Below 3.0 gpa Support Group/Thread

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^There's a thread by hushcom (claims to be an adcom) in the pre-med section. His opinion is that sometimes extenuating circumstances arises that an applicant has a string of W's in a semester and that's ok depending on the circumstances.

If I were you, call the school you are most hopeful for and ask, but I believe you made the right choice. I'd take a W over a B any day, knowing I am definitely capable of making A's.

 

[Greenbeany]

Hello everyone. I have a question that parallels this thread. A little about me...

In 1999, I was originally an engineering major(my father was and I was decent in math in highschool) but decided partying(as many do) was more important to me than engineering. I made bad grades, and changed my major to business and graduated with a 2.6 GPA. I joined the military and went into Army Special Forces(Green Beret). I chose to become an Army Special Forces Medic and fell in love with medicine. I did relatively well the medical training and my passion for medicine grows daily. Also, during my training I matured across the board(academics, etc...). After many deployments and an quite extensive amount of clinical experience Ive since decided that I want to go to medical school. I was originally planning to go the PA route, but I have several military physicians(That I worked with deployed) mentoring me and advising that I should go to medical school. Two of those individuals are on Adcoms at medical schools as well.

I applied to a Post Bacc Premed program, but I was turned down due to my low undergraduate GPA. Where do I go now? Do I do another undergraduate degree or do I just take the med school prereqs at a smaller school? The classes I took nearly 14 years ago that are killing my GPA are Calculus and Chemistry. Id appreciate any advice on how to remedy this and get the ball rolling. Cheers!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

How do Withdrawls factor in to the whole Postbac/retaking process? I imagine it certainly doesn thelp but does it hurt in a major way? For example I just started a DIY postback this last fall retaking a lot of science classes I did poorly in. In some tho instead of facing the C or D i'd just withdraw. In fact for 2 semsters I withdrew from ALL my classes rather than face all Cs and Ds.

It was a poor decision and Im trying to overcome them now, Just took Ochem 1 and Bio last semester both A's! (Ochem was originally a W and Bio was a C)

If you withdrew 2 semesters for doing poorly, you need to evaluate if medicine is for you. Sure, you got A's in bio and ochem, but that was on a 2nd try. But yes, withdrawals in post-bacc are seen negatively. If you have 1 or at most 2 in over 60 units, they may overlook it. 2 complete semesters for bad grades? I would find your candidacy questionable.

 

[Major]

Got a 94 on my genetics exam!!!


Holy crap I am so happy right now!!

 

[Major]

so i''ve been sitting down for a while trying to come up with my personal statement and don't have much right now. I never imagined something I thought would be so easy is actually pretty difficult! haha

 

[Violagirl]

Hey everyone, how are your semesters going? I've been keeping busy studying for the MCAT, taking it on July 12th. Anyone else taking it this summer?

 

[Major]

Hey everyone, how are your semesters going? I've been keeping busy studying for the MCAT, taking it on July 12th. Anyone else taking it this summer?

May 31 for meeee

 

[DestinDR]

Hey everyone, how are your semesters going? I've been keeping busy studying for the MCAT, taking it on July 12th. Anyone else taking it this summer?

I am taking the MCAT on June 13th.

 

[Violagirl]

May 31 for meeee

I am taking the MCAT on June 13th.

Good luck to you both! What study materials are you both using and how much time during the week have you been putting into studying?

I started about 6 weeks ago, been studying every day for 3-4 hours a day. I'm using Princeton Review, the HyperLearning books, and EK books. I've been going through each subject and doing different problems correlating to the chapters from each of the EK books and moving onto to the next new set of chapters every 2 weeks or so but am worried am going to lose time if I continue to study in going by the MCAT for Me program but probably am going to make it so I do each set of chapters in one week and do the corresponding problems all together and go over where I'm weak come end of May when I begin going over practice passages and the AAMC practice tests.

 

[Major]

Good luck to you both! What study materials are you both using and how much time during the week have you been putting into studying?

I started about 6 weeks ago, been studying every day for 3-4 hours a day. I'm using Princeton Review, the HyperLearning books, and EK books. I've been going through each subject and doing different problems correlating to the chapters from each of the EK books and moving onto to the next new set of chapters every 2 weeks or so but am worried am going to lose time if I continue to study in going by the MCAT for Me program but probably am going to make it so I do each set of chapters in one week and do the corresponding problems all together and go over where I'm weak come end of May when I begin going over practice passages and the AAMC practice tests.

It turns out to be around a solid 4 hours a day for mcat studying me also. I am using chadd's videos with exam krackers

 

[DestinDR]

Good luck to you both! What study materials are you both using and how much time during the week have you been putting into studying?

