I have quick question I am a 3rd. year student have some prereq's done my GPA is not great about 2.9 on the dot. I was offered to help a doctor at Sloan cattering in NYC to do research on Cancer and preventative Cancer research. I could come as often as I would like and he would write me a recomendation when ever I would need i. if I do this for 2 years could this help me with my low GPA get into a school ( lets say my MCAT is avg. did not take it yet.) All I know he is the head of research for Sloan cattering.
Short answer is no. Long answer is that you'll need some post-bacc work and a pretty decent mcat (over 33-34) to dig yourself out of your situation. The best LORs in the world won't mean much if a school doesn't think you can cut it academically.
don't do research. Study hard for the MCAT's, get a 33 or more on the MCAT's and you will get in somewhere. speaking from personal experience, the MCAT's is the main thing medical schools look at. GPA only helps you when you have a bad MCAT score. And research doesn't help at all, unless you are a solid applicant and want to get in a top 10 med school, or the MD/PhD program, then maybe. But to be in that position you need that 33 MCAT's so their admissions office will even look at your application
I wouldn't say it doesn't help at all, and certainly is of interest at more than just a top tier or PhD program, but certainly will not compensate for anything else big lacking in the app. You need to have a high MCAT, a better GPA and some clinical experience by the time you apply. After that, having research experience (and the related LOR) would be icing on the cake.
The name of the institution is Memorial Sloan Kettering, not cattering. I would aim to have your name on a publication, first author if possible. You're not going to pull that off working half ass hours 2 to 3 times per week. Consider working for a group full time for a year or two to bolster your overall package. Additionally, be aware the places like the National Institutes of Health have 1 year post-bach research fellowships you could also take advantage of. Other institutions, such as MSK, may have something similar. -PB
It will help somewhat (although your GPA does need to come up and MCAT must be aced for you to have a shot -- is your science GPA any better, by the way? that might be a factor in your favor). Even if you don't get in this year, you will already have some research experience and can use that to do a post-bacc research year and publish something, which will significantly strengthen your chances if you choose to reapply. At this point, I think it all depends on how badly you want to go to med school. If you can't see yourself doing anything else, then work your @ss off to pull high grades and take the research position and be serious about it. THis all mean massive amounts of work for you in the next year or so, which is not guaranteed to have a pay off in the end. If you're unsure of the med school path then taking this research job may not be the best option -- it probably won't help you out unless you get a stellar MCAT score and actually have a chance. I hate to be honest, but I have not heard of anyone getting into a US allopath with a 2.9 GPA, but others on this forum may have had different experiences.
