Any Suggestions? Any thoughts about how i should deal with this?

[relentless11]

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Hi all, man i havn't posted in here in years. I am glad to see that this site continues to help those that are interested in a career in health care.

Anyway, pretty much if anyone does a search for my post (not sure if its still even on here), a while back, i left off with a 2.9 GPA, and a 30 on my MCAT. Took the MCAT April 2001.

I guess summary is in order. Pretty much, my college career has been a balance between family, income (for tuition), and a dream to get into med school. My problem, my first two years in college, my parents started their own business, since at the time my support came from my parents, and i have great loyalties to my mom and dad (only child), i worked long hours at the store during the first difficult years that you would expect from any start up business. Pretty much, i went to a junior college, with hopes to transfer to a university. While studying general chemistry and eventually OChem, i helped my parents. To pay for my school supplies, (ie: books, etc), I coached highschool water polo, and swimming. Somehow i managed to survive those two years, while learning a lot from being the head coach of a coed highschool water polo team (yikes!) Finished JC with a 2.7 i believe

Well good news is, I transfered in 2000. My parents were doing well so i didn't have to help them out as much. My first year started off very well, i averaged a 3.7 my first 2 quarters, and only dropping down to a 3.3 the third quarter. Took my MCAT in 2001 got a 30...hurray! So by now my GPA is up to a 2.9.

Sadly, and suprisingly, something happened that required me to split my focus once again. September 11, 2001. As we all know, and we are still feeling it now, after 9-11, the economy has been struggling. This resulted in poor sales at my parents store (since our customers were being laid off left and right...so no $$ to shop at our store). I owe my parents a lot, so i didn't hesitate to help them out. They don't support me through $$ anymore but they are my parents and they support me by being there. Maybe thats just me i guess. Anyway.....so pretty much my university is 105 miles from my parents store. I commute every other day, so it does put a major strain on school for me. Ultimately taking 2 D's for the first time in my life.

Ultimately, i had to put off my aspirations for medical school since my GPA sucks. I graduated with a 2.58 last June with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

So...what do i have to show for all those years? Well in addition to all the good things i've said. I've enjoyed 3 years of being a researcher at our medical school here. I have published over 15 papers, and have written 2 chapters in a medical textbook. I am slated to be a first author on a paper that i wrote for the journal Critical Care Medicine, and will be co-author of a book on public health in the winter. My education is broad, full of biological sciences, physical sciences, humanities, social sciences, and engineering. Of course i have had extensive volunteering and clinical experiences. As well as other extracurriculars.

I'm not gonna ask you guys that same old question: "Is my GPA good enough to get into med school?" I know full well what the answer is. My question to those who have experience in these matters, as well as insights on the adcoms. How would my life experiences look. By no means, i want to say that this is an excuse for my bad grades, but what can i do?

As of today, i'm continuing to push my grades up, I'm pursuing my interests in biomedical engineering, continuing my medical research. In regards to biomedical engineering, i am taking graduate level classes in this subject area, and doing very well i might add (A). Yes, i need to retake the MCAT again, since its 3 years already.

So what do you guys think.... continue on improving my GPA? From my calculations, by June 2004, i will be at a 2.88. It will take another year to get up to a 3.1. Should i apply to a post-bacc program? Do those help? Should i mention the story above to the adcom's?

Any other thoughts?

Thank you ahead of time for your help!

 

[velouria]

Hi,

Wow, sounds like you've been busy! 🙂

I'm not an adcom obviously, but here's my opinion. I would think that one problem you'll have is getting around the "numbers cut-off" - the first round of screening I think is often done on numbers alone, before anybody looks at your personal statement, letters or anything else. With your GPA you're less likely to get through that part. A post-bac would help, if you can show a strong upward trend. You mentioned that you worked at a local med school - why not make an appt with someone in admissions there and ask for thier assessment? Esp. if you can wait til spring they should more than happy to help out. I don't know if you've thought about DO schools, but they seem to be more willing to look at the "whole package," which would greatly help someone in your circumstances. Bottom line: it can be done but you'll have to either buckle down and prove your academic capabilities, or get the opportunity to tell your whole story (through persistence, maybe?) and really sell it.

Good luck to you!

 

[tjc]

Hi relentless (good name, 'cause you will surely need to be!!!)

I am applying with a 2.9 and have had 2 interviews thus far. like you I had a miserable undergrad (GPA: ~2.5) and thought I had to give up on a dream to become a doctor as well.

I went into a 2nd B.S. in an Engineering program (my first degree was in Molecular Bio) and tore into that program with a vengance. I felt that coming into the application process that I had shown a consistent trend towards academic improvement and acheivement. It was very uphill and I ended up with a very lopsided 3.85 BPCM and 3.48 overall gpa in my 2nd degree.

You do have some advantages, you have a genuine story of hardship wheras I had to tell the ADCOM's that I was a dork and did nothing. Your GPA is in shooting range to be a 3.0 + GPA. Your research is quite extensive and I think, if you study in a very focused way for the MCAT, you should be able to crush it.

