Bombed the MCAT after my 3rd try. Need major advice

[RockinRoll]

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BURN

but probably realistic. If two years of studying can't pull you over a 25, I'm not sure what a fourth round can do. Have you thought of PA school? PA is actually a pretty sweet deal as a profession.

You should go to PA school.

 

[as1212559]

Expired is wrong, my bad there too. They are no longer accepted but they are visible. Point is OP needs to chill on the MCAT for now.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Welcome back though Anyhow, I can't respond to your healthcare debates because a medical student's avatar is completely mesmerizing.

Also to bearstronaut, I could be totally mistaken, but I thought by 2019, the door to IMGs is closed.

I was hoping to string venom along a bit and hopefully convince him that he is losing it.

 

[487806]

I was hoping to string venom along a bit and hopefully convince him that he is losing it.

😕😕😕 What are you even talking about?

Also, what are the MCAT requirements for PA schools?

 

[qwe7791]

I'm curious. What was your schedule like studying for the mcat?

 

[SpecterGT260]

😕😕😕 What are you even talking about?

Also, what are the MCAT requirements for PA schools?

I dont think most have MCAT requirements. Some will take it instead of the GRE.

 

[mcloaf]

I agree.

I usually like LizzyM's commentary, but I do not necessarily believe that her words need to be taken as the Gospel -- I mean she works at a top 10-20 medical school, right? If you don't have >3.8 >35 you are decidedly average or maybe even below so. How much can she really know about your chances at a DO school if she automatically rejects students like you routinely.

OP, I know someone personally that got in with a 3.2 and a 24. It was an HBCU and she was a URM. That said, you are definitely not out of the DO game. And your scores expire after three years. They won't know you took it so many times, right?

I know, right?

What could she possibly know about admissions from her career that you can't outdo with anecdotes and a passing interest in the subject informed mostly by hearsay on an anonymous Internet forum?

 

[SpecterGT260]

a medical student's avatar is completely mesmerizing.
.

Mcloaf is only pre-med. But yes, it is a glorious mustache. 👍

 

[487806]

Mcloaf is only pre-med. But yes, it is a glorious mustache. 👍

Not mcloaf. Anigma and venom5 both have stunning avatars.

 

[mcloaf]

Not mcloaf. Anigma and venom5 both have stunning avatars.

You're dead to me.

 

[omare61]

Absolutely horrible advice in this thread.

OP, Take a master's or do something with your life. IF you are motivated to be a doctor, nothing will stop you. Do whatever you must do. MS/Ph.D. Theoretically if you get a masters or a Ph.D, you should have built the knowledge to do really well on the Mcat and then try it again.

If you want to be a doctor really bad, you will not give up.

I've never seen such horrible advice in my life.

 

[487806]

Absolutely horrible advice in this thread.

OP, Take a master's or do something with your life. IF you are motivated to be a doctor, nothing will stop you. Do whatever you must do. MS/Ph.D. Theoretically if you get a masters or a Ph.D, you should have built the knowledge to do really well on the Mcat and then try it again.

If you want to be a doctor really bad, you will not give up.

I've never seen such horrible advice in my life.

Sorry, but in some cases, advice based on harsh reality is much better than false hope

 

[SpecterGT260]

Absolutely horrible advice in this thread.

OP, Take a master's or do something with your life. IF you are motivated to be a doctor, nothing will stop you. Do whatever you must do. MS/Ph.D. Theoretically if you get a masters or a Ph.D, you should have built the knowledge to do really well on the Mcat and then try it again.

If you want to be a doctor really bad, you will not give up.

I've never seen such horrible advice in my life.

Sorry, but in some cases, advice based on harsh reality is much better than false hope

yeah... I think reality sits somewhere between these two posts. I am a little surprised that LIzzy gave the response she did. My money is on a bad day or she had just gotten done dealing with some irritating personality in her non-SDN life with which this thread struck a chord. But that is just a guess

Personally, the kid needs facts and stats, some viable alternative suggestions, and the ability to make up his own mind. If I want to get dangerously close to invoking Burnette's law here, that is kind of what we are expected to do in the clinic when tough decisions arise. Granted, this isn't the clinic at all, but that doesn't make the approach only applicable there.

IMO, set him up to make the most informed decision he can.

Carib is a bad idea. It's always a bad idea. However some people do make it (a small %, much smaller than these schools imply with their inflated stats which don't include the bulk of students who were flunked out but still on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars, or those who were not allowed to enter the residency match and try to pursue a career not in the US). It is technically possible.

