Can I overcome the hole that I have dug?

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SloppyBoy

SloppyBoy

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So guys...I'm a rising senior at a new school after transferring two different times...I'm going to be graduating in 5 years in total and I'm going to apply to schools next cycle...my current situation/stats are...

GPA: 3.3 (sGPA 3.2)
EC: Volunteering at hospital (small amount) and shadowing (small amount)
Research: N/A...(going to start though hopefully this fall)
Clubs: One club sport for a year

and yeah that's it...

I've been studying for the MCAT this summer and I've been hitting 32-33 constantly...

Honestly, Im a smart person (35 on ACT...not trying to brag..just making a point), but college threw my off for some reasons. Hypothetically, if i go hard and do well this next year, can i still go to a prestigious MD school? Bring my GPA to 3.5~, MCAT of 35, and get better EC's?

Any suggestions for a hard one year plan involving ECs and when I should take the MCAT?Is a prestigious school out of the question? Any past experience? More comments the better and please be honest and direct please. Thanks
 
OHH you went to school for 5 years. Took me a minute.

I'd apply to DO schools and low-tier MD's were I you. If you can grab a high MCAT, I think you'll do fine.
 
Honestly, I really want to go to a MD school and not necessary low tier MD. I know it might sound selfish and ignorant, but Im honestly a smart guy. The reasons why Im graduating in 5 years is because of insituitonal policy. My credits have not been transferring effectively so in order to get a degree from the school, I have to take more classes. I take hard schedules and I could have easily graduated in 4 if I stayed in the same school..any additional advice?
 
Can't really help you without an mcat score. It's not the five years that are hurting you. It's the below average GPA. The fact that your barely starting to get serious about your EC's is not good either. If you can raise your GPA and beef up your activities you'll get in somewhere but It might not be a "prestigious" school.
 
Unless you're a URM and/or get a 36+ on the MCAT, you stand no chance at a top school. Mid tier might even be a stretch with those ECs. Swallow your pride and apply DO and low tier. Otherwise, you're just throwing your money away.

If you're really set on shooting higher, you're going to need to take a couple of years to get your GPA higher and build a stronger EC repertoire.
 
Must...fight....urge to troll.....arrogant OP....
Acceptances are based on much more than just scores, even at upper tier schools. Total package = scores + outstanding EC's + Fantastic PS + Outstandning interview + luck + the perception by the school that you will enhance their standing, not just your own. There are plenty of stories about people with higher stats than the ones you want with 0 acceptances. You may have a chance, but the lower your scores, the more you need to wow them (adcoms) with your other attributes, humility being one of them. RIK1111 gave you some pretty solid advice, you should think about it.
 
Without an SMP or Post-Bacc to raise that GPA, even a stellar MCAT will just make you look like a good test taker. Go low tier or DO.

Also you don't have to keep telling us that you're smart. We know you think you're smart. I've never met a pre-med whose said they're of average intelligence.
 
SloppyBoy said:
Honestly, I really want to go to a MD school and not necessary low tier MD. I know it might sound selfish and ignorant, but Im honestly a smart guy. The reasons why Im graduating in 5 years is because of insituitonal policy. My credits have not been transferring effectively so in order to get a degree from the school, I have to take more classes. I take hard schedules and I could have easily graduated in 4 if I stayed in the same school..any additional advice?
Click to expand...

News flash. A lot of people were "smart" in high school, because high school was a joke. Get over yourself, because if you continue with this "I have a 3.3 GPA BUT I'm actually smart, THOUGH!" attitude, you're going to get laughed out of admissions.
 
I've always thought GPA was just a measure of how much studying you're willing to do, not how smart you are.
 
Rik1111 said:
... This is coming from someone with a 3.9. For real. Grades are easy if you study enough.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. College was more about figuring out what the professor was going to put on the test and studying that for the grade as opposed to learning a wide expanse of topics.

OP, given that you're a rising senior with a fairly low GPA for MD admissions (including "low-tier" schools), you have sparse ECs (with no research), none of which seem to be extremely meaningful or consistent, you stand zero realistic chances at an MD school.

So get in some research, find more ECs to do (volunteering, interest groups, perhaps something clinical if possible), and of course do well on the MCAT and get your grades up. Also, get rid of this mindset of "smart" - it's only going to give you an ego you would do well to get rid of. If you were smart, surely you can do better GPA-wise.
 
