A little advice?

[flyingillini]

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Hey guys,

Right now I am a senior in bio, about to graduate this May, BCPM 3.2 overall 3.35. I have had a few rough semesters with low averages, mainly due to laziness and being unbalanced between work/school. I have not taken the MCAT but I've studied for it quite a bit since I was thinking about taking it in the past.

I have recently decided that medical school is the best option for me since there are really no good jobs for biology majors, but since my average is kind of low, should I stay in my bachelor's program for one more year and raise the science GPA and apply for Fall 2008?.

Or should I apply for Fall 2007 and just do my best this next semester? If I do this, I am kind of low on money right now so I could use a job, does anyone have any ideas for decent paying jobs that would cover the costs of living as well as application fees?

 

[medhacker]

Hey guys,

Right now I am a senior in bio, about to graduate this May, BCPM 3.2 overall 3.35. I have had a few rough semesters with low averages, mainly due to laziness and being unbalanced between work/school. I have not taken the MCAT but I've studied for it quite a bit since I was thinking about taking it in the past.

I have recently decided that medical school is the best option for me since there are really no good jobs for biology majors, but since my average is kind of low, should I stay in my bachelor's program for one more year and raise the science GPA and apply for Fall 2008?.

Or should I apply for Fall 2007 and just do my best this next semester? If I do this, I am kind of low on money right now so I could use a job, does anyone have any ideas for decent paying jobs that would cover the costs of living as well as application fees?

Have you taken any practice MCATs? that could be a determining factor. Your GPA is low but you could have a chance depending on your MCAT score and other stuff (ECs, LORs etc)

 

[flyingillini]

Have you taken any practice MCATs? that could be a determining factor. Your GPA is low but you could have a chance depending on your MCAT score and other stuff (ECs, LORs etc)

I took a practice MCAT and I believe I got a 28 but this was with no studying. That was the only one I took, and maybe with the studying I have put in plus additional studying I could raise that significantly?

 

[MarzMD]

I took a practice MCAT and I believe I got a 28 but this was with no studying. That was the only one I took, and maybe with the studying I have put in plus additional studying I could raise that significantly?

Check out the mcat forum with the 30+ study habits thread. You will see how much people raised their score from their diagnostic. You can easily raise your score by 4+ points by studying, and that is a conservative prediction. It is much easier to raise your score by 10 points if you are starting at a lower diagnostic score than it is to raise it 10+ with an already high mcat score. You are kind of in the middle so I have no doubt you can raise it significantly if you polish your study habits for the correct amount of time it takes to prepare for the test.

 

[flyingillini]

Check out the mcat forum with the 30+ study habits thread. You will see how much people raised their score from their diagnostic. You can easily raise your score by 4+ points by studying, and that is a conservative prediction.

So do you think I should go ahead and take the MCAT this April and if I do well then apply? I forgot to mention that I have pretty good ECs - 1 semester volunteering in ER, 2 years working as an RA, 200 hours volunteering at a domestic violence shelter, 2 summers research etc.

 

[MarzMD]

So do you think I should go ahead and take the MCAT this April and if I do well then apply? I forgot to mention that I have pretty good ECs - 1 semester volunteering in ER, 2 years working as an RA, 200 hours volunteering at a domestic violence shelter, 2 summers research etc.

You seem to be falling into the trap that most ambitious premeds fall into. Your numbers are what tell schools you can handle the courseload and alone will not get you into medical school. If you have a 30+ on the mcat, even your current 28, there are med schools out there that will give you an interview. It is up to you to impress the school and stand out above the rest of the applicants. By just your numbers and EC's it is obvious, supported by all the past experiences on this board, that you can get into medical school with those stats. However, we cannot tell you if you will definitely get in. Only that it is not out of reach.

P.S. going into the process with the attitude that medicine is right for you because there are no bio jobs will probably be the main thing holding you back in the grand scheme of things.

 

[flyingillini]

You seem to be falling into the trap that most ambitious premeds fall into. Your numbers are what tell schools you can handle the courseload and alone will not get you into medical school. If you have a 30+ on the mcat, even your current 28, there are med schools out there that will give you an interview. It is up to you to impress the school and stand out above the rest of the applicants. By just your numbers and EC's it is obvious, supported by all the past experiences on this board, that you can get into medical school with those stats. However, we cannot tell you if you will definitely get in. Only that it is not out of reach.

I see what you are saying. I'm not trying to be overzealous by any means. One negative about my application is that my grades started off strong and declined as I went along, and this may suggest a big warning sign for medical schools, but this semester I am going to try hard to get my GPA back up. At the very least I won't mind taking the MCAT and just seeing what happens, it couldn't hurt. But does anyone have any job suggestions for the year off?

 

[flyingillini]

P.S. going into the process with the attitude that medicine is right for you because there are no bio jobs will probably be the main thing holding you back in the grand scheme of things.

That's not the only reason why I'm going into medicine, but it's just one of the realizations I had, for a long time I've wanted to be a physician for the intrinsic value of serving humanity, but I thought there were other jobs better suited for that, such as psychology or even teach for america or something like that, but these professions are not necessarily as financially rewarding in the long run, nor do they have the same job security. but honestly medicine fulfulls both my desire to serve humanity as well as financial needs which let's be honest all of us have, and I really dislike laboratory work.

 

[MarzMD]

That's not the only reason why I'm going into medicine, but it's just one of the realizations I had, for a long time I've wanted to be a physician for the intrinsic value of serving humanity, but I thought there were other jobs better suited for that, such as psychology or even teach for america or something like that, but these professions are not necessarily as financially rewarding in the long run, nor do they have the same job security. but honestly medicine fulfulls both my desire to serve humanity as well as financial needs which let's be honest all of us have, and I really dislike laboratory work.

I would suggest doing clinical research at your local hospital. That is what I am doing with my year off before medical school. It will earn you money, give you a better understanding of the profession(patient interaction , long hours in a hospital, etc.), and allow you to improve your application and have more stuff to talk about in your PS and on interviews. A downward trend in your GPA is def. not a good thing, so be prepared to have a good explanation because you will most likely be asked during interviews. Medical schools do not expect you to be perfect, but they will expect you to convince them that you can handle their curriculum, which will be much harder than undergrad. If you can do this, your GPA will not be as much of a factor as you think. Many do this on the MCAT, some do this with grad level classes or a post bacc, some cater their application towards schools that are less sensitive about GPA. It is up to you.

 

[flyingillini]

I would suggest doing clinical research at your local hospital. That is what I am doing with my year off before medical school. It will earn you money, give you a better understanding of the profession(patient interaction , long hours in a hospital, etc.), and allow you to improve your application and have more stuff to talk about in your PS and on interviews. A downward trend in your GPA is def. not a good thing, so be prepared to have a good explanation because you will most likely be asked during interviews.

That's a good idea, I'll look for some jobs at the local hospital. Thanks for the advice. The downward trend was mainly due to serious depression after a stellar freshman year, I just lost motivation and felt like **** for some reasons why I can not explain (depression runs in my family big time). I hope this is not a turn off for medical schools because I am really a good student.

 

[gary5]

First, I'd get the GPA to over 3.5 if possible. Then I'd give yourself lots of time to prepare for the MCAT and take several diagnostic tests to make sure that you're performing at MCAT >= 30. With GPA = 3.5 and MCAT = 30, you can expect to get in. As each number drops from these values your chances decline. (Those are the average values of accepted applicants.)