I generally present myself well.
I guess I may be putting too much stock in my clinical research experience? I am really fortunate to have this job at the age of 25, and currently my role is lead study coordinator at my site for a NIH clinical study which gives me a good 10-15 hours per week of direct patient contact in dialysis clinics, and then another 15 hours or so managing documentation and working with doctors to make interventions to patient's medications and other treatment factors specific to dialysis. This seems to me like pretty solid "clinical experience," but maybe it won't be looked at that way by adcoms? Perhaps they're just thinking of it as "research?"I hope this isn't a terrible question, but if anyone has a correction/distinction to add regarding my perception of my "clinical experience" I would appreciate it.
Lastly, yes my upper div sciences are lacking - just one quarter of biochem, which I got an A in for what it's worth. Maybe Berkeley extension would be a good option...

Thanks!

 

[PlasmodiumVivax]

Hey everyone . I'm new to this thread. I was reading through the pages but I couldn't find someone who was in a similar case with mine. Here are the facts

First 3 years at a community college
3.25 cGPA
sGPA 3.2

Transferred and attended a UC for 2 years and graduated
3.5 cGPA
3.55 sGPA

but that is only the university gpa, not including CC. In both schools I've shown an upward trend.

MCAT
1st take 25: PS 9, VR 6 BS 10
2nd take: Awaiting scores (average practice test was 35)

400+ hours of volunteering in a clinical setting
6 months of clinical research
1 year of job shadowing
multiple leadership positions in clubs during CC years, but none in UC

What I am wondering is if my MCAT is >34, should I even consider an post-bacc program? Would I have a chance this year to apply or should I wait till next year to try? Would the admissions committee look at it favorably that I did better at a UC system or neutral?

 

[Texas1987]

Edited

 

[deleted248403]

Hey everyone . I'm new to this thread. I was reading through the pages but I couldn't find someone who was in a similar case with mine. Here are the facts

First 3 years at a community college
3.25 cGPA
sGPA 3.2

Transferred and attended a UC for 2 years and graduated
3.5 cGPA
3.55 sGPA

but that is only the university gpa, not including CC. In both schools I've shown an upward trend.

MCAT
1st take 25: PS 9, VR 6 BS 10
2nd take: Awaiting scores (average practice test was 35)

400+ hours of volunteering in a clinical setting
6 months of clinical research
1 year of job shadowing
multiple leadership positions in clubs during CC years, but none in UC

What I am wondering is if my MCAT is >34, should I even consider an post-bacc program? Would I have a chance this year to apply or should I wait till next year to try? Would the admissions committee look at it favorably that I did better at a UC system or neutral?

Figure out your cGPA (as in overall GPA), then go from there.

I couldn't find a profile similar to mine. Any help would be greatly appreciated..

Undergrad cGPA-3.1 (BS Biology)
sGPA-2.85
MCAT-22 a few years ago, retaking 05/30 and aiming for above a 30
Grad gpa-3.65 (MPH Epidemiology)

EC:
-Significant surgical outcomes research: Two 1st author pubs in surgical journals with 1 in submission, 1 oral presentation at a surgical conference, working on a huge database with an expected 10 manuscripts to follow
- ~50 hrs shadowing a couple of ophthalmologists
- Volunteered ~100 hrs

I got rejected from UNT's SMP program. Felt like I should've taken the MCAT before applying to it.

What else can I do to increase my chances? Would it be bad to take post-bacc classes at a community college to turn some Cs into As? I'm working full time and the local 4 yr public univ doesn't have evening classes available.

Community classes have been discussed at length..... do not take them

 

[darklabel]

X

 

[ChellyBean]

I have a 2.9 cGPA and a 2.7sGPA from UC Irvine, I'm taking my MCATs this September. I was wondering if anyone knows a good PostBacc or SMP to apply to with these statistics? I don't have a lot of money to apply everywhere so I need places that would be likely to accept me. If you can provide me a link it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dr Turkelton]

I have a 2.9 cGPA and a 2.7sGPA from UC Irvine, I'm taking my MCATs this September. I was wondering if anyone knows a good PostBacc or SMP to apply to with these statistics? I don't have a lot of money to apply everywhere so I need places that would be likely to accept me. If you can provide me a link it would be greatly appreciated.

