I am new here and the reason I am here because my life is a total mess. Right now its my fourth year and i just finished half my credits and with a 2.2 gpa. most of my science i have Bs and 1 C+ in orgo2. I have messed too much in the first two years and now im trying to pick myself back up with getting A's. I am so discouraged that with my gpa i dont think i will be getting to med school. Columbia is my top but reality is never going to happen. I really want to go to medical field and the only choice. its not that the work is too hard but everytime I want classes that can make me organize my time I get left with crappy classes. I blame myself for everything in the past but i want hopee that i can. so.... what are my chances?
very low gpa
- Thread starter nycsun
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2011
- Messages
- 2,566
- Reaction score
- 788
Do post-bacc, take as many classes over again. Apply to DO, they have grade replacement.
- Joined
- May 1, 2013
- Messages
- 306
- Reaction score
- 107
Post bac is just taking classes after graduating. You can retake your Pre med classes in post bac.
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2012
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 0
Unfortunately your GPA is much too low for MD, even if you did postbacc it would take you years to get to minimally acceptable range for MD/ SMP--> MD. I think DO is your best bet for a career in medicine and grade replacement is useful in rehabilitating your grades. Your gpa at this point won't net you an interview in any DO schools so retake all Fs and Ds. Retake pre-reqs with Cs. You have a difficult path ahead of you, but it is totally possible if you are ready and willing to commit to your goal. Good luck!
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2012
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 0
Well it looks like post-bacc --> SMP --> MD will be your best bet. Best of luck to you.
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2012
- Messages
- 433
- Reaction score
- 1
Retake the classed you got a c or lower in and apply do! But that said dovthat only for past classes and get good grades going further and you can still be a doctor and do great
also you need clinical experience and a letter from a do"!"!
also you need clinical experience and a letter from a do"!"!
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2011
- Messages
- 28,435
- Reaction score
- 54,190
That's not realistic with your gpa. DO schools are a blessing for late bloomers. Take advantage of their generosity and re-take your C's and D's.
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2010
- Messages
- 72,621
- Reaction score
- 115,665
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 6,536
- Reaction score
- 7,765
He is no where near a post bac. He has been in college for 4 years but has only completed "half the credits". (Unless I am reading his post wrong, which I might be because the punctuation is very confusing.)
To the OP continue on with your degree. Don't get anything less than an A from here on out. After you graduate see what your GPA is and go from there. By the time you are finished things will probably be very different on the acceptance front so to say now you have to get at at least 3.0 is silly. In 2 or 3 years that number might be significantly higher. Also don't turn your nose up at DO. If you want to be a doctor you do what you have to to achieve those goals.
To the OP continue on with your degree. Don't get anything less than an A from here on out. After you graduate see what your GPA is and go from there. By the time you are finished things will probably be very different on the acceptance front so to say now you have to get at at least 3.0 is silly. In 2 or 3 years that number might be significantly higher. Also don't turn your nose up at DO. If you want to be a doctor you do what you have to to achieve those goals.
D
deleted480308
If nothing is defined as anything that isn't allopathic (which is a poor definition)...then it will be nothing, sorry
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2011
- Messages
- 2,566
- Reaction score
- 788
Buddy you have a 2.2 gpa. Consider yourself lucky if you get into ANY medical school. If I were you, I would aim for a MD but realistically settle for a DO. Your gpa is not nearly high enough for either (need to improve your gpa by at least a full point to even consider yourself a decent applicant)
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2011
- Messages
- 2,566
- Reaction score
- 788
I agree with this. Some kids realize they really want to do medical school and their generosity to let you retake your low grades. You can have a few Cs in undergrad and still get into a MD but if you have Cs/Ds in major pre-reqs, you might as well just settle for a DO and retake those Cs/Ds for As/Bs.
- Joined
- May 31, 2013
- Messages
- 391
- Reaction score
- 445
+1
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2013
- Messages
- 79
- Reaction score
- 93
Be careful with the post-bac route. I graduated with a 2.5 and did a post-bac education degree. I averaged 3.8 during this program. Then I became a teacher and worked in London's public schools as a class teacher for ten years. An amazing experience! I decided to follow in my father's footsteps and make a career change to medicine. I applied to schools in the state I originally earned my degree (and did the teaching program) and I was denied. I couldn't believe it because I had already been accepted and my grades were better than the last time I applied and was accepted. Their reason: I had little to no science experience and space was very limited for post-bacs. A lot of people assume that going back as a post-bac is easy, when in actuality it is easier to get into a grad program. (Only reason I got in the first time was it was a program, not just generic continuing my education without entering a program.)
I was told to take some science courses at a community college to bring my grades up and show commitment. Now I'm worried because I currently have a 2.77 after the teaching program and I'm in community college. I should be able to get up to 3.2 by the time I finish my ore-reqs, but I want those to come from a 4 year, not a cc. I feel like I'll never get into a post-bac program, much less medical school. Anyway, don't assume that you'll just automatically get into a post-bac program. Retake those courses now while you're actually in the system. Getting back in can be tougher than you might think.
On a side note, this is my first post and I am a bit confused. What is a DO?
I was told to take some science courses at a community college to bring my grades up and show commitment. Now I'm worried because I currently have a 2.77 after the teaching program and I'm in community college. I should be able to get up to 3.2 by the time I finish my ore-reqs, but I want those to come from a 4 year, not a cc. I feel like I'll never get into a post-bac program, much less medical school. Anyway, don't assume that you'll just automatically get into a post-bac program. Retake those courses now while you're actually in the system. Getting back in can be tougher than you might think.
