.

[ribs16]

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[ribs16]

Also just wanted to add, I really only want to get into my in-state medical school (MD). I will absolutely apply to at least 20 schools but I don't have any aspirations/expectations to get into a T50 school. I am aware that with my stats getting into any medical school will be near impossible so I will not be getting my hopes up.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you want to work in medical devices, why aren't you doing internships with such companies? You don't have to be a premed to be an engineer.

 

[ribs16]

If you want to work in medical devices, why aren't you doing internships with such companies? You don't have to be a premed to be an engineer.

Are you asking why I am pursuing medicine instead of engineering? My engineering education really helped inform me that I want to work on the clinical side of medicine. I am applying to medical device companies at the moment (for my gap year(s)) but available roles for new grads are few and far between.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm going to state the obvious but engineering is a tough major in terms of GPA. Furthermore, you didn't do well in the pre-med courses and your MCAT scores (particularly the subscores focused on the natural sciences) are indicative of a lack of a fund of knowledge necessary for success in the pre-clinical med school curriculum (the first 2 years).

You might look for and take to heart Goro's guide for reinvention. You might shadow one or more doctors of osteopath (DOs) and see if that appeals to you in terms of medical practice.

Whether MD or DO, you will need to build up your academic record and retake the MCAT. I would also suggest thinking about careers outside of MD that may be appealing. This could include being a sales rep for a device manufacturer, being a creator of prosthetic devices for amputees, or looking into roles related to fabrication of devices used in dentistry, podiatry, etc. I'm sure there are dozens of other ideas out there that marry clinical care and engineering.

Good luck.

 

[chilly_md]

None of your plans address the major concerns about your GPA. Read Goro's guide to reinvention:

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention (updated for 2021)

EDIT: Post in WAMC forum for recommended school lists. This thread isn't for that. So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take...

forums.studentdoctor.net

That will likely take the bulk of your time for a year. Additional research is not going to benefit your application. It really is just there if you need an income. Working as an MA or EMT would be a better use of your time since you lack clinical experience.

 

[ribs16]

None of your plans address the major concerns about your GPA. Read Goro's guide to reinvention:

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention (updated for 2021)

EDIT: Post in WAMC forum for recommended school lists. This thread isn't for that. So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take...

forums.studentdoctor.net

That will likely take the bulk of your time for a year. Additional research is not going to benefit your application. It really is just there if you need an income. Working as an MA or EMT would be a better use of your time since you lack clinical experience.

Here’s the thing. I’ve read the guide, but I don’t know how it would benefit me to spend money on a DIY post bacc or official post bacc program. I have never failed a class, and I’ve never received lower than a C+ in any class (did not receive below a B- in any pre-med prereq classes). So which classes would I be retaking/what type of masters or grad program in order to improve my GPA?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Here’s the thing. I’ve read the guide, but I don’t know how it would benefit me to spend money on a DIY post bacc or official post bacc program. I have never failed a class, and I’ve never received lower than a C+ in any class (did not receive below a B- in any pre-med prereq classes). So which classes would I be retaking/what type of masters or grad program in order to improve my GPA?

You have still come to the right place.

Please properly complete a WAMC and provide details on your sGPA and BCPM GPA. State of legal residence helps too. I presume US citizenship.

Both your C/P and B/B are below 125, which suggests you need more focused MCAT studying. You have the quantitative background to do much better on C/P. I don't know what biomedical courses you took for B/B. What are your upper-level biomedical science courses and their grades?

 

[chilly_md]

Here’s the thing. I’ve read the guide, but I don’t know how it would benefit me to spend money on a DIY post bacc or official post bacc program. I have never failed a class, and I’ve never received lower than a C+ in any class (did not receive below a B- in any pre-med prereq classes). So which classes would I be retaking/what type of masters or grad program in order to improve my GPA?

If you read the guide, you would see that you are not supposed to retake classes in your case:

If you got C's, take some upper level science classes and ace them. There is no need to retake a C unless you are very weak on the material and you need it for MCAT. Never, ever retake a B or B-.

There are suggestions of what to take below that in the guide (others include biochem 2, hematology, toxicology). The point is to show that the current you is capable of performing well in more advanced science courses. Most masters programs have inflated GPA's. The exception is an SMP, but that is usually much more expensive and is higher risk.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hi everyone, I'm nervous to post on here because I know that my stats right now are very poor. This is exactly why I am taking a gap year (more than likely 2 years). I really just need guidance on what I should do during this year to improve my application.