Hey I got in to the BMS program at wayne state with a gpa around yours and a 31 mcat. I know they have a spring term you can apply to which starts in january.

http://gradprograms.med.wayne.edu/program-spotlight.php?id=34

 

[armastice]

Hey all! Just wanted to let you guys know that this thread has been a HUGE encouragement for me! I love reading all the success stories that people have found through using a SMP. I can't wait to post my success story here in the future!!!!


My cGPA is a 3.1, sGPA is a 2.9
Decent EC's, LOR's are good

I haven't taken my MCAT yet, but my practice tests have been around 25. I'm scheduled to take it July 2 2013. I'm thinking of voiding the score and retaking beginning of 2014 for a higher score since it's too late to apply to any SMP's for the 2013-2014 year anyways.

I've researched Drexel's MSP/IMS program.
RFU's adcom told me that I was a little too low for their class profile
Any other SMP's that seem like a good fit for me? Are there any that start in summer?

 

[deleted248403]

My cGPA is a 3.1, sGPA is a 2.9
Decent EC's, LOR's are good

I haven't taken my MCAT yet, but my practice tests have been around 25. I'm scheduled to take it July 2 2013. I'm thinking of voiding the score and retaking beginning of 2014 for a higher score since it's too late to apply to any SMP's for the 2013-2014 year anyways.

I've researched Drexel's MSP/IMS program.
RFU's adcom told me that I was a little too low for their class profile
Any other SMP's that seem like a good fit for me? Are there any that start in summer?

With a mid 20s MCAT and a low GPA - you should not be going to an SMP just yet. And any program that accepts you is just taking money as you have no chance of getting into an MD school (and i'd wager most DO schools) with a 3.1 and a 25

An SMP is really designed for the low GPA and high MCAT, to give a chance for ppl to prove themselves in a one year audition for med school. You don't have the high MCAT, and no good-SMP will accept you without it.

Until your MCAT is 30+, then an SMP isn't for you. More MCAT studying is.

 

[wadda]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice. I graduated with a Bachelor's of Science back in 2010 (did a double major in Biology and History). Since then, I took off some time to care for my sick mom. In the past year, I decided to get back on track so I took 18 credits worth of post baccalaureate classes at my college. I redid both semesters of general chemistry and one semester of physics. I also enrolled in two courses that I did not take before: neurobiology and biochemistry.

Currently, I am working part time as a tutor and shadowing an oncologist. I'm also preparing to retake the MCAT in 2013 (I took the MCAT twice before, but they are from 2009 and early 2010). I'm considering doing an SMP program before I apply to MD and DO programs. However, I don't know if I should take more post-baccalaureate classes or just go for the SMP. My science GPA is pretty low

Here are my stats:
Overall Undergraduate GPA: 3.11
BCPM GPA: 2.7
Total Undergraduate Credits: 159
I did very poorly during my first two years (~2.2-2.3 GPA). I did show an upward trend after that, but it was hard to bring up my GPA significantly.


Post Baccalaureate GPA: 4.0
Total Post Baccalaureate Credits: 18

Previous MCAT scores: 25 (2009), 26 (2010)

ECs: 1) volunteered for two summers at a hospital, 2) worked in a lab on campus for three semesters, 3) shadowed an oncologist/hematologist for about 100 hours so far

I just received my MCAT score from May, 2013 and got a 32 with PS:10/VR:11/BS:11.

Wondering if I should start applying to DO and take a few more post-bacc classes or go another route. Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Samburger]

Okay, so I've been lurking around here for awhile, and thought I'd throw my hat in as well.

I've been out of undergrad for three years, graduated with a 2.8 and a BA. I've taken no sciences to speak of (I'm assuming "philosophy of science" doesn't count in the real world), except for one BIO 141 (A&P) class at the local CC ("A" average, not that it has much weight).

I've decided to shoot for med school after despairing about my prospects over the past few years. I ought to have been working toward it already, but it took awhile to overcome my doubts. So, below is my rough plan, and if anyone wants to comment on perceived kinks, then that would be good.

