Did not get into medical school, now what? Any tips?

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SirocN

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Kind of lost right now and anybodies tips or advice would help

Long story short I finished my undergrad with all required prerequisite courses and ended up getting really low GPA. I didn't even do my MCAT exam because I already know my GPA was not good enough for Canadian or USA medical schools and maybe not even Caribbean medical schools.

What are my next steps? Is there anything I can do to "Update" my grades? If I get into a masters program do they only look at my masters programs GPA?
Does the master programs need to be in the sciences or can be anything because I have already passed the prerequisites?

Or maybe medical school dreams is impossible now and I have to look into other medical field careers, and if you think so, any suggestions? Nurse? Dental Assistant?

Your help is appreciated!

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How bad of a GPA are we talking? You can do a post-bac to raise the GPA and would likely need to kill the MCAT.

Read Goro's guide to reinvention.
 
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How bad of a GPA are we talking? You can do a post-bac to raise the GPA and would likely need to kill the MCAT.

Read Goro's guide to reinvention.

We talking about a 2.5gpa. Ended up failing physics.
Med school 100% out of question now or is there any way I can do some more years of studies and med schools only focus on those years. Hoping to prove myself.
Or
If med school out of the question now, any other careers you can recommend?
 
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We talking about a 2.5gpa. Ended up failing physics.
Med school 100% out of question now or is there any way I can do some more years of studies and med schools only focus on those years. Hoping to prove myself.
Or
If med school out of the question now, any other careers you can recommend?
It's an uphill climb but anything is possible if you're committed. You'll have to do a serious GPA repair, get a great MCAT score, and understand that MD may be out of the equation and focus on DO. An Adcom could give you much better insight than I could, but I would start by reading the link in my last post.
 
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We talking about a 2.5gpa. Ended up failing physics.
Med school 100% out of question now or is there any way I can do some more years of studies and med schools only focus on those years. Hoping to prove myself.
Or
If med school out of the question now, any other careers you can recommend?

Definitely not out of the question. My GPA when I started back on the path was sub 3.0. It took years for me to get myself to the point where I had a decent enough GPA, a good MCAT score, and good ECs, but it's been worth it because I have 3 IIs now (all at MD schools). You will have to put in time and effort, but it is possible.
 
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So did you apply to medical school or not? I'm confused by your comments not matching the title of this thread.
 
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What are my next steps?
As others have said, read Goro's guide to reinvention.

Is there anything I can do to "Update" my grades?
A post-bacc. How bad of a GPA are we talking about here?

If I get into a masters program do they only look at my masters programs GPA?
No, pretty much the opposite. We'll look at your bachelor's grades 100% of the time; what schools do with your master's grades is highly variable. Don't do a master's program right now if you want to go to med school, do a post-bacc to raise your undergrad GPA.
 
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you mentioned that you failed physics - someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I would assume that you would HAVE to at least pass the required courses to even be considered for admission, regardless of GPA (certainly for those schools that still have "hard" requirements, although even the ones that have moved on to "suggested" prereqs will expect to see proof of competency)


Another thing to think about may be looking at other (great!) careers in the health field with less stringent entry-requirements - PA, podiatry, nursing... I don't know much about those paths but I'm sure you can find a wealth of information on here. Why did you want to become a doctor in the first place? Would you be (almost) just as happy doing one of those other careers? Is it realistic and worth it to put off making a salary for however many more years of post-bacc work, then med school, etc? It can certainly still be done, but it may not be the best path for you. Only you can ultimately decide that.
 
So did you apply to medical school or not? I'm confused by your comments not matching the title of this thread.

I did not apply. But who would with a 2.5gpa
 
Thank you to everyone commenting on this thread.
Surprisingly everyone was nice and very encouraging and to be honest I was expecting some people to try to beat me down.
I have taken a lot of your tips and appreciate them!!
 
I did not apply. But who would with a 2.5gpa
Haha then why did you put "Did not get into Medical School..." as your title?

Anyways, good luck man. Hopefully we will be seeing your success story on the "below 3.0 success thread" in the future.
 
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@Goro

I have read your guide to reinvention and I feel as though it may not be for me.
Keeping in mind I have a 2.5gpa. Mathematically at least, I would need to do get an 80%+ on every course for 3 years (25-30 courses) in order to raise my GPA into just a 3.0.
Are post bachelors looked upon differently in medical schools?
Meaning, do medical schools just look at those first and if you have a gpa good enough for them to take a look at your application, then do they look at the undergraduate degree?
 
As others have said, read Goro's guide to reinvention.


A post-bacc. How bad of a GPA are we talking about here?


No, pretty much the opposite. We'll look at your bachelor's grades 100% of the time; what schools do with your master's grades is highly variable. Don't do a master's program right now if you want to go to med school, do a post-bacc to raise your undergrad GPA.


