Advice

[bt044]

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Hi Everyone!
I graduated from a top 50 public undergraduate school in 2013 with an over all gpa of 3.43 in biology. I have also taken all the pre-reqs that are required by medical schools. I am currently doing a thesis based Masters in biomedical sciences where I am working in a research lab at a medical school in Houston Texas.
I am seriously considering applying to medical school (MD and DO) because I really enjoy the patient interaction aspect of medicine. I realize that my undergrad gpa is not so great so I am considering taking upper division science classes as post bacc at either Rice or University of Houston after I complete my Masters. I also understand that mcat and extracurricular play a role in admissions but right now I am mostly worried about my gpa.
Do you think making all A's in upper division classes as a post bacc for a year would help my chances?
Is it worth re-taking pre-reqs?

This is my first post here, it would be really great to hear feedback!
thanks a lot!

 

[WillburCobb]

Hi Everyone!
I graduated from a top 50 public undergraduate school in 2013 with an over all gpa of 3.43 in biology. I have also taken all the pre-reqs that are required by medical schools. I am currently doing a thesis based Masters in biomedical sciences where I am working in a research lab at a medical school in Houston Texas.
I am seriously considering applying to medical school (MD and DO) because I really enjoy the patient interaction aspect of medicine. I realize that my undergrad gpa is not so great so I am considering taking upper division science classes as post bacc at either Rice or University of Houston after I complete my Masters. I also understand that mcat and extracurricular play a role in admissions but right now I am mostly worried about my gpa.
Do you think making all A's in upper division classes as a post bacc for a year would help my chances?
Is it worth re-taking pre-reqs?

This is my first post here, it would be really great to hear feedback!
thanks a lot!

A solid upward trend in upper level classes and a solid MCAT will help you immensely. Not sure what your ECs (shadowing, volunteering, research, etc.) are but continue to build those. FWIW I was accepted with a 3.45cGPA/3.35sGPA - it definitely was my strong upward trend, solid MCAT, and ECs that really helped. Your GPA is decent for DO schools so long as you do well (26+) on the MCAT (grade replacement can also help you in that realm as well). In short, continue to do well, continue to build ECs, a decent MCAT, and you should be fine.

 

[lmn]

How is your trend? Also what are your cgpa and sgpa separately? Contrary to what some say, you don't need a 3.6++ c/sgpa to make it into a US MD program. Depending on your trend and individual gpa's you may very well be fine for many MD programs as is, if your'e a TX resident you have a lot of options and IS bias going for you as well, have you done your MCAT? If you have/get a good MCAT score, you can easily be competitive for MD now.

Retaking pre-reqs only really helps you if you're going DO and grade replacing LOW grades. Retaking a B to get an A isn't going to help you much, especially for MD programs.

Your gpa's are more than likely good for DO now as well.

 

[bt044]

How is your trend? Also what are your cgpa and sgpa separately? Contrary to what some say, you don't need a 3.6++ c/sgpa to make it into a US MD program. Depending on your trend and individual gpa's you may very well be fine for many MD programs as is, if your'e a TX resident you have a lot of options and IS bias going for you as well, have you done your MCAT? If you have/get a good MCAT score, you can easily be competitive for MD now.

Retaking pre-reqs only really helps you if you're going DO and grade replacing LOW grades. Retaking a B to get an A isn't going to help you much, especially for MD programs.

Your gpa's are more than likely good for DO now as well.

My gpa trend is not exactly upward unfortunately but it is consistently around 3.3-3.5 most semesters. I did take the MCAT 2 years ago and didn't do hot.
I am planning on taking it again january and aiming for 33+. Most texas med schools have entering class with a gpa of 3.6-3.7.
Do DO schools replace grades if you take the pre-req class at the different university than the one you did you undergrad from?
thanks a lot for the help!

 

[WillburCobb]

Do DO schools replace grades if you take the pre-req class at the different university than the one you did you undergrad from?

Yes, though there may be some finagling to deal with if credits don't match up or if labs are included with lectures. If you're on top of it when dealing with AACOMAS you should be fine.

 

[lmn]

My gpa trend is not exactly upward unfortunately but it is consistently around 3.3-3.5 most semesters. I did take the MCAT 2 years ago and didn't do hot.
I am planning on taking it again january and aiming for 33+. Most texas med schools have entering class with a gpa of 3.6-3.7.
Do DO schools replace grades if you take the pre-req class at the different university than the one you did you undergrad from?
thanks a lot for the help!

Keep in mind those stats are average gpa, check their 10th and 90th percentile ranges for more info. If their average is 3.6 over half the class has a lower gpa on that, and your's is only .2 lower. If you score around a 33 you should have a strong chance at those schools provided your EC's are good.

 

[futuredoc7576]

hello everyone,
I'm wondering if I can get some advice... I retook the mcat on july 2, got my score on august 5th and didn't do so well (barely hit a 20) this was my second try.
My application is already processed. Sucks to have the mcat ruin your cycle 🙁 but I'm debating on whether to retake the mcat before the new one comes out. If I retake the mcat in October, will I be too late in the game for an interview? I'm so bumped out. Would you guys recommend to retake the old version, given that I definitely need improvement in my testing technique, content knowledge, etc...

 

[FutureOncologist]

You're in Texas. Count your blessings. But why are you seeking an SMP after a masters program? Is this a pure-research based masters degree? This program should get you great LORs as well as a great gGPA (I assume). If your uGPA is 3.43 and your gGPA is a 3.7+ I don't see why you would need to spend more money on risking ruining your gGPA.