Aspiring Pre-med Seeking Advice

[eeychii]

Hello everyone!

I’ve wanted to be in the world of medicine since I was little. Be it nursing, a doctor, or an EMT I’ve always wanted to be involved somehow. However, I’ve decided due to certain experiences throughout my life (multiple surgeries) that I want to become a physician.

Here’s the problem; a few years back when I was eighteen and dumb, I enrolled in classes at another university, and didn’t apply myself at all. I managed to put myself in somewhat of a hole with my GPA. It isn’t totally unable to be salvaged at least (2.81).

I intend on retaking my ACT this year strictly for undergrad scholarship reasons before going back to undergrad and not transferring any of my previous credit in order to increase my cumulative GPA across both schools, but from what I calculated I won’t be able to get pretty much any grade below a 3.4 in order to get a 3.7 GPA which is my goal.

I currently am an Ohio resident, and will unfortunately also be stuck here (not really unfortunate, I’m married and we have a stable home and income) when the time comes around to apply to medical school so my only choices really are:

-NEOMED
-Case Western
-CCLCM
-Heritage (DO)
-OSU

Given that I’m stuck applying to only four options, if I’m able to get a decent score on the MCAT and maintain a good GPA (which is a lot of variables as is), do I have a shot of admission into one of those schools anyways? Case is my first choice, but I know how competitive it is. I’m not sure how much more competitive it is compared to all the others though. It’s med school, it’s all competitive, isn’t it?

I plan to compensate for a lower GPA by minoring in Spanish and getting a job as a CNA during the last two years of undergrad. I also plan on doing volunteer work on the weekends and shadowing during the first two years of undergrad and when possible during the final two years. I intend on getting involved in whatever research I can too. I have experience in retail as a team trainer for leadership experience but I’d like to get more. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was contemplating trying to find a position as a TA or in the Pre-med society if I am able to. I don’t intend to start until next year however, given how many variables are at play I am trying to plan everything out the best that I can to increase my chances of acceptance as much as possible.

Any and all input, tips, advice, sage wisdom, would all be appreciated.

Thanks so much!

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[GreenDuck12]

I intend on retaking my ACT this year strictly for undergrad scholarship reasons before going back to undergrad and not transferring any of my previous credit in order to increase my cumulative GPA across both schools, but from what I calculated I won’t be able to get pretty much any grade below a 3.4 in order to get a 3.7 GPA which is my goal.

I'm not sure what you mean by increase you cumulative GPA across both schools. I'm pretty sure for undergraduate admissions you have to disclose all previous enrollments and transcripts. For MD and DO admissions, you will need to report all schools you attended and all grades you have earned.
If you are planning to apply for scholarships, make sure you indicate that you previously enrolled in a university if that is required.

If your concern is that school B you plan to attend will honor the credits/grades you earned from school A and factor those into your GPA at school B. When you go to apply to medical school and need to report grades and transcripts, you would indicate that the grades/classes that transferred to School B will appear on School A's transcript. Thus, those grades would not count towards your GPA twice. Each school has different policies regarding transferring credits. For MD admissions, it is much easier if they don't count towards your GPA but if they do, it can easily be noted in the application. All of this is to say don't worry about a bad term counting against you twice.

Yes, Case is competitive. Admission to any medical school is competitive. Roughly 50k applicants apply to medical school in any given year with only 20k gaining admission. Thus, 60% of applicants in any given year are unsuccessful.

I completely understand being limited in terms of where you can apply to medical school, which is why I only applied to 1 school. The average number of schools applicants apply to is roughly 15-16. By applying to fewer schools you increase your odds of an unsuccessful cycle and needing to reapply. The good news is Ohio is not an unfavorable state for medical admissions.

You are going to need to well in your classes. Mean GPA for admitted applicants is a 3.7 and mean MCAT is a 511. You will need to gain clinical and non clinical experiences, shadow physicians, and for CASE, research would be a plus but isnt required. Focus on doing well in your classes and developing strong study habits at first. Then gradually add in additional pieces.

 

[eeychii]

Thanks for the reply!

To clarify: what I meant was that from what I was reading is that medical schools look at ALL prior undergrad transcripts, like you said. I have three previous semesters with some less than desirable grades. I’ll be starting from square one at the new University so that I can try to maintain solid grades in those new classes to balance out the bad grades/gpa from the old school.

Does that make more sense?

Thanks so much again! I definitely do intend on establishing some habits before anything else! Just trying to get a good handle on everything, this process is a lot to absorb and I’d rather be prepared ahead of time for it.


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[Blueprint Med School]

With a strong GPA and MCAT, you have a shot at Case. For now, I wouldn't focus too much on one specific med school. Try to get the stats and activities you need, and then when the time comes, apply broadly. With only 40% of applicants getting in each cycle, just being able to get a single acceptance at any medical school is above average.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors