Any advice ?

[naijamed1995]

So....
I put myself in a sticky situation when it came down to applying for schools this cycle. I just graduated this May with 3.3 cgpa and 3.1 sgpa which is not that great for DO schools and definitely not good enough for MD schools. I decided to retake a couple classes that I received c's in, but my gpa according to accomas pretty much stayed the same. The rest of my courses which all range between b's and A's. I do have an upward trend though and I have taken multiple upper level since classes. I did consider applying to a smp or post-bacc, but I simply do not have the funds to attend and definitely do not want to take out loans for it.

Due to pressure from my parents and their clear disappointment in the fact that I am taking a year off from school, I decided to apply to DO schools only for the Fall 2018 cycle. I sent in my primaries early September along with taking the mcat. I already knew that sending my apps that late with my stats was not the best idea but, I thought I could give it a chance if my MCAT was good enough. I have been studying the MCAT since May and have taken the kaplan course. Along with this, I have taken multiple FLs with scores in the 506s-510s. I just received my scores from the September 2nd MCAT and I received a low score of a 491 (123,124,122,122). I am in complete sock. I felt like the MCAT was fair and I expected to receive at minimum a 505. I am so depressed and disappointed in myself. I feel like there is no hope for me now.

My parents are telling me to continue with my apps since I already sent the primaries and due to the fact that my secondaries will because of the fee waiver I received. They want me to retake the mcat in January, but even if I score high I doubt I would get II by the time my scores come in. I just need advice on my next step. Should I email all my schools individually (I applied to 18 schools broadly) and withdraw my apps and become a re-applicant for next cycle. Or should I complete the secondaries at DO schools that accept January MCAT scores (Found out that 10 of the schools I applied to accepts January dates). I know i screwed myself in this situation and I wish I listened to my gut feeling rather than my parents. I just need any type of advice on what I should do from here.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Coltuna]

Perhaps there's a cultural barrier here, but why are you listening to everything your parents are telling you to do?

 

[naijamed1995]

Perhaps there's a cultural barrier here, but why are you listening to everything your parents are telling you to do?

Because they are my parents and have done everything in their power to provide the best for me....... I value their input. Also I guess there is a culture barrier.

 

[Coltuna]

Because they are my parents and have done everything in their power to provide the best for me....... I value their input. Also I guess there is a culture barrier.

My parents have done the same for me, but I don't defer to them when it comes to decisions that they have no knowledge about... A 491 will be difficult to overcome for acceptance but not impossible. A 3.3 GPA doesn't do you any favors... Are you graduating this year?

 

[Shotapp]

Do you want to go to medical school or do your parents want you to go?

Withdraw your medical school apps. You're not going to get into any school. Raise your science GPA and retake the MCAT.

 

[naijamed1995]

My parents have done the same for me, but I don't defer to them when it comes to decisions that they have no knowledge about... A 491 will be difficult to overcome for acceptance but not impossible. A 3.3 GPA doesn't do you any favors... Are you graduating this year?

I graduated in May. As I mentioned, I re-took the classes I received a Cs in. I took their advice because they actually do have knowledge about the medical field. They just wanted me to try because they know people with the same stats as me who have gotten in. So, I can admit they were a bit more helpful for my case.

 

[naijamed1995]

Do you want to go to medical school or do your parents want you to go?

Withdraw your medical school apps. You're not going to get into any school. Raise your science GPA and retake the MCAT.

I do want to go to medical school. I would not put myself into extreme stress going to a health sciences school and studying endless hours for the MCAT. I was going to retake the MCAT regardless.

How do you suppose I can raise my science GPA?

 

[Shotapp]

I do want to go to medical school. I would not put myself into extreme stress going to a health sciences school and studying endless hours for the MCAT. I was going to retake the MCAT regardless.

How do you suppose I can raise my science GPA?

Take more undergrad biology courses you haven't taken yet.

 

[Coltuna]

I graduated in May. As I mentioned, I re-took the classes I received a Cs in. I took their advice because they actually do have knowledge about the medical field. They just wanted me to try because they know people with the same stats as me who have gotten in. So, I can admit they were a bit more helpful for my case.

Gotcha. Applicants with 3.3 and 491 ultimately admitted to medical school are VERY few and far between. These people presumably were URM, had signicant EC's, etc. I can sympathize though-- My parents have tried to help through undergrad and such. It's hard to find reliable advice from people who haven't actually been through the process though.

