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Hi all,
I'm happy I found this little forum and am hoping someone can help me. I am thinking about a path in the medical field. However, I am in a bit of a bind.
I'm 25, going on 26 -- I entered college when I was 17 and have been working a full-time job more or less the entire time. For most of that time, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, so I decided to focus on advancement in work.
I majored in Philosophy but the lack of attention to school has resulted in less than stellar grades. I'm at 78 hours, with a GPA of 2.6. I can retake some classes, but I understand the AMCAS averages all classes, so this seems pointless to me. I think I would be better off taking whole new classes.
I have nearly completed all the main requirements for my Philosophy degree. All that remains are Core requirements that I skipped -- mostly 1000 and 2000 level courses.
My immediate dillemna is whether I should even bother to take these classes. I can CLEP these classes. Regardless of whether I take these classes or CLEP them, I must pick up a second degree in Biology before graduation and this represents alone 45-50 additional hours.
Running the numbers, assuming all As, I can score about a 3.2 overall GPA with the CLEPs, though my "other" GPA will be 2.6. Again, this assumes straight As in a new Biology degree, also resulting in a 4.0 BCPM.
If I instead take the classes instead of CLEPing them, I could have an Overall nearer to 3.4 and an Other nearer to 3.0. This looks a little nicer, I suppose, but is it? 2.6, 3.2 an 3.4 all seem pathetic to me. I am hoping that a high MCAT, combined with a 4.0 BCPM will show that my past performance is not an indicator of my ability.
All of this looks rather dismal to me.
My questions are these:
1. Should I CLEP these lower-division classes or take them? Achieving As in lower-division classes doesn't seem that spectacular to me.
2. Should I retake my 4 Ds? By my calculations, this doesn't seem to offer a significant boost in GPA to waste the time and money.
3. What recommendations can anyone offer me on improving my prospects?
Thank you!
I'm happy I found this little forum and am hoping someone can help me. I am thinking about a path in the medical field. However, I am in a bit of a bind.
I'm 25, going on 26 -- I entered college when I was 17 and have been working a full-time job more or less the entire time. For most of that time, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, so I decided to focus on advancement in work.
I majored in Philosophy but the lack of attention to school has resulted in less than stellar grades. I'm at 78 hours, with a GPA of 2.6. I can retake some classes, but I understand the AMCAS averages all classes, so this seems pointless to me. I think I would be better off taking whole new classes.
I have nearly completed all the main requirements for my Philosophy degree. All that remains are Core requirements that I skipped -- mostly 1000 and 2000 level courses.
My immediate dillemna is whether I should even bother to take these classes. I can CLEP these classes. Regardless of whether I take these classes or CLEP them, I must pick up a second degree in Biology before graduation and this represents alone 45-50 additional hours.
Running the numbers, assuming all As, I can score about a 3.2 overall GPA with the CLEPs, though my "other" GPA will be 2.6. Again, this assumes straight As in a new Biology degree, also resulting in a 4.0 BCPM.
If I instead take the classes instead of CLEPing them, I could have an Overall nearer to 3.4 and an Other nearer to 3.0. This looks a little nicer, I suppose, but is it? 2.6, 3.2 an 3.4 all seem pathetic to me. I am hoping that a high MCAT, combined with a 4.0 BCPM will show that my past performance is not an indicator of my ability.
All of this looks rather dismal to me.
My questions are these:
1. Should I CLEP these lower-division classes or take them? Achieving As in lower-division classes doesn't seem that spectacular to me.
2. Should I retake my 4 Ds? By my calculations, this doesn't seem to offer a significant boost in GPA to waste the time and money.
3. What recommendations can anyone offer me on improving my prospects?
Thank you!
