can this gpa be saved?

[suckermc]

yea i suck. my question is this:

i have a gpa of 3.04 and science around 2.8. i want to raise it badly. my state schools want 3.6/3.5. so what do i do?

if i retake the pre-req's i took pass fail, will that help?
what if i took even more bio classes?
do i have to do a post bacc? would that help me?

damn, i wish i thought of this when i was still in school.

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[Sundarban1]

yea i suck. my question is this:

i have a gpa of 3.04 and science around 2.8. i want to raise it badly. my state schools want 3.6/3.5. so what do i do?

if i retake the pre-req's i took pass fail, will that help?
what if i took even more bio classes?
do i have to do a post bacc? would that help me?

damn, i wish i thought of this when i was still in school.

How high you can raise your GPA depends on how many credits you already have accumulated. At some point it does not matter how many credits you take, your GPA will not raise significantly.

You can do the math yourself to figrure out if I take X more credits and get all A's, what will my GPA be?

The other option after the post bacc would be an SMP.

 

[markboonya]

if u do very well on the mcats.. estimation of >32, i think u can get into an smp program once u raise ur science gpa to a 3.0. i personally feel smp is the way to go for us low gpa'ers but if u wanted to stay in state or dont want to shell out the cash, then thats another story. if that is the case then just take massive amounts of upper division bios at ur state college... but like the above poster said, if u already have a crapload of units, it might be futile.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

even post bacc can't guarantee you anything. But are you a gambling man? wanna gamble away 2 years to try to fix your gpa?

don't take more science classes than you can handle. it will hurt you a lot if you do poorly in them.

as a last resort, you can always go caribbean and save yourself the misery.

as i see it, you've got a TON of stuff to fix, and I don't think it's even worth it. Even if you got a 36 on the mcat, you'll still get rejected everywhere in the US.

 

[playthatfunky]

you're right he can never fix his GPA but TONS of people have gotten into medical school after having poor stats at some point.

to the OP:
your best route is to take upper division science classes, get A's, then apply to a SMP, get A's and you'll get into medical school. it wont be easy but someone will overlook your past if you prove beyond a shadow of a doubt you're capable.

even post bacc can't guarantee you anything. But are you a gambling man? wanna gamble away 2 years to try to fix your gpa?

don't take more science classes than you can handle. it will hurt you a lot if you do poorly in them.

as a last resort, you can always go caribbean and save yourself the misery.

as i see it, you've got a TON of stuff to fix, and I don't think it's even worth it. Even if you got a 36 on the mcat, you'll still get rejected everywhere in the US.

 

[bkpa2med]

To the OP:
Just work hard and apply and rock the MCAT. Have faith in yourself.

 

[microgin]

even post bacc can't guarantee you anything. But are you a gambling man? wanna gamble away 2 years to try to fix your gpa?

don't take more science classes than you can handle. it will hurt you a lot if you do poorly in them.

as a last resort, you can always go caribbean and save yourself the misery.

as i see it, you've got a TON of stuff to fix, and I don't think it's even worth it. Even if you got a 36 on the mcat, you'll still get rejected everywhere in the US.

Wow, somebody got up on the pessimistic side of the bed this morning. While I agree with many of the previous posters who have said that the struggle to raise your GPA will be difficult (again depending on how many credits you've already taken), I don't think it's fair to suggest that you should just throw in the towel or necessarily assume that all is lost for US allopathic schools.

Case in point: my best friend never finished high school (GED), and while she was a bio major in college, managed to fail several of her pre-reqs. She retook what she needed to graduate, but didn't stop there. Since she knew she wanted to be a doctor, and now was coming from a place of more maturity, she talked to some adcom members to see what she needed to do to make herself competitive. She spent several years working full-time in bioethics, made important connections, took advanced courses in biochemistry, etc which were suggested by the adcom and scored decently on her MCAT. Needless to say, she was accepted to a top-20 allopathic school, and is now entering the opthamology match (one of the hardest specialties to match in, I might add). She has worked her a$$ off and I am damn proud of her! Is she the exception to the rule? Yes, but it goes to show you that you never know what might happen. Just do your best and keep the faith!

