Chemical Engineering at top 10 school-low GPA (3.2-3.4) Whats my plan?

[surftheiop]

Thanks for help!

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[surftheiop]

Also an MCAT timing question:

would taking the MCAT in June after junior year be too late and mess up my chances when applying that fall? (ive heard the earlier you apply the better). I just really dont want to have to mess with taking the MCAT right before finals.

 

[flip26]

Whatever you do, don't take the MCAT until you have taken all the pre-reqs AND have done some intense prep work for the test over 3 or 4 months, your best bet through a prep class like Kaplan.

Thinking you are on the same timeline as a traditional pre-med who applies after their junior year is frankly delusional...you haven't done any of the ECs that pre-meds have been doing for years...you are at a huge disadvantage on the EC front alone.

Just read the Cornell PDF - you really need to score well on the MCAT to have anything better than a coin flip's chance at med school.

My advice would be to finish your degree without taking any more of the pre-reqs (your grades in the pre-reqs so far are NOT what you need to be making - you need As in the pre-reqs). Then look at a post bacc program to take the pre-reqs where you can make As...

 

[J ROD]

Well, I am from SC so I can tell you what you need to get in at MUSC and USC.

They have lower standards than alot other schools around the country.

You need to get clinical volunteering for about 1-1.5 yrs with over 150+hrs. Make sure to get in shadowing too.

Take extra classes if you have to get that GPA over a 3.5. I would not waste a year after getting my ChemE degree. You can get it all in if you are a Soph. Just take enough extra easy "psy" to balance out the engin.


Then, get a 32-33 MCAT and you will be okay. I have seen people with 3.4 and 33 MCAT get in before in SC.

I really think you have little worry about except a good MCAT and get on the volunteer/shadowing. That will keep you out if you have none.

 

[surftheiop]

Well, I am from SC so I can tell you what you need to get in at MUSC and USC.

They have lower standards than alot other schools around the country.

You need to get clinical volunteering for about 1-1.5 yrs with over 150+hrs. Make sure to get in shadowing too.

Take extra classes if you have to get that GPA over a 3.5. I would not waste a year after getting my ChemE degree. You can get it all in if you are a Soph. Just take enough extra easy "psy" to balance out the engin.


Then, get a 32-33 MCAT and you will be okay. I have seen people with 3.4 and 33 MCAT get in before in SC.

I really think you have little worry about except a good MCAT and get on the volunteer/shadowing. That will keep you out if you have none.

Thanks for the advice, couple more questions -

im going to be taking Bio I and Bio II at college of charleston this summer and assuming I don't get sick or something I will likely make an A in both (I have friends from highschool who took the classes this year and they told me I could make A's pretty easily)

Cornell will give me transfer credit for the classes, but won't factor them into my GPA. Will medical schools count courses taken during summer towards my GPA? (It seems like they would have to factor it in seeing as plenty of CofC students get into med school so it would be really unfair to me if they didnt).

Let's say I end up with my GPA stuck at 3.4 and don't get in right after. What would be the best things to do in the next year to get ready to re-apply?

 

[surftheiop]

Whatever you do, don't take the MCAT until you have taken all the pre-reqs AND have done some intense prep work for the test over 3 or 4 months, your best bet through a prep class like Kaplan.

Thinking you are on the same timeline as a traditional pre-med who applies after their junior year is frankly delusional...you haven't done any of the ECs that pre-meds have been doing for years...you are at a huge disadvantage on the EC front alone.

Just read the Cornell PDF - you really need to score well on the MCAT to have anything better than a coin flip's chance at med school.

My advice would be to finish your degree without taking any more of the pre-reqs (your grades in the pre-reqs so far are NOT what you need to be making - you need As in the pre-reqs). Then look at a post bacc program to take the pre-reqs where you can make As...

Well im required to take orgo for ChemE and Im going to be taking Bio at home over the summer so its not going to be a big deal to get the pre-req's done in time.

 

[flip26]

Well im required to take orgo for ChemE and Im going to be taking Bio at home over the summer so its not going to be a big deal to get the pre-req's done in time.

Well, make As. Your BCPM GPA is going to kill you, and when all is said and done, you will probably need to do some post bacc GPA repair...

And rock that MCAT!

