Caribbean or Not Apply at all

[drumfreek]

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sooo
I have a BCPM of 1.98 and overall of 2.78 at the moment.

I am planning on taking a few more courses and bringing up my Sci GPA to at least a 2.0

Should I apply to Caribbean schools or should I apply to Special Masters Programs?

I would really like to apply to Caribbean schools just to see if I can get in, but I don't want US medical schools to reject me if I apply later with a Masters since I would be a "re-applicant"

Other than doing medical school, I would like to do a Special Masters Program, but I dunno if I will be accepted because of my low sciGPA. I don't know what to do. 😕

Any help would be awesome.
I'm also taking the April MCATs.. if I get a good score on that, would it make me a more competitive applicant for an SMP (such as Drexel).

 

[indianjatt]

1.) are you sure you can handle medical school courses? What was the reason for your grades? Are you making a HUGE turn?
2.) Do you have all the ECS: shadowing, clinical volunteering work, hospital volunteering, research, clubs, and more.
3.) For the April MCAT you are hoping you do well...Are you preparing for that or just going to walk in with no prep?
4.) you are not competitive for SMP's atm.
5.) I don't know if even Caribbeans (big 4) will accept you. Likely not.

Get the grades (retake D's or F's) and apply DO later, get all your ECs, study hard and take the MCAT.

Good luck!@

 

[cliffhuxtableDO]

Honestly,

You are nowhere near applying for anything.

 

[Hifey]

1.) are you sure you can handle medical school courses? What was the reason for your grades? Are you making a HUGE turn?
2.) Do you have all the ECS: shadowing, clinical volunteering work, hospital volunteering, research, clubs, and more.
3.) For the April MCAT you are hoping you do well...Are you preparing for that or just going to walk in with no prep?
4.) you are not competitive for SMP's atm.
5.) I don't know if even Caribbeans (big 4) will accept you. Likely not.

Get the grades (retake D's or F's) and apply DO later, get all your ECs, study hard and take the MCAT.

Good luck!@

I concur. You are NOWHERE near applying. You're not competitive enough for any of the big 4 (SGU, Ross, Saba, AUC) because they're now accepting applicants with like 3.0s. You're a whole 1.0 lower than that. Honestly, based on your GPA you are not ready for medical school and, if admitted, would fail right out. We're not trying to be mean but a 1. anything means that you slacked off...A LOT. If you are serious about medical school (which you will find out what with all the work you'll have to do), you're going to have to retake a lot of classes and apply DO or to the Big 4 but it won't be any time soon. Think about what you want very seriously because it will be a long hard road to even get to applying for med school let alone getting through it and finally becoming a doctor. good luck with your decision no matter what you choose!

 

[JJMrK]

I think the best option for you would be to retake a bunch of your science classes and get A's. The DO school application will replace grades, so you can recover from where you are now. How long would it take to get to a ~3.3 GPA replacing C's and D's with A's?

 

[J ROD]

Not at all at this moment....raise the GPA first by retaking all the classes you have done poorly in. DO is really the only shot.

Also, you need to wait on the MCAT unless you are doing well on practice exams.

 

[deleted248403]

1) Retake anything you earned a C, D, F in
2) Go to your local 4yr university, take as many classes as you need to get your cGPA as close to 3.0 as humanly possible
3) Apply for an SMP
4) Rck the MCAT
5) Pray or something similar

 

[Catalystik]

I think you need to prove to yourself that you have the academic ability to survive in a science-intense environment before you enter an extremely expensive Caribbean med school which has a very high flunk-out rate. Go back to college, refine your study skills, get straight As for a year, and then come back to talk again.

 

[drumfreek]

So my school doesn't let us retake courses if we got C's in them and the reason my BCPM is so low is because I factored in my one D and one F. If I take these two grades out, the BCPM comes up to at least 2.3/2.5

I have shadowing experience with my doctor and I have been volunteering at a local hospital for about 1.5 years.

I'm part of a a peer counseling group at school and also a sorority. So those two are my major extra curricular activities.

I'm also planning on taking at least 2 or 3 more science classes (upper level like microbio, biochem).