 

[workaholic181]

I do want to go to medical school. I would not put myself into extreme stress going to a health sciences school and studying endless hours for the MCAT. I was going to retake the MCAT regardless.

How do you suppose I can raise my science GPA?

It's not the end of the road for you but getting in somewhere is going to take a considerable amount of time.

What I would do is take upper division biology classes that you haven't taken before, while also working part or even full time at just about any healthcare thing you can get your hands on. Retake the mcat when you feel ready and you have taken several practice full lengths and done okay on them.

Frankly OP a lot will have to go right for you just to apply next cycle. Accept that you may be in this for the long haul, and be sure you can commit to this with suppprt from your family.

 

[Goro]

So....
I put myself in a sticky situation when it came down to applying for schools this cycle. I just graduated this May with 3.3 cgpa and 3.1 sgpa which is not that great for DO schools and definitely not good enough for MD schools. I decided to retake a couple classes that I received c's in, but my gpa according to accomas pretty much stayed the same. The rest of my courses which all range between b's and A's. I do have an upward trend though and I have taken multiple upper level since classes. I did consider applying to a smp or post-bacc, but I simply do not have the funds to attend and definitely do not want to take out loans for it.

Due to pressure from my parents and their clear disappointment in the fact that I am taking a year off from school, I decided to apply to DO schools only for the Fall 2018 cycle. I sent in my primaries early September along with taking the mcat. I already knew that sending my apps that late with my stats was not the best idea but, I thought I could give it a chance if my MCAT was good enough. I have been studying the MCAT since May and have taken the kaplan course. Along with this, I have taken multiple FLs with scores in the 506s-510s. I just received my scores from the September 2nd MCAT and I received a low score of a 491 (123,124,122,122). I am in complete sock. I felt like the MCAT was fair and I expected to receive at minimum a 505. I am so depressed and disappointed in myself. I feel like there is no hope for me now.

My parents are telling me to continue with my apps since I already sent the primaries and due to the fact that my secondaries will because of the fee waiver I received. They want me to retake the mcat in January, but even if I score high I doubt I would get II by the time my scores come in. I just need advice on my next step. Should I email all my schools individually (I applied to 18 schools broadly) and withdraw my apps and become a re-applicant for next cycle. Or should I complete the secondaries at DO schools that accept January MCAT scores (Found out that 10 of the schools I applied to accepts January dates). I know i screwed myself in this situation and I wish I listened to my gut feeling rather than my parents. I just need any type of advice on what I should do from here.

Your parents are doing thier best to both waste their money and destroy your medical career.

Look, you're old enough to vote, drink, drive, work, pay taxes and fight and die for your country. You;d therefore old enough to tell your parents that it's your career and you'll do it on your timeline.

Get them an SDN account because their ignorance about this process will prevent you from ever being a doctor.

Your MCAT is lethal for any med school. You're in a risk zone for failing out and/or failing Boards.

 

[naijamed1995]

It's not the end of the road for you but getting in somewhere is going to take a considerable amount of time.

What I would do is take upper division biology classes that you haven't taken before, while also working part or even full time at just about any healthcare thing you can get your hands on. Retake the mcat when you feel ready and you have taken several practice full lengths and done okay on them.

Frankly OP a lot will have to go right for you just to apply next cycle. Accept that you may be in this for the long haul, and be sure you can commit to this with suppprt from your family.

Thanks. I do have some ECs. I have 200 hours of shadowing from an MD and DO. I volunteered at a hospital for 2 years and have around 600 hours there I believe. I also volunteered at Boston healthcare for the homeless for 1 year. I have worked as a home healthcare aide for 2 years. I was tutor for disadvantaged elementary students. I also currently work full time as a medical scribe. DO you think I need to add anymore ECs.

As for classes, My last two years of college basically consisted of me bringing up my gpa with upper level science classes. So I am not really sure what other classes to take :/

 

[Mr. Saigon]

Do you want to go to medical school or do your parents want you to go?

Withdraw your medical school apps. You're not going to get into any school. Raise your science GPA and retake the MCAT.

Finish the secondaries you receive. You have the waiver and most schools will waive the fee. You don't qualify for it again if I'm not mistaken.

 

[naijamed1995]

Your parents are doing thier best to both waste their money and destroy your medical career.

Look, you're old enough to vote, drink, drive, work, pay taxes and fight and die for your country. You;d therefore old enough to tell your parents that it's your career and you'll do it on your timeline.

