Waste?

[arrakis]

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[DrMikeP]

You need to figure out what caused the low GPA. Perhaps speak with college counseling center or a a Psychologist if it's not just an issue of partying. Once that is fixed then consider options.

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[GreenDuck12]

I wouldn't switch to pre-med, pre-dental, or pre-podiatry until you figure out what it is you want to do. All three fields are incredibly different/unique and you shouldn't "settle" for one because all three are very competitive. Spend some time volunteering in medical settings and shadowing physicians to figure out which one is right for you. Then figure out what you need to do to earn a spot in a program.

 

[arrakis]

I became sick. I was misdiagnosed for nearly two and a half years & ended up throwing myself into figuring out what was going; once I'd gathered enough data, I found and saw the specialist who confirmed the diagnosis (unprompted; no mistaking my data mining for mastery). The issue is neurological and untreated undercut my ability to perform basic tasks. It's chronic but manageable.

 

[arrakis]

Here's one potential issue: I don't know whether I can retake all of the classes in which I earned Fs; I don't know if they'll be offered again by the time I graduate and question whether I could take them elsewhere (I'll certainly look into this) given their niche nature and credit loading. How might impact things? Thanks.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Your quickest road to redeem your GPA is to pursue osteopathic medicine which allows grade replacement. You do not necessarily have to retake the course at the same school but it is helpful if you can.

 

[arrakis]

Doe

Your quickest road to redeem your GPA is to pursue osteopathic medicine which allows grade replacement. You do not necessarily have to retake the course at the same school but it is helpful if you can.

Doesn't the credit conversion need to be comparable, though? My school weights each class six-quarter units, so this narrows the field for potential replacement options.

 

[GreenDuck12]

You would have to check the guidelines for how to do the conversion but I believe 1 year long course will be equivalent to another.

 

[arrakis]

You would have to check the guidelines for how to do the conversion but I believe 1 year long course will be equivalent to another.

The courses are one semester.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Again, check the AACOM guidelines for entering / reporting grades. They have a massive document that covers these kinds of scenarios. If for some reason you are unable to find what you are looking for, call them.

 

[cabinbuilder]

You need to take science pre-req's to see if you can do well in them. The science GPA is what matters the most. Need to take those F's over. Remember that DO schools allow grade replacement.

 

[arrakis]

Are MD programs out of the question? I'm very open to both, but from what I've seen, attending my state school would be cheaper.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Competition for spots in MD programs is higher than DO programs (though this gap is narrowing every year). Because of the competitiveness, MD programs typically admit students with higher stats (3.6+ sGPA/cGPA). Each state has different averages and ranges that they admit students from. Are there students that get admitted to MD programs? Yes. Is this a common occurrence? No. Typically, they have extremely high MCAT scores combined with life stories/circumstances that are extraordinary. Many have completed SMPs/other programs to show that they are extremely qualified to pursue medicine. Take a look at the GPA/MCAT grid from the aamc here: https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/157998/factstablea24.html

 

[arrakis]

Anyone else? And thanks again.

 

[gyngyn]

Unless you are from W VA or a similarly favorable state, you will need to investigate AACOMAS grade replacement to have a reasonable chance at a medical career.

 

[arrakis]

How do you define favorable state? Thanks,

 

[DrMikeP]

Anyone else? And thanks again.

You have multiple challenges, but there is a route IF you can avoid digging yourself deeper and start filling in the hole! Summarizing much of what is stated above and adding a bit:

1. You need to get your overall gpa up. For MD that's ~3.7+ without any retakes (I don't necessarily think this is worth the effort and years required and the SMP route could end your med career when going DO would be more possible). For DO ~3.25+ with retakes. You should aim for at least a 3.4 sgpa.
2. You MUST do well on all future coursework and MCAT to show you have overcame your issues.
3. Neurological raises a huge red flag, BUT if you can use it to your advantage as a reason for medicine and support how you overcame it then you might get through. Don't make it an excuse for the poor performance!! and focus on overcoming it and be able to answer how if problems arose in med school you'd deal with them. Adcoms love reinvention stories (impo DO more than MD), so frame it as that.
4. You need to get your foundation sciences down solid (Take Biochem as well) and that will enable you to hopefully do well on the MCAT DO - 504+. MD probably 515+ in your case to really demonstrate you have it.
5. You sincerely need to evaluate your medical condition and make sure that you can put in what is required to be successful. Med school is almost as physically as cognitively demanding, so speak with your physicians and make sure.
6. Figure out if medicine is your passion. Shadow a DO and MD and see for sure. Get a job as a psych tech in a public hospital and make sure anything in psychiatry is what you want as it's not often what people think it is.

