Explanation on Raising GPA

[MedicalGuy2787]

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Hi all,

I've done a bit of reading on the forums and other places, but if possible, it would be helpful to have a personalized explanation of the different methods or plan I can do. I don't mean to clutter the forums with another "GPA HELP" topic.



I'm hoping to get some advice on what my next step should be in order to be successful regarding my journey in medicine. A little bit of history may be helpful...



In high school, my guidance counselor suggested I look into Forensic Chemistry as a major in college. She mentioned this because of my interest in science and being involved in biology club, as well as this was in 2005 when the Crime Scene Investigation shows were very popular. All the career books I read made the job sound wonderful. However, when I actually took the classes and did some shadowing, I found it wasn't something I wanted to pursue. I ended up transferring to the university close to my home and took general education classes that all students have to take. (Liberal Studies, various mathematics, etc)



I obtained Nurse Aide Certification (CNA) and worked in both a skilled nursing facility and also a hospital. The staff at these locations really pushed me to become a nurse, but it didn’t "click" with me. My experiences taught me the differences between nursing and medicine. I found that I truly wanted to stay on the medicine side of healthcare rather than the nursing aspect.



So I started on the path of the "Pre-Med". Unfortunately, due to taking prior classes when I was a Forensic Chemistry major, my schedule was complicated and convoluted. Also, at the time I took those classes, I was new to college and away from home for the first time. I didn't party or get into trouble, but I did not put in the effort into my academics that I should have, and my GPA has suffered because of it. I also didn't have a solid foundation in the topics which were critical for later classes. Hindsight is 20/20 I'm afraid.



I don't want to sound like I'm making any excuses, but I had a lot of the "easier/lower level classes" completed by this time. This meant I was taking upper level courses all at once and I was a bit overwhelmed since I had a bit of time between my lower level chemistry and my upper level chemistry for example. Also, I was a commuting student which did not help my academics. I worked during my time completing my degree, as well as had family things. I spent time mowing my grandmother's lawn or running my younger siblings to activities when I should have been more focused on studying for exams. Again, I don’t mean to sound like I'm making excuses or asking for pity. I just want to clear things up as to what I've identified as to why I did not live up to my potential.





***So to start getting to the part of the topic where I need some help…



At this point in time, I have a Bachelors of Science and am continuing to work in a fairly large hospital with hands on patient experience. My GPA is 2.9 due to the above history and circumstances. I did well in many classes, but as you may be aware, it's much easier to drop a GPA than it is to raise it. "C's get Degrees" isn't always that simple. If anyone had some input as to what my next step should be, I would absolutely appreciate it. I've done a bit of looking around online about "Post-Bacc" work and Master programs in order to raise GPA. (I would even be willing to start over as a freshman if that was a possibility) If someone could go in depth as to the process of how it all works and affects things, it would really help me out.



My circumstances are much different than before, and experience is an excellent teacher. It has taught me what I need to do to improve myself and shown me the error of my previous academic years. I'm prepared to do what needs done to get where I need to be in medicine, I just need some advice, assistance, or guidance on how I should proceed next in order to make progress.



***Thank you for taking the time to read through this huge wall of text. If you have any input, I would be extremely grateful.***

 

[shouldigomd]

You are not alone. Not everyone "matures" or is ready for college at the same time. Nor does everyone really know what they want in life early on. I was in the same boat as you and took me a while but I made it. I will be blunt so forgive me in advance.

Firstly understand what med school admissions want. Put yourself into their shoes and what would you want in a candidate? There are a few answers but the common thread is that you want someone who will succeed in your school! Patient experience and all that stuff is great but it won't help you get into med school very much. It doesn't show them that you can succeed. All your experiences shape who you are but they don't matter unless you illustrate you can use them to succeed. One of the things that held me back was clinging to all my negative past experiences. I needed to simply start a new chapter in my life.

So what do you need to do? You need to show them you are ready and capable. You can do that through several ways. You can go back to undergrad and string together a couple years of solid work. You can do basically the same thing in post bacc. You can do a masters in biomedical science. All 3 are basically the same thing. You take biochem, anatomy, gen chem, physics, calculus, physiology, etc (all core science classes / classes you take in medical school) and perform well. Show that you can handle it. Many biomed masters programs offer admission if you complete their program with a 3.5gpa or something like that. Those you have to apply for however and you may not get in (I didn't).

Common mistakes: Many people get masters degrees in stuff that won't help. Masters in public health, molecular bio, etc are all great but not very useful. Many of them are very easy as well (especially the public health masters). It still doesn't prove that you can handle med school. Some people go crazy trying to be involved in things like working at nursing home, being a secretary at a doc office, being a nurse, research, etc. All that stuff is valuable but not so much for getting into med school when you are in your position. You can be a great nurse but who cares if you can't demonstrate you are capable of passing med school exams. Another mistake is that people try and pad their GPA. At this point you need to have a GPA over the cutoff for med school but the point isn't to get the highest GPA but rather do the best in the main sciences. Some people try and spend years fixing their GPA by taking all sorts of non core science classes / easy courses. You aren't fooling anyone. You have to string together 1-2 years of solid performance in a solid courseload of core science classes... just like you will get in med school.

Lastly is the MCAT. Everyone can get a 30+ if you invest the time and study in an effective manner. Spend 3 months and get a decent score if you don't have one already.

So in conclusion you need to stop reliving all the excuses from the past. Let them go and start a new chapter. College isn't hard but it requires consistency and hard work. Same goes for medical school. You don't have to be smart to do well. I had a 2.0 GPA in college and a 27MCAT on my 3rd take. I had no confidence in my abilities. I took the step 1 and scored in the top 8% and I will be the first to tell you I am not smart. It is just consistency and hard work. Not trying to brag but just motivate you and let you know many people made it who were in your shoes. Hope this helps and GL!