2.3 gpa / 36 mcat

[neodoxa]

Hi,

My undergraduate GPA was abysmal at 2.3. I had some issues in my life that really set me back. It ended up taking me 6 years to graduate.

I took the MCAT and got a pretty good score on it... 36.

Should I go back and retake some of the core classes that I did poorly in? I know that the GPA calculation for DO schools only counts the latest retake in the calculation. I figured it out, and I would need to retake 5-6 classes in order to get my GPA to 2.8 (not my real GPA, but the one that is calculated by AACOMAS with replaced grades).

What are my options as far as DO school is concerned? Is it possible?

Thanks.

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[BecksTriad]

i would retake classes until ur GPA is a 3.0 as calculated by AACOMAS. then you would for sure have a chance at almost all DO schools

 

[MJS4878]

Definitely retake any C/D/F grades, it can help tremendously. You have an outstanding MCAT so if you can get the GPA over the minimum cutoff, which I believe is usually a 3.0, then you should get some interviews for sure.

 

[iTariqPreMD]

Is the way that aacomas calculates grades weighted or altered in some way?

 

[rodmichael82]

Retake a couple classes for Fall of 2013, Spring 2014 and then apply June 2014.
With a 2.3 GPA you will most likely be computer screened out and won't even have your application looked by human eyes.

Also build ECs this year including working with a DO and getting a LOR.

 

[Pharmakon]

Is the way that aacomas calculates grades weighted or altered in some way?

AACOMAS has grade replacement. If a class is retaken, the grades not averaged, but the higher replaces totally. (Remember also that Math is not calculated in the Science GPA.)

 

[user3]

If you get the GPA's to 2.80+, you should get in somewhere

 

[Goro]

You need to do enough re-takes to get that GPA >3.0. You'd be rejected outright with anything <3.0 at my school.

Hi,

My undergraduate GPA was abysmal at 2.3. I had some issues in my life that really set me back. It ended up taking me 6 years to graduate.

I took the MCAT and got a pretty good score on it... 36.

Should I go back and retake some of the core classes that I did poorly in? I know that the GPA calculation for DO schools only counts the latest retake in the calculation. I figured it out, and I would need to retake 5-6 classes in order to get my GPA to 2.8 (not my real GPA, but the one that is calculated by AACOMAS with replaced grades).

What are my options as far as DO school is concerned? Is it possible?

Thanks.

 

[whatever5]

I may be wrong, but would it possible for him to get in to an MD school with that MCAT + a successful SMP?

 

[neodoxa]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Would it matter if I was to retake classes at a different school?

Also, my original degree was in Biology. Would it be beneficial to get another BS degree in Biochemistry? It would take about the same amount of time to complete as just retaking classes...

I feel like transferring to a different school for a second degree might make a more compelling application to DO school since my GPA wouldn't look as diluted.

Thoughts?

 

[Goro]

No; I think s/he'd be autoscreened out.

I may be wrong, but would it possible for him to get in to an MD school with that MCAT + a successful SMP?



That would not be a problem. Re-taking, say, Chem is re-taking Chem.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Would it matter if I was to retake classes at a different school?

I don't think you'll need to do that...just take or re-take enough courses to get the cGPA >3.0

Also, my original degree was in Biology. Would it be beneficial to get another BS degree in Biochemistry? It would take about the same amount of time to complete as just retaking classes...

I've seen applicants do it. I'd only recommend it if you felt that you needed to do something else if Medicine didn't work out for you.

I feel like transferring to a different school for a second degree might make a more compelling application to DO school since my GPA wouldn't look as diluted.

 

[neodoxa]

I don't think you'll need to do that...just take or re-take enough courses to get the cGPA >3.0

You mean as far as AACOMAS is concerned, right? Because I could get to a 3.2 by retaking 8 classes.

My actual transcript GPA would still be well under 3.0. At least my transcripts would have an upward trend though. As I stand now, my senior year semesters averaged out to a 3.33 GPA, so adding in 8 more classes (2 semesters of post-bac) of 3.5+ would help I would think.

Thanks for the help.

 

[neodoxa]

How the heck can you have a 2.3 GPA and get a 36 MCAT? If I had a 2.3 GPA I'd be thinking about quitting or retaking years worth of classes, let alone the MCAT.

It was honestly sort of a fluke. My girlfriend needed to study for the MCAT, so I just studied with her for a few months. I didn't plan on taking it given my bad GPA, but since I helped her study for so long, I figured I'd give it a shot.

