A depressing talk with my advisor

[rpames]

So, I scheduled today and my advisor told me that I pretty much have an all but nothing of a chance at med. school. I want to go to DMU actually.

Here is my insight:
JR-Major: Bio
Minor: Chem and philosophy
GPA: a very sad 2.9 (It will go up past a 3.0)

I have experiance in medicine and patient contact and am volunteering at a hospital. Also are in a few extra curr.

I haven't taken the MCAT yet but will most likly in Aug. or the next one.

I'm pretty sure that I won't get in right away after I grad. but if I do post grad work I thought I had a chance. My advisor made it sound like I already dug my grave.

I would really appreciate a story about someone in my situation that did make it eventually.

What should I do to become elligable?

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[David511]

Your advisor gave you an opinion...I wouldn't let it discourage you all that much. Contrary to what many pre-meds believe, there isn't a 'science' behind med school admissions. There is no 'cut-off' GPA or MCAT scores. All there really are are average scores for a particular school; your advisor probably took a cursory look at your stats and guessed that your GPA would be too low for admission. That's it, just a guess.

There are many other things that med schools look for...don't forget that a kick-ace MCAT performance can sometimes get schools to look past a sub-par GPA. If you really want to do this (i.e. med school) put some time in studying for the MCAT and get a score that will make AdComs take a second look at your app.

Also, one thing that I didn't learn until late in the game: where you get in the medical profession has as much to do with who you know as it does with your accomplishments/experiences. If you're heart is set on DMU, find a doc (or docs) who is associated with the school and try to get to know them. You'd be surprised how far a letter of rec from an alum will get you.

Good luck to you. Keep your head up.

 

[John DO]

Sorry, David, but your statement is completely untrue! Most schools DO have "cut-off" GPAs and mcat scores, especially state schools. In fact, the state-supported schools carry minimums that are mandated by the state legislature for schools of that educational level, usually 2.75-3.00 gpa (I am sure it varies by state) and 7 composite on the MCAT. That said, the fact that the advisor's opinion is his alone remains. If you have met the minimums, you stand a chance; however, I wouldn't advise using a pre-med advisory letter as a letter of recommendation!

 

[Optimistic]

I just wanted to let you know that I have a gpa of 3.7 but a low MCAT score.Do you think any school is going to welcome me bc I have that gpa. I doubt it.So dont worry about your gpa. Most definitely, MCAT score carries much more weight than GPA and as long as you have competitive MCAT score and experiences in medical fields like volunteering they will outweigh your GPA.If it all just depended on GPA people like me will not have to retake the MCAT. So dont get depressed and start preparing for the MCAT. Good luck!!!

 

[algae]

rpames - don't be discouraged. I had a lower gpa than you when I graduated college and I have been accepted to my first choice med school. I wouldn't even have suggested to my undergrad premed advisor that I wanted to go to med school because he would have laughed in my face! If you have the determination, then you can do it!

 

[hankhill]

rpames,
Your situation is not a hopeless one. If you really want to go to DMU, I would recommend calling their admissions office and setting up a meeting with one of their advisors to go over where you are and where you need to be to become competetive. To state the obvious, you need to get your gpa as far above 3.0 as possible. Science gpa is likely equally as important, so don't disregard that either. If you have some glaring problems on your transcript, consider retaking some courses. Remember that osteopathic schools do not average the scores when you retake a class, which makes for a real quick gpa booster. As others have said, don't underestimate the significance of the MCAT. Start studying now, regardless of when you plan to take the test. A high score can get admissions comittees to overlook a mediocre gpa. A low score can and will keep you out.

Don't become discouraged. If you really want to get in, you will. DMU is not the most competetive school as far as average statistics are concerned. They do require medical experience, but it sounds as though you are ok in that category. Consider applying to other schools also. It increases your chance of being accepted somewhere (different medical schools often look for different types of applicants).


Good luck,
hankhill


ps You won't be the first to prove an advisor wrong.

 

[David511]

John, good call. I should have defined that statement further. I didn't mean that anyone with any score could get into med school...they just don't let any idiot into med school!

I think anyone considering med school has to know that they have to at least be 'competitive'...i.e. they have to be in the general ballpark of the 'average' scores in order to have a chance.

What I did mean is that some pre-meds look at a school's average GPA and MCAT and think that if they don't meet or exceed these numbers that they have no chance at acceptance. Instead, the 'averages' represent a composite of a wide range of matriculant statistics...a mediocrity in one area of an application can often be 'made up' by an excellence in another area.

-d

 

[Boomer]

Originally posted by rpames:
•So, I scheduled today and my advisor told me that I pretty much have an all but nothing chance of med. school. I want to go to DMU actually.