 

[flip26]

Thanks for the advice, couple more questions -

im going to be taking Bio I and Bio II at college of charleston this summer and assuming I don't get sick or something I will likely make an A in both (I have friends from highschool who took the classes this year and they told me I could make A's pretty easily)

Cornell will give me transfer credit for the classes, but won't factor them into my GPA. Will medical schools count courses taken during summer towards my GPA? (It seems like they would have to factor it in seeing as plenty of CofC students get into med school so it would be really unfair to me if they didnt).

Let's say I end up with my GPA stuck at 3.4 and don't get in right after. What would be the best things to do in the next year to get ready to re-apply?

Yes to the underlined question...

 

[surftheiop]

by post-bacc GPA repair do you mean just taking random science/health related classes at another school for a year or do you mean re-taking classes I made B's in at another school for a year?

 

[Catalystik]

by post-bacc GPA repair do you mean just taking random science/health related classes at another school for a year

Yes. Don't retake classes unless you got a C or lower.

 

[surftheiop]

Yes. Don't retake classes unless you got a C or lower.

Makes sense, kind of funny for me that the lowest grade i'll likely have on my transcript is a B but my GPA will still suck

I guess taking the extra year wouldnt be bad i could take pharmacology and some neuro-bio and stuff that I would love to take now but can't fit in my schedule.

 

[J ROD]

You seem to make B's in the engin classes that are hard so for every one of those take a easy class to match. That way you can at least 3.5.

I always did that to protect my GPA. You can count those classes this summer. I would take A&P I and II as well to boost the GPA. Plus, they are more helpful than Bio I & II for the MCAT.

If you protect your GPA during the summers and match easy for hard at Cornell you can get it over a 3.5.

I think you will get a great MCAT score because all my engin friends have made 33+ on the MCAT.

I really think you can away without taking an extra year.

Also, volunteer and shadow now!

 

[surftheiop]

You seem to make B's in the engin classes that are hard so for every one of those take a easy class to match. That way you can at least 3.5.

I always did that to protect my GPA. You can count those classes this summer. I would take A&P I and II as well to boost the GPA. Plus, they are more helpful than Bio I & II for the MCAT.

If you protect your GPA during the summers and match easy for hard at Cornell you can get it over a 3.5.

I think you will get a great MCAT score because all my engin friends have made 33+ on the MCAT.

I really think you can away without taking an extra year.

Also, volunteer and shadow now!

Thanks for the advice, I definately will take more liberal arts classes than im required in order to boost GPA like you mentioned. (Plus i've been enjoying subject material in psych classes alot more than quantum mechanics and what not )

 

[flip26]

Thanks for the advice, I definately will take more liberal arts classes than im required in order to boost GPA like you mentioned. (Plus i've been enjoying subject material in psych classes alot more than quantum mechanics and what not )

In your first post, you say you now want to be a doctor, not an engineer, and that you are a sophomore.

Knowing that your grades are poor for med school, why wouldn't you change majors NOW? Especially since you hae discovered you like the psych classes? Why not major in psych?

It is not too late, but if you don't start bringing up that GPA with mostly As, it will be too late...

 

[surftheiop]

In your first post, you say you now want to be a doctor, not an engineer, and that you are a sophomore.

Knowing that your grades are poor for med school, why wouldn't you change majors NOW? Especially since you hae discovered you like the psych classes? Why not major in psych?

It is not too late, but if you don't start bringing up that GPA with mostly As, it will be too late...

it would take me an extra year to graduate if i switched to psych, so i figure if I end up having to take an extra year of classes id rather pay like 10k to do it a state school at home to raise GPA after I graduate than paying like 3 or 4 times more here.

Plus I think the engineering background will make me a much better doctor in the long run so while it might hurt me getting into med school it will help me for the rest of my career. (This isnt just me saying this, my friend's dad was engineer then radioligist and the president of Cornell was engineering, then medschool and worked up to president of university. Both have mentioned how engineering is great preperation for a medical career and will give advantages in the long run)

 

[surftheiop]

In your first post, you say you now want to be a doctor, not an engineer, and that you are a sophomore.

Knowing that your grades are poor for med school, why wouldn't you change majors NOW? Especially since you hae discovered you like the psych classes? Why not major in psych?

It is not too late, but if you don't start bringing up that GPA with mostly As, it will be too late...

and also the main reason I've liked psych is its so easy for me (just sit down, read and memorize) so Im probaly getting my money's worth more learning the problem solving skills in engineering.

 

[J ROD]

I would not switch for SC admin.

I think the engin degree is a much better degree to have in your pocket just in case. Plus, I would not waste a year on the Psy degree.

