Below 3.0 gpa Support Group/Thread

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. But my dream has always been to be a doctor. How do I go about it, and what are my chances for getting in a DO/MD school?

Not sure if you posted this in the MD/DO "WAMC" section - if not, definitely do so with more specifics about your statistics: What's your cGPA/sGPA, how many credit hours do you have, extracurriculars, etc. and we (the collective SDN forum) can help you out to the best of our ability!
 
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Not sure if you posted this in the MD/DO "WAMC" section - if not, definitely do so with more specifics about your statistics: What's your cGPA/sGPA, how many credit hours do you have, extracurriculars, etc. and we (the collective SDN forum) can help you out to the best of our ability!

I will do that! Thank you very much!
 
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@Major How do you know which medical schools pre-screen? I tried doing a quick search and it didn't turn anything up. You seem to feel very confident that getting your GPA up to a 3.0 will help tremendously. I was kind of bouncing between doing either 1 year DIY post-bac and 1 year SMP or just doing 2 years DIY post-bac but if it's that important to get your GPA to a 3.0 then I guess I should stick with undergrad until I reach that goal. Is that what your'e recommending?
 
@Major How do you know which medical schools pre-screen? I tried doing a quick search and it didn't turn anything up. You seem to feel very confident that getting your GPA up to a 3.0 will help tremendously. I was kind of bouncing between doing either 1 year DIY post-bac and 1 year SMP or just doing 2 years DIY post-bac but if it's that important to get your GPA to a 3.0 then I guess I should stick with undergrad until I reach that goal. Is that what your'e recommending?

There are definitely plenty of MD/DO schools that pre-screen. Think about it, if a school is receiving over 6,000 applications per cycle...They have to draw the line somewhere. There just isn't enough time in the day to go through each and every application. And it is not doing anyone any good to review an application that you wouldn't invite for an interview anyways...

To tell if a school pre-screens, you can simply go to the school's website and find the admission requirements. If they list a "minimum gpa" and "minimum mcat" then chances are pretty good they pre-screen.

For example lets take a look at A.T. Still Kirksville requirements:
ATSU - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine - Admissions - Preparing for D.O. Program Admission - Admission Requirements
KCOM requires a minimum of 2.85 sgpa and cgpa. And they will NOT implement grade replacement. What are the chances of you receiving a secondary from KCOM if you are below the 2.85? Not very good, or at all. Even if you receive an secondary the chances of receiving an interview invite is pretty dang low.

Lets look at KCUMB:
COM Requirements
KCUMB has even stricter minimum guidelines. You need to be at 3.25 for your gpas and 501 mcat. Being below those numbers will definitely get you screened out. But, even if you are at the minimums to not get screened out, your chances of being invited for an interview are pretty low because KCUMB's MCAT averages are going to be around a 507-509 and higher gpa.

Lets look at DMU:
Admission Requirements - Des Moines University
They want something similar to KCOM of a 2.8, but like before you are going to have to much higher to be competitive for an interview.

Lets look at some DO schools that don't prescreen like WCU-COM

Academic Requirements | William Carey University
No gpa or MCAT minimums listed. So chances of getting pre-screened out are pretty low to none. But, you will still need to be above a 3.0 and 501 mcat to be competitive to get that interview invite.

Here is ARCOM:
» Admissions Requirements
No minimum gpa or mcat listed. Chances of being pre-screed are low to none.

The schools that don't prescreen are the newer/lower tier schools. Which is fine in my book because you'll still get to become a physician. But, do you want to spend $50-$100 on each school's secondary if you don't have a chance at all to be interviewed? That is something you'll have to decide if you can afford.

A SMP should be a last resort. You have exhausted all other options of getting your MCAT and undergrad GPAs as high as you can. SMPs are very expensive. They are also high risk/high reward. If you go to a SMP (connected to a med-school), and crush the courses then you have proven to Admission Committees that you can handle med-school (for the most part). If you go to a SMP and can't perform well, then its basically game over. If you can't handle a SMP, how can you handle med school?