Here is my insight:
JR-Major: Bio
Minor: Chem and philosophy
GPA: a very sad 2.9 (It will go up past a 3.0)

I have experiance in medicine and patient contact and am volunteering at a hospital. Also are in a few extra curr.

I haven't taken the MCAT yet but will most likly in Aug. or the next one.

I'm pretty sure that I won't get in right away after I grad. but if I do post grad work I thought I had a chance. My advisor made it sound like I already dug my grave.

I would really appreciate a story about someone in my situation that did make it eventually.

What should I do to become elligable?•

F*** your advisor. Mine told me the same thing (my GPA was actually lower than yours as a junior). I took 65 hours over the next two years (as a "senior"). Brought my GPA to about 3.4, and was eventually accepted to three med schools (2 DO, and 1 MD--for those who care). It won't be easy, but it can be done. Good luck.

 

[bostongirl22]

i have a friend whose advisor told her the same thing. she got in! so just try your best to strengthen your application as much as you can and go for it!

 

[rpames]

Thanks everyone, sometimes you need to hear those things from other people. I have been pretty upset today (for the obvious reasons) and needed your words of wisdom. Certainly I'm not going to give up but God is this stressful.

By the way. Just for my own piece of mind I wanted to tell you all that even though my GPA is low, I really do work hard and don't slack like so many of the student I know.

I actually did call DMU right after I posted and they didn't make it seem like I was out of the game yet, just that I need to play a little harder. I actually attend Drake which is right down the street. Also in my home town in WI there is a doc that went to DMU so I will be contacting him soon.

Thanks again,
Ryan

 

[CVPA]

Ryan:

IMHO, any advisor who tells someone who has a 2.9 GPA and hasn't even taken the MCAT yet that he doesn't have a chance of getting into medical school, is an idiot.

There are soooo many things that you can do to "pump-up" your medical school candidacy picture. Post-graduate work is a big plus, medical experience (volunteer or employment) is great as well. However, if you really want the GPA to not be as much of an issue, make sure you jam the MCAT. That WILL be your ticket in.

Go and show that advisor that he/she needs to take a remedial course in advising.

 

[Slingblade the Surgeon]

And lets talk about sad GPA's. After my freshman year I had a 0.57 GPA and I quit school. nearly a decade later I went back and told my advisor I wanted to be a doctor. She thought I was joking and when she realized I wasn't she tried very hard to let me down easy. Anyway, to make a long story about 2 lines shorter, I brought that overall GPA up to 3.8+ and have 5 interviews coming up in the next few days. So don't let them tell you ****... You tell them what you are going to do, then ask them if you are willing to help.

Errrrr! Crappy advisors piss me off!

 

[biz]

rpames,
DO NOT be discouraged! I had a 3.26 GPA with a 2.9 in science, 26 on the MCAT, and got into DMU and KCOM (where I now attend). And I'm doing better in med school than I ever did in undergrad! Do whatever you can to improve your application and show the admissions committees that you are serious about osteopathy. Once you send in your secondaries continue to send updates if you have done anything significant. Don't be obnoxious, but don't give up! I don't know what the pre-med advisors think they know about medical school, but from my experience it seems to be very little. Be positive and good luck!!

 

[Epi]

I think if you are determined you will be able to reach your dream. Advisors can't see into the future, so they dont know if you will get in or not. Be positive.

 

[Amra]

"Don't take **** from anyone" - Billy Joel

 

[rickmyster78]

I agree with everyone here. It sounds like you are very determined and passionate about becoming a physician. It is my second time applying to med schools and I have a lot of experience with the application process in both allo- and osteopathic med schools and I have spoken to a lot of premeds in the past. If your GPA improves drastically and score competitively on the MCAT, which I know will happen, then the admissions will look at just that. That's a great thing about osteopathic med schools--most of the admissions committees look at the overall applicant and what they are capable of accomplishing, not only the scores. They want to see if you can handle the rigors of medical school. If you can show that you can kick ass from now on then I truly believe that you can get in.

Tell your premed advisor to kiss your ass. I also had a bad experience with my premed advisor. They don't know what the f$*& they are talking about. Only you know how badly you want to become a physician. Good luck.

 

[Sugar72]

I echo everyone's sentiment that you should not be discouraged by your advisor's comments. I am a non-traditional applicant and I went to see the asst. dean of admissions at my state allopathic school. he flat out told me that I would not be competitive this admission cycle and maybe in two or three years if i took more advanced science classes and more clinical exposure. Needless to say I interviewed there last week. i may or may not get it, but I think i must be at least a little competitive.

the moral of this story is sometimes people say things that they think they should say regardless of reality. Sometimes they say the same things they have been saying for the last 20 years.