2.8 gpa 26s mcat

[paxil]

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With those scores, out of UCLA, what are my chances if I apply to the caribbean schools?
I have tons of research
200 hrs of physician shadowing
Plus i've been the head of a newspaper for 2 years

HELP!

 

[bipolardoc]

With those scores, out of UCLA, what are my chances if I apply to the caribbean schools?
I have tons of research
200 hrs of physician shadowing
Plus i've been the head of a newspaper for 2 years

HELP!

Quite ok at Ross , AUC, and Saba, mostly likely not enough for SGU. The rest lies on you, apply and you will find out.

 

[GoSpursGo]

You won't like this advice, but I would strongly suggest rather than jump immediately to the Carribean that you try to resuscitate that GPA, retake the MCAT and try applying to DO schools. While it's true that there are always the exceptions who do great in the Carrib and go on to be doctors, there is also an incredible attrition rate, and then if you can even pass Steps I and II, you'll have trouble getting a US residency. If you struggled in undergrad maintaining good grades, I have serious reservations about your ability to just "flip the switch" and be successful in med school.

YMMV; in general, I would advise against going Carrib until all other options have been exhausted.

 

[NAVYLABTECH08]

With those scores, out of UCLA, what are my chances if I apply to the caribbean schools?
I have tons of research
200 hrs of physician shadowing
Plus i've been the head of a newspaper for 2 years

HELP!

Not so sure about Ross. You might get merped with that <3.0 GPA.

Undergrad can be explaned. Maybe you have to work 50+ hrs a week to support your familiy. How many >3.7 GPA premeds actually work a real job. (<10% IMO) Just work hard to improve it and look at ALL your other medical admission routes.

 

[lagamorpha53]

You might want to consider Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. It's the military medical school - and while you have a 7 yr active duty obligation, you have no tuition loans, get paid while in school, and have tremendous opportunnity for unique training. They tend to look MUCH more at the applicant, not just exam scores. I have two friends who had 25 and 26 MCAT scores who did well in med school at USU. 1 needed some remedial help but they both made it thru.

There's always a downside to every school one goes to whether it's location, schedule, etc and USU is no exception. But it is an option worth considering if you can explain the lower GPA and how you will address whatever issues led to the lower undergrad GPA.

The other thing to keep in mind is - why do you REALLY want to become a doctor? Keep in mind that some specialities are very competitive and having a good GPA and strong USMLE scores throughout med school really determines what options you have for residency. Even if you get into med school- if the things that led to the <3.0 GPA and lower MCAT scores do not change, you will NOT get the interviews in the field of your choice, let alone location.

Consider what it is about being a doc that you would not get as a nurse, PA, or nurse practitioner? Or depending on your interest, other things like physical therapist or psychologist? I have seen a LOT of disillusionment among friends and classmates the last few years and that's only going to get worse the way our system is heading.

 

[searun]

You might want to consider Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. It's the military medical school - and while you have a 7 yr active duty obligation, you have no tuition loans, get paid while in school, and have tremendous opportunnity for unique training. They tend to look MUCH more at the applicant, not just exam scores. I have two friends who had 25 and 26 MCAT scores who did well in med school at USU. 1 needed some remedial help but they both made it thru.

There's always a downside to every school one goes to whether it's location, schedule, etc and USU is no exception. But it is an option worth considering if you can explain the lower GPA and how you will address whatever issues led to the lower undergrad GPA.

The other thing to keep in mind is - why do you REALLY want to become a doctor? Keep in mind that some specialities are very competitive and having a good GPA and strong USMLE scores throughout med school really determines what options you have for residency. Even if you get into med school- if the things that led to the <3.0 GPA and lower MCAT scores do not change, you will NOT get the interviews in the field of your choice, let alone location.

Consider what it is about being a doc that you would not get as a nurse, PA, or nurse practitioner? Or depending on your interest, other things like physical therapist or psychologist? I have seen a LOT of disillusionment among friends and classmates the last few years and that's only going to get worse the way our system is heading.

Uh, an applicant with those grades would be tossed in the trash can by nursing, PA, and physical therapy schools. Those schools are very competitive. The carribean schools just want your money and then they trash you.