 

[suckermc]

Wow, somebody got up on the pessimistic side of the bed this morning. While I agree with many of the previous posters who have said that the struggle to raise your GPA will be difficult (again depending on how many credits you've already taken), I don't think it's fair to suggest that you should just throw in the towel or necessarily assume that all is lost for US allopathic schools.

Case in point: my best friend never finished high school (GED), and while she was a bio major in college, managed to fail several of her pre-reqs. She retook what she needed to graduate, but didn't stop there. Since she knew she wanted to be a doctor, and now was coming from a place of more maturity, she talked to some adcom members to see what she needed to do to make herself competitive. She spent several years working full-time in bioethics, made important connections, took advanced courses in biochemistry, etc which were suggested by the adcom and scored decently on her MCAT. Needless to say, she was accepted to a top-20 allopathic school, and is now entering the opthamology match (one of the hardest specialties to match in, I might add). She has worked her a$$ off and I am damn proud of her! Is she the exception to the rule? Yes, but it goes to show you that you never know what might happen. Just do your best and keep the faith!

thanks for the responses. the above is an awesome story. bully for yr friend :}


i kinda knew that going to my state school is prob a pipe dream. i already graduated so anything i would do would be post bacc. the only reason i was considering taking over the classes i got c's or past fail (i was a bio/english major and history minor) was because i thought it would show peeps i can do the work, plus maybe mean something if i fill out amcas (im still mainly applying DO for 2008)

my advisor told me to retake the p/f courses. most schools said no.some said take biochem. maybe it wont save my undergrad gpa but cant hurt right? i was thinking smp but its alot of money i dont have and im already marticulated at hunter college.

..its not an overall bad transcript, i made deans list but one bad semester killed me. so now, waht you guys think? and the science gpa is an estimate. they dont give a breakdown on my graduating transcript.

p.s--to mr negative, prob yr right about allopathic. i still wanted to give it a shot, since i dont plan to apply untill 2007-2008 and all im doing is research and studying mcat. you cant blame me for trying to be as good as an applicant as possible. but, im sure yr right.

 

[docmd2010]

you seem to be very motivated-i respect that. a lot.
i would advise you to go to the carib and apply your motivations on your studies in med school. if you work real hard, you'll rock the boards, and get a nice bada$$ residency in the speciality of your choice. don't waste 2 or 3 critical years trying to erase your history. 2 or 3 years is a lot of time and a lot can change in that period. some caribs will take you w/out the mcat, so you may not even need to waste your time on studying for that test. doing an smp in 2 years is taking a big risk, i'd say go to carib. just my two cents.

 

[playthatfunky]

you seem to be very motivated-i respect that. a lot.
i would advise you to go to the carib and apply your motivations on your studies in med school. if you work real hard, you'll rock the boards, and get a nice bada$$ residency in the speciality of your choice. don't waste 2 or 3 critical years trying to erase your history. 2 or 3 years is a lot of time and a lot can change in that period. some caribs will take you w/out the mcat, so you may not even need to waste your time on studying for that test. doing an smp in 2 years is taking a big risk, i'd say go to carib. just my two cents.

i dont mean to belittle your comments or anyone who chooses to go to the carib, but many people would rather not go to medical school than leave the country and go to medical school.

if they are in a hurry though i guess thats the only option for allopathic

 

[Lindyhopper]

A few points
1. If one retakes a course, DO schools replace the grade.
2. SMP while expensive have tremendous educational benefit once one is in Med school. The better preparation allows people to excell in Med school/boards/residency placements.
3. Many DO schools also have SMP.
4. Carib route will work also, despite the hurdles.

 

[playthatfunky]

A few points
1. If one retakes a course, DO schools replace the grade.
2. SMP while expensive have tremendous educational benefit once one is in Med school. The better preparation allows people to excell in Med school/boards/residency placements.
3. Many DO schools also have SMP.
4. Carib route will work also, despite the hurdles.

You make a really great point with #2. I would guess that while most people in SMP are those who need resume boosting, I bet they are also among the highest scores on the boards. Not only will they already know a lot of the material but they were not shocked by the volume of the material.

 

[suckermc]

A few points
1. If one retakes a course, DO schools replace the grade.
2. SMP while expensive have tremendous educational benefit once one is in Med school. The better preparation allows people to excell in Med school/boards/residency placements.
3. Many DO schools also have SMP.
4. Carib route will work also, despite the hurdles.

