28 years old, still undergrad, low GPA. Looking for some guidance.

[moe619]

Hey everyone. I am a 28-year-old undergrad student majoring in Philosophy but have been working on my premed prereqs for a few years now.

My cGPA is around 2.9 and my sGPA is even lower though I haven't calculated it but science classes have always been lower for me grade-wise than the non-science courses. I am ashamed to admit that I have had to retake science classes like Anatomy, Ochem 1 and 2, biochem, and other classes numerous times and sometimes the course retake grade ends up around a C... :/

I have probably one full-time semester and one part-time semester left till I graduate. I don't have an upward GPA trend, it's more of a wave going up and down.

I know realistically speaking, my chances are very close to 0% to being admitted.

I have spent so much time with a goal of med school that I honestly don't want to give up now. I don't have backup plans. I don't have a career. Maybe if I was much younger I would change my major or career path but I can't do that now. My Philosophy major will not help me with any career opportunities. I am hoping to change my biology minor into a major because I have all of the courses required for the major.

I feel stupid and defeated even typing this especially when there are people out there with like 3.6 GPAs who are worried about not being accepted and here I am at the bottom of the barrel. What are my options? Will something like a post-bacc program help me?

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[RocuROMANium]

You need to work your ass off for these last couple of semesters and earn all A’s or get as close to it as you can. After you graduate, you may want to consider taking a year or two off to work and gain clinical experience. This should allow you enough time to figure out if medicine is what you want to do and, if so, devise a game plan for how you’re going to get it done.

I think you would have to do a postbac to get your GPAs above a 3.0 at the very least

 

[jarednogeek]

A GPA is not a one semester event, it took years to make. With no back up plan you need to re-evaluate your motives and your work ethic. If this is the only career you want why didn’t you try harder earlier? It will take significant improvements for you to be successful which is easier said than done.

 

[candbgirl]

A GPA is not a one semester event, it took years to make. With no back up plan you need to re-evaluate your motives and your work ethic. If this is the only career you want why didn’t you try harder earlier? It will take significant improvements for you to be successful which is easier said than done.

I can’t stress enough how good this post is.

Why did you wait so long to ask for help. You do know that each and every course you have taken, including the retakes and the original courses, will be counted in your GPA. Nothing is left out. So does your stated GPA include every course you have ever taken. You stated that you have had to retake some classes numerous times and you still ended up with a C. Does your stated GPA include ALL of those retakes plus the original grade? What is your sGPA?
How are your ECs? How much clinical and nonclinical experience do you have? How about shadowing?

You should always have a backup plan because only around 40 percent of applicants are accepted each cycle. And some applicants with stellar applications are reject every cycle. You might eventually have a shot but you have years of grade rehab ahead of you along with serious application building. And then of course there is the MCAT! From what you have shared it seems like you are pretty weak in the sciences. Lots of people are, but to be a doctor you have to be strong in sciences . Spend some time rethinking your plans. You for sure will need a plan for a few gap years at least.

 

[jarednogeek]

I also want to say that even after years of work if you one day get accepted medical school may be too difficult for you if you have had to retake the pre-reqs numerous times and ended up with a C. This will cost you potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of no real income. If you are interested in the medical field I would consider other careers. You can help people in many jobs.

 

[DokterMom]

There are many wonderful and worthwhile careers that don't require medical school.

Quite simply, if you're unable to get A's in your undergraduate science, even with maximal effort and your most effective learning strategies, then you're unlikely to be able to succeed in medical school even if you do somehow secure an acceptance. Not everyone who wants to can become a physician.

Look into other career options -- nursing, med tech, social work, medical assistants.

 

[Osminog]

If you do well in a post-bacc (or SMP) and do decently on the MCAT (495+), you will have a good shot at getting into at least one podiatry school if you apply broadly. Have you tried shadowing a podiatrist?