Don't get me wrong, doing well in a SMP can open a lot of doors. It did for me. The key thing is you absolutely have to crush it. You gotta get above a 3.5. Above a 3.7 would be great, and 4.0 would be ideal, and would open more than enough doors for you.
 
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I just thought I'd share my good news today, (cumulative 3.01 atm, but may drop after this semester). I got into my 1st pick master's program at DMU, studying biomedical sciences. I'm hoping to do really well there, kill the MCAT next year and get into medical school! Very Excited!
Glad to see you're on the right track! I also think it's better that you decided to go with DMU over ISU given that DMU has a DO school. Good luck!
 
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Finishing up Spring Quarter right now with finals week! Hopefully everyone has had a great year so far. I'm taking Calc 1 this summer along with Gen Chem 2 lab.
For fall quarter here is my planned schedule. Let me know what you all think/if it's doable :)

Ochem I w/ Lab
Physics I w/ Lab
Evolution and Ecology w/ Lab
Linguistics (major requirement)

Totals to 17 units! (quarter system)
 
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I have another A in my pocket for this semester, and am taking *shudder* four summer classes. Hopefully in ten weeks I'll have four more As to factor into my GPA. I've been building up from a 2.0c/0.69s (you read that correctly, lol) for a couple of years now. I should be up to a 2.5c/2.4s after the summer, and a 2.6/2.7 after the fall if everything goes well. Leetle bit at a time :laugh:

I hope everyone is out there killing it!

I'm rooting for you man :) How many credits are you taking this fall?
 
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Hey guys! first time poster here. I just had a few questions. My overall cGPA is a 2.9 and sGPA is 2.75 with 114 units. I've always wanted to be a doctor but never really seriously contemplated it as I always thought it was out of the realm of possibilities for my low GPA. After reading this forum, I really want to give it a try. I haven't taken any of my pre-reqs for med school and just wanted to know if I really had a chance! I'm currently working as an RRT and that's what really made me realize my passion for medicine and how much I really want to be a doctor. I'm almost 22 and haven't even finished a bachelors or done any research with anyone. Do I really have a chance? What are some good ways to get EC's?
 
Hey guys! first time poster here. I just had a few questions. My overall cGPA is a 2.9 and sGPA is 2.75 with 114 units. I've always wanted to be a doctor but never really seriously contemplated it as I always thought it was out of the realm of possibilities for my low GPA. After reading this forum, I really want to give it a try. I haven't taken any of my pre-reqs for med school and just wanted to know if I really had a chance! I'm currently working as an RRT and that's what really made me realize my passion for medicine and how much I really want to be a doctor. I'm almost 22 and haven't even finished a bachelors or done any research with anyone. Do I really have a chance? What are some good ways to get EC's?
First off, you need to go and finish up your bachelors. It can be in anything interesting to you, so long as you hold a degree and your pre-reqs for med school. I believe that if you complete all the pre-reqs and the necessary classes for a bachelors, you will be over a 3.0. There is an excel spreadsheet on here to calculate your GPA (id have to find it but you can use the search function) where you can calculate all your grades and future grades to see where you'll be at. Youd have to get all A's thats for sure.. but your experience as a RRT will be very helpful. If I were you and if you are able, I would reduce my work to part time or even quit so that you're able to focus on the grades. While you're doing that, email different professors at your University in the science department and see if there is any research available. This is a longgggg road that many of us have been on for awhile. If you have any questions this is the right place to be! goodluck :)
 
First off, you need to go and finish up your bachelors. It can be in anything interesting to you, so long as you hold a degree and your pre-reqs for med school. I believe that if you complete all the pre-reqs and the necessary classes for a bachelors, you will be over a 3.0. There is an excel spreadsheet on here to calculate your GPA (id have to find it but you can use the search function) where you can calculate all your grades and future grades to see where you'll be at. Youd have to get all A's thats for sure.. but your experience as a RRT will be very helpful. If I were you and if you are able, I would reduce my work to part time or even quit so that you're able to focus on the grades. While you're doing that, email different professors at your University in the science department and see if there is any research available. This is a longgggg road that many of us have been on for awhile. If you have any questions this is the right place to be! goodluck :)