Get them an SDN account because their ignorance about this process will prevent you from ever being a doctor.

Your MCAT is lethal for any med school. You're in a risk zone for failing out and/or failing Boards.

"Your parents are doing thier best to both waste their money and destroy your medical career"----> Lol, my medical career will not be destroyed.

Anywho, I know my mcat is terrible hence my extreme disappointment in myself and my defeated attitude. I am going to retake the mcat and reapply next cycle regardless. I am not blind to this situation. I am just not sure what to do with my current application because I am going to be considered a re-applicant anyways when I apply for Fall 2019. So, my real question is should I leave it in or send it in with my January mcat (if i decide to take it at that time).

 

[Shotapp]

Here is a quote by @gonnif.

I would strongly disagree on this. There is a huge difference is being a reapplicant between having a withdrawn application with no evaluation, scoring, and comment versus one that has been fully evaluated with details in weakness of GPA and MCAT and listing the applicant at under qualified or not qualified. This summary evaluation will be the first thing that will been seen on a reapplication.

While schools will look at application holistically, they still must reach the conclusion that the applicant is academically qualified to deal with the rigors of medical school academically. With MCAT as the only objective standardize method across applicants, it is a key factor in deciding this

I do not have the details of the OP record here other than barely over a 3.0 cGPA and less sGPA, and a poor MCAT but here is what I think.
1) Obviously, formally withdrawing all apps from schools is needed before being directly rejected. This is like resigning a job before you are fired.
2) get rid of the self-imposed time line of when you should/will apply. You apply when you have the GPA improvement and MCAT to do so.
3) You should not, repeat should not reapply next cycle. Virtually every medical school that comments on reapplicants states the most common mistake is reapplying too soon. (see below)
4) You need to do solidly well ion MCAT and to do that, you must first analyze why you did so poorly. My guess (I said guess) as a student with very weak GPA is that you have weak foundations in the basic Bio, Chem, Organic, and Physics to start. So, a full content "review" (or perhaps learning it for the first time is needed) before even considering approaching the MCAT for any sort of practice.
5) Depending on how poorly the basics have been, there may be need for either retakes, postbacc, or directed self study in this.
6) lets see an AMCAS (and ACCOMAS if applicable) GPA Grid year by year (even term by term)

 

[naijamed1995]

Here is a quote by @gonnif.

I think I will explain my gpa situation in more detail. First 2 years of college I did not perform well but I did retake majority of my classes in the summers which brought up my gpa. Last 2 years of college I took multiple upper level science courses. Which did boost my gpa when graduated. (In my school they so grade replacements.) I graduated with a 3.6 gpa and 3.3 sgpa. I knew my plans for MD schools were highly unlikely but with DO schools I believed I had a chance. Then I found out DO schools no longer accepted grade replacements hence the drop in my GPA. I retook a couple more classes this summer, but my gpa according AACOMAs barely made a difference in my gpa. As I said in my post I was scoring between the 506s-510s. I took AAMC FL # 2 a week before the actual and scored a 509. So yes I am very shocked about my score because I know I am not weak in my content areas. Again, I cannot afford a postbac. I do not think I need more than additional few months of studying. But if I am not ready by January then I will definitely retake sometime in 2018. As for classes, I am not sure what more classes to take especially now that I am working full time.

 

[ReapPremed]

1) Obviously, formally withdrawing all apps from schools is needed before being directly rejected. This is like resigning a job before you are fired.

That's interesting. How does not returning a secondary at all received, as opposed to not submitting an application? It sounds like an incomplete application would not be scored, and thus not used as a basis for comparison.

But would the school be upset they weren't "included" the first time, or question your judgment in failing a cycle?

 

[Shotapp]

I think I will explain my gpa situation in more detail. First 2 years of college I did not perform well but I did retake majority of my classes in the summers which brought up my gpa. Last 2 years of college I took multiple upper level science courses. Which did boost my gpa when graduated. (In my school they so grade replacements.) I graduated with a 3.6 gpa and 3.3 sgpa. I knew my plans for MD schools were highly unlikely but with DO schools I believed I had a chance. Then I found out DO schools no longer accepted grade replacements hence the drop in my GPA. I retook a couple more classes this summer, but my gpa according AACOMAs barely made a difference in my gpa. As I said in my post I was scoring between the 506s-510s. I took AAMC FL # 2 a week before the actual and scored a 509. So yes I am very shocked about my score because I know I am not weak in my content areas. Again, I cannot afford a postbac. I do not think I need more than additional few months of studying. But if I am not ready by January then I will definitely retake sometime in 2018. As for classes, I am not sure what more classes to take especially now that I am working full time.