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I just found out that the undergrad GPA and post-bacc GPA are separate. Does this mean that the classes I would retake now since I graduated won't look as strong as if I retook them before graduating? I was under the impression it would all count as one GPA.

So actually, my OP is incorrect. My undergrad GPA would only be a 2.1 since I already did a year of post-bac classes (no repeats, just top-level bio and chem courses I hadn't previously taken). It was a 2.3 counting that year.

I guess some new stats of mine would be this:

Undergrad GPA at time of graduation in 2011: 2.1
1 year of post-bac 400-level biology and chem courses: 3.20
Total GPA combining post-bac with undergrad: 2.3

Here is what would happen from replacing 8 classes in the next year with A's:
After completing those 8 classes my post-bac GPA would be 3.5.
My total GPA as calculated by AACOMAS would be 3.2.

Would these numbers give me a legitimate chance at D.O. anywhere?

Thanks.

 

[Temperature101]

It was honestly sort of a fluke. My girlfriend needed to study for the MCAT, so I just studied with her for a few months. I didn't plan on taking it given my bad GPA, but since I helped her study for so long, I figured I'd give it a shot.

---

I just found out that the undergrad GPA and post-bacc GPA are separate. Does this mean that the classes I would retake now since I graduated won't look as strong as if I retook them before graduating? I was under the impression it would all count as one GPA.

So actually, my OP is incorrect. My undergrad GPA would only be a 2.1 since I already did a year of post-bac classes (no repeats, just top-level bio and chem courses I hadn't previously taken). It was a 2.3 counting that year.

I guess some new stats of mine would be this:

Undergrad GPA at time of graduation in 2011: 2.1
1 year of post-bac 400-level biology and chem courses: 3.20
Total GPA combining post-bac with undergrad: 2.3

Here is what would happen from replacing 8 classes in the next year with A's:
After completing those 8 classes my post-bac GPA would be 3.5.
My total GPA as calculated by AACOMAS would be 3.2.

Would these numbers give me a legitimate chance at D.O. anywhere?

Thanks.

If you do that, you will be competitive for all DO schools as long as your calculation is correct... Your transcript will average these grades, but AACOMAS will 'ignore' the ones with "lesser" grades so to speak...I am surprise that only 8 classes will give you that big of a jump...

 

[neodoxa]

If you do that, you will be competitive for all DO schools as long as your calculation is correct... Your transcript will average these grades, but AACOMAS will 'ignore' the ones with "lesser" grades so to speak...I am surprise that only 8 classes will give you that big of a jump...

So it does not matter that these are post-bacc replacements?

As I understand it, it works like this:

( Undergrad GPA + Post-Bac GPA = Total GPA ) ==> ( 2.1 + 3.5 = 3.2 Total GPA )

Just a little worried that I'll be wasting a ton of money and time by doing this if every school sees that 2.1 undergrad GPA and just throws the application in the trash.

I was more optimistic when I assumed that AACOMAS would put the retakes in with the undergrad GPA directly. It seems like I made a huge mistake by graduating. In hindsight, I should have just dropped out for awhile.

Thanks.

 

[NontradCA]

If you retake the same courses the grades will still be displayed but not counted towards GPA, if that's what you're asking.

 

[JeanLouis11]

Hi,

My undergraduate GPA was abysmal at 2.3. I had some issues in my life that really set me back. It ended up taking me 6 years to graduate.

I took the MCAT and got a pretty good score on it... 36.

Should I go back and retake some of the core classes that I did poorly in? I know that the GPA calculation for DO schools only counts the latest retake in the calculation. I figured it out, and I would need to retake 5-6 classes in order to get my GPA to 2.8 (not my real GPA, but the one that is calculated by AACOMAS with replaced grades).

What are my options as far as DO school is concerned? Is it possible?

Thanks.

Hey, great score! However,I think you should do some more coursework to raise that cumulative GPA. I am pretty sure your overall application would be competitive but you do not want to be disregarded by the computer programs that certain ADCOMS use to sift through applicants. i.e. GPAs lower than 2.8 are automatically discarded.

With that score and some decent post grad work...you'll be a diamond considering you have a good explanation for your previous academic performance, I wouldn't worry about it though.

Also, if you really do well in post grad work, you can always take a shot at a few MD schools. The sky is the limit!

