Yeah, you've heard this before...

[fast-train]

Okay, so finishing college with a 2.7 gpa and 37 MCAT. Not looking to apply to medical school for a couple years, as evidenced by my numbers. What is the best way to get the horrendous gpa up? Which post-bacc's do not require 3.0+ gpa's to get in? GPA is pretty much a measure of how lazy i can be. MCAT is really a measure of how much I understand and can analyze scientifically. I don't expect you guys to have miracle cures for my predicament. I'm just hoping for some helpful guidance about where I should go from here. Thanks.

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[Kazema]

When I was holding a bunch of waitlists and considering SMP's last year I contacted a couple of them asking whether I'd be ruled out for having a <3.0 GPA - they said with such a lopsided GPA/MCAT split they'd "look at my application carefully but no promises". So it might be worth applying to a few just in case. Otherwise your best bet is probably do post-bacc work on your own - register for science classes at your school (or any school) as a non-degree student and raise your GPA to around a 3.0 or so.

Actually, the first thing your should do is to contact a couple medical schools you're interested in and talk to them about your (potential) application, ask them for suggestions on how to make yourself a competitive candidate. That helps you two ways - first you get advice from the people who really count, and second it gets your name out there as someone who's really interested in the school and is forward-thinking and motivated enough to seek out schools on your own. Depending on how your meeting(s) with the Dean(s) go(es), you can meet with him/her/them again after raising your GPA prior to applying. That way when your app pops up he'll/she'll/they'll/it'll go, "Hey, I remember this guy/girl/thing, he/she/they/it/we/people/mineral was/were/will be/are very motivated and serious about medical school, let's give him/her/we/they/it/somethihng/paper an interview!"

It will go something like that maybe possibly.

 

[MoosePilot]

Okay, so finishing college with a 2.7 gpa and 37 MCAT. Not looking to apply to medical school for a couple years, as evidenced by my numbers. What is the best way to get the horrendous gpa up? Which post-bacc's do not require 3.0+ gpa's to get in? GPA is pretty much a measure of how lazy i can be. MCAT is really a measure of how much I understand and can analyze scientifically. I don't expect you guys to have miracle cures for my predicament. I'm just hoping for some helpful guidance about where I should go from here. Thanks.

Don't let that MCAT score expire! Most schools will only accept scores for three years. So however you work to bring up your GPA, don't take too long at it.

 

[sistahnik]

I second that idea of not letting that MCAT score expire. I also think that you should contact the schools you are interested in for advice. If they give any inclination that you aren't competitive enough then if it were me, I would be careful at choosing a method to increase the GPA so that the MCAT score would still be useable when ready to put in apps. Not saying that you can't get the same score or higher, its just that I wouldn't want to go through testing again. Just be proactive and get out there and find out what your options are.
Good Luck!!

 

[rachmoninov3]

Like everyone else said, don't let the 37 expire! However, if you can financially, apply to at least your state school, and get some experience with the entire application process.

As for the GPA, I also have a low gpa (though I wish I could blame it on laziness), and so I started a second degree in biology (since my first was in chemistry with little biology). On you amcas application, there will be a total GPA calculation, but there will also be an undergraduate, post-bac, and grad, as well as the divisions between science and nonscience gpas. Give it a few semesters of hard work, and then reapply. That'll show that your MCAT isn't a fluke, and that you can work hard and are serious about med school.

Hope that helps!

 

[NonTradMed]

Ditto to what others have said, dont' let your GREAT MCAT score expire!

The fastest way to raise your (undergrad) GPA is to do post-bacc. I just started taking a few random science classes which sounded like it may help me in med school. It didn't really bring up my overall GPA so much as my science GPA, but more importantly it showed recent work that I did well on. You may also think of doing a one year masters, especially one with a bridge program. Since GPA looks to be your only obstacle, masters programs with bridge programs serves to replace poor GPA. But look into post-bacc, take as many science courses as you can and see about getting that GPA > 3.0. Med schools sometimes screen for GPA that's below 3.0, once you get your score up beyond initial screening, some schools may take you up on that 37 MCAT.

 

[CytochromeP450]

When I was holding a bunch of waitlists and considering SMP's last year I contacted a couple of them asking whether I'd be ruled out for having a <3.0 GPA - they said with such a lopsided GPA/MCAT split they'd "look at my application carefully but no promises". ]

Can you list the schools that told you this? I plan on contacting some soon about the same situation. Thanks!

 

[OctoDoc]

Some schools have a 2 year expiration date on an MCAT score. Better check!