Hey! Thanks so much for your response. Do you think I should pursue my bachelors in respiratory and then finish my pre-reqs?As I live in a state that doesn't have bachelors for respiratory, it would be an online program for me! In that time I can take a couple classes here and there and really focus on that! Or do you suggest me go and get a bachelors in something at a university. I'm interested in psychology, if that is a better option than an online degree.
 
Hey! Thanks so much for your response. Do you think I should pursue my bachelors in respiratory and then finish my pre-reqs?As I live in a state that doesn't have bachelors for respiratory, it would be an online program for me! In that time I can take a couple classes here and there and really focus on that! Or do you suggest me go and get a bachelors in something at a university. I'm interested in psychology, if that is a better option than an online degree.
Stay away from online.

Take a few more pre-reqs this fall.

Psychology is a fine major; just like any other.

Remember, this path is difficult and it would be wise to have a plan B.

Plan B's typically involve an UG major that will lead to a liveable salary.

Best of luck.

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Stay away from online.

Take a few more pre-reqs this fall.

Psychology is a fine major; just like any other.

Remember, this path is difficult and it would be wise to have a plan B.

Plan B's typically involve an UG major that will lead to a liveable salary.

Best of luck.

Sent from my Pixel using SDN mobile

I'm already working as an RRT. Hopefully I'm being realistic. I'd really enjoy being a DR. Thank you for your response!
 
I'm already working as an RRT. Hopefully I'm being realistic. I'd really enjoy being a DR. Thank you for your response!

Thats why reducing your work to part-time would be beneficial. That way you could focus on classes towards your bachelors degree. Psychology is great and even included on the new mcat. Just make sure you complete you medical school pre-reqs as well. Stay away from online, take the classes you need at community college and transfer to a University.
 
Currently taking Human Anatomy this summer....this subject has a lot of memorization:(
The fact that this class doesn't cover every little detail in the body, makes me very scared of medical school human anatomy. I will try not to forget what I learn in this class.
 
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Hey everyone,

Long time lurker with my 3 posts (2 in this thread and 1 in the pathology forum) since joining in January. I want to become more active in this thread since I'm addicted to SDN and love reading about everyone's stories. I love me a good underdog story. After I found and started reading the stories in this thread, I needed to make a profile and connect with you all on this site. I hope we as the <3.0 nontrads can update on our personal achievements during the semester, rant about whatever's on your mind, and provide support because we are a small but strong community. I know we try to update and help one another other already but that cheesy and sentimental "you got this champ!" and "go kick some a$$!" can really help when someone's having a **** day. I'll try my best with giving the best advice since I'm new to the premed game (decided this year to work towards medical school - had PhD in mind since I started undergrad 6 years ago) but I will give all the love and support I can by finding you resources and being there for you.

At the moment I'm just enjoying the summer while I can before taking physics II the second half of summer. Taking A&P sequence and some mandatory classes (history class and urban studies class) for the fall and spring, clinical physiology and either pathology or gross anatomy, and finally ending with biochemistry II and microbiology in the fall of 2018. At that point, I will be the second person in my family to graduate college (first one to attend but my sister beat me to graduation because I took a few years to join the military). After a small celebration, I'll spend the next 6 months studying for the MCAT and hopefully take that some time in June of 2019. If I can kick some a$$ this next year, I'll raise both cGPA and sGPA to the 3.2x and 3.1x arena, respectively. I'm hoping I can balance all this with working full time and still being a military reservist. I'll be coming to all of you for words of encouragement along the way when I get lost.

Oh, I took advanced instrumental analysis and biotechnology techniques this past semester and got a B and A- respectively :D I know it's not the best but it's a start since both are upper level chemistry courses.

