Any Options At All?

[JMU2014]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Good Afternoon,

I'm a recent premed graduate from James Madison University with an extremely low cGPA and sGPA, but I really don't have quality access to solid advice for med-school preparation--I'd truly appreciate any feedback you can provide. During my first four years of undergrad, I was hit with personal struggle after personal struggle that really hindered my ability to earn a GPA that is reflective of my capabilities. However, I was finally able to overcome all that I had dealt with during my last semester, earned a 3.55 GPA for that single semester, and am looking towards a path to medical school. I took the MCAT for the first time far too early with a score of 21, but will be retaking in the coming spring with a probably a 25-26.

cGPA - 2.65/4.00
sGPA - 2.20/4.00 *
EC related to medicine:
- 400 hours shadowing a general doctor at a private clinic
- 40 hours shadowing a pediatric cardiologist
Other EC:
- 288 hours serving the local community through philanthropy
- 4 semesters as an on-campus residential advisor
-

I was hoping for a Post Bac program, but don't know if it's realistically even possible for me to get accepted into one. Maybe a Special Masters Program would be a better option, a Bachelor's in Nursing, or even something different I don't know of? If I can't get directly into a Post Bac, what would best help me get there in the near future? Should I do research while I'm doing a certain program, or try to get more experience somehow? I know there are dead-end programs that claim can put you on a path to medical school, and I'm really hoping to avoid wasting money and time on these.

Also, any recommendations on resources for educating myself on further options would be wonderful. Thank you kindly for all the help!

 

[deleted248403]

1) Stop taking the MCAT. A 21 is terrible, and a 25/26 isnt good at all either (its still like 2 standard dev below avg). You don't get unlimited takes at this thing. Do not take it again until you can get a 30+.
2) You won't get into a meaningful SMP, and anyone that accepts you is stealing your money
3) Forget a bachelors in nursing, waste of time
4) Have you done the pre-reqs?

Ultimately, you are going to need to enroll in some local college, take one science class, and get an A. Once you've proven you can get one A in a science class, then the next semester, take 2. And so on, until you are taking a full course load. You are on 2-3 years of GPA recovery at the minimum. You are at least 2 years away from an SMP. Please read the low-GPA thread. Your situation isn't unique, and nor is the answer or solution to this. It has been addressed a couple hundred times. Literally, there is one person a week asking this, and i've been here like 5 years, so this has been answered probably 200+ times. If you read all 200 of those stories, and STILL have more questions - please ask them.

 

[DrMidlife]

I really don't have quality access to solid advice for med-school preparation

Yes you do. It's here. You have to look for it and care about finding it. You have to be the grownup in charge of figuring this out.

 

[JMU2014]

Please read the low-GPA thread.

Is there a specific low-GPA forum? My apologies, I can't seem to gain a grasp on the layout of these forums. I can't seem to find any one forum, besides "What Are My Chances?"

 

[DrMidlife]

Is there a specific low-GPA forum? My apologies, I can't seem to gain a grasp on the layout of these forums. I can't seem to find any one forum, besides "What Are My Chances?"

Sigh. More tough love apparently needed.

No. I will not help you find the search box. I will not give you the results from a search for "low GPA".

Look: you should not be thinking about med school. You should not get encouragement to go to med school from anybody who knows anything about med school. With your GPA, you are way out on a limb and you have to be the grownup if you want this. You are so unlikely to make it into med school that helping people in your situation is a thankless, demoralizing, Groundhog Day kind of task that I've nevertheless done a thousand times on SDN. I made it into med school with stats only a bit better than yours. I used to think it was worth my time to explain things that I'd figured out myself by doing the work to figure them out. I'm not doing you a favor by saving you the time and work of figuring this out. If you exert yourself just a tiny tiny bit you're going to find everything you need to know about what you should be doing. Needing other people to do this kind of work may be a big part of why your GPA is low. Just saying.

By default, you're just another delusional watcher of Gray's Anatomy who thinks being a doctor looks like fun. Have some respect for the profession you want to join.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Bisonette0808]

Good Afternoon,

I'm a recent premed graduate from James Madison University with an extremely low cGPA and sGPA, but I really don't have quality access to solid advice for med-school preparation--I'd truly appreciate any feedback you can provide. During my first four years of undergrad, I was hit with personal struggle after personal struggle that really hindered my ability to earn a GPA that is reflective of my capabilities. However, I was finally able to overcome all that I had dealt with during my last semester, earned a 3.55 GPA for that single semester, and am looking towards a path to medical school. I took the MCAT for the first time far too early with a score of 21, but will be retaking in the coming spring with a probably a 25-26.

cGPA - 2.65/4.00
sGPA - 2.20/4.00 *
EC related to medicine:
- 400 hours shadowing a general doctor at a private clinic
- 40 hours shadowing a pediatric cardiologist
Other EC:
- 288 hours serving the local community through philanthropy
- 4 semesters as an on-campus residential advisor
-

I was hoping for a Post Bac program, but don't know if it's realistically even possible for me to get accepted into one. Maybe a Special Masters Program would be a better option, a Bachelor's in Nursing, or even something different I don't know of? If I can't get directly into a Post Bac, what would best help me get there in the near future? Should I do research while I'm doing a certain program, or try to get more experience somehow? I know there are dead-end programs that claim can put you on a path to medical school, and I'm really hoping to avoid wasting money and time on these.

Also, any recommendations on resources for educating myself on further options would be wonderful. Thank you kindly for all the help!

I found this website to be extremely helpful when I was searching for postbac programs: https://services.aamc.org/postbac/. I am in an SMP program now and have gotten into the associated University's medical school. My stats were a bit higher higher than yours; however, if you truly want to become a physician the goal can still be achievable. If you want to continue the dialogue you are welcome to message me.