Chances with my low GPA (no MCAT yet). Advice please!!

[hwinger]

I am a 28yo white female. (yes, we all know it matters!) I graduated from college in 2008. Early on, I screwed up and drastically hurt my GPA. In 2004 I failed two classes. Had a D the semester before that and the semester after. I took an entire semester off and got my mind together. Initially, I did the "major of the month program" for the first couple of years and took a lot of random classes. I ended up graduating with a BA in political science and a minor in chemistry.

My overall GPA is 2.97. I'm not entirely sure about my science because I don't have my chem 1 class on my transcript (transfer), but I'm guessing about 3.10.

Some grades from science/math classes:
Spring 04- physics 1- C
Summer 05- Calc 2- D (Calc 1 was an A in 2003)
Spring 07- Bio 1 I got a B, gen chem 2 I got an A-
Summer 07- Orgo I I got an A-, Orgo lab and orgo problems class both A's.
Fall 07- Bio 2 B, Orgo 2 B-, orgo problems A, Physics 2 B+
Spring 2008- Orgo chem lab B+, an independent organic research class- A

So basically, my grades early on were pretty miserable including 2 Fs in 2004 from classes I did not complete because of some medical problems and 2 Ds (one in Chinese and one in calc 2). But after that semester off, my grades got much better.

Before college and during college, I shadowed and worked for surgeons. I am now working as an ER tech. I have also worked as an EMT for a 911 service and I have been a volunteer firefighter for 3 years. Previously, I was not dedicated to go to medical school, but now I am and I worry about my previous grades. Overall, I have about 4-5 years in healthcare as EMT, ER tech, medical assistant.

My school of choice is the University of Louisville, which is where my mom also went as a very non traditional student and got her MD at the age of 45. (she still believes I would have a better chance simply because she went there, but I don't believe that is accurate anymore-- am I right??).

I am also looking at Marian, Pikeville, Lincoln, and a few others in the surrouding area (But I don't want to be far from Louisville because I'm married and he cannot move due to work).

I am taking the Kaplan class. My initial MCAT diagnostic was a 19, which I thought was dang good since I've been without science for 5 years and without physics since 2004 & 2007.

What can I do to improve my chances? More volunteering on the side? Does my volunteer firefighting help at all? I am also shadowing at the local level 1 trauma ER. What kind of MCAT scores should I be looking for to get accepted to UofL vs DO school?

I've also thought that I could apply for and start the Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Bioethics & Medical Humanities program to bump my GPA.

I really do appreciate any advice and thanks!

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[GypsyHummus]

I am a 28yo white female. (yes, we all know it matters!) I graduated from college in 2008. Early on, I screwed up and drastically hurt my GPA. In 2004 I failed two classes. Had a D the semester before that and the semester after. I took an entire semester off and got my mind together. Initially, I did the "major of the month program" for the first couple of years and took a lot of random classes. I ended up graduating with a BA in political science and a minor in chemistry.

My overall GPA is 2.97. I'm not entirely sure about my science because I don't have my chem 1 class on my transcript (transfer), but I'm guessing about 3.10.

Some grades from science/math classes:
Spring 04- physics 1- C
Summer 05- Calc 2- D (Calc 1 was an A in 2003)
Spring 07- Bio 1 I got a B, gen chem 2 I got an A-
Summer 07- Orgo I I got an A-, Orgo lab and orgo problems class both A's.
Fall 07- Bio 2 B, Orgo 2 B-, orgo problems A, Physics 2 B+
Spring 2008- Orgo chem lab B+, an independent organic research class- A

So basically, my grades early on were pretty miserable including 2 Fs in 2004 from classes I did not complete because of some medical problems and 2 Ds (one in Chinese and one in calc 2). But after that semester off, my grades got much better.

Before college and during college, I shadowed and worked for surgeons. I am now working as an ER tech. I have also worked as an EMT for a 911 service and I have been a volunteer firefighter for 3 years. Previously, I was not dedicated to go to medical school, but now I am and I worry about my previous grades. Overall, I have about 4-5 years in healthcare as EMT, ER tech, medical assistant.

My school of choice is the University of Louisville, which is where my mom also went as a very non traditional student and got her MD at the age of 45. (she still believes I would have a better chance simply because she went there, but I don't believe that is accurate anymore-- am I right??).

I am also looking at Marian, Pikeville, Lincoln, and a few others in the surrouding area (But I don't want to be far from Louisville because I'm married and he cannot move due to work).

I am taking the Kaplan class. My initial MCAT diagnostic was a 19, which I thought was dang good since I've been without science for 5 years and without physics since 2004 & 2007.

What can I do to improve my chances? More volunteering on the side? Does my volunteer firefighting help at all? I am also shadowing at the local level 1 trauma ER. What kind of MCAT scores should I be looking for to get accepted to UofL vs DO school?

I've also thought that I could apply for and start the Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Bioethics & Medical Humanities program to bump my GPA.

I really do appreciate any advice and thanks!

My guess is the you won't get very far/ much love without at least a 3.3 cumulative and at least a 3.2 science. You have a couple options:

Raise your gpa until it gets to above a 3.3 then take the mcat and score at least a 26. This is the minimum for DO school it seems like

Or

Do a masters linkage program. It's an audition into medical school, but you must aboslutly get good grades.

 

[eosinophil14]

Put all of your grades from every institution you've attended into AACOMAS, you'll have an idea what your cgpa and sgpa will be then. Same thing with AMCAS it calculates cgpa and bcpm. Doing so won't cost you a thing. This will be deleted in early May so plan on putting all this information in again if you're applying for 2014, but it's good to know where you are at as far as gpa goes. DO schools have grade replacement so make sure to take advantage of that if you have any repeat credits, just make sure they are the "same" class with equal or greater amount of credits. AACOMAS doesn't count math (your D in calc) into the science gpa, but AMCAS does.

Go for the masters only if you are truly interested in the subject, but if you're doing it to raise gpa an informal post-bacc is what you want because grad gpa is calculated separately from undergrad gpa. SMPs and linkage programs are a good bet for MD if you're set on allo so do your research on schools that admit heavily from, though you have to make sure you rock it. Also I heard they are very expensive so that's something to think about. If you want to go DO then post bacc will improve your undergrad gpa by taking higher-div science and any classes that should be repeated. I heard conflicting statements about repeating Cs, i think the concencus is repeat C- and below and leave anything above that to focus on other things- what did you get on your Chemistry 1 class btw?

You have great clinical exp, keep it up! I think your volunteer firefighter experience says a lot about your altruism/compassion- I mean you're willing to go into a burning building for somebody else's well-being at the risk of your own. Don't take on too much by adding more volunteer obligations- just focus on gpa rehabilitation and your MCAT.

I hope the fact that your mom was an alum at a med school doesn't factor into the admissions decision, it just wouldn't be fair for the rest of us that didn't have physician family members- just my $0.02.

Best of luck to you!