GPA currently is a 2.5 cgpa
Finished my final year, failed physics so back going a course just to graduate.
Last 2 years gpa was at a 3.4gpa before physics ruined me.
I did horrible first 2 years
 
@Goro

I have read your guide to reinvention and I feel as though it may not be for me.
Keeping in mind I have a 2.5gpa. Mathematically at least, I would need to do get an 80%+ on every course for 3 years (25-30 courses) in order to raise my GPA into just a 3.0.
Are post bachelors looked upon differently in medical schools?
Meaning, do medical schools just look at those first and if you have a gpa good enough for them to take a look at your application, then do they look at the undergraduate degree?
Go reread the guide. It's no longer about getting the GPA up. It's about showing consistantly good grades from now on.

People look at graduate GPAs in different ways from cGPAs
 
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GPA currently is a 2.5 cgpa
Finished my final year, failed physics so back going a course just to graduate.
Last 2 years gpa was at a 3.4gpa before physics ruined me.
I did horrible first 2 years

If English is your second language as it appears it might be, I would also work on your reading/language abilities to strengthen your reading comprehension, as this is heavily tested directly and indirectly on the MCAT.
 
We talking about a 2.5gpa. Ended up failing physics.
Med school 100% out of question now or is there any way I can do some more years of studies and med schools only focus on those years. Hoping to prove myself.
Or
If med school out of the question now, any other careers you can recommend?
Med school is out of the question. I hate to be so blunt, but I don't want to give you false hope. If you had finished a couple semesters with a 2.5gpa, or even your associates with a 2.5, I'd say there is hope. But if you just finished your undergrad with a 2.5gpa, I'd say seek another career. Go to nursing school and improve your GPA and then work for a while and go back to school for NP or something.
Good luck,
-BabyDaddy
 
Well, I have decided to continue my education in order to raise my gpa, or maybe start a whole other degree and just retake some prerequisites for medical school and start applying. It will take some years, but medical school is definitely what I want to do

I am leaning towards DO Schools. I am in Canada, and I noticed there are not any DO schools in Canada unless I am missing something? If anyone suggests any schools please let me know or even any schools in Canada that are DO schools let me know too!
 
What's your career goal? Primary care? Academics? Research/PI? Private practice vs hospitalist?

You need to figure out WHY you want to go to medical school first.

"My parents are doctors so I want to be a doctor" or "I want to be be a physician b/c pay/prestige" are the wrong reasons for you to go to medical school even you can get into a good program.

You mentioned nursing school or dental assistant schools, seems like you want to serve patients and these are all great pathways for you to reach your career goal, if that's what you want.

And to the previous poster's "Med school is out of the question"... No, this is not true. There are programs that will accept you even with a low GPA e.g Caribbean schools. I know I will get a lot of crap for even mentioning this, but are you really not going to checkout these programs because they are not as "prestigious" or "traditional" as US MD programs?

I commend you for making a decision and going back to school to get better grades to improve your application. Good luck.
 
There are programs that will accept you even with a low GPA e.g Caribbean schools. I know I will get a lot of crap for even mentioning this, but are you really not going to checkout these programs because they are not as "prestigious" or "traditional" as US MD programs?

Yes. You should definitely not check out Carib schools, but it’s not because they aren’t as prestigious or traditional. It’s because they are predatory and terrible. The majority of people who go there end up with nothing to show for it. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and end up without a medical degree at the worst or with a medical degree and no residency at best.

Unless you’re one of the few who make it. But while everyone thinks they’re going to be one of the few who make it, all the ones who didn’t thought the same thing. If you (general you) have no history of performing well in the sciences and a crappy MCAT score, what makes you think you’ll suddenly be able to succeed in medical school, particularly in an environment with no support or direction and no safety net?

There are ways to come back from a 2.5 and get into a US med school, either MD or DO. The problem is they take time and the ability to delay gratification.

And there are also other careers. There’s nothing wrong with being a PA or a DPM and serving patients that way. It’s better than going to the Carib and plummeting yourself into debt for less than a 50% chance at matching.
 
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I dont think that a 2.5 GPA is enough to get into PA or DPM, even if they wanted to. PA schools usually require around a 3.2-3.4, and same with Podiatry (Unless the OP gets a 505+ MCAT score, which how likely is that with a 2.5GPA?). Pharmacy might be an option at this point, I was surprised how low the minimums are and the average GPA.

It more feasible to become a nurse at a 2.5 GPA and go from there.

People have come back from 2.5 GPA and have gone to medical school, but that is usually accompanied by a high MCAT and years of 3.8+ GPA performance.

And there are also other careers. There’s nothing wrong with being a PA or a DPM and serving patients that way. It’s better than going to the Carib and plummeting yourself into debt for less than a 50% chance at matching.
 