Until now, I was not very keen on doing medicine and only doing it because I was being pressured, so that was a huge factor in my motivation to not do well and prove to others that i was NOT capable of being a doctor.. Its just this semester, that I am motivated by myself to become a doctor.

I am takin a prep course in order to do well on the MCAT.

Should I do a post-bacc.. which techincally wouldn't help anyway since I've already taken all the pre-req's.

Any insight would be helpful.
Thanks.

 

[Morsetlis]

I don't know how to solve this one.

 

[ninetynine]

hey hun
lets look at it this way. doctors have a reputation for being well-educated, affluent, and well, pretty smart. pretty much above average for the general population. flunking out of a few classes and only being part of a peer mentoring group and sorority (neither are academic) does NOT in ANY WAY whatsoever suggest to med schools that you have the brainpower to perform at that high doctor level. why would a school want to admit you? the average applicant is at least one standard deviation above you - the average applicant has a 3.5 GPA. not only are your grades below average for the applicant pool, they are furthermore below average for the general college population. there is no hope (none) for med school unless you pull a miracle, publish 10 papers, and get a 4.0 for the rest of your career. (hey, maybe it could happen). there are no excuses for slacking off. in life, if you want to go anywhere, you have to commit yourself. with good luck, you get what you work for, and nothing more. dreams, whether they are yours or not, are useless without commitment. just being honest, since it would hurt you more to have us sugarcoat things.

on the other hand, if you relaly do turn your life around .. you can show everyone what you have within you. i used to be a slacker too.. i slept through half my classes in high school. so turnarounds are possible with lots of prayer and faith

 

[deleted248403]

Until now, I was not very keen on doing medicine and only doing it because I was being pressured, so that was a huge factor in my motivation to not do well and prove to others that i was NOT capable of being a doctor.. Its just this semester, that I am motivated by myself to become a doctor.

You actively tried to prove you couldn't do medicine? Well you succeeded. Good job.

Because you were so successful you are going to face an uphill battle from now on.

You won't get into any formal post bac or SMP as you currently stand.

You can DIY at a 4yr state school which will be cheap.

 

[JJMrK]

So my school doesn't let us retake courses if we got C's in them and the reason my BCPM is so low is because I factored in my one D and one F. If I take these two grades out, the BCPM comes up to at least 2.3/2.5

Retake them elsewhere.

 

[Catalystik]

Should I do a post-bacc.. which techincally wouldn't help anyway since I've already taken all the pre-req's.

I don't think you'd get accepted to a formal postbac program with your current record. You can do an informal postbac at a cheaper state university after you graduate and retake every class where you got a C, D, or F, so those grades would be replaced with (hopefully) As if you applied to med schools through AACOMAS (the DO application service).

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

With that kind of gpa? You have no chance.

 

[startswithb]

Just "taking" a prep course will not ensure that you'll do well on the MCAT. You can't do anything passively in this process. You must go above and beyond what they even tell you do to in that class.

The trying to do poorly to prove you DIDN'T want to be a doctor sounds very strange. So why do you want to be a doctor now? This is going to be the most important point of your personal statement and interview. Once again, you can't just want it in passing. It's not like any other thing or job and you can just "try" it and see how it works out. Adcoms want to know that you are determined to make this your life.

What is the sorority doing for you? Are the other girls very academically oriented or do you find yourself pulled away from schoolwork to do the numerous greek activities? To come out of this you will have to spend 500% more time than you do now on studies. Consider if you need that extra distraction. Those girls will still be your friends if you drop.

Main suggestion is to think about why you want to do this now, because it is a LOT of work from here. Be very honest with yourself. You have to want it more than anything because you still have 2-3 years before even APPLYING of the hardest work you've ever done. You can do it if the passion is there. If it's not, no shame in doing something else. Good luck

 

[drumfreek]

There are significant reasons now that I have for wanting to become a doctor, and those will definitely be highlighted in my personal statement.

I am planning on retaking the classes at another state college instead of a community college.

I have gotten C's in all the science courses, and I am planning on retaking all of them so that I can prove that I am really determined to become a doctor.