You are way too far behind the 8 ball to be aiming for "prestigious" MD schools. You have a sub par GPA, essentially no ECs and are getting average MCAT scores on practice tests... most importantly your attitude sucks. ADCOMs aren't down with shi**y attitudes and I have a feeling yours will show through within minutes of meeting you. Re-assess your priorities you are either looking at a lot of time to recover (assuming you really are "supah smart") or aiming for low to mid tier.

Survivor DO
 
Do you know how many people would love to get into even a "low-tier" MD school? Take what you can and run with it.
 
I came from UCSD, got 3.75 GPA and 34 MCAT, 300 hours volunteering, co-published a research paper. DID NOT GET IN.

Whatever a school's average GPA and MCAT is, you need to do significantly better than that, because the ones who did get in, they had other things going for them that you don't, plus the URMs.

Your 3.2 GPA is low even for a DO school. The average for DO schools is around 3.5. Please don't apply to med school. We don't want any more people who think they are so much smarter than their actual performance.
 
What the above poster said is true. You are not smart (in the pre-med sense) if you have 3.2 GPA.

The OP is going to have a hard time getting into a D.O. school with his stats. Forget MD school unless he is URM.
 
HoboCommander said:
What the above poster said is true. You are not smart (in the pre-med sense) if you have 3.2 GPA.
Click to expand...

Because GPAs are perfect indicators of intelligence, right?

Nothing else really comes into play with GPA.. you just show up, the professor stares at you and if you are smart, you get an A!
 
Radon XP said:
Do you know how many people would love to get into even a "low-tier" MD school? Take what you can and run with it.
Click to expand...

Ditto. Forget ECs for now. Get that GPA up. GPA is more important than ECs. You can always take a year off to do ECs then apply. Don't give up. There are some hopeful inspiring stories around here of people who did it. It just took them a lot of hard work. =)
 
littlelight said:
Ditto. Forget ECs for now. Get that GPA up. GPA is more important than ECs. You can always take a year off to do ECs then apply. Don't give up. There are some hopeful inspiring stories around here of people who did it. It just took them a lot of hard work. =)
Click to expand...

This.

Also, OP.. you really need to knock the MCAT out of the park. Talking 35+ which is easier said than done.
 
littlelight said:
Ditto. Forget ECs for now. Get that GPA up. GPA is more important than ECs. You can always take a year off to do ECs then apply. Don't give up. There are some hopeful inspiring stories around here of people who did it. It just took them a lot of hard work. =)
Click to expand...

Every time I see your tag on replies it looks like littletight, I keep doing double takes just to be sure...
 
Jepstein30 said:
Because GPAs are perfect indicators of intelligence, right?

Nothing else really comes into play with GPA.. you just show up, the professor stares at you and if you are smart, you get an A!
Click to expand...

GPA's are good indicators of how good you are as a premed. Admissions look at GPA and MCAT the most. As a med student I've been a part of admitting or rejecting future med students (though the final decision is not mine), and this is how all of us think. If you are good, you will perform well on the exams. This is how we on admissions think.

In this world, we judge by results.
 
HoboCommander said:
GPA's are good indicators of how good you are as a premed. Admissions look at GPA and MCAT the most. As a med student I've been a part of admitting or rejecting med students (though the final decision is not mine), and this is how all of us think. If you are good, you will perform well on the exams. This is how we think.
Click to expand...

I agree with this.

The guy I quoted (and yourself) said something entirely different. I could also care less if you were on an ADCOM, quite honestly. Your opinion is your opinion.. doesn't need to be justified.
 
Prof Dr Paulo said:
OP, you should just go into nursing. You're not smart enough to be a doctor.
Click to expand...

Prof Dr Paulo said:
The reason why I'm choosing engineering is that I hate the cut throat pre med/life science culture. I heard that in engineering that everyone is very supportful.
Click to expand...

You're becoming a joke.

For all your advice, I think you're severely lacking in one pretty important category.. maturity.
 
Jepstein30 said:
You're becoming a joke.

For all your advice, I think you're severely lacking in one pretty important category.. maturity.
Click to expand...

Don't take it so seriously. People are just having fun.
 
HoboCommander said:
Don't take it so seriously. People are just having fun.
Click to expand...

I object to someone not only giving horrible advice to someone who is looking for help but also taking potshots as well.

