2.6 CGPA, no MCAT yet

[strugdc]

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I'm in computational biology and looking at medical schools in the Caribbean (ROSS, SGU, AUA, SABA)

I haven't written the MCAT yet.

I was thinking of taking courses at a different university outside my home university for the pre-med courses I got C's in but would the schools count it towards my cGPA even though I will have the 2.6 written on the transcript from my home institution and a different GPA on the transcript from the other institution?

Do I have a shot?

Thanks.

 

[J ROD]

I'm in computational biology and looking at medical schools in the Caribbean (ROSS, SGU, AUA, SABA)

I haven't written the MCAT yet.

I was thinking of taking courses at a different university outside my home university for the pre-med courses I got C's in but would the schools count it towards my cGPA even though I will have the 2.6 written on the transcript from my home institution and a different GPA on the transcript from the other institution?

Do I have a shot?

Thanks.

not with that GPA!!

 

[sassilysweet]

DO applications calculate GPA differently than AMCAS if you retake the class...for example, get a "C" and an "A", AMCAS counts that as two separate classes, while AACOMAS would throw out the "C" and only calculate from with the "A"

So I guess what I am saying is retake all of your crap classes and apply for DO

 

[J ROD]

DO applications calculate GPA differently than AMCAS if you retake the class...for example, get a "C" and an "A", AMCAS counts that as two separate classes, while AACOMAS would throw out the "C" and only calculate from with the "A"

So I guess what I am saying is retake all of your crap classes and apply for DO

Yeah, DO is your best shot if you can replace grades up into the 3.2/3.3 range.

 

[strugdc]

<silly question was here earlier>

 

[Mohammed1989]

Sorry new to this... but "DO" is what?

do some research there buddy. A DO is a physician equivalent to a MD in the United States and other certain countries. You can do whatever a MD can in the United States. There are small differences, like what a DO learns in med school. It's called OMT(osteopathic manipulative treatment), this is something a DO brings extra to the table. It is another approach to cure the patient rather giving them meds.

 

[demayette]

I'm in computational biology and looking at medical schools in the Caribbean (ROSS, SGU, AUA, SABA)

I haven't written the MCAT yet.

I was thinking of taking courses at a different university outside my home university for the pre-med courses I got C's in but would the schools count it towards my cGPA even though I will have the 2.6 written on the transcript from my home institution and a different GPA on the transcript from the other institution?

Do I have a shot?

Thanks.

For the BIG 4 , you will need al least a 3.0 cGPA/sGPA and a 24+ MCAT. You need to work on your GPA. Get it to a 2.8 at least then score 28+ in the MCAT then you will have a chance for the BIG 4.

 

[DRMRL]

i agree with demayette. But get it up (that's what she said)

 

[Catalystik]

There are other forums on SDN that might help you learn about options. Check out the International Medicine Forum and the PreMed Osteopathic Forum for detailed information. I've heard there are Caribbean schools that will take you without the MCAT and despite a low GPA, but I'm not sure which they might be. I'd encourage DO over Caribe.

 

[strugdc]

My final semester is coming up I'm waiting my grades for this semester.

And also I'm conducting supervised research and have strong recommendation letters from various physicians and profs. Plus my older sibling is a physician and is going to pay through my medical school (I've heard Caribbean medical schools just want money)

And extra activities such as being the president of the mathematical council, being on the varsity basketball team among other things.

Do medical schools look at all that? Also do they even consider the difficulty of completing computational biology at a reputable university?

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Do medical schools look at all that? Also do they even consider the difficulty of completing computational biology at a reputable university?

Yes, medical schools will look at your ECs, but they will not help with a 2.6. Your program may be difficult but that doesn't warrant such a low GPA, which means you must have gotten about as many C's as B's in your classes. There are lots of people who apply to med school from difficult majors (such as chemical or biomedical engineering) and yet the successful ones still manage to have a higher GPA. You can't make excuses for yourself if you expect to succeed in med school!

 

[strugdc]

Yes, I agree there's no excuse for such a horrible GPA. Hence why I'm looking for some guidance concerning available options.

 

[sassilysweet]

Something else to be aware of: something like 80% of matriculants at Carib schools fail out and will not get US residencies.

If you could not do well at an undergraduate degree, are you really going to be able to perform that well at a medical school? Even if your sibling is paying for school, it may all be a wash and wasted time/effort if you can't pass the classes or the USMLEs

 

[apumic]

Your GPAs will combine, so yes.

As for a shot, you def do at Carib schools but if you can, bring that GPA up a bit, do well on the MCAT, and apply for DO. Carib is a pretty risky endeavor that leaves many, many people in a huge amount of debt w/ no degree and/or no license to practice [in the US]. Make sure you've done your research and are absolutely sure you'll succeed before going Carib or you may end up in a far worse position than you are now.

 

[strugdc]

Well it's not that. It's just that I haven't been able to focus for the last 2 years related to family deaths each consecutive year but I don't hold that as an excuse.

I was asking if I re-take some pre-med courses and do better then them would that improve my chances or should I ask to be admitted into the pre-medical program at SGU or AUA.

Thanks.

 

[strugdc]

Well yah, that's why I'm trying to finish my undergrad degree in Bioinformatics. Hopefully I should be able to fall back on that and with the research experience I should be getting in the upcoming semester and additional courses to boost my gpa up.

 

[sassilysweet]

Well it's not that. It's just that I haven't been able to focus for the last 2 years related to family deaths each consecutive year but I don't hold that as an excuse.

I was asking if I re-take some pre-med courses and do better then them would that improve my chances or should I ask to be admitted into the pre-medical program at SGU or AUA.

Thanks.

Yes, if you retake your bad grades and apply DO. AACOMAS basically "throws out" your old grade so if you got A's in all your retakes you could substantially raise your GPA. Definitely do this over Carib.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Well it's not that. It's just that I haven't been able to focus for the last 2 years related to family deaths each consecutive year but I don't hold that as an excuse.

I was asking if I re-take some pre-med courses and do better then them would that improve my chances or should I ask to be admitted into the pre-medical program at SGU or AUA.

Thanks.

I think it is definitely worth re-taking some of the courses you did especially poorly in and applying DO. It might take you a couple of years, but with grade replacement you can hopefully get it well above a 3.0. A strong upward trend combined with a good MCAT score (probably 30+ for DO, if you are hovering just above a 3.0) may be enough to make you competitive for DO schools. This would also give you enough time to make your ECs excellent.

As far as the hardships you faced in undergrad, this can definitely be addressed in your personal statement to help explain your GPA.

 

[strugdc]

I keep hearing that applying to DO is better than applying to SGU, ROSS, AUA, SABA for MD....

is that really the case?

Once again, I can't thank you guys enough for your input in this.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I keep hearing that applying to DO is better than applying to SGU, ROSS, AUA, SABA for MD....

is that really the case?

Absolutely, I would say. Caribbean schools generally have high dropout rates and low match rates. DOs, however, can match into most of the residencies that US-educated MDs can match into, and even have some DO-specific residencies sponsored by the American Osteopathic Association. I think DOs also tend to be more respected than Caribbean MDs!

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

yup..
DO's >>>>> caribean MD

the do school will get you into a residency... 100%.. , however.. you will need to take 2 different board exams.. comlex and uslme in most cases
however thats not mostly a problem because DO schools prep you for all the same subjects and also OMM.. which is basically manipulation therapy which is good for primary care doctors..

but im going to have to say that your gpa is a blower lol..
you'll need to retake alot of classes