Explanation for doing poorly in school

[IL Pre Med]

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I'm thinking of beginning my personal statement nice and early for next cycle and I was wondering how I should explain my poor undergrad grades. Started off low around 2.0 the first year then gradually increased to 3.4, 3.5, 3.9 the past 3 years. Truth is I was immature and not motivated until I was forced to pay for my own school due to financial difficulties in my family. I eventually got a full time job, payed for my school and although it was difficult I feel like I matured a lot. Will it look bad if I cite immaturity as the problem? Or should I try and figure something else to write?

 

[Josh7]

I'm thinking of beginning my personal statement nice and early for next cycle and I was wondering how I should explain my poor undergrad grades. Started off low around 2.0 the first year then gradually increased to 3.4, 3.5, 3.9 the past 3 years. Truth is I was immature and not motivated until I was forced to pay for my own school due to financial difficulties in my family. I eventually got a full time job, payed for my school and although it was difficult I feel like I matured a lot. Will it look bad if I cite immaturity as the problem? Or should I try and figure something else to write?

I think being honest in that situation would be fine. Especially with the strong upward trend.

 

[Ismet]

Find something else to write about. Your personal statement is meant to convey why you want to go into medicine, not to explain your shortcomings. While it's great to show that you matured, is that really your drive for going into medicine? Most secondaries will have a place where you can talk about any academic issues.

 

[gookies]

I guess as long as you matured, it'll be okay. You just have to learn from your mistakes and keep pushing. I'm also curious, how did your GPA jump so high from the last two years? (3.5 to a 3.9) Is that your cumulative now?

 

[IL Pre Med]

Find something else to write about. Your personal statement is meant to convey why you want to go into medicine, not to explain your shortcomings. Most secondaries will have a place where you can talk about any academic issues.

Do you think I shouldn't address it at all? My GPA is my only low point on my application, and I've literally spent my entire pre-med journey trying to fix and compensate for this. I feel like it should be addressed as my GPA will raise flags at ~3.2 cumulative

 

[IL Pre Med]

I guess as long as you matured, it'll be okay. You just have to learn from your mistakes and keep pushing. I'm also curious, how did your GPA jump so high from the last two years? (3.5 to a 3.9) Is that your cumulative now?

Those are yearly GPAs, my cGPA is 3.2 as stated in my last post

 

[Planes2Doc]

Wow that's quite an upward trend! Those are looked upon pretty well. Also, if you retake those classes and go the DO route, AACOMAS has grade replacement.

 

[IL Pre Med]

Wow that's quite an upward trend! Those are looked upon pretty well. Also, if you retake those classes and go the DO route, AACOMAS has grade replacement.

I've definitely considered osteopathic and will be applying broadly to both DO and MD, but the negative stigma that follows DO makes me reluctant to go down that route. That's a discussion for another day though, I don't want to side track this thread.

 

[Josh7]

I've definitely considered osteopathic and will be applying broadly to both DO and MD, but the negative stigma that follows DO makes me reluctant to go down that route. That's a discussion for another day though, I don't want to side track this thread.

I think the negative stigma is completely magnified by SDN... 👎

 

[Ismet]

Do you think I shouldn't address it at all? My GPA is my only low point on my application, and I've literally spent my entire pre-med journey trying to fix and compensate for this. I feel like it should be addressed as my GPA will raise flags at ~3.2 cumulative

You can address it, but it should not be a substantial part of your PS. They can see from the GPA breakdown on AMCAS that you have a strong upward trend.

Also, what is your sGPA (BCPM)?

 

[gookies]

I think the negative stigma is completely magnified by SDN... 👎

👍

 

[IL Pre Med]

You can address it, but it should not be a substantial part of your PS. They can see from the GPA breakdown on AMCAS that you have a strong upward trend.

Also, what is your sGPA (BCPM)?

I haven't calculated it but I know it's higher than cGPA because I did bad in stupid classes like theater, geography, world history, etc. I'd like to say around 3.5 but that's just a guess.

 

[IL Pre Med]

I think the negative stigma is completely magnified by SDN... 👎

This may be true, I've worked with some DOs at the hospital I volunteer at and they're really cool. I don't feel like they're any less knowledgable than an MD, and I'd be hard pressed to decline a DO acceptance if I had no MDs. Only time will tell what I'll do if and when that situation comes about.

 

[NickNaylor]

I agree completely with Ismet. Explaining your poor grades isn't inappropriate, but it really shouldn't be done in the PS - unless you feel like your experience of "maturing" etc. played a huge role in your decision to become a physician.

(sent from my phone)

 

[MedPR]

I've definitely considered osteopathic and will be applying broadly to both DO and MD, but the negative stigma that follows DO makes me reluctant to go down that route. That's a discussion for another day though, I don't want to side track this thread.

Where have you experienced that stigma besides SDN?

 

[Planes2Doc]

Where have you experienced that stigma besides SDN?

You definitely experience a lot of things on SDN that make absolutely no sense whatsoever in the real world. People will look at you like you are crazy.

 

[MedPR]

I'm thinking of beginning my personal statement nice and early for next cycle and I was wondering how I should explain my poor undergrad grades. Started off low around 2.0 the first year then gradually increased to 3.4, 3.5, 3.9 the past 3 years. Truth is I was immature and not motivated until I was forced to pay for my own school due to financial difficulties in my family. I eventually got a full time job, payed for my school and although it was difficult I feel like I matured a lot. Will it look bad if I cite immaturity as the problem? Or should I try and figure something else to write?

