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CallMeDrB

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Hi everyone. I am new to this forum and am looking for supportive and honest advice. I am a college senior majoring in psychology and will receive my BA in December.
At this present time my major GPA is 3.5 and my cumulative GPA is 3.4.
In the spring of last year, I withdrew from chemistry 102 for personal reasons. At the time of the withdrawal it was a WP. However, I lost the slip to give to the registrars, (life happens) and then ended up with a WF. In other words, I ended up with an ugly F on my transcript for a class I never completed. I have the option of retaking this class over the summer or in the fall, receiving an A (I'll work my butt off), and improving my GPA. Assuming things go as planned, my GPA should be up to about a 3.7 once I finish all my classes and graduate this year.

I'm also taking the MCAT during the summer and have been doing independent study's for this. I plan to achieve the highest score possible. I have started my applications for medical school with the ACMAS at this time. My only question is this:
The schools I apply to during the summer will have my GPA of 3.4, not the GPA I'll attain once I pass this chemistry class in the summer or fall. How do I explain this to them? Do I even bother? What do I do?

I have a plethora of clinical experience ranging from 3 years as a medical scribe, volunteer experience, and EMT experience. I also have fantastic recommendation letters, and an extensive resume. Am I doomed with this GPA? I'm slightly depressed I've hit this brick wall. I had a GPA of 3.5 prior to this class issue.

Some of the schools I'm considering applying to are:

University of Virginia
Medical university of South Carolina
Albert Einstein
Tulane
Drexel
Indiana university
Buffalo
Rush
University of Alabama
University of Michigan
University of Utah
David Geffen
George Washington

If anyone has other schools that are low-tier and I may have a good chance of getting into with my current GPA please let me know.

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It looks like you just chose a bunch of schools with lower GPA averages without realizing most of these are state schools you don't have a chance at. What state are you from? It will come down to your MCAT what your school lost should look like
 
Your current plan is setting you up for failure. Do NOT complete or submit your AMCAS application this cycle. You will need to take this next year off and not applying to medical school. Your situation is absolutely 100% salvageable, but you have to go about it intelligently. How do you think retaking this class + studying for and taking the MCAT (ie the most important test in your life thus far) is going to work out for you? Are you really willing to risk a subpar score on either of these things, particularly given your starting position? It doesn't seem like the best plan to me.

Here is what you should do:

  1. As I said earlier, scrap your AMCAS application. Do not submit it, do not apply anywhere, and you will not be a reapplicant at any schools (now, I'm not 100% sure about this - I would ask someone like gyngyn or Catalystik who knows the ins and outs of AMCAS about your status as a "reapplicant" just to be absolutely certain)
  2. Do not take the MCAT this summer. Focus on taking this class and getting an A in it and graduating.
  3. Once you have graduated, take a solid 3 months or so (I'm not too familiar with the study schedules for the new MCAT, but for the old one, 2-3 months of study time was usually sufficient, though the actual time was applicant-dependant) and study for the MCAT and then take it and knock it out of the park.
  4. Do something with your gap year that shows productivity or initiative. You can work in a healthcare or research related position, volunteer, anything, as long as you're not sitting around twiddling your thumbs
  5. Once you have all your ducks in a row (MCAT, final GPA, graduation, etc), come back here and let us help you construct an appropriate school list. The one you have right now has many schools you are absolutely not competitive for either due to stats or in-state bias.
  6. Submit your AMCAS application as early as possible next year (i.e. June 1) and get your secondaries out as quickly as possible. This will maximize your chances of an early interview and (hopefully) acceptance
 
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