Another Old Man Applies

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B.A. Poli Sci, State School, 2.06 GPA in 1997...worked in business

Took additional 74 hours of classes with nearly 4.0 to include A in all pre-med classes orgo, inorg, bios, physics 1&2, etc and nearly 4.0 in 2nd Degree B.A. Bio, same State School, 3.97 GPA in 2007 (Spring)

15-16 hours for last 5 semesters.....will only bring cum GPA to 2.75

Aug MCAT 12,12,12 O

all the normal volunteer stuff, Army medic, married, age 31,

I need some guidance here. Respecting your time I tried to make this short and sweet. I'm starting to have doubts so please any suggestions would be great!!!. Thanks in advance 😕

 

[spicedmanna]

Wow, I have to tell you I am quite impressed with what you've done thus far to repair your low baseline GPA. If I were an adcomm member I'd say screw the normal undergraduate GPA screening and give you a shot at an interview. Sadly, I am not on an adcomm, I am an applicant like yourself.

If you get past the allopathic GPA screening, you have a good shot. It's obvious you can be a great student as evidenced by your recent class work. Clearly, your low baseline is what's bringing your GPA down. You'd have to explain what happened that you would have such a low GPA to start with. Your MCAT score is awesome, which completely works in your favor. It's just that allopathic schools can be so callous with their numbers and stuff.

If I were you, I'd apply broadly to many allopathic as well as osteopathic schools, but I'd focus more on the osteopathic route. Osteopathic schools will tend to be more forgiving with your low baseline GPA; they also have grade replacement, which I suspect will work in your favor. If you don't mind having a DO after your name and you like the philosophy, you would be doing yourself a favor by trying the DO route in addition to the MD path. You are less likely to be screened out based on your GPA with the DO schools.

B.A. Poli Sci, State School, 2.06 GPA in 1997...worked in business

Took additional 74 hours of classes with nearly 4.0 to include A in all pre-med classes orgo, inorg, bios, physics 1&2, etc and nearly 4.0 in 2nd Degree B.A. Bio, same State School, 3.97 GPA in 2007 (Spring)

15-16 hours for last 5 semesters.....will only bring cum GPA to 2.75

Aug MCAT 12,12,12 O

all the normal volunteer stuff, Army medic, married, age 31,

I need some guidance here. Respecting your time I tried to make this short and sweet. I'm starting to have doubts so please any suggestions would be great!!!. Thanks in advance 😕

 

[NonTradMed]

Your original GPA will probably result in rejections at some snotty allo schools but not all adcoms will reject you on the basis of what you did almost ten years ago. Since you did so well in your recent coursework and you did well on your MCAT, I think you stand a good shot at getting in somewhere. Apply broadly and go for reach schools as well as lower tiered med schools. Also, your state school may take a liking to you. Just be sure to tell them why you did as poorly as you did in college and what made you turn over a new leaf. I think you have a good shot. Good luck.

 

[DrMidlife]

I'm in the same boat, with trivially better numbers and a way less impressive background. I would need to take 300 more quarter units at a 4.0 to raise my 3.12 to a 3.5. I think being a single and childless woman makes me very suspicious compared to upstanding family men like yourself. At least in the south. Play that card.

I say pool your pennies and cast a VERY wide (and expensive) net. Like 35 schools. According to my extremely successful fancy-pants former adcom surgeon housemate, we interesting older folks just need to score one interview, and it honestly doesn't matter which school we go to.

Also, play that Kentucky card, and play it hard. You've got some perfectly decent med schools there.

Lastly, can you do one more year of undergrad? This is my backup plan. I'm applying June 07, not assuming I'm getting in, and taking another year of upper div science with a bit of research while I collect "thanks but no thanks" letters. Trying to have a strong "no, seriously, I can do it" message ready for June 08, plus I love microbiology.

Best of luck to you.

 

[eggtart]

sorry guys but as i'm new into the forum

whta's allo and osteo?

 

[Beau Geste]

sorry guys but as i'm new into the forum

whta's allo and osteo?

www.aamc.org and www.aacom.org

start here 🙂

 

[Beau Geste]

To the OP, you are going to hear a lot of rejection because of your gpa, but your story is amazing.

I encourage you to check out the osteopathic schools, and despite what arrogant people tell you, a DO education is top notch. There is a general cutoff of 3.0 gpa (overall) to most med schools, but some have open requirements and look to judge an applicant on more than that (a good example would be you!).

You have an excellent MCAT score and have demonstrated academic success for the last 90 hours and are a true non-trad. If this is your dream, don't give up. It won't be easy, but you won't know if you don't try.

Oh, and maybe look up OldManDave here on SDN or at oldpremeds.org. He is an anesthesia resident at Duke that has a story of making a comeback from a place deeper than where you are.

Good luck - I'm definitely rooting for you.

 

[eggtart]

thank you very much

 

[Beau Geste]

thank you very much

no prob. once you take a look at that, peruse the stickies in the pre-do and pre-allo forums. Try to disregard most of the posts about DO schools in the pre-allo forums.

For some reason, pre-meds seem to be the worst about making a big deal between the difference in education, when it's really not that different, and the degrees are equivalent.

 

[efex101]

Apply broadly to top, middle, low tier medical schools. Do not be shy in applying to some top schools because some of them value military experience and with your excellent MCAT the adcoms may put a little less emphasis on your GPA score. Again, apply to as many as you can possibly afford but remember, always consider this, if any ONE of those schools accepts you...you need to like it enough to go there. Do not apply to "safety" schools that you would not go to because that may be the only acceptance you receive. Good luck!

 

[Beau Geste]

Apply broadly to top, middle, low tier medical schools. Do not be shy in applying to some top schools because some of them value military experience and with your excellent MCAT the adcoms may put a little less emphasis on your GPA score. Again, apply to as many as you can possibly afford but remember, always consider this, if any ONE of those schools accepts you...you need to like it enough to go there. Do not apply to "safety" schools that you would not go to because that may be the only acceptance you receive. Good luck!

👍

Efex is very realistic when it comes to admissions advice, and I would def. trust this.

 

[PathOne]

Since it's an article of faith among medical schools that MCAT scores are a fairly good predictor of success in med school, you should certainly have a fairly decent shot. As other posters note, apply far and wide, to both allo and osteo schools. It should be doable.