Does this person have a chance?

[MidwestLovin]

---

Members do not see this ad.

This is only based on GPA. Extracurriculars will be fine and MCAT can be expected to be average or slightly above average given practice tests.

Quarter system, deflation during science pre-reqs, clearly did not have **** together, could they apply senior year?

cumGPA is just fine, usually B+ or higher

BCPM:
Fresh: 3.02 (downward trend each quarter, decent amount of science classes for freshman)
Soph: 2.27 (2 classes that clearly did not go well, continued downward but did not take any science after that fluke)
Summer: 3.86 (almost 4 classes)
Junior: 3.75 (3 BCPM classes every quarter + research credit grade = 4)
Senior: 3.83 (3-4 BCPM classes every quarter + research credit grade = 4-5)
Total: 3.48

 

[medschoolmyname]

well you got a very nice upward trend in your final two years. adding some DO's is a must, but u might have a shot at some MD schools

 

[MidwestLovin]

well you got a very nice upward trend in your final two years. adding some DO's is a must, but u might have a shot at some MD schools

Oh I see... This is hypothetical.
If MD is questionable, wouldn't it be wise to do an SMP?
Does anyone know if Med schools take into account undergrad if you do an SMP and do well?

 

[theseeker4]

Oh I see... This is hypothetical.
If MD is questionable, wouldn't it be wise to do an SMP?
Does anyone know if Med schools take into account undergrad if you do an SMP and do well?

Pretty specific numbers for a "hypothetical" situation.....

Do you want a somewhat increased chance at being an MD, with a large expense and big detriment to your record if you don't do well, or do you simply want to be a physician? Even if you are really set on having a particular set of letters after you name, with a GPA almost 3.5, adding on a couple semesters of undergraduate A's would do more to help, and have potential for less harm, than an SMP. It would also generally be less expensive. The problem with an SMP is that if you do poorly in it, you are done; med schools see you can't handle that and assume you wouldn't make it through medical school. It is a lot easier to compensate for a bad semester undergrad than for a bad SMP. SMPs are more for the student who has a 3.0 and 250 credits, so they are never going to budge their undergraduate GPA, and an SMP is their last chance to show they can handle the rigors of medical school.

Your best bet is to apply to lower-tier and in-state MD schools, and apply to DO schools as well; you would likely get in somewhere with that plan. If you are set on MD, a year of post-bac work would serve you better, at less risk and less expense, than an SMP. Or "someone," not you specifically.

 

[orangeman25]

You'll be fine. Rock the MCAT, apply broadly, and interview well.

 

[MidwestLovin]

Pretty specific numbers for a "hypothetical" situation.....

Do you want a somewhat increased chance at being an MD, with a large expense and big detriment to your record if you don't do well, or do you simply want to be a physician? Even if you are really set on having a particular set of letters after you name, with a GPA almost 3.5, adding on a couple semesters of undergraduate A's would do more to help, and have potential for less harm, than an SMP. It would also generally be less expensive. The problem with an SMP is that if you do poorly in it, you are done; med schools see you can't handle that and assume you wouldn't make it through medical school. It is a lot easier to compensate for a bad semester undergrad than for a bad SMP. SMPs are more for the student who has a 3.0 and 250 credits, so they are never going to budge their undergraduate GPA, and an SMP is their last chance to show they can handle the rigors of medical school.

Your best bet is to apply to lower-tier and in-state MD schools, and apply to DO schools as well; you would likely get in somewhere with that plan. If you are set on MD, a year of post-bac work would serve you better, at less risk and less expense, than an SMP. Or "someone," not you specifically.

This is hypothetical! I do plan on rocking all my classes from now on, but grading is sometimes a mystery and I won't always know where I stand (plus Physics next year is sure to bring a B-). BUT, I'm wondering if I should just raise science GPA to 3.0 and then do an SMP instead of trying to raise it to a below average GPA.

 

[theseeker4]

This is hypothetical! I do plan on rocking all my classes from now on, but grading is sometimes a mystery and I won't always know where I stand (plus Physics next year is sure to bring a B-). BUT, I'm wondering if I should just raise science GPA to 3.0 and then do an SMP instead of trying to raise it to a below average GPA.