Do a DIY postbac. A DIY postbac is where you take more upper-level biology classes you haven't taken yet at the undergraduate level. Since you work fulltime, take 2 UD science classes/semester for 2yrs. I would not recommend applying next cycle. Applying next cycle is not enough time to create a significant upward trend in grades so you are going to need to skip next cycle. You are now in a marathon. Getting into medical school is not a sprint. Your stats need a lot of help because they suck. Heed goro's and gonnif's advice. GL.

 

[Ndidi]

So....
I put myself in a sticky situation when it came down to applying for schools this cycle. I just graduated this May with 3.3 cgpa and 3.1 sgpa which is not that great for DO schools and definitely not good enough for MD schools. I decided to retake a couple classes that I received c's in, but my gpa according to accomas pretty much stayed the same. The rest of my courses which all range between b's and A's. I do have an upward trend though and I have taken multiple upper level since classes. I did consider applying to a smp or post-bacc, but I simply do not have the funds to attend and definitely do not want to take out loans for it.

Due to pressure from my parents and their clear disappointment in the fact that I am taking a year off from school, I decided to apply to DO schools only for the Fall 2018 cycle. I sent in my primaries early September along with taking the mcat. I already knew that sending my apps that late with my stats was not the best idea but, I thought I could give it a chance if my MCAT was good enough. I have been studying the MCAT since May and have taken the kaplan course. Along with this, I have taken multiple FLs with scores in the 506s-510s. I just received my scores from the September 2nd MCAT and I received a low score of a 491 (123,124,122,122). I am in complete sock. I felt like the MCAT was fair and I expected to receive at minimum a 505. I am so depressed and disappointed in myself. I feel like there is no hope for me now.

My parents are telling me to continue with my apps since I already sent the primaries and due to the fact that my secondaries will because of the fee waiver I received. They want me to retake the mcat in January, but even if I score high I doubt I would get II by the time my scores come in. I just need advice on my next step. Should I email all my schools individually (I applied to 18 schools broadly) and withdraw my apps and become a re-applicant for next cycle. Or should I complete the secondaries at DO schools that accept January MCAT scores (Found out that 10 of the schools I applied to accepts January dates). I know i screwed myself in this situation and I wish I listened to my gut feeling rather than my parents. I just need any type of advice on what I should do from here.[/QU

I think you should withdraw your application and just retake the test if at the end of the day you still plan on retaking. Saves you the stress and negative effects of being a reapplicant. If you can't get a post bacc then do something worthwhile in your gap year. Your Ecs look great anyway, so maybe just do more of what you already did in the past.
If however you must apply now, I think you should literally apply to all the DO schools you can find. Literally all of them and just see what that could fetch you. Your stats are about the range of average DO schools so you might get interviews (might) especially as a urm if you apply to as many as possible that fit your stats. If you don't mind gambling for spots then this could work but it'll be hard.
However, since you did much better in your practice tests, you have the opportunity of improving your MCAT and maybe opening doors for lower tier md schools or your state schools to save cost. I'm a naija med as well lol, so I get your parents hassle but taking a gap year is really not as bad as it might sound as far as you use it to improve your chances.

 

[Shotapp]

I think you should withdraw your application and just retake the test if at the end of the day you still plan on retaking. Saves you the stress and negative effects of being a reapplicant. If you can't get a post bacc then do something worthwhile in your gap year. Your Ecs look great anyway, so maybe just do more of what you already did in the past.
If however you must apply now, I think you should literally apply to all the DO schools you can find. Literally all of them and just see what that could fetch you. Your stats are about the range of average DO schools so you might get interviews (might) especially as a urm if you apply to as many as possible that fit your stats. If you don't mind gambling for spots then this could work but it'll be hard.
However, since you did much better in your practice tests, you have the opportunity of improving your MCAT and maybe opening doors for lower tier md schools or your state schools to save cost. I'm a naija med as well lol, so I get your parents hassle but taking a gap year is really not as bad as it might sound as far as you use it to improve your chances.

