Advice!

[Baloo0]

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Graduated from Penn State with my Bachelor's of Science in Sociology and Criminology with a weak GPA of 3.2 but I haven't taken the science prerequisites yet or the MCAT and I have some time to accrue volunteer experience and polish up the resume as well. I do have experience working as a medical technician and scribe at an opthalmology office.

Obviously, I'll need to do score really high on the MCAT and get a great science GPA, if I do this (say 3.8 science GPA or above) and do well on the MCAT, and get some volunteer and other experience do I have a chance or will that overall 3.2 GPA in undergrad cripple me?? I'm also relatively young (23) and am looking into University of Colorado School of Medicine and Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. If I do as I described above any chance for admission into either of these? I'd also be in state for both of those schools. Thanks in advance!

 

[Deekle]

The unofficial cutoff for "you're screwed" is usually viewed as a 3.0. Don't shoot for a 3.8 on the science, always aim for the bullseye (4.0). Study hard, rock your MCAT, but don't look at it as a magic bullet, cuz you don't even have your prereqs done yet. At this point you have zero idea what's ahead. These classes are no joke and make your senior level soc classes look like art appreciation. The MCAT is harder still. Own your mistakes and do your best to do better. You're not in a terrible position and there is a lot you can do to help yourself out.

 

[Baloo0]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it and it's encouraging to hear I'm not totally dead here. I was actually a pre-med major my freshmen year but switched because I wanted to "do something different" (my Dad is an Opthalmologist and my Mom is an Optometrist) I was getting A's and B's though, now I definitely need to be getting just A's you're right hopefully I can regain my form. The science classes fit my personality type though and it's much easier for me to digest this information than sitting around and philosophizing about society and abstract sociological concepts, however interesting they might be for dinner conversation.

Would you think I have any shot at Allopathic Schools? Or should I just steady my aim at Osteopathic only at this point?

 

[Deekle]

Depends on the school and the cumulative GPA, MCAT score, (read: entire overall application). I don't think you're out of the running for MD if you finish strong, but I'd cover my bases with DO if I were you.

 

[Courtjester8]

I graduated undergrad with a 2.9 gpa. took a post bacc and got a 3.9 there. got a 35 on my mcat first go around. applying to all MD schools. Already have an invite at pitt. You are FAR from screwed. just bust hump to nail your prereqs, get your volunteering, research, and shadowing in, and go from there. If you're still not in a good position after that, a lot of schools have 1 year masters programs in biomedical sciences specifically for people wanting to go to med school. Some of them even offer an accelerated admissions to a med school so you wont end up with a dead year. Also, i've been told that if you take a grad program, adcoms tend to weight that work more heavily than undergrad work. First thing is first though, you have to go find a post-bacc program. Make sure its at a school with a decent reputation or else no one will give your performance its due credit if you do well.