Not to mention that poster has clearly no clue what this process is like.. given he's actually asking for opinions on what major to pick and how to maintain a good GPA (while at the same time, making a thread to advise others on how important GPA is).

If you want to have fun, don't do it in a thread where someone admits things has gone wrong and is looking for help.. and stop parading around like you know what you're doing when you have a lot yet to learn.
 
Prof Dr Paulo said:
I'm just being realistic. Why would the OP, waste another 5 years just to get into medical school. He'll be in his early 40's once he gets a real job. I would rather cut of my losses and get a job or become a nurse instead.
Click to expand...

Why not say it this way instead of insulting the guy? Remember that supportive environment you're looking for... :laugh:

Meanwhile, it would hardly take another 5 years to get into medical school.

You do know its fairly possible to get into medical school with his GPA, right?
 
Oldenuff2nobetr said:
Every time I see your tag on replies it looks like littletight, I keep doing double takes just to be sure...
Click to expand...

Well I have been really uptight since graduating so maybe you can sense it oozing from me onto my keyboard and through the internet to your screen. :laugh:
 
Jepstein30 said:
Why not say it this way instead of insulting the guy? Remember that supportive environment you're looking for... :laugh:

Meanwhile, it would hardly take another 5 years to get into medical school.

You do know its fairly possible to get into medical school with his GPA, right?
Click to expand...

It is possible. I want to an admission fair at UC Davis and they had a student panel. Someone asked them their GPAs and MCATs. The lowest one was a 3.25 and 37. Then again she was Hispanic. AA baby!
 
Why don't you do post-bacc? or smp

You may significantly increase your chance for MD.
 
We're all massively impressed by your performance in a test about general knowledge of grammar and precalculus from about four years ago. 🙄

Is there a particular reason why you have to go to Harvard or a top tier? Other than the obvious back-patting, of course.

Your best bet for MD school is a Master's program, honestly. If you're so smart, you can do it. Unless you're involved with publishing or cutting edge research, a top tier isn't likely. Not trying to be mean, but there needs to be that consideration.

Mathematically speaking, if it took four years to make that 3.2, it would take three years of 4.0 semesters in UG to conjure up a 3.54. Mind you, a 3.54 is considered average for DO and it seems to be becoming less and less of a big deal for MD.

If your goal is to be a physician, it's not impossible. But if your goal is to be a student at a high tier school, you're better off picking something else.

I wish you the best regardless.
 
OP swallow your pride and listen to the smart advice posted here. You have a chance but you need to increase your GPA and fatten up your resume before applying. It isn't the end of the world if you take some additional time (maybe a year or two) and make your application strong. I would take your MCAT soon though if you are doing well on practice tests before it changes.
 
SloppyBoy said:
Honestly, I really want to go to a MD school and not necessary low tier MD. I know it might sound selfish and ignorant, but Im honestly a smart guy. The reasons why Im graduating in 5 years is because of insituitonal policy. My credits have not been transferring effectively so in order to get a degree from the school, I have to take more classes. I take hard schedules and I could have easily graduated in 4 if I stayed in the same school..any additional advice?
Click to expand...

Only stupid people go to mid-low tier MD. DO people mostly have brain damage, that's why they like that whole OMT thing so much. Don't get me started on Podiatry...
 
SloppyBoy said:
Honestly, I really want to go to a MD school and not necessary low tier MD. I know it might sound selfish and ignorant, but Im honestly a smart guy... any additional advice?
Click to expand...

Yes. Get over yourself.
 
I think, if we're honest, we all entered this process feeling like we were 99th percentile... It is a humbling process, for sure
 
littlelight said:
It is possible. I want to an admission fair at UC Davis and they had a student panel. Someone asked them their GPAs and MCATs. The lowest one was a 3.25 and 37. Then again she was Hispanic. AA baby!
Click to expand...

The immutable fact is that the UCD average is much lower than the 37.
 
Carl Seitan said:
Yes. Get over yourself.
Click to expand...

loltopsy said:
Only stupid people go to mid-low tier MD. DO people mostly have brain damage, that's why they like that whole OMT thing so much. Don't get me started on Podiatry...
Click to expand...

OP, just to quote a few, you'll find that posting in the DO forums you will find a many more friendly cordial response. I understand what you are saying and I dont think you're ignorant. I'm sure you are intelligent enough to size yourself up and be realistic about your smarts. However, with your GPA, you'll have a very tough time getting into a top tier MD school.
 