I started about 6 weeks ago, been studying every day for 3-4 hours a day. I'm using Princeton Review, the HyperLearning books, and EK books. I've been going through each subject and doing different problems correlating to the chapters from each of the EK books and moving onto to the next new set of chapters every 2 weeks or so but am worried am going to lose time if I continue to study in going by the MCAT for Me program but probably am going to make it so I do each set of chapters in one week and do the corresponding problems all together and go over where I'm weak come end of May when I begin going over practice passages and the AAMC practice tests.

For me, I'm studying the TBR book, EK Books, TPR Science work book with Chad videos. I study from 3-5 hours a day, no studying on Fridays (thats my day for my daughter).

 

[Major]

My routine

Class early am, study for about 2 hours from that class lecture

Lunch and walk the hound

Chad's videos lecture

Next day repeat but do the quizzes on chad's videos from previous day lecture then watch new lecture topics

Trying to squeeze in EK 1001 series on the weekends but that is when I work

I really like the 1001 series though. Really seems to reinforce the material

 

[Violagirl]

My routine

Class early am, study for about 2 hours from that class lecture

Lunch and walk the hound

Chad's videos lecture

Next day repeat but do the quizzes on chad's videos from previous day lecture then watch new lecture topics

Trying to squeeze in EK 1001 series on the weekends but that is when I work

I really like the 1001 series though. Really seems to reinforce the material

I really like the EK 1001 series too. It's a great review for going over each of the subjects again!

I was initially trying to do a chapter from each book of the PR series but decided it would just be easier to just focus and break down the material more by studying for the MCAT in separate sections instead. For April, I'm focusing on Biology and Organic Chem and for May will be just on Physics and Gen Chem. Verbal will be reviewed every few days. I'm finding that it's much easier to focus on a couple of subjects then going through them all together at the same time. Then will go over where I'm weak come June and am doing practice passages and questions.

 

[Major]

I really like the EK 1001 series too. It's a great review for going over each of the subjects again!

I was initially trying to do a chapter from each book of the PR series but decided it would just be easier to just focus and break down the material more by studying for the MCAT in separate sections instead. For April, I'm focusing on Biology and Organic Chem and for May will be just on Physics and Gen Chem. Verbal will be reviewed every few days. I'm finding that it's much easier to focus on a couple of subjects then going through them all together at the same time. Then will go over where I'm weak come June and am doing practice passages and questions.

I like that strategy!

I kinda wish I had followed that when starting out

 

[Thaz]

Hey guys, great thread! Pretty new here but I thought I would share my story on the steps I am taking towards med school. I graduated in 2012 with a degree in electrical computer engineering. I came straight out of the Navy into college and was absolutely terrible at time management, thanks to a certain mmorpg. After slacking for almost 3 years, I woke up to realize what I was doing and started improving my grades. I did well in my final few semesters and even achieved deans list, but the damage was done to my GPA which sits at 2.62. I got a job right out of college and have made really good money for the past 2 years, but it just didn't interest me. I always however, thought about getting into medicine. So I applied to a university and got into their post bachelors premed program. The program is 1 year and pretty much consist of all the classes needed to apply to med school. I am quitting my job and putting everything I got towards this. I start classes in 6 weeks. My hopes are with good grades and a respectable MCAT (cross that bridge later) I might be able to have a chance. I am psyched about the classes and ready to prove that GPA wrong. I have started volunteering to boost my EC and will try to scrounge my way into some research when I start school, hopefully. Wish me luck.

Any tips, suggestions, prayers, sacrifices, or advice is welcomed.

 

[Major]

Hey guys, great thread! Pretty new here but I thought I would share my story on the steps I am taking towards med school. I graduated in 2012 with a degree in electrical computer engineering. I came straight out of the Navy into college and was absolutely terrible at time management, thanks to a certain mmorpg. After slacking for almost 3 years, I woke up to realize what I was doing and started improving my grades. I did well in my final few semesters and even achieved deans list, but the damage was done to my GPA which sits at 2.62. I got a job right out of college and have made really good money for the past 2 years, but it just didn't interest me. I always however, thought about getting into medicine. So I applied to a university and got into their post bachelors premed program. The program is 1 year and pretty much consist of all the classes needed to apply to med school. I am quitting my job and putting everything I got towards this. I start classes in 6 weeks. My hopes are with good grades and a respectable MCAT (cross that bridge later) I might be able to have a chance. I am psyched about the classes and ready to prove that GPA wrong. I have started volunteering to boost my EC and will try to scrounge my way into some research when I start school, hopefully. Wish me luck.

Any tips, suggestions, prayers, sacrifices, or advice is welcomed.

