DPT school acceptance but thinking MD will be better choise. time sensitive

[DPTorMD90]

I was accepted to DPT school in a 3+3 program which means in 2017 I would graduate with PTdoctorate but with no baccalaureate degree. This Summer i had the opportunity to be a TA for Gross anatomy at a major university and recently decided for many reasons that medicine was actually the correct path and I was just settling for DPT because I thought my GPA was not high enough for MD school.

Now my situation is

When I got accepted to DPT school, i lost all motivation and did very poorly last semester because i was already accepted. so my cGPA dropped from 3.3 to 3.15. I could bring up my GPA by retaking Calc1/Phy102 in which i have a C-/C. Getting an A in both of those would surely bring my overall back to the 3.3.

I would still need to take Organic 1/2 and graduate with my Bacchularate degree in exercise science Which would also further bolster my GPA should I do well.

I guess my question is with my current GPA and knowing there is a lot of room for improvement, would it be wise to decline my acceptance to my dream DPT school in order to peruse what i truly want?

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[Alucard6]

It is a tough decision but it really does come down to what you truly have a passion for doing. If you think the DPT program is not something you can imagine yourself doing as a career, it is best to not push yourself down that path.

Although your GPA can improve, it is something that will take time. It would probably take 1 year of finishing up your degree, 1 year of a post-bac program of some sort and studying for MCATs and then another year of going through the interview/acceptance cycle. I imagine more, but this is a low-ball estimate.

All in all I would expect another 3 years and it will be an uphill battle, but if it is what you are truly passionate for then it might be the better choice. Even with a 3.5 GPA and 30+ MCAT it can be difficult, since I imagine you did not have too much research and clinical experience if medicine was not your initial path.

 

[allantois]

I would stick with the initial plan and not fall into unrealistic hopes. 3.3 GPA is not at all competitive and should med schools realize that you started slacking after getting accepted to a DPT program, that trend in your grades will be viewed very negatively.

 

[DPTorMD90]

after calculating my grade if i retake
-Cal 1 and earn an A-
-PHY 2 and earn a B+
my GPA would be back to 3.35. After that I have about 22 more credits of coursework to help bolster my GPA

Still not good?

 

[claduva94]

There are still a lot of ifs but I wouldn't say its impossible.

after calculating my grade if i retake
-Cal 1 and earn an A-
-PHY 2 and earn a B+
my GPA would be back to 3.35. After that I have about 22 more credits of coursework to help bolster my GPA

Still not good?

When calculating that are you accounting for grade replacement? Because AMCAS does not do grade replacement so med schools will see all of your grades.

 

[DPTorMD90]

It is a tough decision but it really does come down to what you truly have a passion for doing. If you think the DPT program is not something you can imagine yourself doing as a career, it is best to not push yourself down that path.

Although your GPA can improve, it is something that will take time. It would probably take 1 year of finishing up your degree, 1 year of a post-bac program of some sort and studying for MCATs and then another year of going through the interview/acceptance cycle. I imagine more, but this is a low-ball estimate.

All in all I would expect another 3 years and it will be an uphill battle, but if it is what you are truly passionate for then it might be the better choice. Even with a 3.5 GPA and 30+ MCAT it can be difficult, since I imagine you did not have too much research and clinical experience if medicine was not your initial path.

you are correct i do not have much research experience or documented shadowing hours.

-In order to complete bachelors degree I would need to do a 12 credit internship in a healthcare setting so that will help this spring thats 480 hours

-I devoted my entire summer to the gross anatomy lab where work as a TA with a stipend and i get to teach many MD/PT students their anatomy

-Worked as a Personal Trainer for 5 years working with Clinically ill clients along with their physician.

-Completed a 120 hours practicum at a non-for profit Rehabilitation clinic

I would need shadowing hours (lots) and some research experience. i Attend a major research university so maybe i could get some experinece somewhere here

 

[DPTorMD90]

There are still a lot of ifs but I wouldn't say its impossible.

When calculating that are you accounting for grade replacement? Because AMCAS does not do grade replacement so med schools will see all of your grades.

so all of my grades would be average ie. my C will not be replaced by the A i earned later?

 

[Alucard6]

you are correct i do not have much research experience or documented shadowing hours.

-In order to complete bachelors degree I would need to do a 12 credit internship in a healthcare setting so that will help this spring thats 480 hours

-I devoted my entire summer to the gross anatomy lab where work as a TA with a stipend and i get to teach many MD/PT students their anatomy

-Worked as a Personal Trainer for 5 years working with Clinically ill clients along with their physician.

-Completed a 120 hours practicum at a non-for profit Rehabilitation clinic

I would need shadowing hours (lots) and some research experience. i Attend a major research university so maybe i could get some experinece somewhere here

It is attainable, but as someone else said it will be a difficult path and an uncertain path since its difficult to measure your chances without an MCAT score. Personally I would go with the DPT program since you have a secured spot, unless you are 100% against it and cannot see yourself going through the program at all.

 

[kmp0410]

so all of my grades would be average ie. my C will not be replaced by the A i earned later?

Correct. AMCAS averages every college course you've taken.

 

[DPTorMD90]

Correct. AMCAS averages every college course you've taken.

I went to a community college for 2 years before i transferred to this university they would also take that into account when calculating overall i assume.

I wouldn't even know how to begin to calculate it this way. any suggestions?

 

[Alucard6]

I went to a community college for 2 years before i transferred to this university they would also take that into account when calculating overall i assume.

I wouldn't even know how to begin to calculate it this way. any suggestions?

You take the value of the grade (A = 4, B = 3) and multiply it by the credit hours. Do that for all your classes and you will get a large number. Divide that by your total credit hours from both universities and that should be it.

For example: Lets say you get a B in a 3-credit biology class. That means you do 3 (value of a B) * 3 (credit hours) for a total of 9 points. Do that for all your classes and you'll get a sum of points from all your classes. Divide that by total credits you have taken and your overall GPA should be calculated.

 

[claduva94]

I disagree with some of what others have said. While you are guaranteed a spot in the DPT program, you should pursue the path that will make you happiest. It will obviously be much more difficult to pursue MD, and recovering your GPA will take some time, but if that is where you think you will be happiest I absolutely encourage you to pursue it. This is something you will do for decades so you really shouldn't make concessions if you don't have to.

 

[kmp0410]

Pursue what you want to do. Nobody can answer that question for you. Considering where you are, that state of your grades, etc...I think that continuing with DPT seems like the most logical decision. But if you honestly won't be happy with it, and want to invest substantial more time into medicine...then welcome. I would strongly consider DO though. If you don't want that then you should seriously consider your MD chances because they are not great. Obviously still possible, just trying to be realistic.

 

[tmn]

I would stick with the initial plan and not fall into unrealistic hopes. 3.3 GPA is not at all competitive and should med schools realize that you started slacking after getting accepted to a DPT program, that trend in your grades will be viewed very negatively.

3.3 not at all competitive? Don't be so mellow dramatic. 3.3 GPA is far from ideal, but if OP is able to get over 30 MCAT or even mid 30's OP could have manageable odds. Granted that is if OP's GPA is truly 3.3 (which it sounds like it isn't).

Stop spewing misinformation and do some research before you offer "advice."
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/app...mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html