I still think the OP should consider nursing or podiatry if he is dead set on patient care. If its more about just being involved in health and not necessarily hands-on care he may also have a shot at pharmacy.

DO school is a maybe, but will be unlikely. PA school is similar. If the OP wishes to pursue these things he should enter a grad program or get a job that will sustain him in the meantime and provide alternate options should medicine ultimately prove unattainable.

Don't go CRNA, again, because I see this as a niche that will ultimately lose once the pressure on physicians reaches its threshold.

Don't go ND. Those people are as remedial as all hell, with such an embarrassingly scant understanding of how the human body works that it is amazing that their work isn't criminal in the all-except-for-around-6 states that they aren't even eligible for license. And in those that they are, they don't get hospital rights and are usually forced to run glorified vitamin shops where they put their stethoscopes in backwards (as "trained" to do in their
monkey see, monkey do" style of clinical training comprised of reading a book and practicing on either a dummy or a hobo you paid $5), listening around the chest on top of the patients sweatshirt, and then pretend to treat something that may or may not be there, with natural nonsense that may or may not have any effect or even active ingredient, while the patient may or may not continue to die of what is really ailing them under the guise and false logic of "natural is better". But no, really, they're cool I guess 👍 Kinda like if Kevorkian and Mengele had a 3-way with Mercola and nobody was sure which sets of genes made up the bastard hippy child that resulted.

 

[SOMBound13]

You know you need to give up on medicine when you realize you aint even competitive for DO LOL


Nursing school? PA? Dude Anesthesia Assistant---> they make $160k. http://casemed.case.edu/anesthesiaprogram/

With his GPA, he'd have a hard time getting into a nursing program. In Calif and many other states, you practically need a 4.0 to get into the nursing programs. They're highly impacted.

 

[SpecterGT260]

With his GPA, he'd have a hard time getting into a nursing program. In Calif and many other states, you practically need a 4.0 to get into the nursing programs. They're highly impacted.

Many nursing programs are undergrads. The college of nursing may have entry requirements post sophomore year, but I am honestly not aware of any nursing schools with such credentials. Maybe it is a regional thing, but I suspect you are not talking about our average RN or BSN programs. Other areas of the country have nurse shortages. a 3.2-3.3 is more than enough to get into nursing programs nearly anywhere.

 

[mcloaf]

Absolutely horrible advice in this thread.

OP, Take a master's or do something with your life. IF you are motivated to be a doctor, nothing will stop you. Do whatever you must do. MS/Ph.D. Theoretically if you get a masters or a Ph.D, you should have built the knowledge to do really well on the Mcat and then try it again.

If you want to be a doctor really bad, you will not give up.

I've never seen such horrible advice in my life.

It's much easier to give someone bull**** optimism than reality. While medical school is not impossible for OP the time it will take to get there is probably not worth it. The crappy advice is telling someone to burn the better part of a decade on something that's still far from guaranteed.

Also, saying that a PhD will be worth it to make him ready to do well on the MCAT makes it obvious you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[GypsyHummus]

There is no reason that the OP, if he wants it bad enough, cannot get into a DO school somewhere.

Grade replacement does wonders. if he can get is gpa to a 3.4c and a 3.2s and get an mcat of 27 or 26 the next time he takes it, I see no reason why he couldnt get into a bottom tier DO school.

Granted, this would prolly take a couple years of studying for mcat and grade replacement, but anyone, and I mean literally anyone who has a normal functioning brain and a tremendous amount of willpower will make it into a medical school if they sacrifice everything in order to do so. There is no reason NOT to get into a DO school if you want it bad enough.

 

[sinombre]

yeah... I think reality sits somewhere between these two posts. I am a little surprised that LIzzy gave the response she did. My money is on a bad day or she had just gotten done dealing with some irritating personality in her non-SDN life with which this thread struck a chord. But that is just a guess

Personally, the kid needs facts and stats, some viable alternative suggestions, and the ability to make up his own mind. If I want to get dangerously close to invoking Burnette's law here, that is kind of what we are expected to do in the clinic when tough decisions arise. Granted, this isn't the clinic at all, but that doesn't make the approach only applicable there.

IMO, set him up to make the most informed decision he can.

Carib is a bad idea. It's always a bad idea. However some people do make it (a small %, much smaller than these schools imply with their inflated stats which don't include the bulk of students who were flunked out but still on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars, or those who were not allowed to enter the residency match and try to pursue a career not in the US). It is technically possible.

