Chances of Admission with a Low GPA from a tech school

[gatech15]

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Hey everyone,

I'm new to SDN so hello! Like most here, I have many questions about applying to med school, MD vs. DO, and how realistic my chances would be getting into either of them.

My college experience has not exactly gone how I would have thought (or liked) it to go. I ended up overloading my schedule in pursuit of finishing early. I also attended Georgia Tech and ended up with a 2.5 by the end of 4 years, still have one semester left because I did an internship for a semester at a children;'s hospital. My STEM gpa is 2.8, which is extremely low, but somewhat average in our school. The school has a basis on engineering so everything was just a bit harder (i think?), but do med schools look at the rigor of the program and school of the applicant? Currently a Bio student with a certificate in biomedical sciences.

Is an MD/DO acceptance realistic? If no, would going through an SMP program or post-bac help in any way? I have not yet taken the MCAT which I know could be all the difference, I just don't want to take it unless I have a legitimate chance to begin with.

To recap, here is my rough application:
cGPA: ~2.5
sGPA: ~2.8


Pretty good undergrad research. Currently working on the research for one paper, to which the abstract won an award from the AHA. I have also performed clinical research at CHOA for about a year.
I have also basically helped found and have worked in a free clinic since high school (~1000 hrs), where I performed triage and shadowed doctors.
I have also volunteered at three different hospitals, and volunteered at homeless shelter and soup kitchen I plan to get more volunteer and clinical hours before I graduate

Work: 2 part-time jobs
I assume I can get some pretty good LORS, what are my chances on getting in?

Thank you for your time!

 

[MusicDOc124]

Are you URM?

You're likely going to have to do an SMP or post-bacc. Some places might consider where the degree is from/difficulty of the course load, but I imagine if any do, it is very few places. The GPA is just too low.

Although AACOMAS no longer does grade-replacement, some individual DO programs still evaluate for grade-replacement, but have an additional step for you to do to ensure they know that your app requires the additional eval for the replacement. I don't know which schools off-hand.

 

[NeuroPA]

1. Take a whole lot more classes, because I'm sure with a 2.5 you have a lot of prerequisite courses that medical schools won't recognize since they are most likely bellow a C.

2. As bad as Caribbean schools are, it sounds like this is a unique situation where one might be warranted, unless you want to spend another 4 years retaking classes.


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[Goro]

Chances are zero for both MD and DO.

You need to demonstrate that you could handle medical school. So far you have not. I suggest doing either a do-it-yourself post-baccalaureate, or a special master's program. You will need to Ace both and do well on MCAT.

Don't even think about Caribbean diploma Mills unless you want to be deeply in debt and driving for Uber.

Hey everyone,

I'm new to SDN so hello! Like most here, I have many questions about applying to med school, MD vs. DO, and how realistic my chances would be getting into either of them.

My college experience has not exactly gone how I would have thought (or liked) it to go. I ended up overloading my schedule in pursuit of finishing early. I also attended Georgia Tech and ended up with a 2.5 by the end of 4 years, still have one semester left because I did an internship for a semester at a children;'s hospital. My STEM gpa is 2.8, which is extremely low, but somewhat average in our school. The school has a basis on engineering so everything was just a bit harder (i think?), but do med schools look at the rigor of the program and school of the applicant? Currently a Bio student with a certificate in biomedical sciences.

Is an MD/DO acceptance realistic? If no, would going through an SMP program or post-bac help in any way? I have not yet taken the MCAT which I know could be all the difference, I just don't want to take it unless I have a legitimate chance to begin with.

To recap, here is my rough application:
cGPA: ~2.5
sGPA: ~2.8


Pretty good undergrad research. Currently working on the research for one paper, to which the abstract won an award from the AHA. I have also performed clinical research at CHOA for about a year.
I have also basically helped found and have worked in a free clinic since high school (~1000 hrs), where I performed triage and shadowed doctors.
I have also volunteered at three different hospitals, and volunteered at homeless shelter and soup kitchen I plan to get more volunteer and clinical hours before I graduate

Work: 2 part-time jobs
I assume I can get some pretty good LORS, what are my chances on getting in?

Thank you for your time!

 

[gatech15]

Sadly, I am not URM.

What do you mean by do it yourself post bac?

Also, what is the problem with Caribbean schools. My cousin just finished and was accepted to a residency here, quite recently. Are they that bad?

 

[Goro]

Do a search of these forums.

And yes the Caribbean schools are that bad. The odds are that someone going there has only a 25% chance of being a doctor ever. And you should ask your cousin if he got into a categorical position which is a real residency, or a preliminary. The latter is a one-year dead-end job which throws him back into the match next year. This is a common fate for Caribbean graduates, for those who actually make it through medical school.

Sadly, I am not URM.

What do you mean by do it yourself post bac?

Also, what is the problem with Caribbean schools. My cousin just finished and was accepted to a residency here, quite recently. Are they that bad?

 

[NeuroPA]

DIY postbac means that you need to take courses such as Neurobiology, Immunology, Genetics, Biochemistry, and other upper division courses (preferably science) that will show that you can survive academic rigor. DIY postbaccs just means that there is no "formal structure" or sequence.