Since I am a junior, I plan on taking Chem 1 and Chem 2 again this summer at my other state school. Then I am going to apply to master's programs and continue to take the other core science courses at the same time. Would that we advisable or should I only take core science courses in the summer?

 

[MiniMoo]

There are significant reasons now that I have for wanting to become a doctor, and those will definitely be highlighted in my personal statement.

I am planning on retaking the classes at another state college instead of a community college.

I have gotten C's in all the science courses, and I am planning on retaking all of them so that I can prove that I am really determined to become a doctor.

Since I am a junior, I plan on taking Chem 1 and Chem 2 again this summer at my other state school. Then I am going to apply to master's programs and continue to take the other core science courses at the same time. Would that we advisable or should I only take core science courses in the summer?

You shouldn't even think about getting into an SMP right now. You're not going to get accepted. They have GPA cutoffs (for example, Georgetown's SMP requires a minimum 3.0 uGPA). Focus on just retaking all the classes you got a C or below in for now. That's more than enough on your plate to keep you busy for awhile. If you can consistently get As and get your GPA to at least a 3.0, then you can start thinking about your next steps.

 

[drumfreek]

I think I'm going to talk to my Health Advisor about retaking all my classes at an institution where the prof to student ratio is much reduced. I'm hoping to take it where the ratio is about 1:25 instead of the 1:400 where I am right now.

Hopefully, this will prove to increase my science grades and help me get good letters of recommendation since it will be easier to approach the teacher.

 

[deleted248403]

I'm not sure faculty-student ratio is your problem... but hey good luck to you

Not sure how many med schools have 1:25 ratios for all classes - just a word of warning

 

[illegallysmooth]

I think if you can retake things and get both cGPA and sGPA to around a 2.5 or higher with a good MCAT, you have a shot at the carribean. 3.2/3.3 or so with a great MCAT and some serious clinical experience and volunteering and you have a shot at a DO school.

So, right now, no. No shot. I'm sorry. They don't just let anyone in, ya know. It takes a lot of hard work, which you have not done.

Even if you get into the Carribean, there is nothing to suggest you would actually graduate successfully.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Even if you get into the Carribean, there is nothing to suggest you would actually graduate successfully.

This.
I honestly think that this guy should really consider this all. If he has a 2.8 gpa and a sgpa of 1,9 then it'll take years to get it up to competitive standards for a DO school. He'll also need to rock the mcat.

 

[DrSmooth]

Look Drumfreek,
You seem to have a thick skin and not get dragged down by all the SDN hostility (I mean for god's sakes, she's just asking a fricking question). So that's good. It seems clear that the answer to your q is "no". And really no need to waste time on the MCAT just yet either. If you are a junior you are only 3 years behind. That's nothing. Just hit the reset button and start over again. If you work hard you will do fine and bring up your GPA. These classes aren't rocket science, they just take some discipline and effort, assuming you have the basic academic aptitude. Sounds like you are already developing a plan and if you are serious and follow through, you can make it happen. Don't limit yourself to Carrib or DO either. Just get down to business and do what it takes. Take the kernel of truth from these posts and don't repeat your mistakes. Good luck to you!

 

[kristieb1]

I'm going to be a broken record by sounding like the rest of you...

I think you should retake the classes you did poorly in. Get As. Then do all the other extracurricular stuff. Then apply to D.O. schools since they will REPLACE the old grade with the new grade (apparently even if you retake the class at a different school from what I've been told). That would work the best I bet.

An average of the old grade and the new grade probably wouldn't bump your GPA high enough for M.D. schools since they don't do grade replacement.

Don't take the MCAT until you finish your pre-reqs with excellent grades. If you don't know the material, or how to apply it, there is no point in taking it early.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Look Drumfreek,
You seem to have a thick skin and not get dragged down by all the SDN hostility (I mean for god's sakes, she's just asking a fricking question). So that's good. It seems clear that the answer to your q is "no". And really no need to waste time on the MCAT just yet either. If you are a junior you are only 3 years behind. That's nothing. Just hit the reset button and start over again. If you work hard you will do fine and bring up your GPA. These classes aren't rocket science, they just take some discipline and effort, assuming you have the basic academic aptitude. Sounds like you are already developing a plan and if you are serious and follow through, you can make it happen. Don't limit yourself to Carrib or DO either. Just get down to business and do what it takes. Take the kernel of truth from these posts and don't repeat your mistakes. Good luck to you!

