do i have a chance...i am really worried

[applicant]

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Hi.

Here's my situation.
I came to Cornell in Engineering and just spent my freshmen year and sophomore's first semester. But I was lost. I did not have any interest in Engineering and I don't even know why I came to engineering in the first place. And doctor was a dream that I always wanted to be throughout my high school. So now I decided to pursue my dream of being a doctor. I am going to switch to Arts and Science. But the thing is my GPA. Due to not having any interest in Engineering, when I was in school, I wasn't doing anything. I didn't go to class, didn't do homeworks and didn't do well on exams. And now I have cumulative GPA of just about 3.0. I am really worried that even though I do well from now on...this low GPA will make me uncompetitive in the process. And even though I do well from now on, my total GPA will always be low because of this. The max total GPA I can bring up to is I think 3.4 ish. I don't know what to do... This is really worrying me down. Do you think I have a chance? What should I do to improve my credentials? Furthermore, I didn't take organic chem yet...so I will have to take organic chem next year ... which is my junior year. I am really lost now. I would appreciate any advice.

The medical schools I want to go to are columbia, nyu and mount sinai, which are in nyc. I know these medical schools are hard to get into...do you think i have a chance?

 

[KentuckySteve]

Other MD schools or even Osteopathic? In the end you are still a physician? Its what you bring to the table rather than the school to a large degree.

 

[applicant]

I want to be a family doctor...so I am not interested in Osepetic..

Not that I have to go to columbia, nyu or mount sinai...but I like to go to a school in nyc...that's all

 

[tryingagain]

If you want to be a family doc you should definitely look into Osteopathic schools. Yes, your numbers are low but you can still do it - especially if you want to do D.O.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by applicant
I want to be a family doctor...so I am not interested in Osepetic..

Not that I have to go to columbia, nyu or mount sinai...but I like to go to a school in nyc...that's all

As far as I know DO's can do family practice or any other specialty, can't they?

 

[UCLAstudent]

Yep, DOs can do pretty much the same thing as MDs, including surgery. DOs can also get MD residency positions. Looking into DO schools might not be a bad idea for the OP.

 

[poloace]

osepetic??? all i could think about when i read that was that you didn't want to clean tanks which i had shat in. nice.

p

 

[moviefreak]

Do well in the MCAT, have great LORs and ECs. I think ECs are especially important, I've known people with 3.8+ GPA and very decent MCAT and had the hardest time getting into med school. Personally, I am offended when I say I want to be an MD and people keep shoving DO to my face.

 

[ivyleague22ny]

hey fellow Big Red,
Even if you have a 3.0 GPA now, med schools will know
that Cornell has one of the hardest engineering programs
in the country. My advice is, when you switch to Arts, just try to show a positive upward trend each semester and make sure to get the highest possible grades by your senior year. You probably will have to start applying after you graduate, so your
senior grades will count, meaning that you'll take a year off, but that's ok since you can save money by working and won't have trouble paying for all the med school applications.
I advise signing up for the EMT class (ALS 134) in the fall so you'll have practical medical experience beyond just cleaning beds at the Cayuga ER (also the 2 semester class is an easy A!).

Don't worry bro, the Cornell premed stats says that if you have at least a 3.4, you have like an 85% chance of getting into an MD school in the US. This is a lot better than the 45% national acceptance rate.

Also, make sure that your major in Arts is SOMETHING YOU REALLY ENJOY STUDYING. The more you enjoy the classes you take, the better you'll do.

Dont' worry, just as long as you show a positive trend, get at least 9-10's on your MCAT sections (which isn't hard for most Cornell undergrads), get some meaningful medical related experiences and leadership experiences in EC's that you actually enjoy, you'll have no problem getting in.

I totally was in your same shoes in my sophomore year and thought i wouldn't get in, but long behold I got into a top 15 MD school just last November and will start this August. The Cornell degree will definitely open many doors for you like it did for me.

Hope this advice helps and good luck!

 

[SnudgeMuffin]

applicant,

It's not too late to turn things around. Cornell GPA goes far when applying to schools. If you can get 3.4 and do well on MCAT, I think you have a good shot. But do take a year off so that your senior grades count. Also, go check out the stats of people who got into med schools at Barnes. I found that some people with 3.5-ish GPA do get into schools that you mentioned with awesome MCAT scores. Don't be too discouraged and welcome to A&S!

SnudgeMuff

 

[ckent]

Studies have shown that a high MCAT compensates for a low GPA more then a high GPA with a low MCAT. Also, just as long as you do well on your pre-med reqs, your grades will be broken up into Science/math, and non-science/math classes on the AMCAS (med school application) so your science/math GPA will look descent if you do well.

 

[Tuesday Weld]

A 3.4 isn't the end of the world.

Are you AfricanAmerican? Being a URM helps a lot in the admissions process.

Originally posted by applicant
Hi.

Here's my situation.
I came to Cornell in Engineering and just spent my freshmen year and sophomore's first semester. But I was lost. I did not have any interest in Engineering and I don't even know why I came to engineering in the first place. And doctor was a dream that I always wanted to be throughout my high school. So now I decided to pursue my dream of being a doctor. I am going to switch to Arts and Science. But the thing is my GPA. Due to not having any interest in Engineering, when I was in school, I wasn't doing anything. I didn't go to class, didn't do homeworks and didn't do well on exams. And now I have cumulative GPA of just about 3.0. I am really worried that even though I do well from now on...this low GPA will make me uncompetitive in the process. And even though I do well from now on, my total GPA will always be low because of this. The max total GPA I can bring up to is I think 3.4 ish. I don't know what to do... This is really worrying me down. Do you think I have a chance? What should I do to improve my credentials? Furthermore, I didn't take organic chem yet...so I will have to take organic chem next year ... which is my junior year. I am really lost now. I would appreciate any advice.

The medical schools I want to go to are columbia, nyu and mount sinai, which are in nyc. I know these medical schools are hard to get into...do you think i have a chance?

 

[Iffy premed]

you going to have a hard time pulling up a 3.0
plus, med schools are going to be harder to get in in the next few years
the economy is going down, everyone from comp sci, engineering, business, etc are switching to pre-med
medicine has always been a safe playground for all
if your gpa doesn't pull up to 3.6-3.7, do a postbac, or do research for a year or so after graduation
if you are going to be a junior and just starting to take the basic premed courses, you not going to have time to take many of the upper division, elective bio or chem courses, and no time to devote to research and volunteering simultaneously

my friend...medicine is a life-time career, shouldn't have started when you were in kindegarden

 

[crazyA]

Unless a person's GPA is super-low (and the OP's certainly isn't) I think it's pointless to worry about med school prospects until after you have a MCAT score in hand. As others have said, as long as the OP has some EC's and a MCAT score at 30 or over, they should be fine. Med schools will pay more attention to how one has done in biology and chemistry, than they will to performance in engineering classes.

But to get into a place like Columbia, the guy will probably need an MCAT score about 35. But it's very doable. A post-bacc shouldn't be necessary unless his GPA upon graduation is less than 3.4