Welcome to the community!

It sounds like a pretty solid plan you have right now.

What classes will you be taking soon?

 

[NCOldie]

...my GPA which sits at 2.62. ...So I applied to a university and got into their post bachelors premed program.

Any tips, suggestions, prayers, sacrifices, or advice is welcomed.

Good luck! Would you mind sharing what program accepted you with a 2.62? Also, what was your upward GPA trend like when you said you made the Dean's list?
Thanks!

 

[Godspeedyou]

Ah, finally a relevant thread! Every post has been a fantastically motivating read, thank you everyone.

I'm a senior and I have a D in physiological psychology from back in 2012 along with innumerable Cs to follow. Would it be wise to retake this D in the summer before graduating? I also have a F that brought my cumulative GPA down from a 2.6 to a 2.4 (where it sits now).

My future plan of attack it to attend the University of Southern Maine's post-bacc program. I don't see a required GPA for acceptance so I'll give it a whirl. The only other one in my state is all online which I don't think I'd really be fond of and I also have no idea how schools view online post-baccs. In the mean time, I'll get my fill of volunteering and shadowing done to beef up my application. Throw in a couple upper level science courses and go from there.

 

[Major]

Ah, finally a relevant thread! Every post has been a fantastically motivating read, thank you everyone.

I'm a senior and I have a D in physiological psychology from back in 2012 along with innumerable Cs to follow. Would it be wise to retake this D in the summer before graduating? I also have a F that brought my cumulative GPA down from a 2.6 to a 2.4 (where it sits now).

My future plan of attack it to attend the University of Southern Maine's post-bacc program. I don't see a required GPA for acceptance so I'll give it a whirl. The only other one in my state is all online which I don't think I'd really be fond of and I also have no idea how schools view online post-baccs. In the mean time, I'll get my fill of volunteering and shadowing done to beef up my application. Throw in a couple upper level science courses and go from there.

Def. get that F retaken first then work your up

 

[Thaz]

Welcome to the community!

It sounds like a pretty solid plan you have right now.

What classes will you be taking soon?

I start with Chem 1 and 2 this summer. Then Biology and Organic in the fall with some physics. I am going to try and get in a physiology and biochem, but we'll see. The program is 30 credits.

Good luck! Would you mind sharing what program accepted you with a 2.62? Also, what was your upward GPA trend like when you said you made the Dean's list?
Thanks!

UNCG (http://biology.uncg.edu/ugradprograms/post-bac_med.html) Like I said my GPA was garbage my first few semesters. I stayed around low 2s. My junior year it finally clicked and I rose up to a 3.2. Then 3.8 first semester my senior year. Dropped back to a 3.4 my last semester because I was looking for a job and constantly had to miss classes for interviews. After this program there might be another program like the one at University of South Carolina (http://bulletin.sc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=35&poid=3987) to pull any attention away from my poor performance at the beginning of undergrad. That is a long way away though.

 

[Godspeedyou]

Def. get that F retaken first then work your up

Will do, thank you!


OH and a quick question for anyone here. Any med field related jobs I should check out that will look decent on my app but also won't be too overbearing to do while completing a post-bacc? Also that doesn't require much work experience since I've only had 2 part-time jobs in the past?

I've heard about people doing medical scribe work but that's about it

 

[Major]

Will do, thank you!


OH and a quick question for anyone here. Any med feild related jobs me should check out that will look decent on my app but also won't be too overbearing to do while completing a post-bacc? Also that doesn't require much work expereince since me've only had 2 part-time jobs in the past?

me've heard about people doing medical scribe work but that's about it

Phlebotomy comes to mind and ER Tech

I am biased though, since that's what I do 😉

 

[Major]

Hu, why is I showing up as me? Lol

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

^^I'm guessing the pirate speak/old English (?) has to do with the date today. It's funny cause this is my first day back here since last year, haha. 🙂


So... anyone else getting ready to re-apply? I turned in secondaries in December. Surprise, surprise, I didn't get any takers.

Finally scored a job at a hospital, and am shadowing a physician weekly. Gearing up to take the MCAT again. Got a 31 first try. Hoping I can really beast the test this summer by sticking to a proper review schedule that covers all bases (SN2's!), which is what I should have done the first time around. Live and learn!

Anyone still waiting on an interview, or have you thrown in the towel for this cycle?

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

My routine

Class early am, study for about 2 hours from that class lecture

Lunch and walk t' hound

Chad's videos lecture

Next day repeat but do t' quizzes on chad's videos from previous day lecture then watch new lecture topics

Tryin' to squeeze in EK 1001 series on t' weekends but that be when me work

me really like t' 1001 series though. Really seems to reinforce t' material

-----------------
I'm glad you like the 1001 series! It's part of SN2's schedule. Happy to hear that they're a good investment.