Let's also wish our thread creator @Major good luck since they will be starting medical school this fall! You are an inspiration to many on this website. I, like many others, will hopefully walk in your shoes in a few years. Thank you for starting this thread and kept it going for so long.

DD28
P.S. Sorry for making this long (that's what she said)
 
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I'm rooting for you man :) How many credits are you taking this fall?

Haha, if you were referring to me, I should be taking 10 while working full-time (A&P I, a "chem for dummies" prep class, and trigonometry). I'd take another, but my tuition assistance doesn't want to cover me going full time :yeahright:
 
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Hey everyone,

So I am actually thinking of applying to osteopathic medical school in the next few months and wanted to know your opinion and ask for advice.

I graduated from luc with a bs in biology with a concentration in molecular biology. I graduated in 2015 with a 3.0 cumulative and science gpa. Through those years I mostly had a lot of B's. I did have to retake organic chemistry II about 3 times.

The following year, I retook all of my classes that had a c or lower in them at 3 different community colleges in a single semester.

This year I completed a biomedical science masters at kcu and will end up with a gpa of 3.3. I feel as with a gpa this low I may not have a chance at medical school any longer. I wanted your opinion as to if i should take the chance and apply or is there there something else that i can do to raise my gpa?

As for my extracurricular activites, I have been involved in multiple cultural organizations since I was in high school. They include :

  • 1 nonprofit that raises money for a home for the destitutes in northern India [ i helped raised money, plan events, and performed]
  • a group that looks to spread awareness of my culture [ performer and later dance coordinator]
  • a religious Sunday school [ teacher assitant]
  • a religious camp [ initially as a camper, but now a teacher]
  • member of my temple
  • dermatology club [ this year]
  • volunteered at a hospital in various depts [ over 300 hours]
  • optician [1 year]
  • ophthalmolic technition [ few months, until i moved to missouri]
  • volunteered at retirement community [ over 100 hours]
  • shadowed 3 doctors [ over 200 hours] and still shadowing
  • aided in mission to Haiti [ie. Prepared everything the Dr. needed for her trip, gathered supplies, organized and packed all materials]
Have great letters of rec, all from kcu

As for the following gap year, at this point planning on taking an emt course and volunteering in research lab.

Mcat score is 512, planning on retaking it to see if i can get it higher.

Thank you for all your help and advice in advance.
 
Currently taking Human Anatomy this summer....this subject has a lot of memorization:(
The fact that this class doesn't cover every little detail in the body, makes me very scared of medical school human anatomy. I will try not to forget what I learn in this class.
It's crazy to think that so many matriculating medical students go into MS without ever taking an anatomy course.
 
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It's crazy to think that so many matriculating medical students go into MS without ever taking an anatomy course.

Yes, it's quite frightening and I hear human anatomy and human physiology are the very tough courses in the first-year of medical school. I can already tell that I am not a fan of the brain and nerves (Neurobiology, another subject I will revisit in medical school).
 
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Hey everyone,

So I am actually thinking of applying to osteopathic medical school in the next few months and wanted to know your opinion and ask for advice.

I graduated from luc with a bs in biology with a concentration in molecular biology. I graduated in 2015 with a 3.0 cumulative and science gpa. Through those years I mostly had a lot of B's. I did have to retake organic chemistry II about 3 times.

The following year, I retook all of my classes that had a c or lower in them at 3 different community colleges in a single semester.

This year I completed a biomedical science masters at kcu and will end up with a gpa of 3.3. I feel as with a gpa this low I may not have a chance at medical school any longer. I wanted your opinion as to if i should take the chance and apply or is there there something else that i can do to raise my gpa?

