2nd Year Undergrad need to get it together

[peaceofspine]

Hi everyone! I just made my account after stalking for a couple days.

Basically, about a week ago, I made the decision that I want to try for a MD/PhD. I'm currently a sophomore majoring in BME & Physics. I know I am very late into the game, and I would like some help on what I need to do to be at least an average applicant. Right now, I will most likely graduate in 3 years as I have 2 degree plans to work through, so that gives me a little more time.

Current gpa: 3.0, sGpa: 2.8. Had a tough past year and a half, but I'm back on track and should be able to get these up to ~3.5-3.6 by the time I graduate.

MCAT: Have not taken yet.

Research: Currently working on getting a position in a physics lab for the summer & next year. Research is very important at my school, and they make sure all Ugrads get at least one position, so this shouldn't be an issue.

Volunteering / Shadowing: none yet; I am going to go to the pre-med adviser next week and see what I will need to do to get a position.



Is there anything else I should be focusing on? I know the main issue is my GPA, and I am very confident that I can raise that significantly. I know at this point I may not be able to get into a top tier program, and I'm alright with that. I just really wished I figured this out earlier and didn't mess up the past year

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[Go4Doc]

Give this a read and let us know if you have any other questions: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-are-my-chances-read-before-asking.539268/

 

[Fencer]

You might need to take a gap year doing research, perhaps at NIH. Otherwise, your cGPA will be missing at least a semester or more. If you get to 3.6 and you get a MCAT of 515, you will get a lot of interest by many programs. Apply yourself, you can't change your past, but don't let it define you....

 

[Maebea]

I agree with Fencer: plan on doing a gap year or two. For my program, more than half the applicant pool has already completed undergrad. You will need the A's in your senior year to pull up your GPA.

 

[CerseiLannister]

I had a slow freshman/soph year at top tier university and was able to pool GPA up by ~0.3 last two years (my GPA was slightly higher but I was not an engineer). I took two years off and did well on MCAT --> 9 interviews and 2 MSTPs offer so far. PM if you want!

 

[deev04]

It's easy to say that you want to change and are going to change, but the reality is that you're in your current position for a reason (I'm saying this as someone who was in a very similar position, so I feel your pain!). Step one is figuring out exactly what is contributing to your current underperformance. Was it difficult life circumstances, overloading credits/ECs, or just lacking the insight/discipline to get your work done in the face of all college has to offer? All of these can be remedied, to an extent, whether it is talking to someone about life difficulties, refocusing on what is important (academics!- ECs and even research can be added later), or coming up with concrete ways to make sure you stay disciplined and use your time wisely (many college have career or advising centers that can help with this). Either way, coming up with a plan and strictly adhering to it, especially in the beginning as you work to retrain your habits is key.

The position you are in now can certainly be overcome, but your hole will rapidly increase if you do not start to make changes now. Think about yourself in a year, and where you want to be and use that as motivation.

Mental health is also important, and if this is a contributing factor, as it is with many students, realize that this should be a priority. Doing well comes with being healthy.

 

[deev04]

Also don't worry about shadowing/volunteering at this point. These are not that important in MD/PhD admissions and can certainly be completed later. Get on track with academics first, and then add on as your schedule allows.