I am an undergrad (graduating spring 2024), majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in business at a T25 university. My current gpa is around a 3.17, and at most I will be able to graduate with a 3.2-something. I really messed up academically my sophomore year by getting sub 3.0 gpas both semesters due to mental health/focus issues. However, since then I have worked really hard to improve my grades and have gotten mostly As and a couple B+ for the past three semesters (was able to get Deans List at my school as well). I was even hired to be a teaching assistant (which is something I never thought I'd qualify for due to my previous grades). I know my gpa sucks, and I took the MCAT for the first time last summer and got a 503 (123 for Chem/Phys, 131 for CARS, 123 for Bio/Biochem, and 126 for Psych). I naively didn't give myself enough time to study enough for it (only had about 2 months). I will definitely be re-taking the MCAT but I am struggling to decide when during the year I should take it.

In terms of ECs, I mainly did ECs because of my varying interests rather than trying to create a "cohesive" story for med school that a lot of fellow pre-meds at my school have told me they've done, which also concerns me. Without doxxing myself I can say that I focused on my interests in art and business/consulting, peer mentoring, and also worked with disadvantaged students to help improve their reading skills. I am in a leadership role for 3 of my ECs. I am interested in working on medical devices, and am currently working on a start-up focused on womens health issues. When I was in my teens I was diagnosed with a medical condition and now I have a device implanted in me, which spurred my interest in pursuing medicine and medical devices. I have extensive research experience and have been working in a lab for the past 2 years on an independent project focused on my research interests (probably have 1000+ hours there).

I am lacking clinical experience severely. I have EMT certification, but I wasn't able to actually work as an EMT due to timing and other issues. I do have some shadowing hours and will gain more by the time I graduate undergrad. My plan is to work as a medical assistant during my gap year in order to make up for this.

I have a couple different plans for what I want to do for the next year or two but I don't know if it will be enough. My top option is to pursue the one year masters in my major offered by my undergrad school. If I get a graduate teaching position (which is unfortunately not guaranteed), the program would be completely free. I like this option because I can continue my work in the same lab. I will simultaneously pursue clinical experience and continue my volunteer work during the year. My other option is to move back closer to home (undergrad is OOS), and get a research assistant position at a university there (not guaranteed I'll be able to get this), while gaining clinical experience at the same time as well. Final option that I can think of is to get a full-time job in the medical device industry (am currently applying but the job market is really tough at the moment).

I'm sorry for the long post but I would really appreciate any advice/guidance. Do any of the plans I listed make sense? Is there something glaring I am missing? I feel like I am somewhat drowning because I can't figure out what to do. I am not technically a first gen college student, but my parents went to college in a different country (immigrants) and no one in my family has pursued medicine so I just don't know where to start.

There's a lot to unpack here. A few thoughts in no particular order:

If you do a special masters program with linkage, it will cost more than a DIY postbac, but you will end up with the additional degree and evidence that you can do well in med school. I'm not sure an MS GPA will help you that much since grad GPAs tend to go up and it can't be compared with the records of the many applicants who don't have grad degrees. Regardless the upward trend in your UGPA will help enormously as will a higher MCAT than you currently have.

If you are interested in working in medical devices, why do you want to be a clinician? You can be a biomedical engineer and do that. Do you want to do both in a complimentary fashion? You will have to make that clear.

I might be reading into your posts, but it seems like you view the clinical portion of next year's activities as something you have to do to get into med school and the research as your priority and what excites you. For you, I think it has to be reversed. Your priority should be increasing your clinical exposure so that you cannot only talk about how you benefited from medical care and a medical device, but how you have cared for or watched others in a clinical setting care for sick people.

BTW, I think the fact that you have nurtured non-clinical and non-premed interests and commitments is a plus in your profile. It makes you a more interesting and well-rounded person. However, that doesn't replace clinical exposure and commitment. You need the latter.

Regarding "creating a narrative," pre-meds don't have to spend every minute calculating whether this activity or that activity will benefit their med school apps or not and contribute to their "narrative." Those that do take this very calculated route to med school frequently say (I've interviewed several) that they wish they would have "explored" more and followed their heart a little more as an undergrad.

You should be able to find the common thread that goes through your activities and led you to medicine. That will be your story, and it should be both a genuine and fascinating one. Not all your activities need to have directed you to medicine, but they all have developed and cultivated different qualities, talents and skills in you, many of which will be valuable to you as a physician, even if not directly or superficially related to medicine.

FYI, I have a relative who graduated college with a degree in engineering and then went to medical school. He's approaching retirement age now, but he used his engineering background and a systems approach later in his career to add efficiency to the large healthcare system that he joined. Not exactly what you intend, but there's a place for that engineering background in medicine too. 🙂