34 Mcat, 2.9 Gpa

[shan564]

Get me into med school. I have a 2.9 GPA, a 34 on the MCAT, a bachelor's in medicinal chemistry at Univ. of Missouri (minors in bio, med. physics, radioenvironmental sciences), a summer of working at a doctor's office, a summer research internship at Harvard Med School. I've been workingfull-time at a lab at Univ of Missouri Med School (probably 3-4 publications eventually) for hte last year and as a recovery technician at an eye bank (I take eyes from recently-deceased organ donors) since January.

What do I need to do to offset my bad GPA? I was planning on doing a master's in medical physics, but would I be better off with an SMP program? What are my odds if I do go the SMP route? Or can I even get into an SMP program with this GPA? Will any SMPs let me in for fall '07?

Also, does anybody know anything about the Harvard Health Careers Program?
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2006-07/programs/hcp/overview/

Is it better/worse than an SMP for what I'm trying to do?


Thanks for your help!

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[shan564]

By the way... the reason I decided on the MS in Medical Physics is because then if I don't get into med school, I still have a backup career plan.

 

[senseigmg]

I was looking at drexel and they're taking apps until 7/15.

http://www.drexelmed.edu/GraduateStudies/Admissions/MastersandDoctoral/tabid/1102/Default.aspx

 

[Meatwad]

By the way... the reason I decided on the MS in Medical Physics is because then if I don't get into med school, I still have a backup career plan.

Sounds like a decent idea, if you could see yourself being a medical physicist (IMO, that is a very cool career). You could apply during/right after getting your MS, and if you don't get in, you could work as a medical physicist while you take some undergrad courses to boost your gpa while reapplying. Of course, getting into an SMP like the one above might be a shorter route.

 

[ShyRem]

Find RxnMan. He had a low GPA but fabulous MCAT with ECs I could only dream of (and would have to sell my body to get). He had a tough time or two as I recall, but was eventually successful.

 

[shan564]

So the general consensus is that the SMP will help me significantly more than the MS in Medical Physics?

I was leaning towards Med. Physics because it actually leaves me a good career choice if I just don't get into med school. I have already been considering a PhD in Med. Phys, but I'd still rather get an MD and go into Nuclear Medicine.

Anyway, my point is... how much better would SMP be than MS in Medical Physics? If there isn't a huge difference, I'll just stick with my current plan because then I don't have to move to a different town or pay out-of-state tuition or constantly worry about not having a good backup plan.

 

[Meatwad]

Most schools apparently don't even have a human being look at your application if your U-Grad GPA is below a 3.0. Their computer screening systems reject it. Your options for getting into medical school are:

1) take a semester's worth of easy (as in art history easy) U-grad courses to get your grades up and then try the masters program. You may find just the 0.1 boost might get you to an interview

2) Do an SMP like EVMS or Rosalind Franklin that accepts a majority of their SMP students into their own medical school. They'll take you with a sub-3.0 GPA into the SMP, and once you're there your acceptance into their school is based almost entirely on your performance in the SMP. I'm not sure if an SMP where most people apply to other schools, like Georgetown, would improve your chances more or less than a masters program.

3) Apply to DO and Carribian schools. Try and transfer if you really want US-allo

I'm in a very similar situation to yours, and on the advice of the people on this board, as well as my premedical advisor's advice, I'm going with option 2 at EVMS. Option 1 is longer, more uncertain, and with all the time you invest ends up being just as expensive. Option 3 is unlikely to actually work out unless you want family practice (there aren't many successful transfers from the Carribian, or that many successful residency matches). Another poster please correct me if anything I've said is incorrect.

In any event good luck

That's true, having a sub-3.0 will make it very hard if not impossible to get past a screen. So taking a few ugrad classes at all A's is kind of a necessity at this point, before any type of master's. I don't know much about DO admissions, and if they will screen out sub-3.0 gpa's. Due to your MCAT score, though, I'd say DO schools might at least give you interviews. If you had an upward trend to get to that 2.9, I bet you'll even get some DO acceptances. And at this point if I were you, I'd take a DO acceptance.

 

[Critical Mass]

I think that you could get into a state school in the midwest with your MCAT if you took some more UG classes to bump up that GPA just a tad.

 

[Taliesinrk]

Get me into med school. I have a 2.9 GPA, a 34 on the MCAT, a bachelor's in medicinal chemistry at Univ. of Missouri (minors in bio, med. physics, radioenvironmental sciences), a summer of working at a doctor's office, a summer research internship at Harvard Med School. I've been workingfull-time at a lab at Univ of Missouri Med School (probably 3-4 publications eventually) for hte last year and as a recovery technician at an eye bank (I take eyes from recently-deceased organ donors) since January.

What do I need to do to offset my bad GPA? I was planning on doing a master's in medical physics, but would I be better off with an SMP program? What are my odds if I do go the SMP route? Or can I even get into an SMP program with this GPA? Will any SMPs let me in for fall '07?

Also, does anybody know anything about the Harvard Health Careers Program?
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2006-07/programs/hcp/overview/

Is it better/worse than an SMP for what I'm trying to do?


Thanks for your help!

Just wanted to tell ya that I know a 32 MCAT and 2.9 GPA from Vanderbilt (UG) that got into med school.. so don't give up!!

 

[soonerfan77]

30R, 3.1GPA, 3.15BCMP..........


THE University of OKlahoma College of Medicine Class of 2011