I used Chad's videos for my first crack at the MCAT. They're ideal if you're more of an auditory learner than a visual learner. His Chem and OChem are definitely worth the time investment. His Physics vids are marginally helpful. Just my thoughts. You may have already watched 'em all, in which case this advice is moot!

 

[E46Chick]

Hello everyone! I haven't been on SDN in awhile and I am glad to see that this section has been created. I am a nontrad (34 yo) student at GSU in Atlanta and my university GPA is a 3.0 but is brought down to a 2.8 by 1) My associates in business that I completed back in 2011 when I thought I was to the point of "sucking it up" and just "settling" into the the corporate cubicle farm land 2) Last semester was traumatic and I receive C's in Ochem 1 and Physics 1. I will be taking those classes over again soon to bring my institutional GPA back up and hopefully it will bring my overall up as well. I am currently taking Ochem 2, Physics 2, Microbiology, and a Molec Cell CTW (Critical Thinking Through Writing). Kicking butt in ochem, sucking still at physics, I think I can pull out a B+ in the CTW and micro...well we get so few grades in there that all I can do is shrug. I think I have a B. My grades are on opposite ends of the spectrum in that class--C's on tests and quizzes and everything else A+ so I dunno.

Tomorrow is my day to register (senior status technically) and this fall is shaping up to be the gauntlet: Human physiology lecture, the lab, genetics, (maybe ochem 1), and medical neuropathology. Why 5? Well I am to the point that I need to take 5 classes to get the heck outta there! Today is one of those days where I realize that by the time I apply to medical school I will be 36 and if I get in I will be 40 upon graduation. Tack on 5-6 years of a residency (my interest is in general surgery or trauma surgery) and I will be 46 before it is all said and done! 😵 I guess I just needed to get it all out today...

My plan is to apply to Ross and St. George's in the Caribbean, Tulane in Louisianna, UCSFSOM, Keck, Daivd Geffen and UCSDSOM all in California. I have not thought about DO schools--I haven't done any research on them but reading everyone's posts has got me curious. Can anyone tell me why many of you chose the DO route over the MD route, please?

I am looking forward to participating more in this forum now! The semester is almost over for many of us and I wish everyone the best of luck!

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

Ahoy everyone! me haven't been on SDN in awhile and me am glad to see that this section has been created. me am a nontrad (34 yo) student at GSU in Atlanta and me university GPA be a 3.0 but be brought down to a 2.8 by 1) me associates in business that me completed back in 2011 when me thought me was to t' point of "suckin' it up" and just "settlin'" into t' t' corporate cubicle farm land 2) Last semester was traumatic and me receive C's in Ochem 1 and Physics 1. me will be takin' those classes over again soon to brin' me institutional GPA back up and hopefully it will brin' me overall up as well. me am currently takin' Ochem 2, Physics 2, Microbiology, and a Molec Cell CTW (Critical Thinkin' Through Writin'). Kickin' butt in ochem, suckin' still at physics, me think me can pull out a B+ in t' CTW and micro...well we get so few grades in thar that all me can do be shrug. me think me have a B. me grades be on opposite ends of t' spectrum in that class--C's on tests and quizzes and everythin' else A+ so me dunno.

Tomorrow be me day to register (senior status technically) and this fall be shapin' up to be t' gauntlet: Human physiology lecture, t' lab, genetics, (maybe ochem 1), and medical neuropathology. Why 5? Well me am to t' point that me need to take 5 classes to get t' heck outta thar! Today be one of those days where me realize that by t' time me apply to medical school me will be 36 and if me get in me will be 40 upon graduation. Tack on 5-6 years of a residency (me interest be in general surgery or trauma surgery) and me will be 46 before it be all said and done! 😵 me guess me just needed to get it all out today...

me plan be to apply to Ross and St. George's in t' Caribbean, Tulane in Louisianna, UCSFSOM, Keck, Daivd Geffen and UCSDSOM all in California. me have not thought about DO schools--me haven't done any research on them but readin' everyone's posts has got me curious. Can anyone tell me why many of ye chose t' DO route over t' MD route, please?

me am lookin' forward to participatin' more in this forum now! t' semester be almost over for many of us and me wish everyone t' best of luck!

There's a good post about the MD vs DO route for nontrads by DrMidLife for you to read. Anyone have a link? Best of luck to you, too, at this point in your journey! It sounds like you've got a solid game plan in terms of coursework.