DO with grade forgiveness (pretty sure you can make that work, but as mentioned above do your leg work to see, all else fails email AACOM and ask if YX will replace XY and give them an example.) is really your best chance for being a physician. Do you really want to do dental or podiatry? If so then do them or be a PA or NP if that excites you. BUT if you are sincerely passionate about being a physician the road is there. It's just a marathon getting to the finish line, so be ready to invest in preparing for such.

Do some reading on the AACOM site and ask more questions when you've decided what route you want.

Best of Luck!

 

[gunito]

Hi there,

When i first started my journey i wanted to do psychiatry as well, i was a psych major. But as time progressed i realized my passion is neurology, clinical neurphysiology and movement disorders to be exact. Keep an open mind and if u wanna be a dr stay focused and visualize and win.

 

[arrakis]

You have multiple challenges, but there is a route IF you can avoid digging yourself deeper and start filling in the hole! Summarizing much of what is stated above and adding a bit:

1. You need to get your overall gpa up. For MD that's ~3.7+ without any retakes (I don't necessarily think this is worth the effort and years required and the SMP route could end your med career when going DO would be more possible). For DO ~3.25+ with retakes. You should aim for at least a 3.4 sgpa.
2. You MUST do well on all future coursework and MCAT to show you have overcame your issues.
3. Neurological raises a huge red flag, BUT if you can use it to your advantage as a reason for medicine and support how you overcame it then you might get through. Don't make it an excuse for the poor performance!! and focus on overcoming it and be able to answer how if problems arose in med school you'd deal with them. Adcoms love reinvention stories (impo DO more than MD), so frame it as that.
4. You need to get your foundation sciences down solid (Take Biochem as well) and that will enable you to hopefully do well on the MCAT DO - 504+. MD probably 515+ in your case to really demonstrate you have it.
5. You sincerely need to evaluate your medical condition and make sure that you can put in what is required to be successful. Med school is almost as physically as cognitively demanding, so speak with your physicians and make sure.
6. Figure out if medicine is your passion. Shadow a DO and MD and see for sure. Get a job as a psych tech in a public hospital and make sure anything in psychiatry is what you want as it's not often what people think it is.

DO with grade forgiveness (pretty sure you can make that work, but as mentioned above do your leg work to see, all else fails email AACOM and ask if YX will replace XY and give them an example.) is really your best chance for being a physician. Do you really want to do dental or podiatry? If so then do them or be a PA or NP if that excites you. BUT if you are sincerely passionate about being a physician the road is there. It's just a marathon getting to the finish line, so be ready to invest in preparing for such.

Do some reading on the AACOM site and ask more questions when you've decided what route you want.

Best of Luck!

Cool, and thank you. Best to you, as well.

If you ever get time, could you (or anyone) brief me on the extent to which science courses beyond standard pre-req classes translate to higher MCAT scores? I don't know how well the correlation-causation question's been teased out....I'm looking into it, but I want to check my understanding.

 

[gyngyn]

How do you define favorable state? Thanks,

One that matriculates a disproportionate number of IS applicants (e.g. W VA, Puerto Rico, S Carolina, Louisiana, AL, AR...)

 

[DrMikeP]

Cool, and thank you. Best to you, as well.

If you ever get time, could you (or anyone) brief me on the extent to which science courses beyond standard pre-req classes translate to higher MCAT scores? I don't know how well the correlation-causation question's been teased out....I'm looking into it, but I want to check my understanding.

Biochemistry does very well, not sure about others.

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