any help appreciated

[asdasd12345]

i have took 182 college level credits, from that mass i have gained a 2.73 GPA (factoring in both grades in retaken courses). rather crap. i havent even took the premed courses yet. i was thinking of MD school, but me being older (27) with a poor GPA as is mine i dont think i would have a chance. maybe DO school though. how many more classes would i have to take and make A's in to get my GPA to a decent level? what is the minimum target for DO school anyway?

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[Eyecon82]

i have took 182 college level credits, from that mass i have gained a 2.73 GPA (factoring in both grades in retaken courses). rather crap. i havent even took the premed courses yet. i was thinking of MD school, but me being older (27) with a poor GPA as is mine i dont think i would have a chance. maybe DO school though. how many more classes would i have to take and make A's in to get my GPA to a decent level? what is the minimum target for DO school anyway?

Not too sound harsh or anything, but your gpa is quite low. If you havn't taken any pre-reqs either, and you get an A on all of the pre-reqs....then maybe adcoms will even consider you...also with the DO schools...they look more at your experience....so if you have racked up countless hours in volunteering in the past years...then you have a shot

 

[asdasd12345]

yes i agree, my GPA is an embarrasment. it makes me wonder what the hell i was playing at? still what can you do, once you have realized the folly of your ways it practically too late.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

yes i agree, my GPA is an embarrasment. it makes me wonder what the hell i was playing at? still what can you do, once you have realized the folly of your ways it practically too late.

Pick a school you like, call them, ask what they would recommend.



Adrian

 

[asdasd12345]

yeah thanks for you support. i guess i already have an attack plan. perhaps do the postbac program at Barry, and then apply to NSU. how hard is the NSUCOM to get into?

 

[Amy B]

Yikes, that's a tough one. I know VCOM has a minimum GPA of 2.8 to apply. It is going to be rough for you anyway you go, whether you go DO or MD. Would it help you to take a post bac program? They would average your GPAs together, but you could show an upward trend if you did well. Do you have any health related post bacs or master's programs that you could demonstrate your ablility to handle medically related classes at a higher level than undergrad?

What is your MCAT score like? That may be your only saving grace at this point.

What are your EC's like? DO you have any clinically related that gave you direct patient?

These are all things that are going to have to be steller in order to overcome a low GPA, but you are now below the cutoff for DO schools, so you are going to have to do something to get that up and I personally think a masters or formal post-bac program is your only option at this point.

I know it is rough and I am also an older student. I realize older non-trads face different challanges and have to overcome different things than the younger crowd. Good luck.

Have you checked the older, nontrad premed/med students web site?
Check at the bottom of my post here for the web site address. If you register you will have access to all the forum discussion groups

Good luck and keep trying.

 

[asdasd12345]

no real point in me taking the mcat yet, as i have no idea what half of its talking about. isnt it true that DO schools only calculate the higher grade if you retook a class, instead of averaging it? if that is the case my GPA will be quite a bit higher than a 2.73, in fact it might even go over the 3.0 mark. its not that im ******ed, honest to god im not, i have only recently been diagnosed bipolar which apparently contributed to the up and down academic track ive had.

 

[lealf-ye]

you should not have any major problem if your MCAT is above 27.

 

[tkim]

i have took 182 college level credits, from that mass i have gained a 2.73 GPA (factoring in both grades in retaken courses). rather crap. i havent even took the premed courses yet. i was thinking of MD school, but me being older (27) with a poor GPA as is mine i dont think i would have a chance. maybe DO school though. how many more classes would i have to take and make A's in to get my GPA to a decent level? what is the minimum target for DO school anyway?

Your present cummulative GPA is on the lower side, I agree. But you mention that you have not taken the science prereqs yet.

Those classes represent an excellent chance at showing an upward trend, and they *will* stand out, as your science GPA and other course GPA are calculated and reported separately, as well as cummulatively.

Showing an 'upward' trend in your more recent grades - especially with the science courses, and making a good MCAT score will ammeliorate some of the red flags a past low GPA might raise.

Ace your science courses, score well on the MCAT, and you have a stronger chance than not. Good luck!

 

[(nicedream)]

Yikes, that's a tough one. I know VCOM has a minimum GPA of 2.8 to apply.

Actually their min. is 2.75, something he would easily achieve on an AACOMAS transcript. In addition, all schools place more emphasis on the last 120 credits, something that will help him tremendously.