Don't give bad advice. OP needs to withdraw all of her apps. Her stats are nowhere near the avg of DO schools. URM or not her stats are not exemplary of a student that will succeed in medical school.

 

[Zenabi90]

Regardless of chances to get in or not...

What I read is a person who is not ready, mentally or academically, for medical school. I come from a strict Asian household as well, with parents who are both in the medical field pushing hard as well. I can fully empathize with you. I've disappointed them plenty during my 4 years of college and 5 gap years. Yes I still live at home at the age of 27. Yes it sucks. Yes I earned it.

495? You're not ready. Flat out.
I don't want to be disparaging, but I will dole out some realism here.

1. You have a weak GPA and sent out late in September. Bad move.
2. You have a weak app and sent out an app without a strong MCAT. Bad move.
3. Your ECs are nice. And boring. Shadowing, scribe, homeless volunteering, tutoring. Pretty common things in apps. Do you have anything unique?
4. I hope your Personal Statement and LORs are fantastic. Otherwise, another bad move.

Withdraw. Your. Applications. Tomorrow. Morning. Period. I don't give a crap about already spent money and fee waivers. That stuff is gone. It's not coming back. Don't dig a deeper hole, climb out NOW.

Your parents will be disappointed. That's fine. They won't disown you over it. And if they do, get them on the phone with a pre-med adviser. If they won't listen, then they are unreasonable people and will hinder your aspirations, not help.
Your parents will be continually disappointed for the next 3 years. THAT'S LIFE. Something got screwed up, live with it my friend. Accept it, and get on the right path.
You're officially on the long road of the non-trad. Welcome to the club! Get your DIY-post back done at a cheaper state college (NOT community college) until you're at least a 3.5. Take physiology, anatomy, immunology, cell biology, upper division classes that mirror the curriculum of medical school. Ace the MCAT: we're talking 507+ for DO, 513+ for MD. Get into an SMP. Get a 3.75+ at that SMP to dispel any lingering doubts about your academic record. THEN and ONLY THEN should you consider another round of applications.

And in the meantime, make yourself a unicorn. Find something unique that most other people don't do and throw yourself into it with long-term commitment. You need a way to stand out in a good way, that says you're worth the risk and can contribute to the diversity of a medical student population.

 

[Cardboard101]

I think I will explain my gpa situation in more detail.

Your GPA is secondary at this point when your MCAT is in the 20th percentile. If you retook the MCAT in January, schools still wouldn't receive your scores until mid-Feb to early March. If you rush the retake and do poorly, you've just dug yourself deeper into the hole you're currently in and demonstrate poor decision making ability to adcoms. The only school I realistically see you having a shot at if you do well on the Jan MCAT is Idaho which still hasn't opened for apps.

I would recommend you withdraw from your apps now, sign up for a retake next year, ideally before May. Take some upper div science classes while you're working. It doesn't need to be a full course load but try to fit as many units as you can before/after the hours you're working, even CC classes if they're the only ones available.

What was your overall grade trend Freshman-Senior year?

 

[naijamed1995]

I think you should withdraw your application and just retake the test if at the end of the day you still plan on retaking. Saves you the stress and negative effects of being a reapplicant. If you can't get a post bacc then do something worthwhile in your gap year. Your Ecs look great anyway, so maybe just do more of what you already did in the past.
If however you must apply now, I think you should literally apply to all the DO schools you can find. Literally all of them and just see what that could fetch you. Your stats are about the range of average DO schools so you might get interviews (might) especially as a urm if you apply to as many as possible that fit your stats. If you don't mind gambling for spots then this could work but it'll be hard.
However, since you did much better in your practice tests, you have the opportunity of improving your MCAT and maybe opening doors for lower tier md schools or your state schools to save cost. I'm a naija med as well lol, so I get your parents hassle but taking a gap year is really not as bad as it might sound as far as you use it to improve your chances.

