Dead in the water, right?

[drfaust]

I graduated in 2007 with a 3.14...
Since then, I havent had much direction. Just on a whim, I decided to take two classes.

So basically, I shot myself in the foot taking these classes. With a "D" and an "F" (I didn't even take the finals). I can't recover from that. I did the calculations and both of these grades knock my GPA down from an already less than stellar 3.14 to an abysmal 2.99… If I made mostly As for a full year, it’d be pulled back up to 3.14ish.

So now I can’t be a doctor. That seems more than a little unfair. Is it every school in every district that requires ALL of your transcripts? even from masturbation classes? Is there anything I can do? Petition the school? offer a bribe to the TTMSCA? Beg? plead?

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[premed1437]

Was there a reason for this? Family emergency? Something else that would reasonably cause you to do bad?

If so, call up your Dean's office and ask them if you can do a retroactive withdrawal...I know some people that have done those, and basically, you write a letter to the Dean explaining your situation, and they retroactively take those grades away and replace them with W's. How likely they are to do this depends on the school and your standing with them, I guess, but it's worth a shot..

 

[drfaust]

Was there a reason for this? Family emergency? Something else that would reasonably cause you to do bad?

..

Not really. I was supposed to get back into houston before the final. but my dad had a bike accident in new zealand. we decided to stay for another few days (no body likes to travel with bloody bandages). But he didn't go to the doctor. I realized that I would miss the final, but frankly i didn't care. I didn't think it would be germane to anything. I didn't think anyone would care what I made in a poetry class at a tier 4 school.

I think I'm just going to be perfectly honest in a letter to the dean, explaining my frame of mind and the reasons behind my actions. I took the classes because i thought they'd be interesting. I didn't care what grades I made. And now i cant go to med school. Do you think this is a good idea?

 

[premed1437]

I think I'm just going to be perfectly honest in a letter to the dean, explaining my frame of mind and the reasons behind my actions. I took the classes because i thought they'd be interesting. I didn't care what grades I made. And now i cant go to med school. Do you think this is a good idea?

Nope. Most schools would turn that down easily. The purpose of a retroactive withdrawal is to help students who were in times of trouble and had a legitimate reason for doing bad... The student just not caring is another issue, and it's not one they'd be likely to give you a retroactive withdrawal for. Think about it, how would that be fair?

 

[Ironfist]

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[Catalystik]

With a "D" and an "F" (I didn't even take the finals). I can't recover from that. I did the calculations and both of these grades knock my GPA down from an already less than stellar 3.14 to an abysmal 2.99… If I made mostly As for a full year, it'd be pulled back up to 3.14ish.

So now I can't be a doctor.

Wrong. If you retake all the classes with poor grades that are pulling your GPA down, you can apply through AACOMAS, the DO med school application service (excluding TCOM), which only includes the most recent retake when they calculate your application GPA.

Or: Get your GPA to > 3.0. With a 3.0, and a decent MCAT score, you qualify for a lot of SMPs (Special Masters Program). This is a 1-2 year paid audition, a very expensive redemption option which can overrride a low uGPA. If you perform well in the SMP, where you compete with first year med students at their linked med school and get a high GPA, typically 3.5 or better, you have a chance of an acceptance at an MD med school. This outcome is not guaranteed, though, but DO schools still remain an option. Read more on this option in the Postbaccalaureate Programs Forum of SDN.

Or: Get two years of near-perfect cGPA including your prerequisites and deliver on that potential to get an awesomely high MCAT score, and an allopathic med school might take you.

You CAN still be a doctor, though all these options assume optimal ECs and strong LORs, good PS and excellent interview skills.

 

[Auriga]

With low GPAs, they look for an UPWARD trend, not the opposite. But you could take another year or two, maybe a masters program, to prove you are capable of the rigors and take it seriously. But you also MUST HAVE a huge amount of stellar EC's especially shadowing volunteering and hopefully a strong work history to balance out the crappy semester.

I had a couple of F's 5 years ago. My undergrad GPA was 3.0. I did just as I mentioned above. My MCAT score and my EC's and PS and secondaries were knocks out of the park - THAT is what you can do about your past mistakes.

Retroactive withdrawals are tough even with doctor's documentation for illness btw.

Cat's suggestions are great. Your MCAT score will have a huge impact also. And apply to MANY schools unless you have one who's guaranteeing you a spot if you complete their PostBacc.