Does anyone with a low science gpa get accepted to medical school?

[aflyingparticle]

Hello all, so my sGPA is low (3.07) overall gpa being a 3.53 I still have three semesters (including summer) to bring it up. However, I have an upward trend ever since a really bad freshman year (due to family illness) and have been maintaining good grades since then (mostly A's and some B+). I was wondering, does anyone with a very low sGPA such as mine stand a chance at D.O. or M.D. even with an above average MCAT score and very great experiences (shadowing/etc)?
I am also looking for advice on what to do next and was wondering what is the difference between applying for a postbacc or doing a masters program? When I consulted with an advisor, they suggested a masters program instead of a postbacc and I am not too sure of the difference. I don't think doing an extra semester would do much to my science gpa, considering the fact that I am getting higher in my credit hours. Any open feedback would be nice. Please feel free to grace me with your experiences regarding low science gpa, and getting accepted. Thank you all!

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[UnitedStates]

Don't count on having a high MCAT, bring your science gpa above 3.4 to be competitive!

 

[aflyingparticle]

Don't count on having a high MCAT, bring your science gpa above 3.4 to be competitive!

This is definitely going to be something I'm working on, but with only two full semesters left, (even if I got all A's I don't know if I could get to 3.4 even maybe realistically 3.2-3.3) Do you think I would need to take another semester in order to improve this science gpa? Or would it be better spent doing a post-bacc/masters along with building up my experiences?

 

[alm414]

I was accepted with a 3.32 undergraduate sGPA, and 3.51 undergraduate cGPA. I can maybe give some insight. I know you said you have an upward trend, but can you actually lay out what your sGPA was year to year?

 

[candbgirl]

This is definitely going to be something I'm working on, but with only two full semesters left, (even if I got all A's I don't know if I could get to 3.4 even maybe realistically 3.2-3.3) Do you think I would need to take another semester in order to improve this science gpa? Or would it be better spent doing a post-bacc/masters along with building up my experiences?

1)I thought you had three semesters left.
2) A 3.2-3.3 sGPA is okay for DO but not really for MD. If you plan on doing a post bacc you can string together 2-3 semesters of full time courses of excellent grades in upper level science course. If that happens you might be able to convince ADCOMS that you are up to the rigors of med school. No guarantees. Staying for a couple of additional semesters in undergrad is an option too. Especially if you can extend any student loans.
3) The issue with getting a Masters with all As, is that it isn’t impressive to ADCOMS. It is well known that grad programs have inflated grading and frankly you are supposed to get all As. So it just isn’t impressive. The only reason to get a Masters is if you really want it and it will be useful if med school doesn’t work out.
4) Why did you start a new thread asking essentially the same questions?

Good luck as you move ahead.

 

[aflyingparticle]

1)I thought you had three semesters left.
2) A 3.2-3.3 sGPA is okay for DO but not really for MD. If you plan on doing a post bacc you can string together 2-3 semesters of full time courses of excellent grades in upper level science course. If that happens you might be able to convince ADCOMS that you are up to the rigors of med school. No guarantees. Staying for a couple of additional semesters in undergrad is an option too. Especially if you can extend any student loans.
3) The issue with getting a Masters with all As, is that it isn’t impressive to ADCOMS. It is well known that grad programs have inflated grading and frankly you are supposed to get all As. So it just isn’t impressive. The only reason to get a Masters is if you really want it and it will be useful if med school doesn’t work out.
4) Why did you start a new thread asking essentially the same questions?

Good luck as you move ahead.

1. I do have 2 "full" semesters left, but 3 including the condensed summer semester.
2. So essentially you're saying a post-bacc would help me more then a masters program? I will look more into that, thanks.
3. I've heard a lot of success stories with masters programs, there are certain programs that have direct acceptance with a masters.
4. My post is a little different, I wanted to know more about people's experience and if they have gotten accepted into med schools/do schools with low science GPAs, as well as the difference between if I did a post-bacc vs. a masters program.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[candbgirl]

1. I do have 2 "full" semesters left, but 3 including the condensed summer semester.
2. So essentially you're saying a post-bacc would help me more then a masters program? I will look more into that, thanks.
3. I've heard a lot of success stories with masters programs, there are certain programs that have direct acceptance with a masters.
4. My post is a little different, I wanted to know more about people's experience and if they have gotten accepted into med schools/do schools with low science GPAs, as well as the difference between if I did a post-bacc vs. a masters program.

Thank you for your advice.

You might be talking about SMPS. These are high risk- high reward. And very expensive. If you don’t do exceptionally well in your courses (like 3.8+) it’s pretty much game over for med school. There are lots of schools that have them but you should try to go to a school that has guaranteed interviews if you achieve certain metrics. Spend some time reading up on SMPS.

 

[calitexasmd]

I got a MD acceptance with an overall gpa of 3.34 and sGPA of 3.15, and very unique experiences! If you have any questions feel free to reach out 😊

 

[m1redsox]

Realistically, you're just looking at applying to DO schools. Bring that GPA up as much as possible, get a 505+ on the MCAT, get your ECs in order, and you'll probably get in somewhere. Average sGPA for DO schools is a 3.4, so even a 3.3 would be reasonable if you apply to some newer and less established DO programs. If you can snag a 510, you could get into some of the more established DO schools with better connections to help you match competitively. I don't think a masters or SMP is necessary as long as you can reasonably bring up that sGPA. A post-bac might be smart if your sGPA is still <3.2.

 

[Bloobury]

Got an A to my top choice MD school as a career changer with basically a 3.0 sGPA and 3.5 cGPA, no real upward trend. Just like ... straight B's in my science classes. Took a handful of DIY postbac courses (ochem, biochem, anatomy) and did NOT get A's in any of them except Ochem lab. Great ECs, research, LORs, etc though. Was basically told on here that I didn't have a chance at MD without significant GPA repair.

*shrug*

I'm a unicorn.

 

[calitexasmd]

Got an A to my top choice MD school as a career changer with basically a 3.0 sGPA and 3.5 cGPA, no real upward trend. Just like ... straight B's in my science classes. Took a handful of DIY postbac courses (ochem, biochem, anatomy) and did NOT get A's in any of them except Ochem lab. Great ECs, research, LORs, etc though. Was basically told on here that I didn't have a chance at MD without significant GPA repair.

*shrug*

I'm a unicorn.

Literally same situation for me! Congratulations!! 😊

 

[Bloobury]

Literally same situation for me! Congratulations!! 😊

Hot damn, congrats!!! It's such a good feeling to beat the odds! Just goes to show that we are so much more than our numbers!

 

[aflyingparticle]

Got an A to my top choice MD school as a career changer with basically a 3.0 sGPA and 3.5 cGPA, no real upward trend. Just like ... straight B's in my science classes. Took a handful of DIY postbac courses (ochem, biochem, anatomy) and did NOT get A's in any of them except Ochem lab. Great ECs, research, LORs, etc though. Was basically told on here that I didn't have a chance at MD without significant GPA repair.

*shrug*

I'm a unicorn.

Congratulations, you deserve it!

 

[aflyingparticle]

Literally same situation for me! Congratulations!! 😊

Congratulations! You deserve it. I wish you great luck!!!