Yeah I am going to withdraw my apps this for this cycle.Idk about waiting 3-4 years just to take more classes, but when I take the mcat and receive my score I'll decide what my next step. Thanks

 

[Dr.Housexoxo]

I think the OP stats are okay for DO school especially the newer ones. Op mentions that there is an upward trend in his/her GPA. The OP retook majority of classes and took more in the as mentioned in the post. Upward trends are positive. Also mentions taking multiple upper level science classes, so I don't get why some are mentioning he/she should take classes for 2-4 more years. Her stats are not spectacular, but is ok for DO only if the op applies broadly. I have seen plenty of threads with similar stats and even in my own experience with applying have gotten into DO school. OP you should definitely withdraw your application. 491 will not serve you any direction. You mention that your Fls were within the 506-510 range which is competitive for DO school. What happened? Were you nervous? Do you have testing anxiety? Take the rest of the year to assess your issues with the MCAT. Also your ECs are fine. I have seen plenty of moderators mention how applicants with lack of clinical experience should become a scribe, volunteer etc. So continue with that. I do not know about your LORs, but make sure they are great. Make sure your personal statement is great. I believe if you score high enough on the mcat with at least a 508 you can be able to apply for next cycle if you apply broadly and as early in the cycle as possible.
Good luck! And remember apply when you are ready, not when your parents are ready.

 

[Rhabdoviridae]

Yeah I am going to withdraw my apps this for this cycle.Idk about waiting 3-4 years just to take more classes, but when I take the mcat and receive my score I'll decide what my next step. Thanks

I wouldn't be so quick to do that. The average GPAs at the DO school I used to attend was about what you have. I am not sure about what a 491 translates to on the new scale, but one of my classmates had a 21 on the old scale and got in which is a pretty low percentile.

On another note, I've noticed that many people on this site seem to have pretty poor relationships with their parents and have no respect for their opinions. Especially if your parents put you through school or are medical doctors themselves, you should try to meet their requests. There is no shame in that no matter what people here say.

 

[Cath Up]

I wouldn't be so quick to do that. The average GPAs at the DO school I used to attend was about what you have. I am not sure about what a 491 translates to on the new scale, but one of my classmates had a 21 on the old scale and got in which is a pretty low percentile.

On another note, I've noticed that many people on this site seem to have pretty poor relationships with their parents and have no respect for their opinions. Especially if your parents put you through school or are medical doctors themselves, you should try to meet their requests. There is no shame in that no matter what people here say.

I do not see that reflected in comments on this site. What I see are people that understand how much internal dedication this career requires. Even people who are very confident in their own desire to pursue medicine do burn out shortly into their medical career. If you are pursuing a career due to external forces, you're probably more like to have a bad time.

Listening to one's parent when they pressure you into medicine can be setting you up for misery. On top of that, med schools prefer candidates with internal motivation, not external (parent) motivation.

Sure, your parents may have age-related wisdom that you don't have. But meeting their requests to enter into a profession that you will spend most of your life practicing, and not enjoying, is a very poor choice. Perhaps their requests should be discussed, not your career compromises.

 

[Dr.Housexoxo]

I do not see that reflected in comments on this site. What I see are people that understand how much internal dedication this career requires. Even people who are very confident in their own desire to pursue medicine do burn out shortly into their medical career. If you are pursuing a career due to external forces, you're probably more like to have a bad time.

Listening to one's parent when they pressure you into medicine can be setting you up for misery. On top of that, med schools prefer candidates with internal motivation, not external (parent) motivation.

Sure, your parents may have age-related wisdom that you don't have. But meeting their requests to enter into a profession that you will spend most of your life practicing, and not enjoying, is a very poor choice. Perhaps their requests should be discussed, not your career compromises.

The OP did mention that he/she wants to become a physician on her own , not because his/her parents want him/her to. I think the issue is parents pressuring applicants to apply to quickly or before they are ready which is the case of the OP.

 

[DokterMom]

Yeah I am going to withdraw my apps this for this cycle.Idk about waiting 3-4 years just to take more classes, but when I take the mcat and receive my score I'll decide what my next step. Thanks

Right decision on withdrawing your applications. If you never fully apply, you're not a reapplicant and will get 'fresh eyes' and no prejudices. If anyone ever does ask, you can simply and honestly state that you withdrew due to your poor MCAT (which they will see) and decided to take the year to shore up your foundational knowledge. (Never mind that you say it's already there -- objective evidence indicates otherwise and there's no point in arguing it.)

While more upper level science classes probably won't move your GPA much (large denominator...) since you indicate your low GPA was a result of a bad first two years, an additional strong GPA year goes toward building an upward trend -- and that will matter. A short string of 2.5's looks a lot better with a longer string of 3.75s after it. I don't think you need three years -- just one or two. Just always take a class or two to keep fresh and current.

Figure out what went wrong on your MCAT -- Nerves? Over-thinking? Trick questions? Knowledge gaps? Time management? Fix that. Take the test again when you're ready, and know the score before you apply again!