It is going to be rough for you anyway you go, whether you go DO or MD. Would it help you to take a post bac program? They would average your GPAs together, but you could show an upward trend if you did well. Do you have any health related post bacs or master's programs that you could demonstrate your ablility to handle medically related classes at a higher level than undergrad?

These are all things that are going to have to be steller in order to overcome a low GPA, but you are now below the cutoff for DO schools, so you are going to have to do something to get that up and I personally think a masters or formal post-bac program is your only option at this point.

He won't be below any cutoff. Amy, it's obvious from all your posts that you are someone that had a high GPA and low MCAT score - can you say "overachiever"? Someone asks for advice that has a low GPA and you immediately spring to action with "wow, sorry, but it's gonna be tough with such low grades. you definitely should not apply yet." Someone asks for advice that has a low MCAT and you're there with "dont worry, MCAT scores don't matter" etc etc.

Give me a break. OP, if you do well on the sci. classes and score over a 25 on the MCAT you'll be fine.

 

[Amy B]

Actually, NO, my GPA is not on the high side. I have a 3.3. You haven't been on SDN very long so I wouldn't be so fast to accuse someone of being an overachiever. Ask most people here and you will find out that my opinion is valued here on SDN. I am quite honest and try to help people achieve their dreams of becoming a doctor. You don't know me well enough from your short time here to critisize me.

I stand corrected.......VCOM is 2.75, here is the info from their web site.

"""2. To be considered a competitive applicant of VCOM, candidates should have achieved at least a 3.0 science and cumulative grade point average, on a 4.0 scale. Although the minimum GPA is 2.75, the admissions process is competitive, and a much higher grade point average results in improved chances for acceptance. VCOM places emphasis on the last 120 credit hours including the science and required courses. The average GPA for the Class of 2007 is 3.4.""""

First off, I never said that person shouldn't apply. They aren't even ready to apply yet. I said they need something to boost up their gpa. Taking their pre-recs in a post bac program would be a great way for them to boost up their GPA. It would show a great upward trend and that is important. Once they take the MCAT, then they will be in the position to determine how their chances will be.

With a lower GPA, a person does have to have everything else stellar, which is also what I was saying in my previous post. My GPA was slightly below VCOM's average for the class of 2007. I had one bad semester when my grandmother died during my finals which hurt my GPA. I had a low PS section on my MCAT. Those 2 things made it necessary for me to make sure the rest of my application was great, which is what I suggested to this poster. They will have to overcome a lower GPA by boosting up the rest of their application.

I don't think many other people will fault me on my advice here.

 

[tkim]

I'm sure the OP appreciates all the advice being posted to this thread.

That said, it's certainly fine to disagree with someone's else advice, but don't take it to a personal level, please.

Thanks all.

 

[(nicedream)]

Sorry Amy, I shouldn't have been so quick to attack you. It just seems that the majority of people on this board think that grades are more important than MCAT scores, and that simply isn't the case. I'm sick of seeing people with lower grades discouraged, while people with low MCAT scores are encouraged.

 

[Amy B]

All is forgiven

I do understand where the frustration comes from. Sometimes it seems like everyone has a 40 MCAT and a 4.0 gpa and published a bizzillion papers, etc.. I understand you fully. I try to encourage everyone, because I know what it is like to go through this whole process from begining to end (premed to accepted med student). It is such a long and hard process.

All my best to all,
Amy

 

[AUdacious]

What is your current major? If it isnt science (since you havent done any of the prereqs, I am assuming so), you could really turn this in your favor. Completing the prereqs and doing well will boost your gpa, show an upward trend, and show that you excel in science - also your science gpa will be good. Your cum. gpa may not be a problem if you really do well in your science courses, maybe whatever your are in now just isnt for you. If this is the case, I think many schools will overlook your gpa as long as you make sure you have your ecs in line and do well on the mcat of course. I know a lot of people who started off with bad grades, turned it around and really worked hard, and didnt have a problem getting in. I think AmyB's question of, "What are your EC's like? DO you have any clinically related that gave you direct patient" is a good question. Focus on having a great answer for this and you will also have something to write about on your PS and talk about in interviews. Also, you can get involved in some research. A lot of people think that it is hard to get involved in research as an undergrad but its really not. You would be surprised how many grad students need undergrads to help them out. It will look great and you may really enjoy it - its worth looking into anyway. Good luck.

NSUCOM M1