BUT, you must give them strong evidence of consistent academic ability or the MCAT's won't matter a whole lot. This is where I had to take the time to really pay for my past sins (so to speak), buckle down, spend long nights in the library and exercise my study habits and sweat, sweat, sweat.

My GPA has hurt me in the process, I feel that I have been glossed over by a lot of schools because of it. I am very thankful for the schools that have taken the time to give my app a deep look and find some merits in who I am.

Best of luck to you. I'm rooting for you. When you succeed, you will love the privelige of studing long nights at a medschool more than most of your peers. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[group_theory]

If you can make the first numerical cutoff, I think your chances are pretty good (if the school is not obsessed w/ numbers). It is getting past that first cutoff that is hard.

I agree with the above poster who recommended DO schools. They do have a reputation of looking at the applicant as a whole (which gives a lot of people second-chancs that they might not otherwise be given my MD schools). However, you have to look into the option to make sure if it is right for you - do you want to learn OMT for the next 3 years? Do you want to constantly tell people what osteopathic medicine is? Osteopathic medicine is a minority in medicine and there will be some obstacles and prejudices. You have to do your own research (and talk to local DOs) to see if you comfortable with it.

If you decide that DO isn't right for you (it's not for everyone), and can't make it pass the numerical cutoffs for MD schools, consider international schools such as St. George and Ross.

In the end, it all depends on what you are willing to do (consider DO or international MD) or whether some schools are willing to look pass your gpa.

Best of luck

15 papers and 2 chapters. WOW

 

[relentless11]

Thank you for all the great info! I'd have to agree that the first cut off that i will need to prepare for. So GPA and MCAT. I should be able to match if not improve on my MCAT score, since at the time, i was taking classes, working, plus i was missing a few classes that would've helped (Physiology for example).

From what i can think of, if i can continue on an upward trend with my GPA....ultimately it still won't be much, but the upward trend would be there. Another thought is, in addition to the upward trend, if i have an eye catching MCAT score.

How do schools do the grade cut offs? Do they just give secondaries to 3.0 and above, and say 28< on the MCAT.(arbitrary numbers i made up). If anyone falls below this, do they just ignore everything else like the personnel statement?

 

[AAKRAZY]

Judging by my experience, get yourself into a formal postbac ASAP.

I'm completing a Master's right now in physiological science. I got a very competitive score on the MCAT (having learned a lot of the science from scratch), then I went back and took the organic series over again just so the medical schools could see the As in those subjects. I've published several scientific journal articles as a researcher, and I did a lot of public health/community outreach stuff before I was a researcher. I still make it a point to volunteer a lot in the hospital setting, and I've managed to get some international medical experiences under my belt.

So, my point is that I thought I was able to distant myself from my undergraduate GPA (2.8), but so far, I've heard very little news. Perhaps my recommendations weren't very strong, but I doubt that. I think in the end, undergraduate record is the be all/end all in this game. I have an outstanding graduate GPA, and I actually took many upper division undergraduate courses in the basic sciences.

Of course, it's early. I hopefully will change my tune in three or four months. As of now, I'm very worried. In fact, I'm already reading about re-applicant programs/postbac programs. I think this is the way to go for you if medical school is what you want.

 

[relentless11]

I think grad school vs. post-bacc can go either way. I've heard both pros and cons for both.

I think it also depends on who looks at your application? (anyone confirm this?).

I've found new interests in biomedical engineering, so either way i should start as a post-bacc first to at last build up my background knowledge in engineering, and if its no go after that i'll push with a graduate degree in bioengineering.

May i ask what your graduate GPA was? I'm curious as to what it takes for me to get me passed the primary application, which sometimes uses GPA/MCAT cutoffs.

 

[kgal16]

your first goal is to improve your gpa
in my opinion, because it is below a 3.0
it would be more favorable to do post bac vs. masters

on the amcas, your undergrad science gpa is calculated incorporating your post-bac scores
but if u do a masters, it will show up as a totally separate set of gpa

so the only way to ERASE/IMPROVE your gpa would be to take post-bac
to make certain computer cut offs at many schools

masters is better if you have average numbers
because after you make cut off and committees actually physically look at your application, they will see the graduate courses u took

also, i would look into the masters programs that accept really good students into their med school
i think georgetown may be one of them
masters in physiology maybe?
or look into schools that favor their post-baccs

i think if u can get interviews
u have a great chance of getting in somewhere
because i truly believe that in many instances, schools like to take the people that have the more interesting life stories rather than always the people with highest numbers
u will probably have to kick ass on interviews, but in my opinion, you'll have many life obstacles to talk about, which will make the interview all the more interesting

to me, getting into medical school is about how much you want it
and getting into that one med school u want to go to requires some luck on your side

 

[relentless11]

Originally posted by kgal16

to me, getting into medical school is about how much you want it
and getting into that one med school u want to go to requires some luck on your side

Here here. Yea thats pretty much my philosphy. Didn't give up 3 years ago, not gonna give up now.

Anyway. in regards to your reply about taking post-bacc over graduate school, i'd have to agree. Thats what i was thinking, since i can just take grad level courses during my stint as a post-bacc.

Additionally improving my GPA would suit my goals of making it to the secondaries where they emphasize everything other than GPA/MCAT.