 

[CarrieBad]

You should really consider retaking your MCAT. It can be tough to bring up your GPA, but you could take a couple of courses to see if you can bring it up to a 3.0 at least. But seriously, take that MCAT again. Study study study. For months. Doing amazingly on the MCAT can really make up for a bad GPA. I saw some kid on here that had a 2.95 and a 43 MCAT (yes, a 43 is beyond outstanding, but still...) and he had interviews at every big name school.
I know how daunting the MCAT can be, and seriously, I know studying again is terrible, but buy Audio Osmosis and listen to it constantly, it really will help. Do lots and lots of problems and take every practice test you can find. Don't take the actual MCAT until you are sure you can get a 35+ on it. The first time I took it I got a 29. I REALLY didn't want to retake it, but eventually realized I would never get in until I did. After studying for a couple of months I got a 37. If you put in the work you will be rewarded. And frankly, if after studying for months you still can't get over a 35, you should reconsider med school. The USMLEs will kill you.
One last thing. If you think that you won't be happy unless you are a doctor, consider DO school. You will have every right that an MD has and can practice any specialty you choose. They are much more forgiving about grades and MCATs if they think you will make a good doctor.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I agree with the resuscitate GPA-->DO route. I don't trust Caribbean schools at all, but your chances of getting in are good. It seems like all of them other than SGU accept most all applicants.

 

[utahjazz]

You might want to consider Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. It's the military medical school - and while you have a 7 yr active duty obligation, you have no tuition loans, get paid while in school, and have tremendous opportunnity for unique training. They tend to look MUCH more at the applicant, not just exam scores. I have two friends who had 25 and 26 MCAT scores who did well in med school at USU. 1 needed some remedial help but they both made it thru.

What were their GPAs though?

 

[Xorthos]

I'd use your Carribean school route as a last possible route...but you can be successful going there.

While there are some decent Carribean Medical Schools: Ross, St. Georges, SABA...the majority of them will lie to your face and throw you down the drain.

I work at a hospital with a Family Practice residency program, in Georgia. And about 50-70% of our residents graduated from the Carribean schools..so the residency programs are out there...it'll just depend on your performance and interview. However if you were planning to specialize you probably want to shoot for a US school.

From what most of the residents have told me about the Carribean schools....They will teach you how to pass your boards...and teach you the knowledge...but they won't teach you how to be a doctor...if that makes sense.

But to each their own.

 

[Jasari149]

I figured I would state my case on this thread rather than starting yet another, "What are my chances?" topic......

I did not do very well in undergrad and I'm not going to sit around and make excuses. Instead, I'll just explain how it went.

I ran D1 track/cross country earlier in undergrad (freshman year/some of sophomore). This obviously took up a lot of time and most likely contributed to a lackluster academic performance. I changed my major to neuroscience at the end of my junior year (I took an entry level neuro class and really enjoyed it/did well in it). I then proceeded to take all the necessary neuro courses (which included basically all the pre-med reqs except the physics labs) over the next 2 years (I stayed an extra year).

I had a rough time taking anywhere from 3-5 science courses per semester for my final two years (while working a part-time job 5-6 days a week). I got a bunch of C's, but did do well in a lot of upper level courses (i.e. I did really well in a grad-level neuro course that was made available to undergraduates), so I don't think I'm a complete idiot that has no business being interested in medicine.

EXAMPLE: I took this course-load my next to last semester: Neurophysiology, Psychiatric Disorders & Brain Functioning, Human Physiology, Organic Chemistry II, and OChem II lab. It was a lot of juggling and it was HARD. I showed a slight upward trend in my final semester, but I doubt it is significant in the big picture.

Overall, I graduated with a 2.86. I was not sure about medicine while in school, but I have thought long and hard about it over the past year (since I have graduated) and think it is something I truly want to do (I originally changed my major to neuroscience because I loved/love it, not because I had an interest in medicine). I have been working at a research institute affiliated with Drexel Med. I work with a few neurologists and am studying post-traumatic/post-stroke epilepsy. I have been published several times as a result of this. I also have 150+ hours volunteering in hospitals/clinics. I have not taken the MCAT, but that is my next move.

I realize that my undergraduate GPA is atrocious; however, I feel that if I led a more traditional undergrad career (i.e. diluted my science class with gen-ed's over the course of 4 years, rather than 2) I would have done better. Unfortunately, "would-haves" won't get me anywhere. I plan to do well on the MCAT and enroll in some sort of post-bacc. program to consistently demonstrate that I can handle upper-level science coursework (any advice on this?).