1. Finish up this semester at the CC and get into a local state college to do post-bacc work à la carte. I thought CC would be fine, since this would only be for SMP pre-reqs, but apparently not. I'm considering trying to talk my way into UVA's official post-bacc-pre-med program, but supposedly it's not for people trying to bolster grades (which wouldn't be my reason for joining per se; mostly I would want it to fulfill SMP pre-reqs with style).

2. While working on classes, work on ECs such as shadowing, volunteering at the free clinic, etc.

3. Take MCAT next year and apply to various SMPs.

4. Attempt to make a good showing in the SMP and retake MCAT if necessary.

5. Apply to various med schools.

Somewhere along the way I'm going to have to procure two science-oriented references, and I've no idea how I'm going to do that. A year of gen chem is not the best environment for getting a smashing reference, is it?

Bah, well, that's the bare bones plan anyway.

 

[johnnyscans]

Scored 32 on my MCAT (11/11/10). 3.8 PB GPA (56 credits). 3.5 sGPA. 3.2 cGPA (with most of my poor grades taking place in 2004/2005). 300 + volunteering hours. 150 + clinical volunteering hours. 100 + shadowing hours. Working as a teaching fellow, 2 years full-time work experience, leadership, interesting ECs, amazing LORs and two publications, with a third on the way. I feel my PS is very well written, as do my readers, and the rest of my application seems solid.

Applying MD only (27 schools). Here's to hoping for the best. My ideal career is academic medicine and sadly, in the areas I want to practice in, MD seems to be the norm.

I'll be sure to keep everyone informed on my success/failure.

 

[FumblyBumbly]

Hey! Long time reader, first time poster (I've even made it through all 62 pages of this thread, very inspiring) looking for some advice.

So, I have a rather similar story to all the rest; in my late-teen arrogance I took too many classes and decided not to study for any of them. Through the power of sheer luck, I wound up with ~2.8.

During my last semester, I cleaned up my act and got accepted into a Master's program at the same institution (gpa was a 3.8, I know med school doesn't care but I'm pretty proud of it - I really did clean up my act). I graduated and worked in a research lab for a year (bench and 1 pub (not first author)). Now I work in another research lab in a university so I'm taking some undergraduate classes. I'm planning on taking the MCAT next semester.

My question is this, (assuming I score at least a 30 (practice tests seem to indicate higher) on the MCAT - I know I shouldn't assume but if I score less than that, there's really no need to even think about applying) would it be better if I continue to work for the next two years, taking 2 upper level bio classes per semester, (and nailing them) and then applying in the summer 2015, taking an SMP during the glide year?

Or is it better to work in research for just this year, take the next year to take a full course load, and then applying in summer 2015 (SMP as well)? Keeping in mind that leaving after one year will probably lose me the goodwill of my most staunch MD supporter and that the first plan will give me cgpa. 3.1, sgpa. 3.05 while the second plan will only give me cgpa. 3.17, sgpa. 3.18?

My EC's are average to above average: volunteer EMT for 6 years, good involvement in campus activities, engineering-related summer and school jobs, hospital volunteer when I could (though not too impressive), light shadowing (have plans to improve), and currently in bench research (possible pub but only if I stay for 2 years) though some cross-over with clinical research (no pub).

 

[darklabel]

Hey! Long time reader, first time poster (I've even made it through all 62 pages of this thread, very inspiring) looking for some advice.

So, I have a rather similar story to all the rest; in my late-teen arrogance I took too many classes and decided not to study for any of them. Through the power of sheer luck, I wound up with a c.2.9, s.2.6.

During my last semester, I cleaned up my act and got accepted into a Master's program at the same institution (gpa was a 3.76, I know med school doesn't care but I'm pretty proud of it - I really did clean up my act). I graduated and worked in a research lab for a year (bench and 1 pub (not first author)). Now I work in another research lab in a university so I'm taking some undergraduate classes. I'm planning on taking the MCAT next semester.

My question is this, (assuming I score at least a 30 (practice tests seem to indicate higher) on the MCAT - I know I shouldn't assume but if I score less than that, there's really no need to even think about applying) would it be better if I continue to work for the next two years, taking 2 upper level bio classes per semester, (and nailing them) and then applying in the summer 2015, taking an SMP during the glide year?