I still think the OP should consider nursing or podiatry if he is dead set on patient care. If its more about just being involved in health and not necessarily hands-on care he may also have a shot at pharmacy.

DO school is a maybe, but will be unlikely. PA school is similar. If the OP wishes to pursue these things he should enter a grad program or get a job that will sustain him in the meantime and provide alternate options should medicine ultimately prove unattainable.

Don't go CRNA, again, because I see this as a niche that will ultimately lose once the pressure on physicians reaches its threshold.

Don't go ND. Those people are as remedial as all hell, with such an embarrassingly scant understanding of how the human body works that it is amazing that their work isn't criminal in the all-except-for-around-6 states that they aren't even eligible for license. And in those that they are, they don't get hospital rights and are usually forced to run glorified vitamin shops where they put their stethoscopes in backwards (as "trained" to do in their
monkey see, monkey do" style of clinical training comprised of reading a book and practicing on either a dummy or a hobo you paid $5), listening around the chest on top of the patients sweatshirt, and then pretend to treat something that may or may not be there, with natural nonsense that may or may not have any effect or even active ingredient, while the patient may or may not continue to die of what is really ailing them under the guise and false logic of "natural is better". But no, really, they're cool I guess 👍 Kinda like if Kevorkian and Mengele had a 3-way with Mercola and nobody was sure which sets of genes made up the bastard hippy child that resulted.

Wow... this is gold. 👍

 

[Ost3oclast]

wow... This is gold. 👍

+1

 

[LizzyM]

There is no reason that the OP, if he wants it bad enough, cannot get into a DO school somewhere.

<snip> There is no reason NOT to get into a DO school if you want it bad enough.

In 2010,55% of applicants to DO schools were admitted to DO or MD schools. So, 45% of those who want to attend DO are unsuccessful in a given cycle.

The mean total MCAT score of those respondents who were offered admission to a DO granting medical school was 27.5; higher than the mean total score of 25.0 for those respondents who were not admitted. Mean undergraduate GPA was 3.51 for those applicants who were offered admission to DO-granting medical schools; slightly lower than the mean GPA (3.57) of respondents who were offered admission to MD-granting medical schools.
http://www.aacom.org/data/applicantsmatriculants/Documents/2010_Applicant_Survey.pdf

 

[GypsyHummus]

In 2010,55% of applicants to DO schools were admitted to DO or MD schools. So, 45% of those who want to attend DO are unsuccessful in a given cycle.

The mean total MCAT score of those respondents who were offered admission to a DO granting medical school was 27.5; higher than the mean total score of 25.0 for those respondents who were not admitted. Mean undergraduate GPA was 3.51 for those applicants who were offered admission to DO-granting medical schools; slightly lower than the mean GPA (3.57) of respondents who were offered admission to MD-granting medical schools.
http://www.aacom.org/data/applicantsmatriculants/Documents/2010_Applicant_Survey.pdf

OP can do grade replacement to get his GPA to a 3.5. As far as the Mcat, his highest score was a 24 I believe? All he has to do is three points higher to be at average DO numbers.

Its not an easy road, but if someone really wants medicine bad and is willing to put in the time and effort, then it is going to be really hard for him to not get into a school. He will get in somewhere. However, this conversation is meaningless if the OP wants to pursue a different career.

If I knew the OP personally, I would tell him to bleed osteopathic philosophy and do everything in his power to get into a DO school. I have met people with 25 who get in, it is not impossible. Look at the underdog thread.

Edit: I would think that ADCOMs at a state school or osteo school would take note of perseverance.

 

[LizzyM]

OP can do grade replacement to get his GPA to a 3.5. As far as the Mcat, his highest score was a 24 I believe? All he has to do is three points higher to be at average DO numbers.

The OP has made two attempts to get higher than a 24 and has failed to score at least 24 in each of those attempts. Getting 3 higher is much harder in the mid-20s than at the high end (38 to 41) where the percentile scores are tightly clustered and a single point is often the difference of one question.

 

[GypsyHummus]

The OP has made two attempts to get higher than a 24 and has failed to score at least 24 in each of those attempts. Getting 3 higher is much harder in the mid-20s than at the high end (38 to 41) where the percentile scores are tightly clustered and a single point is often the difference of one question.

If I am not mistaken, I think that some of the lower osteopathic school (Touro NV comes to mind) have averages of 3.3 and 25.

Again, I am commenting on what I am seeing. Plenty of people from the underdog thread get in each year with these stats (little higher mcat). DO school accept people with 22s sometimes if the rest of their app is stellar.

