Am I done for?

[orthomyxo]

Let me first say that I'm nowhere near being ready to apply. I'm just looking for some honest input, and figured that the posters who frequent the WAMC forum would be most willing to provide this. I'm currently a sophomore, and transferred to my current (public) university from a private school after completing my freshman year. I came into my sophomore year with a 3.73 cGPA/~3.9 sGPA, but unfortunately had a pretty bad fall semester which resulted from a combination of an overloaded schedule, burnout, and poor time management.

Last semester, I enrolled in Organic Chem I w/lab (4 credits), Bio 1 lab (no lecture, 1 credit), Microbiology w/ lab (3 credit lecture, 2 credit lab), and a gen ed (3 credits). Even though it was only 13 credits, the three labs consumed an absurd amount of my time, especially considering my already sub-par time management skills. This led to burnout, and ultimately to a C in Organic I and a D in Micro lab, which was especially tough to swallow since I never received a single grade lower than 85 on any assignment. I simply could not get the reports in on time. Despite receiving A's in all of my other lectures and labs, I ended up with a 3.033 semester GPA, and what I assume is now a 3.3 cGPA/3.5 sGPA. I know this doesn't seem so bad stat wise, but when you get a C and a D in one semester, your confidence kind of goes out the window.

I'm currently in Organic II w/ lab, Physiology w/ lab, and Intro to Statistics and I'm trying to do my best to prevent further GPA damage. I anticipate A's in everything but Organic, which I'll probably have to work pretty hard at to get at least a B. I know it isn't often that SDNers tell people to give up, but in all honesty, what kind of shape am I in? I plan to retake that D, and if I have to, take some time after I graduate to do some GPA repair. If I can still realistically expect to ever get into medical school, what should I do from here on out?

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[aSagacious]

Absolutely, one isolated poor performance will by no means knock you out of the race. Assuming you are able to maintain solid grades for the next year and half, there's no reason you can't end up with a 3.6+ cGPA by the time application season (end of junior year) rolls around.

I'm sure you're well aware of the many typical extra-curricular activities recommended by SDNers (medical volunteering, shadowing, research, community service, leadership, artistic endeavors, etc). Try to keep a full plate between now and application time (keeping in mind that GPA is first priority) in order to be a more appealing applicant.

Additionally, the MCAT could certainly make up for any possible deficiencies in your GPA (so that would be a close number two on the priority list when the time comes).

Again, you've still got a long way to go and one semester is simply a drop in the bucket. So use your experience as a motivating factor to excel in your future classes.

Good luck.

 

[orthomyxo]

Absolutely, one isolated poor performance will by no means knock you out of the race. Assuming you are able to maintain solid grades for the next year and half, there's no reason you can't end up with a 3.6+ cGPA by the time application season (end of junior year) rolls around.

I'm sure you're well aware of the many typical extra-curricular activities recommended by SDNers (medical volunteering, shadowing, research, community service, leadership, artistic endeavors, etc). Try to keep a full plate between now and application time (keeping in mind that GPA is first priority) in order to be a more appealing applicant.

Additionally, the MCAT could certainly make up for any possible deficiencies in your GPA (so that would be a close number two on the priority list when the time comes).

Again, you've still got a long way to go and one semester is simply a drop in the bucket. So use your experience as a motivating factor to excel in your future classes.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. It means a lot to hear some words of encouragement.

 

[Catalystik]

I plan to retake that D, and if I have to, take some time after I graduate to do some GPA repair. If I can still realistically expect to ever get into medical school, what should I do from here on out?

There is a good chance you'll have a positive ending to the Secondary essay you can write about "A challenge and how I overcame it," as you are highly motivated to change now, rather than after two or more iffy terms.

For DO med schools, retaking that D will essentially remove it from your application GPAs due to their grade forgiveness policy.

For MD schools, with straight As for the next three semesters, you could potentially have an end-of-junior year GPA of 3.65. If your performance is more in the A- range for the next 5 semesters, it could be at 3.55 at the end of senior year. A fifth college year or summer school terms can be added if necessary. You are not out of the game yet, but the closer you can get to near-straight As from now on, the quicker your GPA will return to the competitive range.

 

[orthomyxo]

There is a good chance you'll have a positive ending to the Secondary essay you can write about "A challenge and how I overcame it," as you are highly motivated to change now, rather than after two or more iffy terms.

For DO med schools, retaking that D will essentially remove it from your application GPAs due to their grade forgiveness policy.

For MD schools, with straight As for the next three semesters, you could potentially have an end-of-junior year GPA of 3.65. If your performance is more in the A- range for the next 5 semesters, it could be at 3.55 at the end of senior year. A fifth college year or summer school terms can be added if necessary. You are not out of the game yet, but the closer you can get to near-straight As from now on, the quicker your GPA will return to the competitive range.

Well thanks for showing me that I'm definitely not in as bad shape as I thought. I may end up applying during or after my senior year, depending on how my EC's look at the end of junior year, so I guess that gives me a little more room to bring my GPA up to par.

Also, out of total curiosity, what's considered to be a competitive GPA for DO schools? I know it's slightly lower than MD, but I don't think I've ever seen a good ballpark number.

 

[Catalystik]

what's considered to be a competitive GPA for DO schools? I know it's slightly lower than MD, but I don't think I've ever seen a good ballpark number.

Average entering DO student in 2010 had a cGPA of 3.47 (was 3.48), sGPA of 3.36 (was 3.35), and MCAT score of 26.49 (up from 26.19 in 2009).