Or is it better to work in research for just this year, take the next year to take a full course load, and then applying in summer 2015 (SMP as well)? Keeping in mind that leaving after one year will probably lose me the goodwill of my most staunch MD supporter and that the first plan will give me cgpa. 3.1, sgpa. 3.05 while the second plan will only give me cgpa. 3.17, sgpa. 3.18?

My EC's are average to above average: volunteer EMT for 6 years, good involvement in campus activities, engineering-related summer and school jobs, hospital volunteer when I could (though not too impressive), light shadowing (have plans to improve), and currently in bench research (possible pub but only if I stay for 2 years) though some cross-over with clinical research (no pub).

Only interested in US Allopathic for various reasons.

Why not do the quickest thing by trying to raise your GPA to ~3.0 quickly and then apply to an SMP? Why drag out the classes?

 

[FumblyBumbly]

Why not do the quickest thing by trying to raise your GPA to ~3.0 quickly and then apply to an SMP? Why drag out the classes?

Well, I've got a good relationship with my MD PI right now (LOR), a good relationship with a previous MD PI I worked with (who has a great relationship with the first PI I mentioned), employee tuition program (75% off 1000k/credit), better 'ins' for shadowing, research experience (both bench and clinical), possible publications from that, and a better way to distance myself from my undergraduate grades (time, work experiences (ability to function in workplace and with co-workers, maturity), good time management (maturity)) than just a year of good grades.

It's an extra year or two but it will save me at least 80k over the next few years and give me a better story to spin.

 

[Hailstorm]

Well, I've got a good relationship with my MD PI right now (LOR), a good relationship with a previous MD PI I worked with (who has a great relationship with the first PI I mentioned), employee tuition program (75% off 1000k/credit), better 'ins' for shadowing, research experience (both bench and clinical), possible publications from that, and a better way to distance myself from my undergraduate grades (time, work experiences (ability to function in workplace and with co-workers, maturity), good time management (maturity)) than just a year of good grades.

If you honestly believe your PIs are connected well enough to get you into an MD program (and actually will) with your stats on the basis of their LOR then you should probably just do whatever they tell you. Otherwise, you're seemingly spending a lot of your time differentiating yourself in an area in which you probably have little relative ability to shine (I presume that everybody accepted to an MD program has stellar LORs).

If two years of lab experience got you into an MD program nobody would do a SMP.

 

[darklabel]

Well, I've got a good relationship with my MD PI right now (LOR), a good relationship with a previous MD PI I worked with (who has a great relationship with the first PI I mentioned), employee tuition program (75% off 1000k/credit), better 'ins' for shadowing, research experience (both bench and clinical), possible publications from that, and a better way to distance myself from my undergraduate grades (time, work experiences (ability to function in workplace and with co-workers, maturity), good time management (maturity)) than just a year of good grades.

It's an extra year or two but it will save me at least 80k over the next few years and give me a better story to spin.

Ahh ok, best of luck to you then .

 

[NorthernMav]

Scored 32 on my MCAT (11/11/10). 3.8 PB GPA (56 credits). 3.5 sGPA. 3.2 cGPA (with most of my poor grades taking place in 2004/2005). 300 + volunteering hours. 150 + clinical volunteering hours. 100 + shadowing hours. Working as a teaching fellow, 2 years full-time work experience, leadership, interesting ECs, amazing LORs and two publications, with a third on the way. I feel my PS is very well written, as do my readers, and the rest of my application seems solid.

Applying MD only (27 schools). Here's to hoping for the best. My ideal career is academic medicine and sadly, in the areas I want to practice in, MD seems to be the norm.

I'll be sure to keep everyone informed on my success/failure.

Johnny, if you do not get in I am just going to snap. I have a somewhat similiar story, except you have a higher GPA and more volunteering experience. I have 3.01 cGPA, 3.05 sGPA, 31 MCAT (V9,P12,B10), 3.86 PB (40 credits), 3.96 SMP GPA, 150+ hrs clinical volunteering, 2 years clinical cancer research, 2 years clinical lab experience, 40 hrs ER shadowing, 1 publication, solid leadership, good ECs, even better LORs.

