Am I on the right track?

[Neuro53]

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Hey guys, third year undergraduate and I'm looking at about a sGPA of 3.6 cGPA of a 3.4 as of right now.

I've had a full time job all through out high school college. I was an assistant manager for a year at a restaurant until about a month ago when I got another full time job as an Emergency Department technician.

My job there consists of doing EKGs, drawing blood, helping/transporting patients, chest compressions when it comes to codes as well as assisting doctors with sterile procedures and I also help with translating when it comes to patients who cannot speak English. (Fluent bilingual)

I plan to take the MCAT as soon as I am done with my undergrad. I'm just worried that my GPA might be a little low.

I would love some tips and advice on what else I should be doing to better my chances in getting accepted into a Medical school.

Thanks so much!

 

[efle]

That GPA is low, a cGPA of 3.4 will put you at the bottom end (like 10th percentile or lower) of the distribution for most schools - that should be your #1 priority for the next three semesters, you want to get that up to the same level as your sGPA to be competitive.

Other than that, the #2 priority should be properly preparing for and wrecking the joke of a test they call the "mkitty". Clearly you have plenty of exposure to medicine so at the moment those two are your biggest obstacles.

 

[dr.0ne]

everything the said^ and perhaps consider a postbacc for that GPA boost

 

[Blue Blood]

That GPA is low, a cGPA of 3.4 will put you at the bottom end (like 10th percentile or lower) of the distribution for most schools - that should be your #1 priority for the next three semesters, you want to get that up to the same level as your sGPA to be competitive.

Other than that, the #2 priority should be properly preparing for and wrecking the joke of a test they call the "mkitty". Clearly you have plenty of exposure to medicine so at the moment those two are your biggest obstacles.

This covers it. Study hard and get the cGPA >3.5. Rock the MCAT and you'll have a good shot at many schools.
What state are you from OP?

 

[Neuro53]

This covers it. Study hard and get the cGPA >3.5. Rock the MCAT and you'll have a good shot at many schools.
What state are you from OP?

Good ole' Georgia!

 

[Blue Blood]

Good ole' Georgia!

At least its not California, you should be fine with a good MCAT & GPA >3.5.
You say you're not taking the MCAT until after undergrad? If so, you have 3 semesters to get that GPA up!

Cheers!

 

[Neuro53]

Thanks for all the tips guys! I'll update later on!

 

[mimelim]

That GPA is low, a cGPA of 3.4 will put you at the bottom end (like 10th percentile or lower) of the distribution for most schools - that should be your #1 priority for the next three semesters, you want to get that up to the same level as your sGPA to be competitive.

Other than that, the #2 priority should be properly preparing for and wrecking the joke of a test they call the "mkitty". Clearly you have plenty of exposure to medicine so at the moment those two are your biggest obstacles.

This covers it. Study hard and get the cGPA >3.5. Rock the MCAT and you'll have a good shot at many schools.
What state are you from OP?

It goes without saying that doing well in school should always be a priority. As the above posters have pointed out from a statistical perspective, a 3.4 cGPA is on the low end of most every school. That having been said, a 3.6 cGPA helps. It also helps to have been working full time for the entire duration of school. There is a big difference between someone who is a standard undergrad who's time is split between school and goofing off and someone who spends as much time working as they do on school.

However, targeting a specific GPA is dangerous and prone to HURTING your application rather than helping. We know that your GPA can be manipulated by taking a few easy classes for easy A's. Boosting it a little bit is not going to overall affect your application. What we need to know is that you can handle the rigors of medical school from an academic perspective. This is where the MCAT comes in. The MCAT helps even out/smooth out people's undergrad experiences, differences in major, school difficulty, how much they were working, etc. Doing well on your MCAT is going to be the single most important thing from here on out.

Also, I disagree that you, "Clearly you have plenty of exposure to medicine" as someone above said, at least based on what you have posted here. Being an emergency tech is good initial exposure, but it really doesn't answer the question of whether or not you know what the average physician does day in, day out and whether it is what you want to do with the rest of your life. It would be well worth your time to find a physician to shadow or spend some time with.