This isnt false hope, its cautious optimism.

 

[Member 238625]

.

 

[sinombre]

OP again

I like all of this feedback (positive and negative), thanks again.

I'll take the advice of my counselor and apply to a bunch of programs, see where I get in (SMP, post bacc, DO, CRNA, PA) and go from there. I've been looking more into Anesthesiology Assistant and CRNA, and it does seem appealing at the moment.

If I do get into an SMP, I'll have to show that I can get a high GPA (I know I can, since I haven't given any detail as to why my grades ended up being so low in undergrad), and eventually retake the MCAT and apply to DO schools

If I were to retake the MCAT again, it might possibly be the new 2015 version. Would the new exam be "harder" or just "different"?

It'll definitely be different. "Harder" is extremely subjective, but there will be an extra section, and the highest possible score will be 60

 

[487806]

If I were to retake the MCAT again, it might possibly be the new 2015 version. Would the new exam be "harder" or just "different"?

The new MCAT is both harder and different (and longer).

 

[hallowmann]

OP again

Would you guys explain why people even go to the Caribbean if there is such a small chance of them getting a residency in the US. Why even bother?

I'll be applying to whatever I can, and take whatever I get accepted into.

Do you guys know anything (pros/cons) of Physicians Assitants and/or Anesthesiology Assistants?

Some people do well there. I actually know a lot of people that went, did well, and got into OK IM residencies. That being said things are changing. I wouldn't recommend for the same people to go to the Caribbean now. Its too risky with the increase in AMGs and no increase in residency spots. For a while DO has been a MUCH better route. You could try for DO, but your stats aren't stellar, and the score drop is a red flag. Retake courses to increase your AACOMAS GPA.

I have been told they are still there, some schools just don't consider them.

Just like if you did CC classes from 20 years ago, the grades still have to be reported. The schools probably don't care about them but they have to be reported.

I had an MCAT score from 2005 (when it was a paper exam only offered twice a year 😱), and it showed up on all of my apps. Fortunately, my score was OK (29), and my retake last year was a significant improvement. Schools see everything, no matter when it was taken, but only consider scores from the last 3 years. If OP does a post-bacc, and years down the line get like a 29/30 on the MCAT, people might not care, but with the test change and the increase in med school competition, that's a long and risky road.

 

[TriagePreMed]

If I were you, I'd apply to podiatry or to newer DO schools after you do grade replacement to a 3.5.

 

[MedPR]

If I am not mistaken, I think that some of the lower osteopathic school (Touro NV comes to mind) have averages of 3.3 and 25.

Again, I am commenting on what I am seeing. Plenty of people from the underdog thread get in each year with these stats (little higher mcat). DO school accept people with 22s sometimes if the rest of their app is stellar.

This isnt false hope, its cautious optimism.

Plenty of people with 25s get in. I have a 25 and people tell me my chances are good for this upcoming cycle.

EDIT: Looks like that survey is skewed considering only 25% of applicants responded. Of course the people who got in are going to respond more than those who didn't.

You guys are missing the fact that OP has taken the MCAT so many times and still hasn't gotten a respectable score. Not to mention the fact that their scores have gone down on retakes.

 

[jm192]

I've been out of the loop on the #'s game for a couple of year's now.

I'd say MD isn't happening. Have you considered DO?

That's not a knock on DO, just most schools had lower averages for the MCAT. I had a 25 and got in a few places. I knew a guy with a 20 that got into a DO school.

I'd apply broadly. If it doesn't workout, do course replacement--they let you, or at least used to replace grades to boost your GPA.

 

[SOMBound13]

This may sound strange, but you have an easier path to DO than you do to PA or RN/Anesth. The last two often require near-perfect GPAs.

Here's a plan that might work.

Don't take the MCAT again now.

Retake the classes that bring down your GPA and/or aren't great for med school.

Take a Kaplan MCAT class (not online) or get a private MCAT tutor.

Take the MCAT after about a year or so from now ...after you've retaken the needed classes.

Then apply to DO.

 

[Member 238625]

.

 

[SpecterGT260]

This may sound strange, but you have an easier path to DO than you do to PA or RN/Anesth. The last two often require near-perfect GPAs.

Here's a plan that might work.

Don't take the MCAT again now.

Retake the classes that bring down your GPA and/or aren't great for med school.

Take a Kaplan MCAT class (not online) or get a private MCAT tutor.

Take the MCAT after about a year or so from now ...after you've retaken the needed classes.

Then apply to DO.