I know about SC. I am from there.

Get a 33+ MCAT and that GPA will be fine.

 

[surftheiop]

I would not switch for SC admin.

I think the engin degree is a much better degree to have in your pocket just in case. Plus, I would not waste a year on the Psy degree.

I know about SC. I am from there.

Get a 33+ MCAT and that GPA will be fine.

JDUB thanks for you advice, after reading it I bought a practice MCAT off of AAMC website and took it as if it were at test day.

I ended up making exactly a 33

11 on physical sciences, 14 on Verbal and 8 on Bio.

Given the fact i havent taken any bio classes or organic chem yet the Bio section will surely go up once i take those classes so I probaly won't have much of a problem making a 33 once I take those classes and study up on freshman chem.

 

[surftheiop]

I didnt want to start a new thread for this but I was curious what sort of ratio of volunteering to shadowing is typical/beneficial to applications?

It seems shadowing will show you alot more about what a doctor actually does day to day while volunteering will give you alot of patient contact and contact with all the other people who make a hospital tick (administrative,nurses,etc.).

 

[chewsnuffles]

JDUB thanks for you advice, after reading it I bought a practice MCAT off of AAMC website and took it as if it were at test day.

I ended up making exactly a 33

11 on physical sciences, 14 on Verbal and 8 on Bio.

Given the fact i havent taken any bio classes or organic chem yet the Bio section will surely go up once i take those classes so I probaly won't have much of a problem making a 33 once I take those classes and study up on freshman chem.

Hey, this may come across as *******-ish, but I think I should tell you now and maybe you'll thank me later - don't be happy with that 33 you just got, and you need to study A LOT to make sure you get the score that YOU NEED on test day.

I'm assuming you took test 3R since that is the free one on the website. That test is also known as the easiest of all the AAMC practice tests. You need to get your hands on the other tests, take 4R or 5R, and re-asses the situation (PM me if you need help getting those tests)

What scares me about that practice MCAT you just took isn't the total number (33, which is pretty good), but the fact that you were being carried by your VR score, and that number can fluctuate a ton based on a number of circumstances on test day (how you feel, how fast your brain is going, and if there is EVEN ONE PASSAGE that you don't MASTER, that score will drop 3-4 points right off the bat).

Don't count on VR. Also, you should have done much better on the PS section being a chemical engineer. Start consistently scoring 13+, and then you know that you can also pull that come test day (there is more like a 1 point variability for the PS section, cause really, if you know it and can do it fast, that kind of skill doesn't change).

Your BS score is cool since I'm sure you can learn that as you study, but get your **** together on the PS because as a chem e there really is no excuse for you to score below a 13.

 

[Mobius1985]

I didnt want to start a new thread for this but I was curious what sort of ratio of volunteering to shadowing is typical/beneficial to applications?

The average applicant has 1.5 years of clinical experience on their application with a total of 150 hours. If you gain it as a volunteer, doing this at a rate of 3-4 hours per week is preferred over larger chunks of time done only over breaks. For shadowing, I tend to see 8-40 hours each for 2-3 types of specialty, depending on your interest and the doctor's tolerance of your presence. This can be done in chunks of time, like over winter, spring, or summer break. There is no preferred ratio between the two types of activity. Some schools don't regard shadowing at all, but most consider it a valuable experience to demonstrate that you understand what a career as a doctor would be like.

 

[surftheiop]

Hey, this may come across as *******-ish, but I think I should tell you now and maybe you'll thank me later - don't be happy with that 33 you just got, and you need to study A LOT to make sure you get the score that YOU NEED on test day.

I'm assuming you took test 3R since that is the free one on the website. That test is also known as the easiest of all the AAMC practice tests. You need to get your hands on the other tests, take 4R or 5R, and re-asses the situation (PM me if you need help getting those tests)

What scares me about that practice MCAT you just took isn't the total number (33, which is pretty good), but the fact that you were being carried by your VR score, and that number can fluctuate a ton based on a number of circumstances on test day (how you feel, how fast your brain is going, and if there is EVEN ONE PASSAGE that you don't MASTER, that score will drop 3-4 points right off the bat).

Don't count on VR. Also, you should have done much better on the PS section being a chemical engineer. Start consistently scoring 13+, and then you know that you can also pull that come test day (there is more like a 1 point variability for the PS section, cause really, if you know it and can do it fast, that kind of skill doesn't change).

