DO 2.9 Science GPA and 3.3 overall GPA... DO or Nursing school?

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SwimmingFever

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I'm graduating this spring with a Bachelor's of Science in Neuroscience. I know a 2.9 science gpa is far from great, but I have an upward trend starting my junior and senior year. During my first 2 years of undergrad i fooled around too much and didn't take school seriously. Now I am seriously pursuing my dream of working in the medical field. The problem is I'm not sure what I want to do. Becoming a DO has become very interesting to me, but I don't have the grades to get accepted. My adviser told me that retaking classes is not worth the hassle and I should look into Accelerated Nursing Programs since I have taken all of the prereqs. I have shadowed an MD for one summer and I plan on volunteering at my local hospital upon graduation to get more clinical experience. I haven't taken the mcat yet either, but I might take it this summer if I decide DO. Also, not that this matters, but I'm a male and I've been told that I would stand out more as a male Accelerated Nursing candidate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading this and best of luck in your careers in medicine!
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SwimmingFever said:
I'm graduating this spring with a Bachelor's of Science in Neuroscience. I know a 2.9 science gpa is far from great, but I have an upward trend starting my junior and senior year. During my first 2 years of undergrad i fooled around too much and didn't take school seriously. Now I am seriously pursuing my dream of working in the medical field. The problem is I'm not sure what I want to do. Becoming a DO has become very interesting to me, but I don't have the grades to get accepted. My adviser told me that retaking classes is not worth the hassle and I should look into Accelerated Nursing Programs since I have taken all of the prereqs. I have shadowed an MD for one summer and I plan on volunteering at my local hospital upon graduation to get more clinical experience. I haven't taken the mcat yet either, but I might take it this summer if I decide DO. Also, not that this matters, but I'm a male and I've been told that I would stand out more as a male Accelerated Nursing candidate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading this and best of luck in your careers in medicine!
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Retaking low grades would be the fastest fix for a noncompetitive sGPA if you'd like to go into medicine, so I disagree with your advisor (as what constitutes "hassle" is in the eyes of the beholder). The AACOMAS grade forgiveness policy for DO med schools requires that the retake be for the same credits or greater, and have the same course description even if the titles vary. You need not retake at the same school (community college classes are acceptable).

You might use the DO GPA calculator in the "Read Before Posting" Sticky at the top of this WAMC forum and see how many retakes you'd need and what the results would be. Consider, at the least, retaking any science class where you got lower than a C+. Depending on what you need to do, you might consider waiting on the MCAT if the material is going to be refreshed with a retake.
 
Thanks Catalystik! I retook Organic Chem 1 and got a B, which replaced the D I got first time. I never took Organic Chem 2, which I am taking right now, but I am looking to get around a B+. I got a B+ in Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2, and the same thing in Physics 1 and 2. Currently I am retaking Biochemistry, which I got a C in the first time. I got a C+ in Bio 1 and 2, so would you recommend retaking those next year too? I know going the nursing route would become the easiest, but I have put in too much work to just settle for less than what I believe I am capable of. Don't get me wrong, nursing is a fantastic career, I just don't think that it will fulfill me the way a DO career would. Also, I was an ocean lifeguard for 4 years and have my EMT certification, if that makes my application look better. Lastly, Touro College in NY has a Master's Program, which could guarantee me acceptance into their DO program if i do well enough, but I need to take the MCATs to apply for the program. Would you recommend just retaking classes and volunteering/DO shadowing for a year before applying to DO schools?
 
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If you can get your GPAs high enough with retakes (and maybe a few original classes in upper-level Bio with As), there is no need to engage in an expensive GPA-boosting masters program.

Figure out your AACOMAS GPAs (cGPA and sGPA) with all the retakes discussed, and with and without the Bio 1&2. What do you get?

Do you have any Ds or Fs in any other subject?

Do you want to list your pertinent ECs, besides the summer of shadowing?
 
I have a D in Genetics too. My only other pertinent ECs are that I am a member of my schools pre health club and I volunteer for the Special Olympics once a week at my local YMCA (past 3 years)
 
As Genetics is important for med school, I suggest you retake that too. Letting that D stand looks really bad.

The prehealth club won't help you, unless you get a leadership position or volunteering through it. The 3-year Special Olympics/YMCA involvement is application gold.
 
Wow that is great to hear, since I wasn't sure if it would help much! I really enjoyed the volunteer work and it taught me so much about life. I am definitely going to retake Bio 1 and 2, and genetics at community college after i graduate to boost my GPA. How do i go about finding a DO to shadow? Is there a thread on here for advice on finding ways to shadow?
 
SwimmingFever said:
How do i go about finding a DO to shadow? Is there a thread on here for advice on finding ways to shadow?
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There are many.

Besides asking docs you meet while gaining clinical experience, you can also ask your own physician, those of family members, or parents of friends. Some will ask their premed advisor if there is a list of local docs willing to be shadowed, or will even cold call local doctors' offices and ask for an opportunity.
 
Have you taken the MCAT? You absolutely need to boost that sgpa to at least a 3.3 IMO
 
No I haven't taken the MCAT yet. I plan to retake bio 1 and 2 and genetics to boost my Gpa and to help prepare me for the mcat. By replacing the 2 C+in bio and D in genetics with A's, my science Gpa should be around a 3.4. What score should I aim for on the mcat?
 
You should always aim for 30 IMO
 
Strongly agree that retakes are essential especially for that genetics grade.
 
So once i pull up my GPA with retakes, are schools still going to look unfavorably on me even though i would have a good science GPA?
 
100% concur with my learned colleague. Re-take all F/D/C science coursework and let AACOMAS' grade replacement policy do its magic on your GPAs. No need for post-bac or SMP.

Catalystik said:
If you can get your GPAs high enough with retakes (and maybe a few original classes in upper-level Bio with As), there is no need to engage in an expensive GPA-boosting masters program.

Figure out your AACOMAS GPAs (cGPA and sGPA) with all the retakes discussed, and with and without the Bio 1&2. What do you get?

Do you have any Ds or Fs in any other subject?

Do you want to list your pertinent ECs, besides the summer of shadowing?
Click to expand...
 
Awesome, thank you everyone for your input! Now I am going to put all your advice into action
 
Do you remember what his MCAT was supposed to be?
 
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