RN certainly doesn't require a near perfect GPA... I have no idea where this is coming from. I suspect any anes nursing subset is also not as competitive as is being described....

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[GypsyHummus]

RN certainly doesn't require a near perfect GPA... I have no idea where this is coming from. I suspect any anes nursing subset is also not as competitive as is being described....

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It depends on the program. Had an ex that was a nurse and said for her program, you needed close to a 4.0

there are so many programs though, I'm sure other schools have lower standards

 

[TriagePreMed]

RN certainly doesn't require a near perfect GPA... I have no idea where this is coming from. I suspect any anes nursing subset is also not as competitive as is being described....

Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

I agree. You can become a nurse from a community college. Hell, a local private university here offers a "ASN to MSN" bridge where you end up a nurse practitioner. There's also a lot of programs for accelerated RN. If the OP did well in those programs, he/she would certainly make it into CRNA.

 

[MedPR]

RN certainly doesn't require a near perfect GPA... I have no idea where this is coming from. I suspect any anes nursing subset is also not as competitive as is being described....

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I'm pretty sure that nurs anesthetist programs are equivalent to medical residency programs. You do nursing school, then apply and the anesthetist programs look only at your nursing stats.

 

[SpecterGT260]

It depends on the program. Had an ex that was a nurse and said for her program, you needed close to a 4.0

there are so many programs though, I'm sure other schools have lower standards

Yes, this is true. But keep in mind that pre nursing is not pre med. Also, your job prospects have very little to do with your school so going somewhere touting a near 4.0 on fluff is a little foolish. Nursing fills jobs in most hospitals by seniority so the CC grad who got an RN w an associates GPA of 2.9 who is willing to work the crap night shift will get a job over the united grad w the 4.0 who doesn't.

A quick Google of the subject puts most averages in the 3.3 range, and these are pre nursing, not pre med courses.

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[SpecterGT260]

It depends on the program. Had an ex that was a nurse and said for her program, you needed close to a 4.0

there are so many programs though, I'm sure other schools have lower standards

Exes say lots of things

Maybe it did take that. I suspect the OPs GPA will look better than it does now after completing the pre reqs that are different than med

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[MedPR]

It depends on the program. Had an ex that was a nurse and said for her program, you needed close to a 4.0

there are so many programs though, I'm sure other schools have lower standards

What school did your ex go to? I'm sure we could find the facts right now

 

[KnuxNole]

It depends on the program. Had an ex that was a nurse and said for her program, you needed close to a 4.0

there are so many programs though, I'm sure other schools have lower standards

Damn, that must be an intense nursing program. The nurses at the hospitals I rotate at could learn a lot from those chicks

 

[RosettaStoned]

Didn't read all the way through.


Give it a shot brother.

 

[SOMBound13]

With his GPA, he'd have a hard time getting into a nursing program. In Calif and many other states, you practically need a 4.0 to get into the nursing programs. They're highly impacted.

Many nursing programs are undergrads. The college of nursing may have entry requirements post sophomore year, but I am honestly not aware of any nursing schools with such credentials. Maybe it is a regional thing, but I suspect you are not talking about our average RN or BSN programs. Other areas of the country have nurse shortages. a 3.2-3.3 is more than enough to get into nursing programs nearly anywhere.

I know that many nursing programs are undergraduate. I also know that many do not have direct admit as freshman. Many require you to qualify during soph year to get into the jr/sr year program of clinicals. At many BSN programs, you need much better than a 3.2-3.3 to get in. At my own undergrad, the average GPA of those admitted into the BSN program is a 3.9. In Calif, it's high as well because the Calif BSN programs are highly impacted. (note: this is in regards to BSN programs, not RN programs at CCs. That said, in Calif, the RN programs at CCs are also highly impacted).

Originally Posted by Silo004
I agree.

I usually like LizzyM's commentary, but I do not necessarily believe that her words need to be taken as the Gospel -- I mean she works at a top 10-20 medical school, right? If you don't have >3.8 >35 you are decidedly average or maybe even below so. How much can she really know about your chances at a DO school if she automatically rejects students like you routinely.

When LizzyM responds to threads like this I don't think she's responding from the viewpoint of a Top SOM Adcom. She knows that US MD SOMs aren't going to accept a young person with those stats. If anything, the person would need to go out in the world and build on his resume, get to the point that a better MCAT score could be had, and do a SMP or something to overcome the undergrad GPA. Or, retake and go the DO route.