1.yeah, at least one school told me to do a post bacc (umdnj)
2. should i do an smp? so what if i:
do well on the mcat (hope)
get into smp
retake classes
then apply? i will ask more schools and tell you what happens.

3. of course, who hasnt considered carib. i was also thinking australia. but before that is my last option, i really have to know how many fmg are able to become medical examiners. thats my goal, anyway. i dont want to do that and not be able to get certified. not sure where to look.

i am in no rush to apply. believe me, i have already gotten over the fact that i am:

non trad
everyone i know including my exes are in school now (plus thier moms)

i appreciate the comments. writing it all down reminds me this is a daunting task. as far as i see it, since i dont have kids/not married if this is what i want to do, ill keep doing it. if, after doing all this, someone does not love me enough to admit me, i will do a masters ...and then do it again. i know, its sounds *****ed, but the way i see it, i cant see myself doing anything else.

 

[tacmrage]

1.yeah, at least one school told me to do a post bacc (umdnj)
2. should i do an smp? so what if i:
do well on the mcat (hope)
get into smp
retake classes
then apply? i will ask more schools and tell you what happens.

3. of course, who hasnt considered carib. i was also thinking australia. but before that is my last option, i really have to know how many fmg are able to become medical examiners. thats my goal, anyway. i dont want to do that and not be able to get certified. not sure where to look.

i am in no rush to apply. believe me, i have already gotten over the fact that i am:

non trad
everyone i know including my exes are in school now (plus thier moms)

i appreciate the comments. writing it all down reminds me this is a daunting task. as far as i see it, since i dont have kids/not married if this is what i want to do, ill keep doing it. if, after doing all this, someone does not love me enough to admit me, i will do a masters ...and then do it again. i know, its sounds *****ed, but the way i see it, i cant see myself doing anything else.

seek admission to the most competitive post-bacc or SMP program you can get into, take science-heavy semesters and get all A's for at least 3 semesters. I would take the SMP route if you can score high enough on the MCAT, it's true it's expensive but it will certainly help. Good luck.

 

[s2kray]

yea i suck. my question is this:

i have a gpa of 3.04 and science around 2.8. i want to raise it badly. my state schools want 3.6/3.5. so what do i do?

if i retake the pre-req's i took pass fail, will that help?
what if i took even more bio classes?
do i have to do a post bacc? would that help me?

damn, i wish i thought of this when i was still in school.

i have nearly the same stats as you... with a 3.45 overall with a 2.8 science gpa.. why dont you do an SMP? try applying to UMDNJ.. i think their GPA requirement is only a 3.0 and i think a 22 in the mcats? correct me if i'm wrong but i think you've got a shot.. i take it your still young like me.. we have plenty of time to become doctors.. consider your SMP or postbac a learning experience that will ultimately make you a better physician in the future. to my understanding i think the UMDNJ program is a year and one summer program with the option of writing a thesis. if you are successful at completing this rigorous program i'm sure med schools will atleast consider you. best of luck

~ray

 

[s2kray]

thanks for the responses. the above is an awesome story. bully for yr friend :}


i kinda knew that going to my state school is prob a pipe dream. i already graduated so anything i would do would be post bacc. the only reason i was considering taking over the classes i got c's or past fail (i was a bio/english major and history minor) was because i thought it would show peeps i can do the work, plus maybe mean something if i fill out amcas (im still mainly applying DO for 2008)

my advisor told me to retake the p/f courses. most schools said no.some said take biochem. maybe it wont save my undergrad gpa but cant hurt right? i was thinking smp but its alot of money i dont have and im already marticulated at hunter college.

..its not an overall bad transcript, i made deans list but one bad semester killed me. so now, waht you guys think? and the science gpa is an estimate. they dont give a breakdown on my graduating transcript.

p.s--to mr negative, prob yr right about allopathic. i still wanted to give it a shot, since i dont plan to apply untill 2007-2008 and all im doing is research and studying mcat. you cant blame me for trying to be as good as an applicant as possible. but, im sure yr right.

you should only retake the p/f course if its part of the pre-med pre-reqs.. i doubt a p/f on a core science class will fly anywhere... goodluck