Will I ever be "forgiven" for my poor undergrad performance if I do well on the MCAT and in a post-bacc? Do I have any chance at DO/MD (Caribbean included)? I feel like this poor performance will haunt me the rest of my life (something I'm not really sure I can live with). This worrying is causing me a great deal of stress and is really interfering with my day-to-day life.

I'd appreciate any civil advice regarding my situation and thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy post.

Also, sorry for the excessive use of parentheses (it's what I do).

 

[NutCracker2021]

well in your case..loook at your particular situation...your GPA is not that far rom a 3.0..so i would suggest that you take a few classes, some way somehow so you can bring it up..and then try to apply for the "ppost-bac" (DPMs, IMS, MPS) at Drexel Med. I mean since you are already there..why not?? Meet with some people in the admissions office and ask them if it is feasible for you to participate in their program with the GPA you have now. I think you do have a chance to get into MD/DO schools, you just have to take it a step at a time. and i am sure you are well aware that you need to study your butt off for the MCAT..no joke..cause if you do score well..that will make your application a little more attractice.. (if you score a 40, A LOT MORE lol)..thats what i would do if I were in your shoes...good luck through the process though!!!

 

[chewsnuffles]

You might want to consider Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. It's the military medical school - and while you have a 7 yr active duty obligation, you have no tuition loans, get paid while in school, and have tremendous opportunnity for unique training. They tend to look MUCH more at the applicant, not just exam scores. I have two friends who had 25 and 26 MCAT scores who did well in med school at USU. 1 needed some remedial help but they both made it thru.

There's always a downside to every school one goes to whether it's location, schedule, etc and USU is no exception. But it is an option worth considering if you can explain the lower GPA and how you will address whatever issues led to the lower undergrad GPA.

Sorry, but the OP's stats arn't even close to USU's stats. While they do look much more at the applicant, between the GPA + MCAT, it has to equal out to close to 65. OP is like 52. The exceptions to this at USU may come if you have significant prior service, but even then, I wouldn't count on it. Check mdapp's if you don't believe me.

 

[Jasari149]

Thank you for your reply, DrChuck24.

To all:

In terms of improving my GPA, what would be the best route?

The way I see it, I could do a post-bacc program (informal or formal) and take non-prerequisite courses (i.e. upper-level science courses) OR I could retake some of the pre-req courses in which I did not do so well (some C's).

Which would be a better route? If I choose to retake pre-reqs, do I just take the classes at a university without applying? How does that work?

Since I have graduated, any course work taken would result in a completely separate GPA, correct? Is this GPA worth anything (if it's high)?

Please, fill me in.

Thanks.

 

[Mobius1985]

Jasari,

Any classes you take (undergrad or graduate level) will improve your undergrad GPA, provided you are not a graduate degree candidate. I recommend you retake any prerequisite you got a C or lower in, consider retaking any D classes, and plan to apply to DO schools, as their application service will replace a poor grade with the more recent one, allowing you to get your application GPA up faster. There are a few DO schools that let you apply with a 2.75 or higher. Most expect better than 3.0 (overall, mean for acceptees is 3.4). Their mean acceptee MCAT is 24.

You can take classes at the university without applying to be a degree candidate, but you might be better off applying to get a second bachelors degree, so you have preference in the registration process. You would not need to complete the second bachelors, but doing so might look better on your application. Most important is the resuscitation of your GPA. You must get straight As, and do what it takes to achieve this, or you just prolong the redemption process and waste money.

If you are set on an MD degree, meet with the folks at Drexel, and see what they say about what it would take to get into their program.

 

[mp1106]

With those scores, out of UCLA, what are my chances if I apply to the caribbean schools?
I have tons of research
200 hrs of physician shadowing
Plus i've been the head of a newspaper for 2 years

HELP!

ROSS will take you in a heartbeat!! I have a friend there right now and she loves it. Also take your chance at US schools you never know.

 

[GoSpursGo]

ROSS will take you in a heartbeat!! I have a friend there right now and she loves it. Also take your chance at US schools you never know.

... I'm all for optimism, but in this case, we essentially do know- any money spent applying to US MD schools without resuscitation of the GPA and retaking the MCAT would be wasted. That doesn't mean that a few years down the line it wouldn't make sense to try.

 

[MilkmanAl]

ROSS will take you in a heartbeat!! I have a friend there right now and she loves it. Also take your chance at US schools you never know.

Agreed with Spurs, as usual, and I'd also like to note that there's a reason Ross (or most any Carib school) will take the OP; they want his/her money.