I am re-applicant with all new PS, which is infinitely better, and have applied to 27 MD and 7 DO. Unfortunately, I am starting to believe that no matter how well you do medical schools have an extremely hard time looking over your undergraduate GPA.

I look forward to hearing of your success, and the success of many others digging themselves out of the abyss.

 

[johnnyscans]

Johnny, if you do not get in I am just going to snap. I have a somewhat similiar story, except you have a higher GPA and more volunteering experience. I have 3.01 cGPA, 3.05 sGPA, 31 MCAT (V9,P12,B10), 3.86 PB (40 credits), 3.96 SMP GPA, 150+ hrs clinical volunteering, 2 years clinical cancer research, 2 years clinical lab experience, 40 hrs ER shadowing, 1 publication, solid leadership, good ECs, even better LORs.

I am re-applicant with all new PS, which is infinitely better, and have applied to 27 MD and 7 DO. Unfortunately, I am starting to believe that no matter how well you do medical schools have an extremely hard time looking over your undergraduate GPA.

I look forward to hearing of your success, and the success of many others digging themselves out of the abyss.

I appreciate the support!

For what it's worth I've gone on one MD interview and have two more scheduled. I also submitted a bunch of secondaries to schools that prescreen (so I passed their initial screening) and have been "small-pooled" at another school.

There's more to this process than cGPA.

 

[FumblyBumbly]

If you honestly believe your PIs are connected well enough to get you into an MD program (and actually will) with your stats on the basis of their LOR then you should probably just do whatever they tell you. Otherwise, you're seemingly spending a lot of your time differentiating yourself in an area in which you probably have little relative ability to shine (I presume that everybody accepted to an MD program has stellar LORs).

If two years of lab experience got you into an MD program nobody would do a SMP.

Nope, I don't expect my PIs to connect me into a MD program. Maybe I'm being narrow-minded about the whole thing but it feels like if I burn my bridges now, I won't have a chance for any quality LORs, never mind stellar ones. I've been out of school for a while and I really don't see a new professor getting to know me as well as my PI has. Also, I am planning on doing that SMP so I'm not trying to get out of it with lab experience.

Ahh ok, best of luck to you then .

... I see what you did there. Well played, sir!

 

[karma91]

hi, i'm not sure where exactly is the best place for this kind of post but any advice/comments would be appreciated

unfortunately for the most part i bombed my prereqs
sgpa: 2.6
cgpa: 3.26

my ec's are decent and i have shadowing and clinical experience as well as community service, though i could really add more hours to each of these areas

i graduated this past may from an ivy league institution. i moved back home and recently began studying for the mcats. i guess i'm asking if an smp would be my best option? i know i've got a long road ahead of me but my dream is to get into an MD program

 

[SMPtoMD]

hi, i'm not sure where exactly is the best place for this kind of post but any advice/comments would be appreciated

unfortunately for the most part i bombed my prereqs
sgpa: 2.6
cgpa: 3.26

my ec's are decent and i have shadowing and clinical experience as well as community service, though i could really add more hours to each of these areas

i graduated this past may from an ivy league institution. i moved back home and recently began studying for the mcats. i guess i'm asking if an smp would be my best option? i know i've got a long road ahead of me but my dream is to get into an MD program

Several things here...

First, your sGPA is TOO LOW
Second, you mentioned that you bombed your prereqs, I would suggest retaking all the ones you bombed...this is essential
Third, from an smp stand point...currently you have minimal to no chance, also because we don't know your MCAT score, yet. If you have one, then share it so you can get more precise evaluations from other sdn members...

From my research on this form, I can suggest doing post-bacc/retaking pre-reqs, raising your sGPA to above 3.0. Your cGPA will also rise, and together with a good MCAT score (32+), you should be good for SMPs. Also, although you mentioned MD programs, I just want to add that with a 3.0+ cGPA/sGPA with decent MCAT score, you would also have a good shot at DO schools...

Good luck

 

[freshbagels]

I promised to come post a write-up in here with a success story when I was accepted, and now I finally have one. I graduated with a 2.67 cGPA/2.51 sGPA in 2012, with a mediocre upward trend and no MCAT, and I will matriculate to a US MD school in the fall of 2014.