SloppyBoy said:
So guys...I'm a rising senior at a new school after transferring two different times...I'm going to be graduating in 5 years in total and I'm going to apply to schools next cycle...my current situation/stats are...

GPA: 3.3 (sGPA 3.2)
EC: Volunteering at hospital (small amount) and shadowing (small amount)
Research: N/A...(going to start though hopefully this fall)
Clubs: One club sport for a year

and yeah that's it...

I've been studying for the MCAT this summer and I've been hitting 32-33 constantly...

Honestly, Im a smart person (35 on ACT...not trying to brag..just making a point), but college threw my off for some reasons. Hypothetically, if i go hard and do well this next year, can i still go to a prestigious MD school? Bring my GPA to 3.5~, MCAT of 35, and get better EC's?

Any suggestions for a hard one year plan involving ECs and when I should take the MCAT?Is a prestigious school out of the question? Any past experience? More comments the better and please be honest and direct please. Thanks
Click to expand...

You could spend another 2 years getting a masters and then try for more prestigious schools.... but stop wasting your time man! a doctor is a doctor. Nobody will care whether you went to Harvard or Mizzou, as long as you are a good doctor. Guess what? You will be paid the same. Is it worth losing 2 years of attending salary to get into a school that provides little to no benefit other than an ego boost?
 
loltopsy said:
Only stupid people go to mid-low tier MD. DO people mostly have brain damage, that's why they like that whole OMT thing so much. Don't get me started on Podiatry...
Click to expand...

Sooooooo you're class of 2017? Cute.
 
MaxillofacialMN said:
Sooooooo you're class of 2017? Cute.
Click to expand...

x5geYDi.jpg
 
MaxillofacialMN said:
Sooooooo you're class of 2017? Cute.
Click to expand...

I think this is ironic. It's pretty meta, so I can't tell.

Let's see... I make a sarcastic point to make fun of OP, and then a pre-pod comes in and unintentionally proves my sarcastic point.
 
Question:

Looking at OP's profile - if he does score between a 30-35 on his MCAT and raises his GPA up a bit, does he have a chance at DO and low-mid tier medical schools?

I always under the impression that you need at least a 32 and a 3.5 to get into even a DO..
 
Seneschal said:
Question:

Looking at OP's profile - if he does score between a 30-35 on his MCAT and raises his GPA up a bit, does he have a chance at DO and low-mid tier medical schools?

I always under the impression that you need at least a 32 and a 3.5 to get into even a DO..
Click to expand...

Change 'and' to 'or.'

32 and 3.5 is close to the average for some respectable MD schools. SDNers might report larger numbers, but that's part social desirability bias in reporting and part SDN disproportionately representing poorly adjusted individuals whose stats are impressive out of proportion to their actual accomplishments.
 
Last edited:
I will be a little nicer than everyone else has been....

Why do you want to go to a "prestigious medical school?" Is it because your obsessed with the name and want people to know how smart that you think you are? While that's natural, get over it. Every MD school is prestigious, they all have different missions, and once you get into/out of medical school you tend to realize how little it all matters. The top med schools are generally considered the top because of the research they produce, and considering you have no research, you can't act like that's something important to you.

Why do YOU want to go into medicine? What do you see yourself pursuing? Seems like your just want to walk around with a white coat and have people call you Doc.

Make straight A's, do very well on the MCAT and you will be competitive. Then you will have to take the process seriously, work hard, stress and wait like everybody else and hopefully you'll get in to a state school.

Unless you want to be involved with research at a top school specifically, you are probably better to save 20k a year and stay somewhere close to home.
 
to the OP: more advanced classes to build credits with a high GPA (or post-bacc, SMP or regular masters, if you are so inclined but that might be a little overkill). Also, if you can bump your MCAT to 35 or 36, i mean that is a really good score. Yes, the sGPA isn't helping you but it's not like it can't be raised or there aren't those other ways of demonstrating your academic competency.

Rik1111 said:
I have a 3.9 and a 36 MCAT. 0 acceptances.

Trust me, OP.
Click to expand...

^^is this having gone through a full cycle?...that's crazy...(unless you're crazy--bad interviews....). Either way those stats are good enough that i can't imagine it would be possible for schools to turn that down for too long.
 
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