applying to Med school as a degree holder

[hammy17]

Hey guys,
I am actually really confused any i needed some sort of guidance if someone can help me. I got a bachelors and graduated in 2015 and i have been studying for my MCAT for the last year and i just got my grades back and i got a 480 on it. i have been meaning to apply to med school this year but i had to re consider everything because i really do not think i am a good candidate due to my low MCAT and low GPA. I wanted to go back and take a post bacc or go back and take some classes to help improve my GPA. I do not know what the better option is. This is what i needed help in. I do not know if i should be just taking classes somewhere and fix the classes where i got a low grade or do i need to apply for a post bacc. my graduating GPA was a 2.5. so i do not even know if any post bacc will accept me. I am so confused and am really struggling to understand what the right steps are for me to take. if anyone out there has any advice for me. please let me know.
Sincerely,
Mo

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[rufflev]

Hey guys,
I am actually really confused any i needed some sort of guidance if someone can help me. I got a bachelors and graduated in 2015 and i have been studying for my MCAT for the last year and i just got my grades back and i got a 480 on it. i have been meaning to apply to med school this year but i had to re consider everything because i really do not think i am a good candidate due to my low MCAT and low GPA. I wanted to go back and take a post bacc or go back and take some classes to help improve my GPA. I do not know what the better option is. This is what i needed help in. I do not know if i should be just taking classes somewhere and fix the classes where i got a low grade or do i need to apply for a post bacc. my graduating GPA was a 2.5. so i do not even know if any post bacc will accept me. I am so confused and am really struggling to understand what the right steps are for me to take. if anyone out there has any advice for me. please let me know.
Sincerely,
Mo

What's your sGPA? You have a fairly long 2-3 year road ahead of you of grade repair among other things. I'd recommend that you do a DIY-post bacc where you take upper level science courses and ace them (as in 4.0). This will greatly boost your undergraduate GPA and once you get above a 3.0, then you can start considering applying to DO schools and/or SMPs. As for the MCAT, being completely honest, but a 480 isn't going to cut. I would perhaps sign up for a course that helps you in the MCAT process - depending on your stats, you'll need around a 505-508+ to be competitive.

Needless to say, make sure you're active in your community - volunteering, scribing, etc.

 

[hammy17]

What's your sGPA? You have a fairly long 2-3 year road ahead of you of grade repair among other things. I'd recommend that you do a DIY-post bacc where you take upper level science courses and ace them (as in 4.0). This will greatly boost your undergraduate GPA and once you get above a 3.0, then you can start considering applying to DO schools and/or SMPs. As for the MCAT, being completely honest, but a 480 isn't going to cut. I would perhaps sign up for a course that helps you in the MCAT process - depending on your stats, you'll need around a 505-508+ to be competitive.

Needless to say, make sure you're active in your community - volunteering, scribing, etc.

My science GPA is about a 2.4. i am ready to do whatever to fix everything. i just need to know where to start and as for the MCAT i know i will be retaking it this year. my nerves got the best of me that that why i did horrible. How does a DIY post bacc work. where do i start . what do i say to the school h. how do i apply to a school. i am so sorry for asking you so many question but since you are the first person to provide me with any help. i have so many questions. Will just taking classes boost my GPA. how do i know if that the best step. i am ready to start working on this today. As far as Being active in the community i am volunteering in a hospital. can i do anything else. can i do something that will set my application aside from other people. I am sorry for bothering you. Thank you again.

 

[theGuyWhoBuiltTheArk]

i just need to know where to start and as for the MCAT i know i will be retaking it this year.

You should not take the MCAT until you are prepared as possible, I wouldn't retake it until you proved to yourself and admissions committee's that you can handle upper level science classes. What I am saying is waiting more than a year to retake could be beneficial because regardless of what your MCAT is you will need GPA repair. More time will also allow you to gain a better understanding of the sciences and prereq courses for medical school through course work. This will hopefully result in a better score on the MCAT.

My science GPA is about a 2.4. Will just taking classes boost my GPA. how do i know if that the best step. i am ready to start working on this today.

You don't need to just take the classes but really must excel. That means A's.