 

[Thaz]

thar's a good post about t' MD vs DO route for nontrads by DrMidLife for ye to read. Anyone have a link? Best of luck to ye, too, at this point in yer journey! It sounds like ye've got a solid game plan in terms of coursework.

I think this is what you're looking for.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...md-what-be-yer-thoughts.848314/#post-11435390

 

[Major]

Sooo last night I signed up for fall classes and I can't believe how fast thus semester has gone bye.

I remember a year ago formulating my plans of attack for my retakes thinking that this was going to take too long. Now, with the stars aligning just right, and if I get a mcat score I should be in a good position to apply this summer.

Kinda scary how fast time goes bye

 

[Thaz]

Kinda scary how fast time goes bye

That is what I am hoping for. I know this will be a long race, but I think there is gratification in just being able to see the next checkpoint.

 

[DreamingDoc]

Hello everyone! I haven't been on SDN in awhile and I am glad to see that this section has been created. I am a nontrad (34 yo) student at GSU in Atlanta and my university GPA is a 3.0 but is brought down to a 2.8 by 1) My associates in business that I completed back in 2011 when I thought I was to the point of "sucking it up" and just "settling" into the the corporate cubicle farm land 2) Last semester was traumatic and I receive C's in Ochem 1 and Physics 1. I will be taking those classes over again soon to bring my institutional GPA back up and hopefully it will bring my overall up as well. I am currently taking Ochem 2, Physics 2, Microbiology, and a Molec Cell CTW (Critical Thinking Through Writing). Kicking butt in ochem, sucking still at physics, I think I can pull out a B+ in the CTW and micro...well we get so few grades in there that all I can do is shrug. I think I have a B. My grades are on opposite ends of the spectrum in that class--C's on tests and quizzes and everything else A+ so I dunno.

Tomorrow is my day to register (senior status technically) and this fall is shaping up to be the gauntlet: Human physiology lecture, the lab, genetics, (maybe ochem 1), and medical neuropathology. Why 5? Well I am to the point that I need to take 5 classes to get the heck outta there! Today is one of those days where I realize that by the time I apply to medical school I will be 36 and if I get in I will be 40 upon graduation. Tack on 5-6 years of a residency (my interest is in general surgery or trauma surgery) and I will be 46 before it is all said and done! 😵 I guess I just needed to get it all out today...

My plan is to apply to Ross and St. George's in the Caribbean, Tulane in Louisianna, UCSFSOM, Keck, Daivd Geffen and UCSDSOM all in California. I have not thought about DO schools--I haven't done any research on them but reading everyone's posts has got me curious. Can anyone tell me why many of you chose the DO route over the MD route, please?

I am looking forward to participating more in this forum now! The semester is almost over for many of us and I wish everyone the best of luck!

Hi and welcome! I did a blog post a while back about DO schools and answered why it appealed to me, so you can check it out if you want: http://www.aspiringminoritydoctor.com/2013/12/osteopathic-medicine.html. Your plan sounds pretty good, and since you have an associates in business, you should have an easier time raising your science GPA. DO schools are great because they have grade replacement, so definitely look into them.

Are you originally from California? I always thought that the CA schools you mentioned were super competitive to get into with preference given to residents. Tulane has been known to take quite a few non-traditional students though. Best of luck to you on your journey!

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

Just got my EK 1001 books today. Time for round 2 of MCAT prep! Debating whether to pay for Chad's videos again. I honestly don't think working through his videos boosted my PS score as as much as doing hundreds more Chem practice problems would have done. Trying to bump that 9 up to a 12 or 13!

I'm a lot less worried about the difficulty of the test than I was the first time around. It was the fear of the unknown that was so paralyzing last time when I prepped for 5 months. 5 mo. of prep was way too long. Doing it the "right" way for my learning style this time around.

Good luck with your prep, Violagirl and MajorUnderDog!

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

I get nostalgia coming back to this thread. I remember when I started my journey with a broken GPA. I would play with that stupid GPA spreadsheet imagining what classes I'd take and what I'd do if a class was unavailable, etc. God, I'm infinitely grateful that I got in. Trust me guys, the journey may be long and hard, but the payoff is so sweet.

Needed to see this. 🙂 Do you have a full account of your journey posted? Congrats on your success! And thanks for providing hope and inspiration here on SDN. I'm always amazed at the generosity of people like you who've gone before us. Your taking to time to post here means a lot to those of us who are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[E46Chick]

Hi and welcome! I did a blog post a while back about DO schools and answered why it appealed to me, so you can check it out if you want: http://www.aspiringminoritydoctor.com/2013/12/osteopathic-medicine.html. Your plan sounds pretty good, and since you have an associates in business, you should have an easier time raising your science GPA. DO schools are great because they have grade replacement, so definitely look into them.