How did I go from point A to point B? Redemption in the medical school application process is rare, but it happens, and I am living proof.

In the spring of my 5th year as an undergrad, I posted the following in here:

I'm a fifth year undergrad at a state school, set to receive dual B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and Genetics/Cell Biology in the spring. I've got a 2.75 cGPA and a ~2.78 sGPA - I was a rower for 4 years, and I prioritized my sport over my academics. I also had ADHD that was undiagnosed until last fall, and for which I now am being treated.

My last four semesters (including this current one) have comprised nearly every upper division molecular biology course that is offered, as both of my degrees are in the same school. I have an upward trend starting last fall, and am on pace to hopefully receive a ~3.7 GPA for this last semester (all upper div science classes, the majority of which are undergrad/grad combined.) I originally intended on applying for my traditional M.S. degree and then move in to a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences, but after starting undergraduate research in earnest this last semester, I have discovered I do not enjoy benchwork or the grant/paper/grant/paper treadmill life that is academia as much as I thought I would. My GRE scores are 169V/159Q/5.5W, and I haven't taken the MCAT yet.

I'm currently applying to SMPs and traditional M.S. programs that have deadlines after my graduation (very early May), as my current semester and letters of recommendation from the research I am doing are integral to my application being at all competitive. I plan to begin shadowing and volunteering this summer as well, and continue my graduate work. Assuming I do well on the MCAT (I'm aiming for a 34+ - obviously will require some refresher work on my ochem/physics), and have a successful SMP/2-year M.S., do I stand a chance to be accepted to a U.S. M.D. program?

I was told to take a sixth year post-bac, then apply to SMPs. Foolishly, I ignored this advice, and applied to several SMP or SMP-type programs, and was rejected from all but two - VCU's post-bac and Tulane's MS Pharmacology. Now, it was far from guaranteed that I would be accepted to either of these programs, and if someone in my shoes in reading this, I encourage you to take heed: you need a convincing narrative to convince admissions you can handle the program. In my case, I was a rower with ADHD, and only when my rowing career was over and I was being treated for my ADHD did I begin to succeed. That story is all well and good, but I also had to provide some sort of evidence I was a capable student. I did this with good (~3.7) grades in a full courseload of senior/graduate-level science work and a 99th percentile GRE score, and I ended up being accepted to two places. I chose Tulane, and wrote a write-up of the progarm in the Review thread, if you have any questions about it.

At Tulane, I pulled out a 4.0 GPA, as well as a 39 on the MCAT. How did I go from a B- student to an A one? Hard work. Repetition. Hours of studying and daily review. I used Anki to great effect, participated in a study group, and did as many practice questions as I could. For everyone out there with a crappy uGPA, you need to figure out why you did badly and correct it. If you don't, you'll never get anywhere.

I applied this cycle, and have so far gotten 1 interview, 1 acceptance, 8 rejections, and am waiting on 11 more schools. Here are some tips for the application cycle, based on what I've learned:

1. Redeem your uGPA. You can do this with an informal post-bacc of high level, rigorous coursework, a didactic MS like what I did at Tulane, or an SMP. Keep in mind that true SMPs have fairly high admissions standards, all things considered, and generally also require the MCAT.
2. Get a high MCAT score. This can't be overstated -- if your GPA is really in the tank (<3.0), you generally need a 35+ to be considered for an MD school. Use the sn2ed study schedule (I did!), and dedicate yourself to the test.
3. Have robust ECs! I was a 4-year college athlete, and am currently serving a year with City Year, an AmeriCorps program. If one part of your app is weak, the rest of it needs to be on point. This includes LORs, ECs, etc.
4. Apply early and broadly! Have your primary complete and in within two weeks of AMCAS opening (I submitted the first day.) A late app is a kiss of death for people with black marks on their primary, and applying early is the #1 thing you can easily do to increase your chances of acceptance. Also, apply broadly! I chose not to apply DO for this cycle (I would have if I needed to re-apply), but you should pick a good mix of private and receptive public schools. It's important to do your research and figure out if a school has a strict GPA screen, so you don't waste any money. I could have applied even more broadly than I did (I applied to 20), but $$ was a limiting factor.
5. Nail the interview. You need to research the school, be articulate, poised, and charismatic, and be able to convincingly talk about why your uGPA is not representative of your abilities - I guarantee you will be asked about it. If you're worried about being socially awkward, practice! Interviewing is a skill. Find a bank of common med school interview questions (they're everywhere) and practice, practice, practice. With your parents, your boss, your professors, your friends, whomever. Video yourself to see if you have any off-putting habits. Interviewing is a good way to leave a very positive impression on the adcom.
6. Finally, if you get rejected, don't give up hope. I personally appealed and had one pre-secondary rejection overturned, because I was pro-active and set up an appointment to speak with the school about my application. I know multiple other people who have had similar experiences, including one who went from a pre-secondary rejection to an acceptance! Some schools are, of course, more receptive to this than others, but you will never know unless you try.