 

[neodoxa]

If you retake the same courses the grades will still be displayed but not counted towards GPA, if that's what you're asking.

Sorry... Let me clarify.

Does AACOMAS send them the 2.1 GPA that I had when I graduated, prior to any post-bac work?

I would like to know what GPAs the DO schools will immediately see from AACOMAS.

 

[user3]

Sorry... Let me clarify.

Does AACOMAS send them the 2.1 GPA that I had when I graduated, prior to any post-bac work?

I would like to know what GPAs the DO schools will immediately see from AACOMAS.

pretty sure any undergrad grade replaced, whether during or after the bachelor's replaces the old grade.

 

[NontradCA]

Sorry... Let me clarify.

Does AACOMAS send them the 2.1 GPA that I had when I graduated, prior to any post-bac work?

I would like to know what GPAs the DO schools will immediately see from AACOMAS.

What I meant was that the lower grades will be displayed but not counted towards GPA. AACOMAS will only count the last repeat towards GPA. The schools will see all the courses you've ever taken at the bottom of the application. The top portion will be your GPA (including retakes), broken down year by year, science and non science, and cumulative based on total grade points and credit hours.

 

[Goro]

Nontrad is correct. This is exactly what I see in my files for interviews.

What I meant was that the lower grades will be displayed but not counted towards GPA. AACOMAS will only count the last repeat towards GPA. The schools will see all the courses you've ever taken at the bottom of the application. The top portion will be your GPA (including retakes), broken down year by year, science and non science, and cumulative based on total grade points and credit hours.

 

[rodmichael82]

OP retake the 8 classes, 4 in Fall of 2013, 4 in Spring of 2014 and apply this upcoming 2014. It does not matter where you retake the courses, even at a different school, they will replace your old grade with your new grade in the calculation but report both grades.

Assuming you do well and get your GPA > 3.0 and build your ECs (volunteer with a DO and get a LOR, homeless shelter volunteer etc...) you should get into a DO school pretty easily. You might even get love from the top DO schools with that MCAT score.

 

[neodoxa]

Does anyone have any experience with taking online classes in order to replace grades per AACOMAS?

I came across a ton of online classes from BYU and the price is very cheap compared to my local universities... I was wondering if this is a viable option. Any downside to doing this?

http://is.byu.edu/site/courses/index.cfm?school=univ

Thanks.

 

[rodmichael82]

Does anyone have any experience with taking online classes in order to replace grades per AACOMAS?

I came across a ton of online classes from BYU and the price is very cheap compared to my local universities... I was wondering if this is a viable option. Any downside to doing this?

http://is.byu.edu/site/courses/index.cfm?school=univ

Thanks.

It's not a good idea to take classes online when applying to medical school be it MD or DO.

 

[jm192]

Get the GPA to a 3.0 and you should have quite a few DO options.

I agree absolutely don't go Carrib.

 

[edgerock24]

Does anyone have any experience with taking online classes in order to replace grades per AACOMAS?

I came across a ton of online classes from BYU and the price is very cheap compared to my local universities... I was wondering if this is a viable option. Any downside to doing this?

http://is.byu.edu/site/courses/index.cfm?school=univ

Thanks.

If you want to take some non-science classes online for grade replacement, then that is def. a good idea. But, basically, try to take all science classes in person.

 

[neodoxa]

UPDATE:

I just completed a semester of retakes and got a 4.0 (with the following courses):

Technical Writing for Science Majors
Physics I
Chemistry I
Biology of Aging

Now I'm scheduling for next semester, and I'm not sure which retakes I should do...

Here are my cumulative numbers after last semester:
Science GPA: 2.85
Non-Science GPA: 2.83

I have the following options for courses to take (they would be retakes to replace lower grades):

Science Courses:
Chemistry II (4 credits)
Physics II (4 credits)
Molecular Biology/Genomics (4 credits) (would conflict with both History of U.S. and Microeconomics)
Immunology (1 credit) (this one would NOT be a retake, but I'd like to take it)
Nutrition (3 credits)

Non-science Courses:
History of U.S. II (3 credits)
Microeconomics (3 credits)

Should I forget about trying to raise my non-science GPA and just take science classes?
If I take the science classes listed above, my new science GPA would be 3.1 if all of them end up counting as retakes by AACOMAS.

Summary:
MCAT: 36
Science GPA: Would be 3.1
Non-Science GPA: 2.83 without taking any classes to raise it

Thanks in advance.