On a side note, this is my first post and I am a bit confused. What is a DO?
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
- 5,173
- Reaction score
- 4,757
These posts always make me laugh. If you want to be physician, you will be open to DO. If you aren't open to that route then your priorities don't lie in being a physician first, which makes me think perhaps you'll be better off not going to medical school anyway.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2013
- Messages
- 156
- Reaction score
- 177
Wow that is unfortunate about your predicament. I bet you wish you had taken med school when you had the opportunity (an opportunity which surprises me that you received). A DO school is osteopathic medicine.
D
deleted480308
DO schools produce osteopathic physicians, and MD schools produce allopathic physicians. They equal in all practice rights here in the states although MD has a slight edge for some specialties getting into residency. Look into DO because they offer grade forgiveness for class repeats and you can repair that GPA with amazing speed. Also, they tend to care less about community college classes since they are traditionally more friendly to us non-trads
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2012
- Messages
- 2,418
- Reaction score
- 957
There are people with 3.4-3.5/27-31 that would be thankful with a DO acceptance.
This guy just won't face the music. Op, go Carrib and hope for the best if all you care about is the last 2 letters behind your name
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2010
- Messages
- 6,208
- Reaction score
- 36
Then you're nothing, son. From 2.2 to MD school is not going to happen. Even the 4 big Carib schools won't take a chance with you. Well, maybe Saba, but Ross, AUC and SGU are impossible.
Exactly. Even with a 3.5/27 you're just average for DO.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2013
- Messages
- 458
- Reaction score
- 329
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2012
- Messages
- 327
- Reaction score
- 95
Dr Wannabee are you talking about a structured post bach or an informal. Informal post bachs are pretty easy to get into I just had to email my undergrad telling them Im still going to take classes. Grad programs are not worth it unless you do a MS in Medical Science/Biomedical Sciences or SMP and you still need a science background for any of them. I had about a 3.0 my senior year and after post bach and my master I have over a 3.5. I only applied D.O. and got in on my first shot even though I applied really late. I have worked in the healthcare field and had Med Students at US MD programs tell me to go to D.O. programs. My pathologist boss who did a combined program MD/Phd which is fully funded and extremely hard to get into had no qualms with me going to D.O. school. Hes only knock was its in Vegas might distract me lol. But if you want to be a physician go where takes you I know people who got rejected from D.O. and got in M.D. and people who turned down M.D for D.O.. Things have changed over the years D.O. is just as accepted as anything, 20 years ago PAs were in the same situation with ARNPs now they have evened out. Its all about what you want plus D.O. you get to learn OMM. Just work hard and show you can handle med school a 2.2 isnt going to impress anyone.
- Joined
- May 3, 2011
- Messages
- 857
- Reaction score
- 67
Everyone keep in mind OP says he finished half of his credits for his degree with a 2.2 GPA. Still pretty bad, but might be redeemable. OP, you should calculate what your GPA will be with A's and A-'s from here on out and see if you will be at LEAST 3.2-3.3 for MD.
I agree with everyone here though, with that kind of GPA you should accept DO as a possible route if you really want to be a physician. My guess is after all the hard work spent studying for classes and for the MCAT, you will eventually realize DO is a great option. I doubt you'll be like "Oh well, no MD schools accepted me, so I guess I'm going to go for another career now after all those years."
I agree with everyone here though, with that kind of GPA you should accept DO as a possible route if you really want to be a physician. My guess is after all the hard work spent studying for classes and for the MCAT, you will eventually realize DO is a great option. I doubt you'll be like "Oh well, no MD schools accepted me, so I guess I'm going to go for another career now after all those years."
thank you guys for the info sorry i was busy finishing up and started summer classes. with the past sesmester my gpa went up by 0.3 and im hoping by the end of summer it would go 0.2 more. I will consider DO option also. But MD is what ill go for first. Ill keep you guys updated so that you guys can give me a more realistic paths i can take. Im thinking of going into SMP or post-bac at hunter college which is my undergrad school also. lol
Unless you get your GPA up to around a 3.3 with a 30+ on the MCAT you stand virtually no chance at MD unless you have some amazing circumstances. Even for DO youll need a 3.0 with a 25+ MCAT to have a good chance.
There is very little difference between DO and MD. You have all the same opportunities if you do well in med school and do well on board exams. I happen to be an excellent candidate for most MD schools but I am still applying DO so I can interview and visit the schools and if I happen to really like a DO school I may choose it over an MD school. I have every intention of being a specialized surgeon also and I don't think being a DO would hold me back at all.
Your best option may be Caribbean schools. You may be at a slight disadvantage but again if you kick ***** in your classes and do well on boards you'll be fine.
There is very little difference between DO and MD. You have all the same opportunities if you do well in med school and do well on board exams. I happen to be an excellent candidate for most MD schools but I am still applying DO so I can interview and visit the schools and if I happen to really like a DO school I may choose it over an MD school. I have every intention of being a specialized surgeon also and I don't think being a DO would hold me back at all.
Your best option may be Caribbean schools. You may be at a slight disadvantage but again if you kick ***** in your classes and do well on boards you'll be fine.