 

[SpecterGT260]

I know that many nursing programs are undergraduate. I also know that many do not have direct admit as freshman. Many require you to qualify during soph year to get into the jr/sr year program of clinicals. At many BSN programs, you need much better than a 3.2-3.3 to get in. At my own undergrad, the average GPA of those admitted into the BSN program is a 3.9. In Calif, it's high as well because the Calif BSN programs are highly impacted. (note: this is in regards to BSN programs, not RN programs at CCs. That said, in Calif, the RN programs at CCs are also highly impacted).





When LizzyM responds to threads like this I don't think she's responding from the viewpoint of a Top SOM Adcom. She knows that US MD SOMs aren't going to accept a young person with those stats. If anything, the person would need to go out in the world and build on his resume, get to the point that a better MCAT score could be had, and do a SMP or something to overcome the undergrad GPA. Or, retake and go the DO route.

you didn't say anything here that contradicts my statement.

 

[jorgediaz]

How do you score so low on the MCAT three times in a row? Did you just not study at all?

 

[wonderdog]

Thanks for the input, are my numbers even somewhat competitive for DO?

Honestly, I know this sucks to hear, but MD is basically outside of your realm now. Period. I'd say there are a few DO schools that would take you, but you need to really show commitment to serving the underserved. You need (at least) 40+ hours of shadowing a DO. Perhaps, find a DO hospital near you and start working there as a STNA or NA. Make contacts, network, and eventually you should get the Dr. in front of your name.

Finally, go get yourself tested. Perhaps you have a diagnosable anxiety. At least you'll have proof and perhaps feel a bit relieved.

 

[IlDestriero]

Go to an accelerated nursing program, then CRNA school, then move to a small hospital, make more loot than 1/2 of the physicians who crushed your dreams, then laugh all the way to the bank. You could be making the cash money and driving your big old Benz-o in as little as 6 years.
If you can't do exactly what you want, sell out for the loot.👍

 

[StudyShy]

Yes, this is true. But keep in mind that pre nursing is not pre med. Also, your job prospects have very little to do with your school so going somewhere touting a near 4.0 on fluff is a little foolish. Nursing fills jobs in most hospitals by seniority so the CC grad who got an RN w an associates GPA of 2.9 who is willing to work the crap night shift will get a job over the united grad w the 4.0 who doesn't.

A quick Google of the subject puts most averages in the 3.3 range, and these are pre nursing, not pre med courses.

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Most nursing schools wouldn't pass a person who gets lower than 85%. Less than a traditional straight "B" is failing for nursing school. Their grading scales are very skewed. For instance an A is >95%, an A- is 94-92%, 92-88 is a B. Also, a lot of community RN programs can be difficult to get into. For instance, everyone in my nursing class had a 3.9-4.0, many had ACT scores in the 28 range (not that this is particularily high but high for a field like nursing IMO), and everyone had significant time spent in health care either as medics, lab techs, or NA's. Yikes for a mere community school, although we did have better pass rates on the NCLEX than any other school in our state during our year.

Other community nursing schools have long waiting lists that take a couple years. For context, this is representative of the Michigan/Ohio area. If OP lived here, he would not be able to get into nursing school without raising his GPA to at least a 3.7 probably because many go off of ranking systems for acceptance and so many people apply that he'd get shuffled to the bottom of the list. An LPN might be an option for him depending on if they take applicants with lower GPAs. OP!

After nursing school, grades don't mean anything. No one cares. Just like no one cares what your MCAT was once you are a medical student.

 

[SpecterGT260]

the grade % cutoffs are entirely meaningless in these sorts of things.

 

[StudyShy]

the grade % cutoffs are entirely meaningless in these sorts of things.

True. 🙂

 

[O2Doc]

yeah... I think reality sits somewhere between these two posts. I am a little surprised that LIzzy gave the response she did. My money is on a bad day or she had just gotten done dealing with some irritating personality in her non-SDN life with which this thread struck a chord. But that is just a guess

The kid has 3 crap MCAT's in a row, and a crap sGPA. What apart from "he really wants it" makes you think he has the capability to do better, or succeed in med school for that matter? Grade replacement will only work if he can actually get better grades. Some people can't *shrug*

There was nothing in his OP or comments that had a "good" explanation for this. Just test stress and extracurriculars and "life shafting him". Nothing stand-out in his application that might mitigate the bad grades, not even a publication from his lab research. Nothing about an upward trend once he realized he was sucking in school, nothing about seriously examining why he did so badly (apparently he was feeling adequately prepared for the MCAT - which he either wasn't, or he was...to the extent of his capability).