Are you originally from California? I always thought that the CA schools you mentioned were super competitive to get into with preference given to residents. Tulane has been known to take quite a few non-traditional students though. Best of luck to you on your journey!

I am not from CA but am planning on moving there permanently as soon as I graduate from GSU. I have heard the same of the CA schools, however. Tulane does great with taking nontrads also and what attracted me to their program was the MD/MPH. I actually spoke with a client of mine yesterday who said that his doctor is a DO and he sees absolutely no difference between the treatment she gives and an MD. My biggest this is I aspire to be a general or trauma surgeon and I have never encountered a DO let alone any that are surgeons. Even in the literature that I have read about DO's it states that there are DO's across many of the specialties but doesn't go into the surgical options as the do with family or internal medicine. Furthermore, I was looking to join the Navy to have them pay for medical school also and I don't know if they treat DO school the same. I will contact a recruiter and find out if they do.

 

[DreamingDoc]

I am not from CA but am planning on moving there permanently as soon as I graduate from GSU. I have heard the same of the CA schools, however. Tulane does great with taking nontrads also and what attracted me to their program was the MD/MPH. I actually spoke with a client of mine yesterday who said that his doctor is a DO and he sees absolutely no difference between the treatment she gives and an MD. My biggest this is I aspire to be a general or trauma surgeon and I have never encountered a DO let alone any that are surgeons. Even in the literature that I have read about DO's it states that there are DO's across many of the specialties but doesn't go into the surgical options as the do with family or internal medicine. Furthermore, I was looking to join the Navy to have them pay for medical school also and I don't know if they treat DO school the same. I will contact a recruiter and find out if they do.

The HPSP scholarship offered by the military covers both DO and MD schools, so you should be fine. I shadowed both an anesthesiologist and an ENT who specialized in facial plastic surgery, and they were both DO's. They can be found in pretty much every specialty so don't let that deter you.

 

[Godspeedyou]

Having so much trouble caring about my undergrad courses right now, it's just not for me... This major has been 4 years of torture. I just don't understand how I could let myself go from a high 3/Dean's List to a low 2 in the span of four years...
I need a fresh start because every day I spend here is making me more and more depressed. The only thing that keeps me sane is knowing that if I ace a post-bacc I can get my sGPA up to a 3.5 and BCP to a 3.7. Cumulative is forever destroyed. Another concern is that my local college will just throw out my post-bacc application because my GPA is so low lol

I need a diary at this point.

 

[mavric1298]

^ you need to care. An even worse cGPA even with a perfect Post Bac is going to hurt you. Don't bank just on post bac, you'll be even further behind then if you start to pull your grades up. With AMCAS, there is no true fresh starts, all you can really do is prove positive trending, and hope someone gives you a shot. Each term your grades drop more, you lessen you chance to get in. a 3.0 with a post bac of 4.0 is very different the a 2.7 and a 4.0. Keep in mind how many people turned things around and are destroying their post bacs. As a non-trad with a hurt cGPA, your already at a disadvantage, don't do more damage!

 

[whatwhy]

I have so much to do I think I might just give up. My GPA is a 2.9. I think I'll have to take classes for a year or two and then do a formal program and then hope I get in somewhere. My MCAT is ****, its like a 27 and I've taken it twice. No programs will accept me based on my GPA, and if they do, since I have a C- they won't take me. FML. I'm old too. 28. I truly wish I would've tried harder in college. I'd be in a better position if I never went to college than what I am now, lol.

 

[Major]

I have so much to do I think I might just give up. My GPA is a 2.9. I think I'll have to take classes for a year or two and then do a formal program and then hope I get in somewhere. My MCAT is ****, its like a 27 and I've taken it twice. No programs will accept me based on my GPA, and if they do, since I have a C- they won't take me. FML. I'm old too. 28. I truly wish I would've tried harder in college. I'd be in a better position if I never went to college than what I am now, lol.

What is your gpa with the grade replacement on AACOMAS? Or are you wanting MD only?

 

[whatwhy]

I have to put it in again since I think I made some errors, but it was about the same (maybe a little higher; I did awful in organic chemistry and didn't take it seriously...). I'd like MD but I doubt I can ever get into an MD school. I wouldn't mind DO, but I have relatives who are DO and I also wouldn't mind doing something different than them, if that makes sense.

I keep coming on here and trying to figure out what I can do, but then I get so depressed when I see all these people with such amazing stats. Makes me feel like I'll never be able to do anything.