As for my extracurricular activites, I have been involved in multiple cultural organizations since I was in high school. They include :

  • 1 nonprofit that raises money for a home for the destitutes in northern India [ i helped raised money, plan events, and performed]
  • a group that looks to spread awareness of my culture [ performer and later dance coordinator]
  • a religious Sunday school [ teacher assitant]
  • a religious camp [ initially as a camper, but now a teacher]
  • member of my temple
  • dermatology club [ this year]
  • volunteered at a hospital in various depts [ over 300 hours]
  • optician [1 year]
  • ophthalmolic technition [ few months, until i moved to missouri]
  • volunteered at retirement community [ over 100 hours]
  • shadowed 3 doctors [ over 200 hours] and still shadowing
  • aided in mission to Haiti [ie. Prepared everything the Dr. needed for her trip, gathered supplies, organized and packed all materials]
Have great letters of rec, all from kcu

As for the following gap year, at this point planning on taking an emt course and volunteering in research lab.

Mcat score is 512, planning on retaking it to see if i can get it higher.

Thank you for all your help and advice in advance.
I think if you apply early and broadly to DO with good personal statements and secondaries, you probably still have a shot. I did not do well in my biomedical sciences masters program this past year, and I still received two DO acceptances after reporting my grades. Make sure you can speak to why you didn't do well, what study strategies you'd change, etc.
 
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Currently taking Human Anatomy this summer....this subject has a lot of memorization:(
The fact that this class doesn't cover every little detail in the body, makes me very scared of medical school human anatomy. I will try not to forget what I learn in this class.
I'm signed up to take anatomy and physio this summer also, but thankfully they're in different sessions so I can keep the suffering somewhat compartmentalized ;) Good luck to you!

After this summer I'll be done with classes/pre-reqs and will start focusing on MCAT. Maybe also apply to SMPs, then by next year finally apply. Hoo boy...
 
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I'm signed up to take anatomy and physio this summer also, but thankfully they're in different sessions so I can keep the suffering somewhat compartmentalized ;) Good luck to you!

After this summer I'll be done with classes/pre-reqs and will start focusing on MCAT. Maybe also apply to SMPs, then by next year finally apply. Hoo boy...

A&P I (the first time) was very fun for me, so I'm not too worried about taking it a second time (I didn't pass the lab several years ago). I heard A&P II is where it gets really hairy.
 
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A&P I (the first time) was very fun for me, so I'm not too worried about taking it a second time (I didn't pass the lab several years ago). I heard A&P II is where it gets really hairy.

Best of luck to you too! My university just has Anatomy as one class and physiology as another class, don't think there's a I/II series. But there are more specialized A/P classes more focused on exercise, for example. I guess their separating the topics is a way to cram all the info into one class without having to pay more instructors lol.

Also, I got a good chuckle out of your signature. Exactly how I feel.
 
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Long time lurker in this thread/on this forum, I wanted to thank you guys for all the support you offered me over the years. I had felt very hopeless many times; like I should just give up. I would find solace in this forum knowing that I wasn't alone, and seeing the success stories to reassure myself that I hadn't totally screwed my entire life up with a class or two.

I hope my story can inspire someone else not to give up! I'll keep it short and sweet. Undergrad sGPA-2.92 cGPA-3.01 (barely pulled it above senior year!) Did a Masters of Science with a 3.93. I will be starting at a USMD school this fall! I dont want to bore you all with the details of my application, but if anyone has any questions about it, feel free to ask or PM me!

I just hope I can give someone some hope and support the same that you all did for me! I may have given up without you all. You're rock stars :)
 
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Long time lurker in this thread/on this forum, I wanted to thank you guys for all the support you offered me over the years. I had felt very hopeless many times; like I should just give up. I would find solace in this forum knowing that I wasn't alone, and seeing the success stories to reassure myself that I hadn't totally screwed my entire life up with a class or two.

I hope my story can inspire someone else not to give up! I'll keep it short and sweet. Undergrad sGPA-2.92 cGPA-3.01 (barely pulled it above senior year!) Did a Masters of Science with a 3.93. I will be starting at a USMD school this fall! I dont want to bore you all with the details of my application, but if anyone has any questions about it, feel free to ask or PM me!

