3.13 GPA, MD, is it ever too late to chase big dreams?

[nathansaurus]

i'm 25 and just got back a few weeks ago from a six month stay in spain, working for the government of education. my dream always has been to go to medical school and be a doctor. i have a bachelor's degree in english with a gpa of 3.13. i plan to go back to university, to take all the required science classes and i know that will boost my gpa up. i am fluent in spanish and french, i have studied abroad and volunteered there for a year combined in two different countries. i am currently taking position of president of my university's medical and student doctor association and plan on organizing a lot of public events, such as vaccinations and blood drives. i don't care for science much (biology and pathology are fascinating to me; chem not so much), but i wish to help people, especially after being helpless watching my father suffer two heart attacks during to separate occasions right before my very eyes. i'm very committed and very competitive.

if i keep working hard, along with getting a good mcat score, do i stand a chance to get into med school?

thanks!

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[Neuro Advocate]

Hello there,

First, I would like to applaud your efforts at following your dreams. This persistence for succeeding is what makes for a good medical school candidate.

Raising a GPA is hard work, even if you ace all of your classes. You want to try to have at least a 3.5 GPA to consider applying to MD schools. If you raise it to a 3.3-3.4, you can apply to DO schools. At the end of the day, if your ultimate goal is to help people and fulfill your dream of being a doctor, than either MD or DO should work for you. If you're heart-set on going to an MD school, then try increasing your GPA.

Your EC's are amazing. It shows your amazing qualities of leadership, you're fluent in three languages, have experience with nursing an ailing parent, etc. What you would need are hours, tons of recorded hours of volunteer work in a clinical setting, i.e. hospital, shadowing).

Last but most definitely not least is your MCAT score. Study, study, study. Practice, practice, practice. Learn the basics of the sciences, read a lot, and practice speed reading. Do all that you can possibly do to get a 30+ MCAT score (to even out a 3.4-3.5 GPA). Take the MCAT early so that you can retake it if you're not satisfied with your score. Retake it before/in April so that you can get your score back soon. Many Med Schools have rolling admissions, so getting your application in early is also very essential to the application process.

Keep going for your dream. Being determined is an excellent quality, and it looks like you know what you want in life. Just work on that GPA, and get some clinical hours in, and you should be competitive enough to apply.

 

[shbrown2]

Good job so far! I have always been told that the average gpa to get into medical school is a 3.6, but I know that they will be a little bit flexible, especially if you have a good MCAT score. Also, you might want to check into what your Pre-med GPA is (all of your pred-med classes averaged together). I know a lot of schools just look strictly at that GPA. Good luck!