Good luck, everyone. You can do it -- I did. Also, thank you to everyone in here who offers advice and guidance. SDN has been an invaluable resource.

 

[NorthernMav]

I promised to come post a write-up in here with a success story when I was accepted, and now I finally have one. I graduated with a 2.67 cGPA/2.51 sGPA in 2012, with a mediocre upward trend and no MCAT, and I will matriculate to a US MD school in the fall of 2014.

How did I go from point A to point B? Redemption in the medical school application process is rare, but it happens, and I am living proof.

In the spring of my 5th year as an undergrad, I posted the following in here:



I was told to take a sixth year post-bac, then apply to SMPs. Foolishly, I ignored this advice, and applied to several SMP or SMP-type programs, and was rejected from all but two - VCU's post-bac and Tulane's MS Pharmacology. Now, it was far from guaranteed that I would be accepted to either of these programs, and if someone in my shoes in reading this, I encourage you to take heed: you need a convincing narrative to convince admissions you can handle the program. In my case, I was a rower with ADHD, and only when my rowing career was over and I was being treated for my ADHD did I begin to succeed. That story is all well and good, but I also had to provide some sort of evidence I was a capable student. I did this with good (~3.7) grades in a full courseload of senior/graduate-level science work and a 99th percentile GRE score, and I ended up being accepted to two places. I chose Tulane, and wrote a write-up of the progarm in the Review thread, if you have any questions about it.

At Tulane, I pulled out a 4.0 GPA, as well as a 39 on the MCAT. How did I go from a B- student to an A one? Hard work. Repetition. Hours of studying and daily review. I used Anki to great effect, participated in a study group, and did as many practice questions as I could. For everyone out there with a crappy uGPA, you need to figure out why you did badly and correct it. If you don't, you'll never get anywhere.

I applied this cycle, and have so far gotten 1 interview, 1 acceptance, 8 rejections, and am waiting on 11 more schools. Here are some tips for the application cycle, based on what I've learned:

1. Redeem your uGPA. You can do this with an informal post-bacc of high level, rigorous coursework, a didactic MS like what I did at Tulane, or an SMP. Keep in mind that true SMPs have fairly high admissions standards, all things considered, and generally also require the MCAT.
2. Get a high MCAT score. This can't be overstated -- if your GPA is really in the tank (<3.0), you generally need a 35+ to be considered for an MD school. Use the sn2ed study schedule (I did!), and dedicate yourself to the test.
3. Have robust ECs! I was a 4-year college athlete, and am currently serving a year with City Year, an AmeriCorps program. If one part of your app is weak, the rest of it needs to be on point. This includes LORs, ECs, etc.
4. Apply early and broadly! Have your primary complete and in within two weeks of AMCAS opening (I submitted the first day.) A late app is a kiss of death for people with black marks on their primary, and applying early is the #1 thing you can easily do to increase your chances of acceptance. Also, apply broadly! I chose not to apply DO for this cycle (I would have if I needed to re-apply), but you should pick a good mix of private and receptive public schools. It's important to do your research and figure out if a school has a strict GPA screen, so you don't waste any money. I could have applied even more broadly than I did (I applied to 20), but $$ was a limiting factor.
5. Nail the interview. You need to research the school, be articulate, poised, and charismatic, and be able to convincingly talk about why your uGPA is not representative of your abilities - I guarantee you will be asked about it. If you're worried about being socially awkward, practice! Interviewing is a skill. Find a bank of common med school interview questions (they're everywhere) and practice, practice, practice. With your parents, your boss, your professors, your friends, whomever. Video yourself to see if you have any off-putting habits. Interviewing is a good way to leave a very positive impression on the adcom.
6. Finally, if you get rejected, don't give up hope. I personally appealed and had one pre-secondary rejection overturned, because I was pro-active and set up an appointment to speak with the school about my application. I know multiple other people who have had similar experiences, including one who went from a pre-secondary rejection to an acceptance! Some schools are, of course, more receptive to this than others, but you will never know unless you try.