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“And to the previous poster's "Med school is out of the question"... No, this is not true. There are programs that will accept you even with a low GPA e.g Caribbean schools. I know I will get a lot of crap for even mentioning this, but are you really not going to checkout these programs because they are not as "prestigious" or "traditional" as US MD programs? “

Nobody on here will say a thing about Caribbean schools not being as”prestigious” or “traditional” as US schools. We will say this is absolutely horrible advice to give someone in OPs place. OP is the exact type of student Caribbean schools prey upon. They will accept him, accept his money(maybe even a few semesters worth) and then fail him out. This will leave him with massive amounts of debt and no way to pay the loan off. If he manages to get through school he will have a difficult time getting a residency. And again, he’ll be left with even more debt.
None of us are guaranteed a seat in med school.its not a right. Acceptance is the result of hard work. Each year only 40% of applicants get an acceptance and most of the remaining 60 percent have far better stats than a 2.5. GPA.
 
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I dont think that a 2.5 GPA is enough to get into PA or DPM, even if they wanted to. PA schools usually require around a 3.2-3.4, and same with Podiatry (Unless the OP gets a 505+ MCAT score, which how likely is that with a 2.5GPA?). Pharmacy might be an option at this point, I was surprised how low the minimums are and the average GPA.

It more feasible to become a nurse at a 2.5 GPA and go from there.

People have come back from 2.5 GPA and have gone to medical school, but that is usually accompanied by a high MCAT and years of 3.8+ GPA performance.

I didn’t say it was enough. I just said there were other careers. That doesn’t necessarily imply that you can get into them without some rehab. But you’re right. I doubt you could walk into a PA program with a gpa like that.

I’ve come back from a sub-3.0. It took years, a high MCAT, and some excellent ECs and LORs. I haven’t closed the deal yet, but I had 3 IIs by the end of August, so I’m doing okay. It can be done if you have the patience, a small amount of intelligence, and a lot of self awareness.
 
I didn’t say it was enough. I just said there were other careers. That doesn’t necessarily imply that you can get into them without some rehab. But you’re right. I doubt you could walk into a PA program with a gpa like that.

I’ve come back from a sub-3.0. It took years, a high MCAT, and some excellent ECs and LORs. I haven’t closed the deal yet, but I had 3 IIs by the end of August, so I’m doing okay. It can be done if you have the patience, a small amount of intelligence, and a lot of self awareness.

its doable, but besides the patients, intelligence and self awareness OP needs to figure out what caused his low GPA to begin with and also why he failed physics. that's going to take a bit of self inspection and figure out what happened. He said he had a gpa of 3.4 then failed physics. a GPA of 3.4 without failing physics isn't going to get him into medical school. What is motivating him towards his path? What is he will to sacrifice to get where he wants to be and what his weaknesses are? is it going out too much? not focusing enough? or just doesn't understand the material

I myself graduated with a 2.8 GPA and working towards re-invention with luck this cycle, but it took a deployment to Iraq to get my head out of my butt and for me to go focus and dedicating myself towards the path.
 
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Lol sorry for being the most negative person on the thread OP! I still think it’s not your best option, but I hope you do succeed! Good luck and study hard!
 
Simply put, I did horrible because my head wasn't in the game. I would go out too much and not give my education enough time. A mistake that I have identified and I wont allow myself to make again.

Getting into a DO, MD, PA or Dental programs of course wont be possible with a 2.5gpa.
Which is why I stated earlier that I will be continuing my education in order to raise my gpa or maybe take on a whole new degree.
It is going to take time and patience and determination put it is POSSIBLE.

Can anyone recommend any DO / PA schools I should apply to in a few years (MD is highly unlikely at this point)? I just want to email some schools and see what they look for in applicants.
 
Simply put, I did horrible because my head wasn't in the game. I would go out too much and not give my education enough time. A mistake that I have identified and I wont allow myself to make again.

Getting into a DO, MD, PA or Dental programs of course wont be possible with a 2.5gpa.
Which is why I stated earlier that I will be continuing my education in order to raise my gpa or maybe take on a whole new degree.
It is going to take time and patience and determination put it is POSSIBLE.

Can anyone recommend any DO / PA schools I should apply to in a few years (MD is highly unlikely at this point)? I just want to email some schools and see what they look for in applicants.

i'll be honest it might take more than a few years to repair the damage and to show you are a different person. for DO school goro can give you the best insight for PA you might want to check the PA forums. just remember its easy to say i won't do this again and another thing to actually do it. and as a canadian applicant your path is going to be a bit harder
 
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its doable, but besides the patients, intelligence and self awareness OP needs to figure out what caused his low GPA to begin with and also why he failed physics. that's going to take a bit of self inspection and figure out what happened.

Agreed. That’s why I said self awareness. That’s part of that.

He said he had a gpa of 3.4 then failed physics. a GPA of 3.4 without failing physics isn't going to get him into medical school. What is motivating him towards his path? What is he will to sacrifice to get where he wants to be and what his weaknesses are? is it going out too much? not focusing enough? or just doesn't understand the material

My overall gpa is a 3.43. It’s not just the number, but the trend and circumstances as well.

I myself graduated with a 2.8 GPA and working towards re-invention with luck this cycle, but it took a deployment to Iraq to get my head out of my butt and for me to go focus and dedicating myself towards the path.

Yep. Took the Navy (and a fifth fleet deployment) to get my rear in gear as well.
 
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