I wouldn't write about it. Justifying it well pre-interview probably won't put you in a better position than not mentioning it at all, but putting too much focus on it and/or sounding like you're making excuses will hurt you. In other words, you have nothing to gain by mentioning it before asked about it during an interview.

 

[VictorAlpha]

I wouldn't make it the main focus but when I dealt with it I did address it in my personal statement tangentially.
I focused on one of my activities and then mentioned basically that it propelled me further in the classroom as well....and so on and so forth. Of course I needed to have the better grades later to make this make sense.

 

[as1212559]

I know the creed is to never discuss your weaknesses, but my PS touched on past academic struggles. I wouldn't say it was tangentially discussed but rather tied into how my motivation to pursue medicine grew over time. It has been brought up in interviews that my PS discussed a point of academic and emotional low. In both cases I was able to talk about the process of overcoming those lows and how that process made me the student and motivated applicant that I am today. One acceptance, one waitlist are the current results.

Just make sure that your struggles are turned into a positive reflection on yourself and you will be fine. Adcom's seem to prefer people with low GPAs but upward trends over people who have had stagnantly low GPAs. Growth and the ability to overcome setbacks must be important somewhere in medical training...

 

[IncognitoGuy]

Most schools will have a place on secondaries to explain unusual circumstances/difficulty. There would be appropriate, unless your GPA trend plays into your desire to enter medicine, as Ismet mentioned. Stick to the AMCAS prompt, as worst case, they SEE the improvement but no story behind it. The numbers are there.

 

[LizzyM]

Did you attend under-performing schools in k-12? If so,you could identify as disadvantaged and say that you were ill-prepared for college due to poor preparation for college.

 

[kimposibl]

OP, as others have stated, don't let your UG grades dominate your PS. Just address it in a sentence a two, then move on. I think a more compelling story about your desire for and journey into medicine will have a more profound effect on adcoms, and you essentially want them to overlook your little academic problem. And if you did well in your premed classes, I don't see it being a big issue when you're looked at holistically. Good luck! And get professional help with you PS, aka someone who knows what you should put in it. SDN is comprised more of opinion than fact, as I'm sure you've discovered for yourself....

 

[Planes2Doc]

Did you attend under-performing schools in k-12? If so,you could identify as disadvantaged and say that you were ill-prepared for college due to poor preparation for college.

What an interesting perspective... I think a lot of people take for granted how well their high schools prepared them for college.

 

[SSCCSS]

I'm thinking of beginning my personal statement nice and early for next cycle and I was wondering how I should explain my poor undergrad grades. Started off low around 2.0 the first year then gradually increased to 3.4, 3.5, 3.9 the past 3 years. Truth is I was immature and not motivated until I was forced to pay for my own school due to financial difficulties in my family. I eventually got a full time job, payed for my school and although it was difficult I feel like I matured a lot. Will it look bad if I cite immaturity as the problem? Or should I try and figure something else to write?

I would address your poor grades and subsequent maturation only if they are somehow inextricably linked to why medicine is the career for you. For example, you took time away from school to explore medicine further and that experience motivated and re-focused you academically. Your personal statement is your first (and sometimes only) opportunity to explain your passion for this career and to portray yourself beyond your grades, scores, and activities.

Secondary applications and update letters often allow you to address inconsistencies in your record. As does the interview. Further, your strong upward trend speaks for itself. SDN and premeds in general falsely perpetuate the notion that any successful applicant must possess a flawless record, which is far from the truth. Plenty of kids who are accepted have bad semesters, years, etc. It is clear you corrected the problem and demonstrated your ability in and commitment to the classroom.

Moreover, by addressing a weakness, you risk a couple of things. First, you're shining light on a flaw - you're shifting a reviewer's focus from your application in its entirety to a single problem. Do you really want to frame your application in that manner? Second, your explanation of that flaw may not resonate with those who read your application. They may not like or 'buy' your answer or reasoning, which could tip the scales toward an unfavorable decision. Third, you're wasting space provided to you to explain 'why medicine' to address a small issue in the grand scheme of things. A compelling statement of your calling to medicine + an obvious upward trend toward great grades should be more than sufficient.

Use your personal statement space wisely.

 

[IL Pre Med]

Where have you experienced that stigma besides SDN?

Actually, yes. MD students that are friends of mine will say there is a negative stigma in the profession towards DOs due to the easier requirements to get in but they also admit they they have the same responsibilities, pay etc. So, I think wherever you go it will depend on the character and personality of your colleagues on how they will view you as a DO. If they're snobs and close minded they may view MD as the only way and DOs as sub-par. Now if you really want to practice medicine are you really going to apply MD multiple application cycles or take the DO if you get it on the first try? Probably take the DO.

Did you attend under-performing schools in k-12? If so,you could identify as disadvantaged and say that you were ill-prepared for college due to poor preparation for college.

My school was very mediocre, I'm not sure I can spin it that way, I'm not URM.

Most schools will have a place on secondaries to explain unusual circumstances/difficulty. There would be appropriate, unless your GPA trend plays into your desire to enter medicine, as Ismet mentioned. Stick to the AMCAS prompt, as worst case, they SEE the improvement but no story behind it. The numbers are there.

With all the feedback I'm getting I think I might mention it briefly on the PS then touch up on it further on this section and/or interviews. There were a few unique experiences I had in my life which steered me towards a career in medicine that I otherwise would not have pursued if I wasn't at a certain maturity level.