 

[Godspeedyou]

I've been told I should just stay an extra fall semester at university to make things smoother and during this summer, try to volunteer/intern/work. Do my re-take at a local community college. But I don't see why I shouldn't stay a full year if I do that and get into some research based courses that my major offers/volunteer here. A full year, in the end, could potentially make the difference between a 2.9 and a 3.0 which would save my app from instantly getting thrown in the garbage by schools. Go into my post-bacc in 2015 since everything seems sort of rushed right now and if I graduate +gap year = loans activate...


My biggest concern would be that during the extra year if I don't do any science courses because I'm waiting to start my pre-med post-bacc, I don't know what I would do with myself but at the same time if I took chem/physics, I'd be bogged down.

 

[one2bDr]

any of you working full time??? any advice you may give to a 33 y/o nontrad with 35 credits to go on her undergrad and a GPA of 2.6? I did poorly mostly due to having to work overtime in order to help with a family situation. I've rearranged my life in order to eliminate that responsibility, but I still have to pay my own bills. Is is advisable now to just borrow the max? I will be retaking Physics and Calc 2 (i got 2 D's for missing classes do to work). Now I have scaled down my job to 35hrs a week and modified my whole rutine to get nothing but A's. I was reading MajorUnderDog's rutine, and I know I could do so much better if I could concentrate full time on working my way to go to med school, but I just don't have the resources. My job is beyond stressful too 🙁 I am a trial Paralegal. I just want to be able to pay my bills...

 

[ex.phys2010]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for creating this forum. I slacked off in college and got a 2.5 GPA, when I could easily gotten higher. I've been carrying that shame like a scarlet letter for the last three years. Could anyone offer advice regarding pursuing a post bacc, vs retaking failed grades? I'm three years post grad and would like to matriculate to med school in 2016. At this point I can take a post bacc, or take those same courses and extra at a local university. My concern with the post bacc is cost, location, and time courses are offered ( I will be working full time). Also I am considering moving out of my current position to a higher paying one (wife is now a full time student so funds are tight). I am and clinical exercise physiologist and I'm thinking about moving into an admin position, or possibly working for a med device company. Will moving out of the clinic hurt my chances if I'm still volunteering and participating in EC's?

Thanks

 

[petyr_baelish]

any of you working full time??? any advice you may give to a 33 y/o nontrad with 35 credits to go on her undergrad and a GPA of 2.6? I did poorly mostly due to having to work overtime in order to help with a family situation. I've rearranged my life in order to eliminate that responsibility, but I still have to pay my own bills. Is is advisable now to just borrow the max? I will be retaking Physics and Calc 2 (i got 2 D's for missing classes do to work). Now I have scaled down my job to 35hrs a week and modified my whole rutine to get nothing but A's. I was reading MajorUnderDog's rutine, and I know I could do so much better if I could concentrate full time on working my way to go to med school, but I just don't have the resources. My job is beyond stressful too 🙁 I am a trial Paralegal. I just want to be able to pay my bills...

Learn all about grade replacement and DO schools. You can get your GPA above 3.0 that way. With 30+ credits of A's you will be in a better position. As a premed I can't give you assurances but this is the advice I've seen experienced forum members give out.

 

[Crow T. Robot]

Hey everyone! I haven't read all the posts here, but I certainly will. However, let me give you a little hope: I am a 39yo single mom who barely graduated UG with a sGPA of 2.2 and cGPA of 2.7 more than 15 years ago. My first MCAT was 25. Yeesh! I took 10 years off, started a family, and established a solid career in clinical research (which definitely helped with the application, let me tell you) because I figured I was washed up in terms of becoming a doctor. I started the journey of repairing my GPA about six years ago- I took more than 100 credits in a self-post bacc, earning a 3.97 sGPA while working FT in research, volunteering, and being a mom. I also retook the MCAT and scored a jaw-dropping... 28. 7/13/8. Bleh!! I figured my chances were slim (since I now had only a 3.0 cGPA) so I entered a SMP this past year. I earned a 3.5 GPA, applied to seven schools, received five interviews (at MD and DO schools), and just got my first acceptance recently.

If this is all you can imagine doing, never, EVER give up. I applied three times before I got that elusive acceptance. I gave everything I had into this journey- my time, money, career, and possibly my sanity, but it PAID OFF. I'll be starting med school at 40, after getting a 2.7 in undergrad. 😱

Oh and with the DO grade replacement, my 3.0 cGPA shot up to 3.4. Definitely apply DO before foreign.