As far as Being active in the community i am volunteering in a hospital. can i do anything else. can i do something that will set my application aside from other people. I am sorry for bothering you. Thank you again.

I would become involved in another non clinical volunteering setting. Due to the fact you have at least two if not three years for GPA repair, you can search the forums for how other premeds become involved. Find things that interest you and that you enjoy.

 

[rufflev]

My science GPA is about a 2.4. i am ready to do whatever to fix everything.

The first step would be enrolling yourself in an academic institution, be it your undergraduate university or community college. There you should take a comfortable course load (perhaps 3-4 courses a semester) and make sure that you get A's in the majority of these courses. Note that these courses should be science courses, since doing well in those courses will attribute to a higher cGPA and sGPA. (This is the idea of a DIY-postbacc.)

It's a little late in the cycle to be applying for SMPs, plus some SMPs require a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, so I would recommend just going with the suggestion above for 3-4 semesters, or until your GPA is 3.0+

i just need to know where to start and as for the MCAT i know i will be retaking it this year.

Don't! The more important thing to do right now is fixing your GPA - there's no need for an MCAT if you have a GPA that isn't of consideration by most medical schools. Additionally, your MCAT score will expire, so preparing for the worst (and hoping for the best) I would focus on 2 or so years of grade repair, then one year prior to applying, begin studying for the MCAT and take it several months (if not earlier) before applying.

As far as Being active in the community i am volunteering in a hospital. can i do anything else. can i do something that will set my application aside from other people.

Get involved in non-clinical volunteer as the above poster mentioned. This can be volunteering at your local homeless shelter, a free health clinic, planned parenthood, etc. it's important to show that you have outside interests and you wish to help those less fortunate than yourself.

I am sorry for bothering you. Thank you again.

This is what we're here for. We're more than happy to help.

EDIT - There is also a below 3.0 support group/thread somewhere in the forum, so I suggest looking at that for advice, hope, etc.

 

[hammy17]

The first step would be enrolling yourself in an academic institution, be it your undergraduate university or community college. There you should take a comfortable course load (perhaps 3-4 courses a semester) and make sure that you get A's in the majority of these courses. Note that these courses should be science courses, since doing well in those courses will attribute to a higher cGPA and sGPA. (This is the idea of a DIY-postbacc.)

It's a little late in the cycle to be applying for SMPs, plus some SMPs require a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, so I would recommend just going with the suggestion above for 3-4 semesters, or until your GPA is 3.0+



Don't! The more important thing to do right now is fixing your GPA - there's no need for an MCAT if you have a GPA that isn't of consideration by most medical schools. Additionally, your MCAT score will expire, so preparing for the worst (and hoping for the best) I would focus on 2 or so years of grade repair, then one year prior to applying, begin studying for the MCAT and take it several months (if not earlier) before applying.



Get involved in non-clinical volunteer as the above poster mentioned. This can be volunteering at your local homeless shelter, a free health clinic, planned parenthood, etc. it's important to show that you have outside interests and you wish to help those less fortunate than yourself.




This is what we're here for. We're more than happy to help.

EDIT - There is also a below 3.0 support group/thread somewhere in the forum, so I suggest looking at that for advice, hope, etc.

so just a question, regarding my grades. the higher courses science classes i got better grades in. its the basic classes like chem 1 and 2 or physics 1 and 2 that i got lower grades in. so can i just retake thoses to get a higher GPA. as far as applying to community college do i apply as a transfer student or what kind of student. thank you so much everybody for so much help/

 

[popopopop]

You need to stop right now and figure out what's going on with your studying habits. A's aren't going to appear out of nowhere. I'm really concern that you STUDIED yet made a 480. Did you finish the test or skipped questions? You have a shot at medical school right now, but everything has to be PERFECT. Enrolling and making more C's in classes will end your med school dream!

 

[popopopop]

so just a question, regarding my grades. the higher courses science classes i got better grades in. its the basic classes like chem 1 and 2 or physics 1 and 2 that i got lower grades in. so can i just retake thoses to get a higher GPA. as far as applying to community college do i apply as a transfer student or what kind of student. thank you so much everybody for so much help/

I would retake all the C's in prereqs as you can, but make sure you can ace them. B's won't cut it at this point. You'll be a transfer student to the community college, yes, but that doesn't matter. You'll be either degree seeking or non-degree seeking.

