Do I still have a chance?

[nycpremed]

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I don't know if I can even get into medical school with these horrible first year grades but here goes:


1st semester of college: 2.2 gpa
English C+
Math B
Speech D
Medical Terminology B

2nd semester: 1.4 gpa

Math B
English# F
Economics W
Bio D
Psychology B

3rd semester: 3.0 gpa

Math B-
Sociology B
Political Science B
English B+


All of these courses were taken at a 2 year college and I have since transferred to a 4 year. When I first entered college, I knew I wanted to pursue medicine but I didn't decide to become a doctor until recently. The desire to become a doctor was always there but I didn't take it seriously until now. Do you think that I should abandon my dreams of becoming a physician because of these grades or do you think that I still have a chance if I improve my grades from now on?

 

[thanawalt]

I met a UCSB pre-med that had lousy grades the first year (though not as bad as yours, I think he said 2.7, this was at UCSB) and then a 4.0 until he graduated. 34 MCAT. Everything else on his application was average.

He applied to many places and he got one interview.

It does look really bad especially since it's at a two year school. I would finish your degree and do as well as you can in upper-division science courses.

I think your only hope is a post-bacc program after you graduate and an outstanding MCAT.

 

[nycpremed]

Thanks for the advice. I really want to become a doctor and I will try to pull these grades up and do as well as I possibly can. Do you know of any post-bacc programs in NY that might be good for people like myself who didn't do so well academically during their undergrad years?

 

[bobsagat]

Thanks for the advice. I really want to become a doctor and I will try to pull these grades up and do as well as I possibly can. Do you know of any post-bacc programs in NY that might be good for people like myself who didn't do so well academically during their undergrad years?

I believe that the AAMC website has a listing of formal post-baccalaureate and special masters programs.

 

[nycpremed]

What else do you recommend I should do to make adcoms consider my application (e.g. volunteering, research, community service,etc)?

 

[Mobius1985]

I believe that the AAMC website has a listing of formal post-baccalaureate and special masters programs.

And so does the SDN Post-Baccalaureate forum at: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

 

[Mobius1985]

What else do you recommend I should do to make adcoms consider my application (e.g. volunteering, research, community service,etc)?

Doing all of the above would be a good idea.

Assuming your current GPA after 3 semesters is 2.2,
After 3 more semesters of 4.0 each, GPA=3.1,
And after 3 more semesters (total of 9 semesters) GPA=3.4.
Some of this could be in summer school. You'd need to spend more time in school before applying, but assuming a very good MCAT (33+), your med school application would be competitive and you wouldn't need to spend money on an expensive formal post-bac program.

Alternatively, your GPA would go up faster if plan to apply to DO schools. Their application service would substtitute any retaken grade for the original (rather than averaging the two, as AMCAS (MD) application service does).

The one drawback, is that I'm assuming you have the will power to work hard enough to get all As from now on. Can you do it?

 

[nycpremed]

Doing all of the above would be a good idea.

Assuming your current GPA after 3 semesters is 2.2,
After 3 more semesters of 4.0 each, GPA=3.1,
And after 3 more semesters (total of 9 semesters) GPA=3.4.
Some of this could be in summer school. You'd need to spend more time in school before applying, but assuming a very good MCAT (33+), your med school application would be competitive and you wouldn't need to spend money on an expensive formal post-bac program.

Alternatively, your GPA would go up faster if plan to apply to DO schools. Their application service would substtitute any retaken grade for the original (rather than averaging the two, as AMCAS (MD) application service does).

The one drawback, is that I'm assuming you have the will power to work hard enough to get all As from now on. Can you do it?

Absolutely. The drive and desire to become a physician is definitely there so if it means that I have to study my butt off day in and day out, then so be it. 🙂

 

[Mobius1985]

Go forth and make us proud.