 

[Major]

Hey everyone! I haven't read all the posts here, but I certainly will. However, let me give you a little hope: I am a 39yo single mom who barely graduated UG with a sGPA of 2.2 and cGPA of 2.7 more than 15 years ago. My first MCAT was 25. Yeesh! I took 10 years off, started a family, and established a solid career in clinical research (which definitely helped with the application, let me tell you) because I figured I was washed up in terms of becoming a doctor. I started the journey of repairing my GPA about six years ago- I took more than 100 credits in a self-post bacc, earning a 3.97 sGPA while working FT in research, volunteering, and being a mom. I also retook the MCAT and scored a jaw-dropping... 28. 7/13/8. Bleh!! I figured my chances were slim (since I now had only a 3.0 cGPA) so I entered a SMP this past year. I earned a 3.5 GPA, applied to seven schools, received five interviews (at MD and DO schools), and just got my first acceptance recently.

If this is all you can imagine doing, never, EVER give up. I applied three times before I got that elusive acceptance. I gave everything I had into this journey- my time, money, career, and possibly my sanity, but it PAID OFF. I'll be starting med school at 40, after getting a 2.7 in undergrad. 😱

Oh and with the DO grade replacement, my 3.0 cGPA shot up to 3.4. Definitely apply DO before foreign.

Wow!

Congratulations!! That is soo awesome to hear and very encouraging as well for those of us that are feeling really down about the long process of retakes and waiting to apply

 

[Major]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for creating this forum. I slacked off in college and got a 2.5 GPA, when I could easily gotten higher. I've been carrying that shame like a scarlet letter for the last three years. Could anyone offer advice regarding pursuing a post bacc, vs retaking failed grades? I'm three years post grad and would like to matriculate to med school in 2016. At this point I can take a post bacc, or take those same courses and extra at a local university. My concern with the post bacc is cost, location, and time courses are offered ( I will be working full time). Also I am considering moving out of my current position to a higher paying one (wife is now a full time student so funds are tight). I am and clinical exercise physiologist and I'm thinking about moving into an admin position, or possibly working for a med device company. Will moving out of the clinic hurt my chances if I'm still volunteering and participating in EC's?

Thanks

Past is the past. Gotta move on from it and keep rolling ahead.

Are you wanting DO or MD or does it not matter. I honestly feel, for cost and ease, that doing your own post-bacc with re-takes for DO is the most efficient way to go.

 

[Admen]

Hi all,

I need some words of advice from you go-getters out here on this forum. So, my situation is just as similar to most of you all here maybe worse.

Electrical Engineer, about 7 yrs. out of undergrad and working full time. Married with two kids and early to mid-30s (so time isn’t exactly on my side)

Undergrad GPA (both B and Cs and some A- ) – 2.78

Took all my physics and maths courses due to electrical engineering degree requirements, but that was over 10 yrs ago. Don’t know if those classes will still count as meeting all the pre-reqs.

Planning on attending a local school to retake all the pre-reqs and try to boost GPA. Now living in a different state so cant go back to undergrad college to re-take those classes to get a better grade.

I need advice on how to approach and tackle this task, what suggestion do you all recommend?

 

[Major]

Hi all,

I need some words of advice from you go-getters out here on this forum. So, my situation is just as similar to most of you all here maybe worse.

Electrical Engineer, about 7 yrs. out of undergrad and working full time. Married with two kids and early to mid-30s (so time isn’t exactly on my side)

Undergrad GPA (both B and Cs and some A- ) – 2.78

Took all my physics and maths courses due to electrical engineering degree requirements, but that was over 10 yrs ago. Don’t know if those classes will still count as meeting all the pre-reqs.

Planning on attending a local school to retake all the pre-reqs and try to boost GPA. Now living in a different state so cant go back to undergrad college to re-take those classes to get a better grade.

I need advice on how to approach and tackle this task, what suggestion do you all recommend?

10 years gotta retake those pre-reqs

If you go the DO route, just make sure your retakes are the same or greater amount of credit hours e.g. School# 1 Ochem I - 3 credits = Shool #2 Ochem I - 3 credits (or could be 4 But NOT 2 credits)

 

[one2bDr]

Past is the past. Gotta move on from it and keep rolling ahead.

Are you wanting DO or MD or does it not matter. I honestly feel, for cost and ease, that doing your own post-bacc with re-takes for DO is the most efficient way to go.

If there's something I've learned from all of you guys in this forum, is to try my hardest, give nothing but my best, keep on pushing and apply as broadly as possible. I'm not as hard set as some people are about the "M.D" after my name, as I am about my desire to help patients to be more connected and proactive about their health, and assist them in such way so that they know they're not doing it alone. The osteopathic approach is actually more than appealing to me, and I will fight like hell to get in, but should the odds not end in my favor, I'll still shoot PA or PT, and be the best I can be...at the end, the biggest reward is to find fulfillment and purpose, and to do something you can be proud of.