Do I have a chance???

[SarahHollifield]

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I graduated a year ago from a small, private university with a double major in Spanish and Sociolgy. My GPA is 3.4. I am looking into nursing schools, however I REALLY want to go to medical school. I took Anatomy and Physiology I and Microbiology this semester and unfortunately made C's in both. Is there any hope for me getting into a medical school? What other classes should I be taking and where should I take them?
Please help!
Thank you!
Sarah

 

[Perrotfish]

I graduated a year ago from a small, private university with a double major in Spanish and Sociolgy. My GPA is 3.4. I am looking into nursing schools, however I REALLY want to go to medical school. I took Anatomy and Physiology I and Microbiology this semester and unfortunately made C's in both. Is there any hope for me getting into a medical school? What other classes should I be taking and where should I take them?

You can definitely make this happen. Your GPA is on the low end of competitive for medical school, but if you do well in your science courses it should get you up to a 3.5 or 3.6 which is close to average for MD schools. You're already competitive for DO schools. I recomend you look into formal post-back programs: these are programs for people who have completed an Undergraduate degree but still need the science pre-reqs for medical school. Link to the post-bac forum of SDN here. You can also definitely complete the prereqs at your school. Check the boards or with the aamc for what, excatly, these are.

BTW if you already have your undergrad done there's no earthly reason you should settle for anything less than being a Physician's Assistant. Do you even save any time or money by going for the RN degree instead? It pays a less and is lower on the hospital pecking order.

 

[gman33]

Have you already taken the pre-reqs? I assume you have taken some based on you taking A&P and Micro. Give some details about your science classes and GPA to get some more directed advice.

Your overall GPA is a little low, but plenty of people get in with those numbers. If you can get your science GPA above 3.5 and MCAT 30+, you should have a shot at allo schools. A DO school requires slightly lower numbers, so look into those as well.

Nursing is a good profession as well, but don't use it as a backup plan. If you really want to be a doc, take a few years to get your app competitive and then go for that. A PA might be an option to look into as well.

 

[SarahHollifield]

I have taken General Biology, General Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology I and Microbiology. What other courses do I need to take? What is a DO?

 

[DrMidlife]

First off, if your alias is your real name, that's not a good idea. You have no way to know who is watching.

Some resources for understanding the process:

MSAR: medical school admissions requirements. Any copy that's no more than a couple years old is fine. This should be available at your undergrad advising office or in the library.

Iserson's "Getting into Medical School: A Guide for the Perplexed" which is like having a parent who is a physician.

I have taken General Biology, General Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology I and Microbiology. What other courses do I need to take?

Unfortunately, if these are the nursing prereqs, they are probably the "wrong" classes for premed. Med schools require a year each of the following:

General chemistry with labs
Organic chemistry with labs
Physics with labs
Biology with labs

Usually, more is required, but this depends on the school. (Edit: it depends on the med school, not the undergrad.) Typically there's a year of English, maybe some calculus, humanities, psychology, biochemistry or whatnot as an additional requirement. All this is in addition to finishing a bachelors degree (major does not matter).

See if your school has a premed advising web page. The courses aimed at premeds are the ones you need.

I don't suggest talking to the premed adviser, because he/she will look at your grades and try to talk you out of it. Seriously, you will need to figure out how to get A's in science classes that are a great deal more rigorous than what you've taken so far.

What is a DO?

DO means Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. It's a parallel physician training system to the system that produces MDs. DOs have the same practice rights as MDs (prescriptions, surgery, reimbursement, etc.). DO schools currently have lower averages for GPA and MCAT than MD schools.

Best of luck to you.