I just hope I can give someone some hope and support the same that you all did for me! I may have given up without you all. You're rock stars :)

No, bore us with the details here! Congrats!
 
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Trying to get letters of rec in order now that I'm mostly done with classes, but my sociology professor has yet to respond to 2 of my requests. About to just stake myself outside his office...
 
At a 2.42c/2.2s after the summer semester! A in bio lecture, algebra for calc and developmental psych, with a B in my 1-credit lab (I could rage about that all day, but suffice to say a class-graded small-group project was the make/break.) Not too bad. I partly wish my school didn't have 4-point GPA calculation. Sometimes it hurts more than helps.

(For those not aware I'm repairing a 2.0c/0.69s from a long time ago... it's takin' some time. Luckily I had no prereqs done, just a couple failed math attempts. I realize this sounds like horrible news, but it's actually pretty great.)
 
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Long time lurker in this thread/on this forum, I wanted to thank you guys for all the support you offered me over the years. I had felt very hopeless many times; like I should just give up. I would find solace in this forum knowing that I wasn't alone, and seeing the success stories to reassure myself that I hadn't totally screwed my entire life up with a class or two.

I hope my story can inspire someone else not to give up! I'll keep it short and sweet. Undergrad sGPA-2.92 cGPA-3.01 (barely pulled it above senior year!) Did a Masters of Science with a 3.93. I will be starting at a USMD school this fall! I dont want to bore you all with the details of my application, but if anyone has any questions about it, feel free to ask or PM me!

I just hope I can give someone some hope and support the same that you all did for me! I may have given up without you all. You're rock stars :)

No, bore us with the details here! Congrats!

Yes, please do :)
 
I'm not sure if I posted here before since there are a lot of pages here. I'm just very bummed because I earned a C in a general pre req science class at a community college. I was hospitalized and could not study for three weeks. I'm so sad because I had straight A's for one year. However my very very old gpa is below 2.0 and now the recent C is making me worry in that i cannot handle rigorous university work or that medical schools will think I'm " failing " again.


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Yes, please do :)
No, bore us with the details here! Congrats!

Well since you all asked :) :)
Making it a bit vague because I'm sure any adcom on here could figure out who I was with my GPA and story.

My demographics are pretty boring, mid 20s female, non-URM, not disadvantaged. MCAT 34 balanced. Masters w/ research. Pretty heavy on the commitment in ECs. (see below) Decent leadership. Quite a few strong LORs from PI, professor who could comment on my GPA trend, Clinical Supervisor, doctor at a hospital I often worked with.

ECs
Clinical empolyment 1700+ volunteer hours in an underserved city
Research undergrad and grad 1300 hours
Non - clinical volunteering (different organizations, head of one, total 800-900 hrs)
Teaching - science and art

Not the fastest path but I learned a whole lot on the way, and honestly I think what I learned, and how I matured was worth more than taking the traditional path. There is so much more to life than numbers! I hope this can help all future doctors reading this!

EDIT: I just wanted to add, this forum is fantastic and gives great advice but it is not the be all end all! Don't lose yourself in this journey :)
EDIT 2: Advised to remove more identifying info.
 
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Ended up getting an A in Human Anatomy (an UD course for biology majors) this past summer.

This upcoming fall semester I'm taking Virology, Neurobiology/Lab, and Microbiology/Lab.
 
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Some of you have really amazing extracurricular activities and it's inspiring me to become more involved! At the moment I have >100 hours of hospital volunteering which I am no longer doing as I wanted to do other things, 20 hours of hospice volunteering (working on becoming an active hospice volunteer with a different organization currently), 22 hours of non-clinical volunteering with an organization that packs and sends food to children all over the world, about 20 hours of shadowing with physicians and 16 hours of PA shadowing. I'm also currently working full-time and working on gpa repair by currently taking one class at a time. I'm planning to up it to two at a time next spring and see where I go from there. Keep up the great work everyone!
 
Just recalculated my overall cgpa, it's currently at a 2.57. I'm did decent in my most recent school and got into a masters of health informatics program and have a 4.0 after the first two courses.

