Foreigner with low science GPA, what is the next step?

[Foreign_Mentality]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi guys, I am a pre-med student and each day goes by I feel like I should just already switch career path and do something else in the healthcare besides medical school. Let me give you my stats and see what do you guys advice me to do:

24 years old, first generation college graduate. I was a refugee who came to the US when I was 18. My parents worked hard to provide for me the education I am getting now while being on government assistance programs.

Let me give you the breakdown of my grades:

cGPA: 3.47
sGPA: 2.71

While at CC:

Gen chem 1&2: C,C
Gen Bio 1&2: B,C
Orgo1: F, then C
Phyics 1: C
I also have 3 W's


Transferred to university:

Micro: B
A&P 1,2: A,A
Calc: A

All the rest of my grades are A's and some B's

Basically, all the C's I got were while I was at CC during my freshman and sophomore year, while I was improving my English. Then when I transferred to a university, I was able to maintain a 3.9 GPA. I will graduate next year hopefully with a 3.9 or higher. That still won't help my science GPA, so I plan on retaking all the C's I have, and also take orgo2 and physics 2 and ace them hopefully.

My EC's are pretty bad because I did not have anytime due to the need for a job to support my family as well.

- 150 hours of ER volunteering
-20 hours as a volunteer at the local refugee office


I do speak 4 languages fluently (reading, writing and speaking), that is why I do work as a medical interpreter with over 1000+ hours, however it is over the phone but I do work with some big hospitals like Mass General and John Hopkins and such. So I do all the interpretation between the doctors, surgeons, gas doctors, radiologists and such to the patients back and forth.

I haven't taken the MCAT yet.


I know being a person who was not born and raised here does not justify the low grades, but I did not know how the system works here in the US. In my country, we go straight from high school to medical schools, but it is 6 years instead of 4.

Do I have a chance? or should I start considering other options? and if so what are some of the options I have? and please no pharmacy lol.

 

[Old&InTheWay]

What happens to your GPA calculations when you factor in the retakes?

 

[Foreign_Mentality]

What happens to your GPA calculations when you factor in the retakes?

Well I have 5 C's and I plan on retaking them all. If i score A's in all 5 then my sGPA is 3.45 and my cGPA is 3.6. If i get 3 A's and 2 B's then it becomes sGPA is 3.34 and cGPA is 3.47

 

[UBC2014]

Retake them, and keep up the upward trend. You will be fine.

The big hurdle will be the mcat. Your work experience is good, keep up your volunteering at the refugee office and maybe pick up a leadership role that you are passionate about (perhaps related to helping other immigrants understand the systems here? Get adjusted? Im sure your school has a program in place for international students. Seek it out, perhaps even a paid role).

Keep on keeping on.

 

[Foreign_Mentality]

Retake them, and keep up the upward trend. You will be fine.

The big hurdle will be the mcat. Your work experience is good, keep up your volunteering at the refugee office and maybe pick up a leadership role that you are passionate about (perhaps related to helping other immigrants understand the systems here? Get adjusted? Im sure your school has a program in place for international students. Seek it out, perhaps even a paid role).

Keep on keeping on.

What about the ER? should I stop going there? Yeah I know that the MCAT is going to be the biggest hump that I need to get over it.

 

[UBC2014]

What about the ER? should I stop going there? Yeah I know that the MCAT is going to be the biggest hump that I need to get over it.

Why would you leave the ER? if you enjoy it, keep going.

 

[evooo8]

Definitely retake it get A's and I think you have a good shot.

 

[DO2015CA]

I definitely wouldn't rule yourself out! Take the mcat and do well. Retake the intro classes and apply. Your life story is much more interesting than most students applying. Make sure to write a good personal statement and you will be fine. 4 fluent languages is impressive and will be immensely helpful as a physician! That won't be lost on adcoms. Also, I wouldn't worry about the volunteer so much. To a certain extent it's about quality not quantity. Keep the ER one until you leave for medical school. It'll provide a few hundred medically related hours and will show long term commitment

 

[GUH]

Hi guys, I am a pre-med student and each day goes by I feel like I should just already switch career path and do something else in the healthcare besides medical school. Let me give you my stats and see what do you guys advice me to do:

24 years old, first generation college graduate. I was a refugee who came to the US when I was 18. My parents worked hard to provide for me the education I am getting now while being on government assistance programs.

Let me give you the breakdown of my grades:

cGPA: 3.47
sGPA: 2.71

While at CC:

Gen chem 1&2: C,C
Gen Bio 1&2: B,C
Orgo1: F, then C
Phyics 1: C
I also have 3 W's


Transferred to university:

Micro: B
A&P 1,2: A,A
Calc: A

All the rest of my grades are A's and some B's

Basically, all the C's I got were while I was at CC during my freshman and sophomore year, while I was improving my English. Then when I transferred to a university, I was able to maintain a 3.9 GPA. I will graduate next year hopefully with a 3.9 or higher. That still won't help my science GPA, so I plan on retaking all the C's I have, and also take orgo2 and physics 2 and ace them hopefully.

My EC's are pretty bad because I did not have anytime due to the need for a job to support my family as well.

- 150 hours of ER volunteering
-20 hours as a volunteer at the local refugee office


I do speak 4 languages fluently (reading, writing and speaking), that is why I do work as a medical interpreter with over 1000+ hours, however it is over the phone but I do work with some big hospitals like Mass General and John Hopkins and such. So I do all the interpretation between the doctors, surgeons, gas doctors, radiologists and such to the patients back and forth.

I haven't taken the MCAT yet.


