Engineer GPA!

[Loula]

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OK so I did undergrad and got a GPA of 2.7 in Chemical Engineering.
Did a Master's in Mechanical Engineering (2yrs, Thesis research and courses) and the Grad GPA is 3.85.

Do I have a chance? I'm not willing to go back to undergrad to boost my GPA. I already took 4 tough advanced mechanical and chemical engineering courses.

It just doesn't make sense....

I hope the level of difficulty and the reputation of a very tough school and program counts! or else I would be really upset!

 

[Marvin O'Connor]

Probably depends on what your science GPA is.

 

[SunnyS81]

Grad school grads aren't evaluated from what I understand. I think a post-bac or taking more undergrad courses to boost your gpa is the only solution. While there might be some small amount of accomodation because of ChemE being touch...it isn't going to be half a point or more.

 

[skypilot]

With a stellar MCAT score I think you have a chance. Why not apply to 5 schools and give it a try.

 

[tontondavid]

I was in a similar situation as yours although with a higher GPA for undergrad and lower GPA in grad (compared to you). I studied EE which is pretty tough. I don't think I would have gotten in if I didn't do a post-bac.

Good luck.

 

[Loula]

I was in a similar situation as yours although with a higher GPA for undergrad and lower GPA in grad (compared to you). I studied EE which is pretty tough. I don't think I would have gotten in if I didn't do a post-bac.

Good luck.

Few questions:
Did you do the post bacc after the grad.
What is the post bacc program anyhow? Do you register with a school and you do a bunch of courses?
How many years do I need? It's tough to boost the GPA up because I did a lot of course way back before engineering.

 

[tontondavid]

Few questions:
Did you do the post bacc after the grad.
What is the post bacc program anyhow? Do you register with a school and you do a bunch of courses?
How many years do I need? It's tough to boost the GPA up because I did a lot of course way back before engineering.

Yes, I did a post-bac after my M.S.E.E. (although not right after b/c I worked for a few years as an Engineer). My post-bac program was not one of those where you get a set of courses to complete and where they help you boost your science GPA, it was kind of taking classes that I did bad on (Gen Chem) and ones that I didn't take since I wasn't required to for my major (like Orgo, Bio etc...). I also took a refresher in physics for the MCAT.
I am not sure how many years you need but if you got less than an A in any of the prereqs like Gen Chem, Orgo, Bio, Physics, then I would retake that class just to show that you are capable of getting A's.

I know it's a pain but if you really want to be a doc, you gotta do what you gotta do. It was very difficult for me at the beginning to see myself in undergrad when I already had a Master's and work experience but in paid off in the end.

I assume you haven't taken the MCAT yet....this process could be a refresher and help you get a good score.

Hope it helps....sorry I don't have more encouraging news.

Cheers.

 

[Buddha]

Have you tabulated your science GPA yet? Engineering classes don't count towards it. It only includes math, physics, chemistry, biology, and any other "pure" science coursework (correct me if I'm leaving anything out). I've heard that many admissions boards which evaluate primaries (before giving out secondaries) will use a 3.0 GPA as a rough cut-off point. Also, having a graduate degree definitely is a plus on your application, but they expect you to do relatively well in grad school since grades tend to be higher. I'd strongly recommend the postbac classes to help your GPA. It also helps you prepare for the MCATs. BTW, I did a B.S. and an M.S. in M.E. I did a postbac for a total of two years, but I applied during the first year (you have a year between when you start your applications and when med school starts.

 

[DirtySouthMD]

I don't know how good everyone's advice is so far on this thread. I thought master degree grades were looked at by adcoms. From what I understand adcoms will look more closely at your grad degree grades than your undergrad since these grades are more recent. But I'm not 100% sure on this, your best bet would be to talk to a premed advisor or call up some med schools and ask them directly.

 

[DirtySouthMD]

Grad school grads aren't evaluated from what I understand. I think a post-bac or taking more undergrad courses to boost your gpa is the only solution. While there might be some small amount of accomodation because of ChemE being tough...it isn't going to be half a point or more.

where'd you hear that?

the aamc instructions on calculating your GPA states that your GPA is broken down into several categories:

BCMP: biology, chemistry, physics, and math;
All Others: all other classes not classified at biology, chemistry, physics, or math;
HS: High School;
FR: Freshman;
SO: Sophomore;
JR: Junior;
SR: Senior;
PBU: Post-baccalaureate Undergraduate;
CUG: Cumulative Undergraduate GPA;
GRAD: Graduate

Your grad school GPA is calculated on AMCAS, why would they include it if it is not taken into consideration. On the other hand, HS GPA is also calculated but I'm pretty sure that this only happens if you took some premed req's while in high school, such as chemistry or calculus.

Anyhow, here's the site I got this from:
http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/conversionguide.pdf

 

[kingcer0x]

Actually, you can count some engineering courses in your BCPM and AMCAS will accept it.

Chem E, of course, is Science with quantiation and problem solving (meaning, its like science on crack).


However, to be 'ethical' you should use all or none as BCPM, not just choose the ones that you did well in.

ADCOMs know engineering is tough, but don't start in interviews/correspodence that you are entitled to a spot in xyz med school because you were an engineer. Engineers like you and me are smart but there are tons of other non-engineers who are super qualified for med school. Concentrate how engineering has helped you as a person, dont dwell on the fact that your grades were average because it is hard.

Good luck!

 

[Marvin O'Connor]

I am ChemE, and the only Engineering course I put in my science GPA was Thermodynamics. I only did that because the AMCAS Instructions explicitly lists Thermodynamics under the category of "Chemistry".

 

[FutureERDoc]

I always thought that Grad classes weighed more heavily too. Maybe a good idea would be to call your local public university and contact the premed office to speak to an advisor. Or, as suggested before, ask to speak to an admissions officer of a couple of different pulic/private schools for their suggestions. Hope everything works out.