EC's:
Over 100hrs volunteering at pediatric oncology department

Over 300hrs and counting working with mentally ill and suicidal patients

Recent news of no grade replacement has changed my plan please help any advice is appreciated.


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Just recalculated my overall cgpa, it's currently at a 2.57. I'm did decent in my most recent school and got into a masters of health informatics program and have a 4.0 after the first two courses.

EC's:
Over 100hrs volunteering at pediatric oncology department

Over 300hrs and counting working with mentally ill and suicidal patients

Recent news of no grade replacement has changed my plan please help any advice is appreciated.


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What you need is transcript repair. You need to do a DIY post-bac. A DIY post-bac is where you take new/challenging upper division science classes at the undergraduate level. It's flexible and cheap. You need to determine how many A's you need to raise both your cGPA/sGPA a to 3.0. The masters that you are currently in is not going to help much (it's a cool EC but that's about it). You have a long journey ahead of you before you might be ready to apply to medical schools (probably looking at 2-3 years).
 
What you need is transcript repair. You need to do a DIY post-bac. A DIY post-bac is where you take new/challenging upper division science classes at the undergraduate level. It's flexible and cheap. You need to determine how many A's you need to raise both your cGPA/sGPA a to 3.0. The masters that you are currently in is not going to help much (it's a cool EC but that's about it). You have a long journey ahead of you before you might be ready to apply to medical schools (probably looking at 2-3 years).

Thanks! and is taking a few courses at CC then higher levels at University a bad idea?


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You can ease back into undergrad by taking a few CC course but all of your UD coursework should be done at a university. Have you finished taking all your prereqs?

Not yet,during my first go around with college suffered from a large tumor, constant migraines and headaches to the point I would often have to leave class early. But I've since been on medication to compress it and I've done much better. Only around a 2.9, but that's with rushing through piled courses to graduate on time and without much study skills. That's also a point of advice needed.


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No prereqs were taken. That's great. You can potentially have a 4.0 BCPM GPA if you play your cards right. Getting into medical school is a marathon, not a sprint. Study very hard and get A's in all your prereqs. Good Luck.

Thank you for guidance and do you have any study tips I can use.


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Thank you for guidance and do you have any study tips I can use.


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Go over the chapter before the prof lectures over it. Go over notes after lecture while it's still fresh. Consolidate notes and fill out any gaps. Stay ahead of lectures and study notes daily until test day. Never cram. Do plenty of practice problems. Take care of your mind and body. Eat healthily (vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, water etc) and fill the gaps with supplements. Exercise on a daily basis. Take it one day at a time and step at at time.
 
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Go over the chapter before the prof lectures over it. Go over notes after lecture while it's still fresh. Consolidate notes and fill out any gaps. Stay ahead of lectures and study notes daily until test day. Never cram. Do plenty of practice problems. Take care of your mind and body. Eat healthily (vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, water etc) and fill the gaps with supplements. Exercise on a daily basis. Take it one day at a time and step at at time.

Thank you so much, will keep in touch and the day I get my acceptance letter will be kudos to you. Good luck on the point of your journey that your on!!!!


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Quote of the day from Garyvee: "Dwelling on what you f*ck'd up on, is the quickest way for the next thing not to work"

Keep crushing it guys!
 
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Just finished my pre-calc final with an A, giving me an A for the semester

17-year-old me would have laughed in my face if I said I had an A in math.
 
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So, seems like if I get an A in anatomy and physio this summer, unfortunately my sGPA will still be below a 3.0. My cGPA will be 3.10, sGPA will be 2.92. It would take me roughly 18 more credits to bring my sGPA up to 3.0 but at this point I have very little to no options left on courses to take. How essential do you guys think it is to haul my sGPA above a 3.0?
 