Your BS score is cool since I'm sure you can learn that as you study, but get your **** together on the PS because as a chem e there really is no excuse for you to score below a 13.

I took test 4r (bought it for the $35 or w/e off AAMC).

I understand what you mean about studying hard, I definately will. I took this test completly cold (havent taken gen-chem in 1.5 years and i we didn't cover optics, sound or fluids in physics). I was mostly just trying to get a sense of the MCAT as a whole and see what sort of chem/physics questions they ask.

I still have ~1.5 years till the MCAT so i definately plan on doing a ton of studying between then and now (and to take bio and orgo).

Thanks alot for the advice, do you have any thoughts about the shadowing/volunteering i mentioned earlier?

 

[surftheiop]

The average applicant has 1.5 years of clinical experience on their application with a total of 150 hours. If you gain it as a volunteer, doing this at a rate of 3-4 hours per week is preferred over larger chunks of time done only over breaks. For shadowing, I tend to see 8-40 hours each for 2-3 types of specialty, depending on your interest and the doctor's tolerance of your presence. This can be done in chunks of time, like over winter, spring, or summer break. There is no preferred ratio between the two types of activity. Some schools don't regard shadowing at all, but most consider it a valuable experience to demonstrate that you understand what a career as a doctor would be like.

how bad would it hurt me if I did have to lump most my clinical volunteering into breaks? Im going to do my best to volunteer during school but b/c of logistics (hospital is 20 min drive away and almost no sophmores have cars) it could be really difficult to do.

 

[Mobius1985]

You just do the best you can, and if asked give your perfectly reasonable explanation. Consider doing something on campus, like volunteer to help a physically challenged student with tasks of daily living, or working at the information desk at the student health service.

 

[chewsnuffles]

I took test 4r (bought it for the $35 or w/e off AAMC).

I understand what you mean about studying hard, I definately will. I took this test completly cold (havent taken gen-chem in 1.5 years and i we didn't cover optics, sound or fluids in physics). I was mostly just trying to get a sense of the MCAT as a whole and see what sort of chem/physics questions they ask.

I still have ~1.5 years till the MCAT so i definately plan on doing a ton of studying between then and now (and to take bio and orgo).

Thanks alot for the advice, do you have any thoughts about the shadowing/volunteering i mentioned earlier?

Oh, 4R, well, you're cool. Wasn't expecting that to be the first one you'd take, but oh well!

As for volunteering, I think mobius makes some really good points on how to get some meaningful volunteer experience. Pretty much anything you do will be enough for them to check off the box which says "applicant explored medicine". Volunteer in a clinic as well as a hospital, that way you can show you've explored the two major sides of medicine (even if most of what you end up doing is utterly worthless). Really, you'll get the most meaning from the types of experiences mobius mentioned.

 

[surftheiop]

You just do the best you can, and if asked give your perfectly reasonable explanation. Consider doing something on campus, like volunteer to help a physically challenged student with tasks of daily living, or working at the information desk at the student health service.

I did some research and Im going to apply to volunteer at MUSC's children's hospital. It sounds like volunteers get to interact with patients alot (playing,painting,reading to, etc.) and also do things like patient transport.

 

[Mobius1985]

That sounds good.

 

[cyclin M]

A 33 MCAT will not be enough for you. You have a below average GPA so you need a above average MCAT to be accepted.

High 30s and you will good to go.

 

[surftheiop]

A 33 MCAT will not be enough for you. You have a below average GPA so you need a above average MCAT to be accepted.

High 30s and you will good to go.

Yeah that sounds about right, median MCAT at schools im looking at (in state) is 30 so if i can get to 35-36 i should be able to make up for the GPA somewhat.

But MCAT is still 1.5 years away for me so now im just focused on trying to get the GPA up and looking for way to get clinical experience.

 

[jack skellingto]

Well, make As. Your BCPM GPA is going to kill you, and when all is said and done, you will

probably need to do some post bacc GPA repair...

And rock that MCAT!

Yeah really MCAT is rock and i preferred to all my students to complete this exam for the great future success.

 

[surftheiop]

Yeah really MCAT is rock and i preferred to all my students to complete this exam for the great future success.

 

[surftheiop]

Thought I would give a one year update, things are on the uptick!

 

[Catalystik]

I'm glad to hear things are going so well for you. I'm glad you added the update to "the rest of the story" so we could recall where you started from. Thanks for the post.