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If you can get a 3.8+ these 2 years, your plan is fine. Otherwise wait till after your 4th year.
 
Yes, you still have a shot of getting into medical school. For now focus on doing well in your courses and aim to get your GPA to the highest it can be and realize that you may have to apply in your senior year rather than junior to maximize on your chances of getting in and avoid being a reapplicant.

It is difficult to say where the admissions/matriculation statistics will be in the coming years but if you want a general guideline I would say currently a GPA >3.3 and a MCAT >505 would make you competitive for most schools.
 
drducky. said:
If you can get a 3.8+ these 2 years, your plan is fine. Otherwise wait till after your 4th year.
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Sure they should aim to achieve 3.8+, but that is well above the competitive average for DO schools. I think what you mean is that OP should show schools they are ready for the intense rigor that med school science courses entails. I'm not sure what GPA increase results from 1-2 years of A's (mostly!!!) & B's look like, but as long as OP gets above 3.0 GPA & 503+ MCAT AND shows no more doubts about their fitness for classes, they should be good to go for most DO schools! Of course those are bare minimums, so aim higher like above poster said if you want to be competitive for PCOM & LECOM!! You got this, don't give up if this is what you really want. It's definitely possible.
 
AMeanOldAcid said:
Sure they should aim to achieve 3.8+, but that is well above the competitive average for DO schools. I think what you mean is that OP should show schools they are ready for the intense rigor that med school science courses entails. I'm not sure what GPA increase results from 1-2 years of A's (mostly!!!) & B's look like, but as long as OP gets above 3.0 GPA & 503+ MCAT AND shows no more doubts about their fitness for classes, they should be good to go for most DO schools! Of course those are bare minimums, so aim higher like above poster said if you want to be competitive for PCOM & LECOM!! You got this, don't give up if this is what you really want. It's definitely possible.
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3.8 is high for DO schools IF op had it all throughout his college career, but op was a D average student his first year.

He said he needs a 4.0 from now on to get up to a 3.3, so a 3.8 atleast is a very much needed at this point.
 
@cofffeemed
The biggest thing moving forward is don't be afraid to change you tactics or study habits because a big part of taking upper division science courses is adapting to the pace and style. If you continue to beat your head against the wall doing the same thing, then you are wasting your time and will continue to perform poorly. As the others have said, I would not apply at the end of your junior year considering your situation.
 
You need to finish college strong, then study for the mcat in your gap year while you work on ECs... You would be foolish to think you can apply third year.
 
OP, like the others have said, do not apply after your Junior year. A 3.3 GPA won't keep you out of DO schools, given that your MCAT and ECs are competitive. However, waiting until after your fourth year when you hopefully have a higher GPA will be beneficial to your application. Study extremely hard for the MCAT. I have spoken with other people who had a 3.3 GPA while applying to DO schools and most of the ones that got accepted had MCATs of at least 509 or higher. I'm not saying it's impossible to get in with a 3.3 GPA and <509 MCAT, but that is just what I have seen.

Also, why are you taking four science classes in one semester? In only your third semester of college? Don't kill yourself by doing that. I wouldn't recommend taking that many science classes in one semester again until you know you can handle it.

Critically analyze your study habits, fix them, maintain a consistency of excellent grades, study hard for the MCAT, and make sure you have great ECs. Not hard at all! (sarcasm). Work hard and you'll be fine, OP.
 
You said the classes you received D's in were science classes. If they were pre-reqs for medical school you will undoubtedly have to retake them. This can do 2 things 1.) Improve your GPA by doing grade replacement 2.) Show DO schools that you had a bad semester and you have the work ethic to make it in medical school. I can't stress this enough, DO NOT worry about applying to medical school at the end of your junior year. You have to apply when your application is ready both academically and non-academically. It seems as if you have a lot of work to do and this may take longer than the traditional applicant, but don't let that deter you. Apply when you are ready, not when you want to be ready...
 
Grade replacement is no longer a thing; a new grade in a course will not replace an old one. Also, you will almost certainly not have a 3.3 by the end of junior year, so you should re-check your calculations.

Get mostly A's for the rest of undergrad, do an SMP or Master's after college (and get a 3.8+ in it), and do well on the MCAT. You are fighting an uphill battle right now, but if you truly feel that it's a battle worth fighting (i.e., if you feel that medicine is your calling), then get ready for the long haul.
 
AMeanOldAcid said:
Sure they should aim to achieve 3.8+, but that is well above the competitive average for DO schools. I think what you mean is that OP should show schools they are ready for the intense rigor that med school science courses entails. I'm not sure what GPA increase results from 1-2 years of A's (mostly!!!) & B's look like, but as long as OP gets above 3.0 GPA & 503+ MCAT AND shows no more doubts about their fitness for classes, they should be good to go for most DO schools! Of course those are bare minimums, so aim higher like above poster said if you want to be competitive for PCOM & LECOM!! You got this, don't give up if this is what you really want. It's definitely possible.
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Not all MD schools reward rising GPA trends or reinvention.
 
MY QUESTION IS, did I completely ruin my chances at med school. I am pursuing DO med schools, but did I just mess everything up? Honest answers only, I do not want to waste what's left of my college career pursuing something that won't happen.
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If I were you, I'd take some time off from my studies for now. You need to stop digging a deeper hole.

It won't be the end of the world. It doesn't mean that you've given up.

Medical schools aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
 
Everyone seems to have given great advice on how this might affect your medical school aspirations and how best to proceed, but I'd like to encourage you to allow yourself some grace. You understand that you can do better; and if this is important to you, then you will. Take care of yourself, adjust your study habits, and get back out there. Best of luck.
 
Lawper said:
Did the AACOM give an official reason why they got rid of it?
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If I remember right they said they did an analysis of how it affected GPAs and it was negligible. This appears to have been true as my school, and most others outside of the new/crappy schools, saw no drop in GPA averages.
 
I would be more worried about graduating college than to think about med school. I don't think you get 4 Ds because you are doing well. Right now would be the time to lower the credit load and try to find out what is keeping you from getting good grades. I also seriously doubt the rest of the package in terms of extracurriculars, leadership and research is there. People that get in with lower GPAs usually have mitigating factors. Having a junior that just turned around grades for a single year is not a very appealing candidate.
 
As long as this pattern doesn't continue, you still have a shot. Take all of the "recommended courses" listed by LECOM & PCOM, study your ass off for the MCAT, and make an informed decision about when would be the best time to apply. Be aware that it may not be before you graduate. The best thing you can do right now is make a plan and find an advisor who will support you and keep you on track.

I was subject to academic disqualification for one quarter my junior year, but then had an upward academic trend. I then showed drastic improvement again in a post-bacc. Still no news from PCOM and LECOM for me this cycle, but I have been accepted and waitlisted at other DO schools. You got this.
 
workaholic181 said:
I remember at the time reading a statement along the line of now that the residencies are merging they want the application parameters for both MD and DO to be more equal. Now AACOMAS says it's "in an effort to increase transparency."

Notice of Repeat Coursework Policy Change
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Probably because too many premeds constantly calling up AACOMAS trying to convince them to replace their similar courses.
 
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