Well it's been quite a year since I started on my grade redemption path. Started with a 2.5, and here are how my stats are looking so far:

Completed:
Ochem 1- A
Intro to cells/organs - A
Intro to molecular bio - A
Genetics - A
Cell Bio - A
Molecular processes/experimental techniques - A
Sociology - A
Biochem 1 - B
Biochem 2 - B-
Stats - A
Physics 1 (mechanics) - B+

In progress:
Physics 2 (electricity, waves) - Current
Ochem 2 - Current
Immunology - Current

Future courses:
Biochem 3
Physics 3
Developmental Bio

Extracurriculars:
2 years undergrad research, 2.5 years full-time research with 1 publication in mid-impact immunology journal
470 hrs hospital volunteering with direct patient contact on geriatric psych, acute care, emergency department, and surgery floors
3 leadership positions from undergrad with a homeless clinic, ethnic student org, and student body leadership

So I staggered a bit with biochem. It was certainly frustrating and made me start to question myself, but what's done is done and I've gotta keep moving forward. I still have this term and the next to pull myself up and show strong performance. My current postbac GPA is 3.74, and if I manage to get A's in the rest of my courses I'll be at a 3.8.

I'm slated to take the MCAT this summer, and in addition I'm working on finding a physician to shadow. Honestly I had hoped to maybe apply this cycle but I think it's becoming apparent that I will have to apply next cycle. I'm thinking I'll use this year instead on applying to SMPs, so hopefully by fall 2018 I'll be in an SMP, and at the same time apply to med schools in 2018. If not, then apply in 2019 after my SMP.

I believe you have demonstrated that the you of then is not the you of now. I'm guesstimating here but I think you are either at or close to 60 hours in your post-bac. All you have left to do is to get a solid MCAT score (+510). You can do this man. You have been at this grind since you have been on sdn. Crank out a killer MCAT and the possibilities become endless.
 
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How are classes that were pass/fail factored into GPA? I have 7 1 credit courses from undergrad. There was no option to take these for a traditional grade. On the transcript they are marked as "CR" and if I input that into the excel GPA calculator it counts it as a C+ (2.3). Thanks!
 
I believe you have demonstrated that the you of then is not the you of now. I'm guesstimating here but I think you are either at or close to 60 hours in your post-bac. All you have left to do is to get a solid MCAT score (+510). You can do this man. You have been at this grind since you have been on sdn. Crank out a killer MCAT and the possibilities become endless.

Yep, At 64 hours now. Yeah I think it would be best to spend this fall focusing on the MCAT, since I already work full-time and tacking on 18 more units would probably not realistically lead to success on either front lol... Just gotta figure out if pulling my sGPA >3.0 would make a huge difference or not.

But after thinking about it more, I think I can focus on the MCAT in the fall and then if I really do need those credits I can find some classes for the spring maybe summer
 
Yep, At 64 hours now. Yeah I think it would be best to spend this fall focusing on the MCAT, since I already work full-time and tacking on 18 more units would probably not realistically lead to success on either front lol... Just gotta figure out if pulling my sGPA >3.0 would make a huge difference or not.

But after thinking about it more, I think I can focus on the MCAT in the fall and then if I really do need those credits I can find some classes for the spring maybe summer

Are you still planning on doing an SMP fall
Yep, At 64 hours now. Yeah I think it would be best to spend this fall focusing on the MCAT, since I already work full-time and tacking on 18 more units would probably not realistically lead to success on either front lol... Just gotta figure out if pulling my sGPA >3.0 would make a huge difference or not.

But after thinking about it more, I think I can focus on the MCAT in the fall and then if I really do need those credits I can find some classes for the spring maybe summer

Your plan looks solid. 18 credit hours of more classes is a lot though. I don't think you need to take more classes just give everything you got to your Mcat prep. Are you still considering doing a SMP?
 
Yeah assuming MCAT in Jan goes well, I'm planning to apply to SMPs early 2018 and med school summer 2018. That way I'll hopefully be in an SMP during my application cycle, and if I don't get in then when I reapply in 2019 I'll have an SMP under my belt.
 
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