 

[hammy17]

You need to stop right now and figure out what's going on with your studying habits. A's aren't going to appear out of nowhere. I'm really concern that you STUDIED yet made a 480. Did you finish the test or skipped questions? You have a shot at medical school right now, but everything has to be PERFECT. Enrolling and making more C's in classes will end your med school dream!

what i dont undertstand what do you mean i have a shot at medical school rigth now .. i studied but i could not sleep the nigh before and i got test anxiety and didnt do well because of that

 

[hammy17]

I would retake all the C's in prereqs as you can, but make sure you can ace them. B's won't cut it at this point. You'll be a transfer student to the community college, yes, but that doesn't matter. You'll be either degree seeking or non-degree seeking.

ok so apply as a transfer student with like a non degree seeking student. okay so i will apply today to a community college. is it okay if i apply to teh community college or is that looked down upon.

 

[popopopop]

what i dont undertstand what do you mean i have a shot at medical school rigth now .. i studied but i could not sleep the nigh before and i got test anxiety and didnt do well because of that

I'm saying your gpa is so low that you might not reach the cut-off at most schools (3.0), unless you plan on nearly 100 credits of straight A's from now on. I don't want to see you waste a bunch of years in a post-bac if that's the case. You should figure out your test anxiety before you enroll into any classes.

 

[popopopop]

ok so apply as a transfer student with like a non degree seeking student. okay so i will apply today to a community college. is it okay if i apply to teh community college or is that looked down upon.

This depends on the school you're applying to. Some schools frown upon community college credits, while others do not. Again though Mo, really introspect and think about why you made those low grades. Perhaps there are personal things outside of your life that I don't know about. I just know you have to ace everything from now on in order to have a shot.

 

[hammy17]

I'm saying your gpa is so low that you might not reach the cut-off at most schools (3.0), unless you plan on nearly 100 credits of straight A's from now on. I don't want to see you waste a bunch of years in a post-bac if that's the case. You should figure out your test anxiety before you enroll into any classes.

my test anxiety was basically was for the MCAT. I am better off now. i know how to give myself the time and dedication to classes and get A's. to be honest in undergrad i had too many distractions the steered me away from classes. now i know that i have screwed up badly i need nothing but to fix this. I have understood my mistakes and its more about improving what i can do from now on. I will be looking at community colleges and state schools and see which ones i can afford and try to apply to those. i am just afraid about this process taking a bunch of years. i know i screwed up in undergrad and i want to fix this more than anything. My dream has always been medical school and i do not want to delay that dream any further. i want to really have tunnel vision and get into a medical school and make myself the best applicant i can possibly be. The MCAT was basically a struggle because i changed study techniques every few weeks and i tried studying and didn't get to the technique that best fit me till 2 weeks before my actual exam. I understand now how to study for this test so i am more focused. i know its cliche that once you see the worst you pick urself up but at this point i just have a fire fueling me to do better and that why im trying to achieve the best possible results i can. i really appreciate all the help you have given me and the guidance i have. i was truly lost and had no sense of direction but hopefully now i can guide myself in the right direction.

 

[rufflev]

i am just afraid about this process taking a bunch of years. i know i screwed up in undergrad and i want to fix this more than anything. My dream has always been medical school and i do not want to delay that dream any further. i want to really have tunnel vision and get into a medical school and make myself the best applicant i can possibly be.

If becoming a physician is truly a goal of yours, then what's 2-3 years of investment in your future and attaining your dreams? Sounds really cliche, but true. You did some damage to your stats so now you have spend some time fixing it. The more time you spend improving your stats, the better you will look when it comes time to apply and hopefully at that point you'll only need to apply once.

Best of luck!

 

[hammy17]

If becoming a physician is truly a goal of yours, then what's 2-3 years of investment in your future and attaining your dreams? Sounds really cliche, but true. You did some damage to your stats so now you have spend some time fixing it. The more time you spend improving your stats, the better you will look when it comes time to apply and hopefully at that point you'll only need to apply once.

Best of luck!

Your right. Thank you so much