It makes a TON more sense to do as well as possible and bring your undergraduate GPA as high as possible than it does to raise it to only a 3.0 and count on an SMP. An SMP is pretty much a last-ditch effort to get into a US MD school, whereas a below-average GPA that is still a lot higher than a 3.0 is something that can be worked with. It makes absolutely NO sense to PLAN to have a lower GPA than you could conceivably achieve if you really want to be a physician.

 

[MidwestLovin]

It makes a TON more sense to do as well as possible and bring your undergraduate GPA as high as possible than it does to raise it to only a 3.0 and count on an SMP. An SMP is pretty much a last-ditch effort to get into a US MD school, whereas a below-average GPA that is still a lot higher than a 3.0 is something that can be worked with. It makes absolutely NO sense to PLAN to have a lower GPA than you could conceivably achieve if you really want to be a physician.

But raising it to this below than average GPA is going to be very hard, if not impossible. I'd rather enjoy my next two years and then do an SMP instead of working my ass off to get a below average GPA and then taking multiple years off repairing the GPA I got with a a LOT of credits.

 

[theseeker4]

But raising it to this below than average GPA is going to be very hard, if not impossible. I'd rather enjoy my next two years and then do an SMP instead of working my ass off to get a below average GPA and then taking multiple years off repairing the GPA I got with a a LOT of credits.

If you are not willing to work for this, you probably should consider a different career. If you can't get A's with a reasonable amount of effort, you will have a very bad time in medical school if you do get in. In addition, slacking off and going for the SMP is NOT a short-cut to getting into med school, it DECREASES you chances at admission. Getting as high of grades as you can is your best chance at medical school. Slacking off and expecting an SMP to get you in is setting yourself up for failure, and is a very bad and expensive gamble.

 

[MidwestLovin]

If you are not willing to work for this, you probably should consider a different career. If you can't get A's with a reasonable amount of effort, you will have a very bad time in medical school if you do get in. In addition, slacking off and going for the SMP is NOT a short-cut to getting into med school, it DECREASES you chances at admission. Getting as high of grades as you can is your best chance at medical school. Slacking off and expecting an SMP to get you in is setting yourself up for failure, and is a very bad and expensive gamble.

All right, I'll do my best, but is it worth transferring to another school for a guaranteed 4.0 vs working my ass off for a 3.7-3.8 in mine? Also, I really don't want to take more than one gap year, so is a 3.4 science enough? My non science is currently a 3.6 and my science is below a 3.0. Not very even at all but science classes here are extremely deflated.

 

[Aerus]

All right, I'll do my best, but is it worth transferring to another school for a guaranteed 4.0 vs working my ass off for a 3.7-3.8 in mine? Also, I really don't want to take more than one gap year, so is a 3.4 science enough? My non science is currently a 3.6 and my science is below a 3.0. Not very even at all but science classes here are extremely deflated.

Unless the school is so bad in its education that you won't be prepared for the rigors of med school anyways, no school is a guaranteed 4.0.

 

[MidwestLovin]

Unless the school is so bad in its education that you won't be prepared for the rigors of med school anyways, no school is a guaranteed 4.0.

But more so than it is here. I'd like to know what I'm dealing with each quarter or semester. Knowing what I need on a final to get an A not having everything be surprise like it is here.

 

[Aerus]

But more so than it is here. I'd like to know what I'm dealing with each quarter or semester. Knowing what I need on a final to get an A not having everything be surprise like it is here.

I'd argue that is more seen with lower ranked schools where you get tests that seem completely random. Top ranked schools attract top quality faculty. And even then, there is a significant amount of people who are getting A's in the class, despite the randomness (and deflation), so I highly doubt that getting an A is impossible.

 

[MidwestLovin]

I'd argue that is more seen with lower ranked schools where you get tests that seem completely random. Top ranked schools attract top quality faculty. And even then, there is a significant amount of people who are getting A's in the class, despite the randomness (and deflation), so I highly doubt that getting an A is impossible.

It isn't, but the people that get As are crazy smart and I don't know if I can compete with them. And in my experience, the faculty are more concerned with their research and hardly know what's going on before looking at the slide.