Since you won't officially be a reapplicant, the 'wait two years' bit probably won't be necessary. Fresh eyes won't have any past comments and conclusions to compare you to.

That said, an unusual activity always helps. Hospice, suicide hotline, developmentally disabled, Alzheimer's, ESL, etc.

 

[Rhabdoviridae]

I do not see that reflected in comments on this site. What I see are people that understand how much internal dedication this career requires. Even people who are very confident in their own desire to pursue medicine do burn out shortly into their medical career. If you are pursuing a career due to external forces, you're probably more like to have a bad time.

Listening to one's parent when they pressure you into medicine can be setting you up for misery. On top of that, med schools prefer candidates with internal motivation, not external (parent) motivation.

Sure, your parents may have age-related wisdom that you don't have. But meeting their requests to enter into a profession that you will spend most of your life practicing, and not enjoying, is a very poor choice. Perhaps their requests should be discussed, not your career compromises.

I totally agree that one needs to have their own interests in pursuing medicine in order to be happy in this profession. My comment was more directed towards listening to his parents with regards to where/when he applies, not towards whether he goes into the profession in the first place. My parents paid for my education, applications, and living expenses throughout my entire life to this point. If they say they want me to do something, I think I owe it to them out of gratitude to do my best in obliging even if that means making some sacrifices/compromises on my part.

 

[deleted959867]

Hello everyone... (the same naijamed but new account).

I decided to post an update here to possibly help future applicants who are in similar positions with having low stats
I'm not gunna lie after reading the posts I here nearly gave up my goals of becoming a physician and even started looking at other careers like podiatry. I went as far as sending in my applications to podiatry schools and getting interviews right away. At the end I got two acceptances,but I still did not feel happy. I felt even more miserable because I was settling for a career I did not want. After talking to a physician I scribed for, I decided to try again and retake the mcat to see if I actually do have what it takes. I ended up scoring a 503 which is not spectacular but I was extremely happy with it. I wasn't sure if I should wait a couple years to apply like the posters here suggested, but I decided to give it just give it another shot and send out my applications. I surprising got three interview invites and I am now sitting today with an acceptance to my first choice medical school. I cannot believe that this has finally happened and that I actually reached my goal. This post isn't to gloat or say I told you so, but instead to give hope to lower stat applicants. Even if you do have setbacks do not give up and do what you feel is right. Seek advice here on sdn and even try to seek advice from current physicians or admissions counselors and from there you can make your own decision on what you think is best for yourself. Do not give up and good luck to future applicants and I hope my n1 situation gives some hope to others.

 

[arc5005]

Hello everyone... (the same naijamed but new account).

I decided to post an update here to possibly help future applicants who are in similar positions with having low stats
I'm not gunna lie after reading the posts I here nearly gave up my goals of becoming a physician and even started looking at other careers like podiatry. I went as far as sending in my applications to podiatry schools and getting interviews right away. At the end I got two acceptances,but I still did not feel happy. I felt even more miserable because I was settling for a career I did not want. After talking to a physician I scribed for, I decided to try again and retake the mcat to see if I actually do have what it takes. I ended up scoring a 503 which is not spectacular but I was extremely happy with it. I wasn't sure if I should wait a couple years to apply like the posters here suggested, but I decided to give it just give it another shot and send out my applications. I surprising got three interview invites and I am now sitting today with an acceptance to my first choice medical school. I cannot believe that this has finally happened and that I actually reached my goal. This post isn't to gloat or say I told you so, but instead to give hope to lower stat applicants. Even if you do have setbacks do not give up and do what you feel is right. Seek advice here on sdn and even try to seek advice from current physicians or admissions counselors and from there you can make your own decision on what you think is best for yourself. Do not give up and good luck to future applicants and I hope my n1 situation gives some hope to others.

DO or MD?

 

[deleted959867]

DO or MD?

MD

 

[Osminog]

MD

Are you a URM?

 

[arc5005]

MD

congrats!

 

[deleted959867]

congrats!

Thanks!

 

[Dr.Housexoxo]

MD

Wow congrats!

 

[Dr.Housexoxo]

There is more to life than going to medical school right after you graduate from undergrad. Go get some life experience, improve a little bit, and figure out your path. In parallel, continue working on your app with things you enjoy doing while strengthening coursework and MCAT. You are in your early twenties, not 50s.

OP got accepted to medical school already...