Biology grade is not so great.

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uday28fb

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Hello everyone, I'm new to these forums, and as my first post I just wanted to get some people's opinions. I know there are a lot of questions, but I figured it would be better to get them all out in one post, so please bare with me.

So far I've taken Calc 1 and Calc 2 and recieved A's in both, Gen Chem 1 and Gen Chem 2, and recieved an A and a B+ respectively. However in Bio 1 and Bio 2 I scored a C+, and I know for a fact that I could have done better but now it's too late.

What are ways that I can show medical schools that I can score well in biology? What are some classes you guys can recommend that I should take to show this improvement?

I was wondering what kind of classes should I take to demonstrate diversity. I'm really interested in geography and world culture, would taking classes in these areas demonstrate diversity?

How much of an impact does having a research position impact your application? I've recently started a research job working with stem cells on my campus. If I can demonstrate to medical schools my understanding of the experiments we do in there, would this make a large impact on my application or a small impact?

What are some ways that I can convince a doctor in my school's hospital to allow me to shadow him or her?

I undestand that medical schools look at both your overall GPA and your science GPA, but what is the average overall GPA of an accepted student into medical school (and what is his or her average science GPA)?
Again, I know these are a lot of questions, and I know they are random, but if you can do the best you can to answer them, I would really appreciate it.

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1. First off are you a biology major? If so I wouldn't worry too hard about the C+ assuming you are taking upper level biology courses and can do well in those. The fact that you have decent grades in chemistry and calculus shows that you have the aptitude to be able to improve in upper level bio courses as well. If you are not a bio major take a couple of upper level courses to show you are capable of performing well in biology. Take the upper level courses in the areas of biology that you are interested in, don't worry about what you might think looks good - the important thing is that you do well.

2. Again take classes that you are interested in, if you are interested in diverse subjects it will inevitably show. Don't choose courses based on what you might percieve looks good.

3. Research experience is great! If you have the time and the motivation then this is definitely a plus. Not only will you get a chance to get college credits or money, but you can learn alot about biology that will put you ahead of the game in your upper level biology courses - in which the hardest part of those courses, in my opinion, was when they tested you on experimental type stuff. The kids with research experience had no problems in that area. Also this is a really great opportunity for a personalized letter of recommendation and a great conversational topic at an interview.

4. I am not sure about this one, I knew the doctor I shadowed so I didn't have this problem. Maybe someone else can give you advice here.

5. The answer to your last question depends on alot of factors, but I believe the average gpa of accepted student is about a 3.6 cumulative and nearly the same thing for the science gpa. So try and keep your science gpa at a 3.5 and above if possible. Keep in mind these are only average gpa's so if you end up with a lower gpa you can augment it with things like research or a high mcat score. Most schools really do look at the whole applicant.
 
1. Any upper lever biology will get this taken care of. If you haven't taken the MCAT yet, you may as well go for classes that will help you prepare like Biochemistry, Genetics, Physiology, etc.

2. I'm not sure that just taking a few classes will get noticed. If you had a second major or minor in something besides science, that would be distinctive. Otherwise, unless you mention it several times elsewhere on your app, I doubt that an adcom is going to notice that you took three geography classes.

3. No one is going to tell you research is bad - but I will tell you to make sure that your clinical/volunteer ducks are in a row before you start worrying how significant your research is. People get accepted without research all the time (I did) but I seriously doubt anyone gets accepted without good patient contact experiences.

4. I never shadowed, either. If that's your thing, keep looking for a doc who will let you. Here, too, I would say that shadowing is secondary to getting some quality clinical experience. Besides, clinical exposure is a great way to meet docs who may let you shadow.

5. The range of acceptable GPAs is huge depending on the schools you are interested in. Reading about specific programs in the MSAR will give you much better data than a national average will.
 
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