Good luck, everyone. You can do it -- I did. Also, thank you to everyone in here who offers advice and guidance. SDN has been an invaluable resource.

Incredible story, congratulations! That MCAT score no doubt helped you out, haha. Truly inspiring, thank you for posting.

 

[notjawn]

In my case, I was a rower with ADHD, and only when my rowing career was over and I was being treated for my ADHD did I begin to succeed.

Tldr;
So you got an adderall prescription

 

[freshbagels]

Tldr;
So you got an adderall prescription

No, that characterization is grossly inaccurate. It's pretty offensive, actually.

 

[Hailstorm]

No, that characterization is grossly inaccurate. It's pretty offensive, actually.

Thank you for your contribution, I noticed that you applied quite broadly and that you still haven't heard back from Tulane. I know that the ms pharm is not the ACP, but it seems as though given your exceptional performance both in the program and on the MCAT one would presumably be quite confidant in your subsequent application to the school. Were you led to believe otherwise, and/or do you believe that this is not the case? The reason that I ask is that I noticed that you got a rejection from VCU which supposedly has fairly lenient undergraduate standards provided that you excel in their program (though admittedly a minority of their students excel) so it seems that the schools that have SMP programs provide you a substantial "in-house" advantage with their host programs which potentially Tulane does not extend.

Thank you, and great job.

 

[freshbagels]

Thank you for your contribution, I noticed that you applied quite broadly and that you still haven't heard back from Tulane. I know that the ms pharm is not the ACP, but it seems as though given your exceptional performance both in the program and on the MCAT one would presumably be quite confidant in your subsequent application to the school. Were you led to believe otherwise, and/or do you believe that this is not the case? The reason that I ask is that I noticed that you got a rejection from VCU which supposedly has fairly lenient undergraduate standards provided that you excel in their program (though admittedly a minority of their students excel) so it seems that the schools that have SMP programs provide you a substantial "in-house" advantage with their host programs which potentially Tulane does not extend.

Thank you, and great job.

Yes, your reasoning is the same as mine, and informed a lot of the choices behind my school list: I chose newer MD programs, lower-tier OOS friendly publics, and schools that had their own SMP or MS, thinking that they would be more receptive to turnaround stories. That's the conventional wisdom, but it doesn't always play out -- I spoke to VCU admissions post-rejection, and they didn't even really understand that my graduate work (which is classified as HEALTH rather than BCPM on AMCAS) was a rigorous, didactic program. They didn't appear to give my application a really thorough read.

Tulane's MS pharm does not have any official linkage with the school, but one of the professors (Dr. Beckman) is the Dead of Admissions, so developing a good relationship with her can be very productive. She wrote an LoR for me and informally told me that I'd be interviewed, but I haven't heard anything from Tulane so far. I have been in sporadic contact with her, but she still has no real news. Most of my classmates who are applying this year have also gotten silence from Tulane, although one (who was complete only in September) was given an interview invite just recently.

I do know that the new Dean for the medical school has made it his stated goal to close "backdoor entrances" into Tulane med. The problem, really, is that there are too many MS programs. Anatomy, Pharmacology, Neuroscience, Biochemistry (and ACP) ... it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff when you have more than 100 kids applying just from graduate programs at the school itself. Frankly, the MS programs that take place at the Undergrad campus of Tulane don't seem to be worth it; you have no connection at all to the medical school. Going forward, the Pharm and Anatomy programs are an OK bet, but with the increasing competitiveness of admissions, I would prioritize the true SMPs that have definite linkage with their host-schools.