I know being a person who was not born and raised here does not justify the low grades, but I did not know how the system works here in the US. In my country, we go straight from high school to medical schools, but it is 6 years instead of 4.

Do I have a chance? or should I start considering other options? and if so what are some of the options I have? and please no pharmacy lol.

My science and non-science GPAs were similar to yours when I graduated college; it's doable. Ace your retakes; don't even consider taking upper-level courses until you have successfully completed your prerequisite retakes. Extracurriculars are fine to do but be ready to drop them immediately if they are getting in the way of getting A's. Also be sure to cut down on any extracurricular or academic activities while you prepare for the MCAT if they prevent you from studying consistently. Take plenty of practice tests, and focus on studying those areas in which you are the weakest. Be prepared to work hard for at least a couple of years before applying, apply broadly, and be very careful about syntax, grammar, and spelling in your application essays.

tl;dr You have a shot if you nail your retakes and MCAT. Be ready to cut back on anything else if they get in the way of you getting the grades and MCAT scores you need.

 

[bobdole112]

Hi guys, I am a pre-med student and each day goes by I feel like I should just already switch career path and do something else in the healthcare besides medical school. Let me give you my stats and see what do you guys advice me to do:

24 years old, first generation college graduate. I was a refugee who came to the US when I was 18. My parents worked hard to provide for me the education I am getting now while being on government assistance programs.

Let me give you the breakdown of my grades:

cGPA: 3.47
sGPA: 2.71

While at CC:

Gen chem 1&2: C,C
Gen Bio 1&2: B,C
Orgo1: F, then C
Phyics 1: C
I also have 3 W's


Transferred to university:

Micro: B
A&P 1,2: A,A
Calc: A

All the rest of my grades are A's and some B's

Basically, all the C's I got were while I was at CC during my freshman and sophomore year, while I was improving my English. Then when I transferred to a university, I was able to maintain a 3.9 GPA. I will graduate next year hopefully with a 3.9 or higher. That still won't help my science GPA, so I plan on retaking all the C's I have, and also take orgo2 and physics 2 and ace them hopefully.

My EC's are pretty bad because I did not have anytime due to the need for a job to support my family as well.

- 150 hours of ER volunteering
-20 hours as a volunteer at the local refugee office


I do speak 4 languages fluently (reading, writing and speaking), that is why I do work as a medical interpreter with over 1000+ hours, however it is over the phone but I do work with some big hospitals like Mass General and John Hopkins and such. So I do all the interpretation between the doctors, surgeons, gas doctors, radiologists and such to the patients back and forth.

I haven't taken the MCAT yet.


I know being a person who was not born and raised here does not justify the low grades, but I did not know how the system works here in the US. In my country, we go straight from high school to medical schools, but it is 6 years instead of 4.

Do I have a chance? or should I start considering other options? and if so what are some of the options I have? and please no pharmacy lol.

Hi guys, I am a pre-med student and each day goes by I feel like I should just already switch career path and do something else in the healthcare besides medical school. Let me give you my stats and see what do you guys advice me to do:

24 years old, first generation college graduate. I was a refugee who came to the US when I was 18. My parents worked hard to provide for me the education I am getting now while being on government assistance programs.

Let me give you the breakdown of my grades:

cGPA: 3.47
sGPA: 2.71

While at CC:

Gen chem 1&2: C,C
Gen Bio 1&2: B,C
Orgo1: F, then C
Phyics 1: C
I also have 3 W's


Transferred to university:

Micro: B
A&P 1,2: A,A
Calc: A

All the rest of my grades are A's and some B's

Basically, all the C's I got were while I was at CC during my freshman and sophomore year, while I was improving my English. Then when I transferred to a university, I was able to maintain a 3.9 GPA. I will graduate next year hopefully with a 3.9 or higher. That still won't help my science GPA, so I plan on retaking all the C's I have, and also take orgo2 and physics 2 and ace them hopefully.

My EC's are pretty bad because I did not have anytime due to the need for a job to support my family as well.

- 150 hours of ER volunteering
-20 hours as a volunteer at the local refugee office


I do speak 4 languages fluently (reading, writing and speaking), that is why I do work as a medical interpreter with over 1000+ hours, however it is over the phone but I do work with some big hospitals like Mass General and John Hopkins and such. So I do all the interpretation between the doctors, surgeons, gas doctors, radiologists and such to the patients back and forth.

I haven't taken the MCAT yet.


I know being a person who was not born and raised here does not justify the low grades, but I did not know how the system works here in the US. In my country, we go straight from high school to medical schools, but it is 6 years instead of 4.

Do I have a chance? or should I start considering other options? and if so what are some of the options I have? and please no pharmacy lol.

Tough tough tough. Your EC rock, I just hope you can get those LOR from physicians. But did you shadow doctors? Doing interpretations on the phone is nice, but you do need some face to face contact. Listening to the doctors is nice, but you need to be in their presence.

That science gpa is probably the biggest issue as you know. You need to get it above at least a 3.2 bro, you are trying to get into medical. The science gpa is probably the most important thing along with the mcat. The overall gpa is good, but its less important than the science. It sucks that you didn't do well in the prerequisites, as those classes are closely scrutinized. If you did well in the prerequisites, you wouldn't worry about having to take a dozen upper level sciences to make up. Would you be able to retake those classes you got low grades in..?

I would volunteer and do anything to have interactions with physicians. And keep taking sciences , get that science up to at least a 3.4 and you'll have a good chance.

Plus, aim for the highest mcat, preferable 28 so the ADCOMs will smile at you. Gl bro.