You can't hit a restart button in life. What happened in the past will follow you for the rest of your life.

 

[deleted248403]

You can't hit a restart button in life. What happened in the past will follow you for the rest of your life.

Agreed. DrSmooth - your advice isnt really practical or realistic.

Assume the OP takes another 3 yrs of 4.0 work with the same number of credits (and no repeats).
They'd have a BCPM GPA of 3.0 and a cGPA of 3.35. (round numbers). Even thats not competitive for MD without an SMP.

So there is no reset button and US-MD programs are a looooooong way off.

 

[DrSmooth]

You can't hit a restart button in life. What happened in the past will follow you for the rest of your life.

Many non-trad students would disagree with you on this, myself included. If the OP is serious and does the work necessary, there is no reason they could not matriculate at a US med school. Could it take 3+ years of full-time coursework and additional ECs, etc? Sure. How much maturity and character do you think Drumfreak will gain in that time? How would a 3-4 year 4.0 "upward trend" and 33+ MCAT look to an adcom after her dismal start? There are X number of US MD school and you are saying none of them would look past 3 yrs of immaturity??? Thankfully for many of us, that is just not the case. I really don't see how discouraging the OP is helpful. If she is willing to the work she will get there.

 

[deleted248403]

Its not discouraging the OP - its being realistic.

She has demonstrated a willingness to purposefully do badly in her science classes and hasn't really demonstrated she can do science coursework.

You are right, she can pull it around with many years of excellent school work, ECs and a stellar MCAT.

But how many people do that? Very few.

People point to all the recovery stories here, but we never hear from the kids who try and fail out. Those people dont come back and say 'You were right, i couldn't do it'. So its a skewed sample.

I wish the OP the best of luck but she must realize realistically the road ahead and how she will always face an uphill battle to factor off the 1.98 BCPM.

 

[medat101]

There are significant reasons now that I have for wanting to become a doctor, and those will definitely be highlighted in my personal statement.

I am planning on retaking the classes at another state college instead of a community college.

I have gotten C's in all the science courses, and I am planning on retaking all of them so that I can prove that I am really determined to become a doctor.

Since I am a junior, I plan on taking Chem 1 and Chem 2 again this summer at my other state school. Then I am going to apply to master's programs and continue to take the other core science courses at the same time. Would that we advisable or should I only take core science courses in the summer?

Yes, your GPA is a huge barrier and your ECs are extremely poor. You would have to drastically improve both of those to become even competitive for DO or Carib.

I realize most of us are saying you don't have a chance of getting in med school, but the truth is the med school process can be so random that some school may love that fact that you were so misguided early on and then rocketed up to success later in life. However, the med school that chooses this applicant really is taking a risk because how do they know you won't crumble under the pressure of med school like you did in undergrad? Keep these things in mind and be ready to respond to them during your interviews. Meanwhile, focus on improving that GPA and boosting those ECs FAST if you want to apply within the next 2-3 years.

Luck

 

[the duck]

Honestly,

You are nowhere near applying for anything.

This👍

 

[Cleavername]

I concur. You are NOWHERE near applying. You're not competitive enough for any of the big 4 (SGU, Ross, Saba, AUC) because they're now accepting applicants with like 3.0s. You're a whole 1.0 lower than that. Honestly, based on your GPA you are not ready for medical school and, if admitted, would fail right out. We're not trying to be mean but a 1. anything means that you slacked off...A LOT. If you are serious about medical school (which you will find out what with all the work you'll have to do), you're going to have to retake a lot of classes and apply DO or to the Big 4 but it won't be any time soon. Think about what you want very seriously because it will be a long hard road to even get to applying for med school let alone getting through it and finally becoming a doctor. good luck with your decision no matter what you choose!

i am assuming those 3.0 applicants must have had pretty sic mcats and ECs?

 

[deleted248403]

The 3.0s going to the Carib? I doubt it