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So this is a little tale that I hope will give people in a situation similar to mine a glimmer of hope.
I had a 3.0 GPA going into my third year of college in a major that I was not interested in. As a result of my father's cancer, my own research experience, and my continuing interest in the sciences, I decided to switch to a biology major, and studied my ass off. It took me 2 additional years to graduate (5 years total) and in those two years I managed to maintain a 3.95+ GPA, leaving me at a 3.52 cumulative. I also buckled down and did fairly well on the MCAT (35+).
However, a couple of community classes that I had taken when I was 12 (forgotten until this application cycle), destroyed my GPA, bringing it from a 3.52 -> 3.22. Somehow, I decided I would apply anyways. As the application cycle surged forward, I was getting zero interview invitations, while my roommate was getting invitations from Columbia, Cornell, UCLA, so on, and so forth.
These past few months, I was invited to interview at what turned out to be my only interview. I went, and was placed on waitlist. I was ready to succumb to the fact that perhaps my GPA had kept me out of medical school this cycle, and proceeded to plan to strengthen my application – I applied to multiple SMP programs. Today, I got a phone call from the admissions office saying they would offer me a place in the Fall 2008 Class.
The moral of this story is to take the advice on SDN with a grain of salt. If you are determined, hard-working, and sure that you want medicine to be your future career there are many paths that will ultimately allow you to achieve your dreams of matriculating into a medical school.
My advice to people in this situation: Never give up, always press on, but have realistic expectations and ALWAYS have a back up plan. Apply early, and apply broadly.
Good luck everyone who is applying this coming cycle, and more good luck to those in situations like mine!
I had a 3.0 GPA going into my third year of college in a major that I was not interested in. As a result of my father's cancer, my own research experience, and my continuing interest in the sciences, I decided to switch to a biology major, and studied my ass off. It took me 2 additional years to graduate (5 years total) and in those two years I managed to maintain a 3.95+ GPA, leaving me at a 3.52 cumulative. I also buckled down and did fairly well on the MCAT (35+).
However, a couple of community classes that I had taken when I was 12 (forgotten until this application cycle), destroyed my GPA, bringing it from a 3.52 -> 3.22. Somehow, I decided I would apply anyways. As the application cycle surged forward, I was getting zero interview invitations, while my roommate was getting invitations from Columbia, Cornell, UCLA, so on, and so forth.
These past few months, I was invited to interview at what turned out to be my only interview. I went, and was placed on waitlist. I was ready to succumb to the fact that perhaps my GPA had kept me out of medical school this cycle, and proceeded to plan to strengthen my application – I applied to multiple SMP programs. Today, I got a phone call from the admissions office saying they would offer me a place in the Fall 2008 Class.
The moral of this story is to take the advice on SDN with a grain of salt. If you are determined, hard-working, and sure that you want medicine to be your future career there are many paths that will ultimately allow you to achieve your dreams of matriculating into a medical school.
My advice to people in this situation: Never give up, always press on, but have realistic expectations and ALWAYS have a back up plan. Apply early, and apply broadly.
Good luck everyone who is applying this coming cycle, and more good luck to those in situations like mine!
