Can I make it?

[caitlynn]

Hey,

I was wondering if you guys could help give me some insights with my situation. I'm a sophomore at UCI and am doing horribly. My current GPA is about 2.3. That's cuz I really thought I wasn't going to stay at UCI, let alone be a doctor, so I didn't care at all the first year. I passed all my classes with C's and some b's.

My current plan is to study for mcat this summer and take it somtime near the end of this year and again before applications. I'm currently volunteering and am aiming for at least 250 hours before summer ends. I plan to do reserach next fall year and be committed to it all year round.

I'm doing my best to increase my GPA. But it doesn't look like i can get anywhere near 4.0 by the time I apply. I really, really do not want to take a year off. I wish to go straight to med school from UCI. I have asked many people what I should do, and I would love to hear more opinions. Please let me know if I have any chance whatsoever of getting into med school.

Thanks, Caitlyn

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[starfishprime]

That's cuz I really thought I wasn't going to stay at UCI, let alone be a doctor, so I didn't care at all the first year.

What happened that caused you to go from "I don't care" to "I really really want to be a doctor now and can't take a year off"?

You'll need straight 4.0 from hear until you apply and a mid-to-high-30s MCAT. Best of luck.

 

[Mzeep]

I was in a similar situation before except that I jumped all around different majors before I settled down with something I like, PHS.

Have you ever thought of D.O. schools? They let you retake classes you did bad in and don't average the grades, so your gpa may be higher in the end. Also, there are always postbacs? You will have to explain the 2.3 gpa though, I've spoken with a few counselors and they've told me adcoms want to know that you are competitive and can handle the course load for medical schools, so you will have to bring up that gpa to show that. It might take a while, but in the end it will def be worth it! also if you haven't taken the mcat, take it once and do well!

Best of luck to you!!

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

I'm doing my best to increase my GPA. But it doesn't look like i can get anywhere near 4.0 by the time I apply. I really, really do not want to take a year off. I wish to go straight to med school from UCI.

beggars can't be choosers.

nothing worth doing is easy.

never ever ever ever give up.

[insert other relevant cliche quotes here]

but seriously, if you really didn't want to take a year off, then you should not be in the situation you are in now. you can hope all you want, and even apply your junior year despite what anyone says, but if you have a low GPA, then the adcoms will decide this for you.

if you get a 4.0 until the end of your junior year, you will have about a 3.15 overall. if you finish the 4th year of college with a 4.0, that makes about a 3.35. take an extra year of 4.0 in a postbac, you'll get around a 3.5 cumulative. chances are you won't be getting straight A's, so these are the best-case scenarios.

the average applicant GPA is close to 3.5, and the average for those accepted is roughly 3.7...so that's what you're up against.

so, my advice is to work for that 3.5.

 

[starrynite14]

I'd have to agree with most people here. The best idea for you right now is to slow down. Don't even start to worry about the MCAT yet. If you want to do well on the MCAT (which is very important) then you need to treat it like another science class or a job and spend a lot of time preparing and studying for it.

The other thing I would recommend it to get some experience working in the field. SHADOW A DOCTOR! Talk to them about med school and their experience with medicine. Most doctors you talk to will completely recommend taking time off or doing a post bacc year for people in your situaiton.

The journey to med school i s a long hard process and there is no way you can rush. Frankly its silly of you to even put a time restriction on yourself.

So, in conclusion, slow down. Right now don't even think about medical school of the MCAT or anything with getting there. Focus on doing well in your science classes and getting some field experience.

 

[bleedblue]

DO instead of MD?

 

[MDMichigan]

DO instead of MD?

Yeah I really don't understand the difference between MD or DO. Are there any really major differences?

 

[KTownGT]

Yeah I really don't understand the difference between MD or DO. Are there any really major differences?

Not really. DO schools have slightly lower stats(3.3+ GPA, 26+ MCAT) for admissions instead of a 3.5+ GPA and 29+ MCAT for MD schools.

DO schools also teach OMM and OMT which if I understand correctly is basically chiropracty. Most people on these forums argue there is no difference in pay or scope in which specialty they can practice in.

 

[Mobius1985]

WeAreNotRobots is advising you well. Listen to him/her if you want a chance at an MD school. Your first priority must be your grades. You can add in the extracurriculars later.

 

[caitlynn]

I understand what you guys are saying. Is it at all possible to get really high mcat scores, above 35 or 40 ish, with low gpa and still get accepted? isnt mcat more important than gpa. i mean, the low gpa explanation is jus how well you can persuade them ur more determined now and are passionate bout getting in, right? and why is everyone advising me to take the mcat once? i thought u are allowed to take it more than once.

btw, what is postbac? postbachelor? i was thinkin as a backup that i could get a masters in chemistry, my major now, if i dont get in. Those two years could help boost my grades up, im jus not sure if thats a good idea or not.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I understand what you guys are saying. Is it at all possible to get really high mcat scores, above 35 or 40 ish, with low gpa and still get accepted? isnt mcat more important than gpa. i mean, the low gpa explanation is jus how well you can persuade them ur more determined now and are passionate bout getting in, right? and why is everyone advising me to take the mcat once? i thought u are allowed to take it more than once.

A high MCAT score can make up for a low GPA, up to a certain point. A 3.2-3.3 or so is really the absolute minimum I could realistically see you getting in with, and that's with an absolute rock-star MCAT, 35-40. GPA and MCAT are both weighted about equally; whoever told you that MCAT>GPA was simply wrong. Furthermore, keep in mind that a 40 would put you in the top 1% or so of all MCAT takers; it's not by any means something that you can just plan on, as at that point the difference between a 40 and a 36 or 37 is a handful of questions. You are allowed to take the MCAT multiple times, but why would you want to spend $250 more than once? If you're not hitting the score you want to get in practices leading up to the exam, why would you take it at all at that point, especially when studies have shown that it is highly unusual to actually see a large jump in MCAT score on successive attempts.

btw, what is postbac? postbachelor? i was thinkin as a backup that i could get a masters in chemistry, my major now, if i dont get in. Those two years could help boost my grades up, im jus not sure if thats a good idea or not.

The problem with getting an MS in chemistry is that it doesn't affect your undergrad GPA, which is still the major criteria that med schools will judge you on, not grad school GPA. A post-bacc will let you improve the UG GPA.

 

[Mobius1985]

i was thinkin as a backup that i could get a masters in chemistry, my major now, if i dont get in. Those two years could help boost my grades up, im jus not sure if thats a good idea or not.

The problem with getting an MS in chemistry is that it doesn't affect your undergrad GPA, which is still the major criteria that med schools will judge you on, not grad school GPA. A post-bacc will let you improve the UG GPA.

This is true for AMCAS (MD) schools. However, the DO med school application service (AACOMAS) does include grad school GPA, together with undergrad GPA, in calculating their overal application GPA.