Getting a masters degree before med school...?

[nchoh724]

I'm a junior at St. John's University, biology major and chemistry minor... but my science GPA is really low (less than 3.0), and even though it seems like I have a lot of time to raise it, I don't think I really do. I did really bad during my freshmen year, so my core biology class grades are pretty low. It's even harder to raise it now, even though I've improved A LOT. I went from C's and D's in my freshmen year to A's and B's in my sophomore year... but even still, permanent damage has been done to my GPA.
I've heard from a friend about post bacc programs, but recently I've also heard about getting a master's degree in biochemistry or something along those lines... I've done some research but I'm hearing a lot of different things, like its a waste of time and money, or that post bacc is a better option, or that it's just better to do really REALLY good on the MCAT and not waste any more money...
The thing is, along with my crappy GPA, I've barely done any extracurricular activities either, and before I heard about this, I planned on taking a gap year and doing internships and working and shadowing doctors and things like that...

BASICALLY, I'm super confused about what I should do next. I know that I definitely want to be a doctor, but at this rate and with my GPA where it is right now... I don't have a lot of confidience.

Any advise?

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[inycepoo]

w00t St. John's! Got lots of good buddies there.

What's your cGPA? If it's ~3.5 then you're in a better position (though still not good by any means) than you come across as.

IMO, you need to absolutely do something besides take the MCAT and apply straight out. <3.0 is far below the screening threshold, and you'll be passed over almost automatically unless your MCAT is like 95th percentile (>35).

For MD, the post-bacc/SMP would be your best option. It's not that the Master's degree is useless, but that SMPs will offer you specific guidance on the app process and write you a committee letter that will attest to your academic prospects, which is what you really need.

For DO, you could retake those Cs and Ds at St. John's (if they allow it) for grade replacement to boost up your GPA. In that case, perhaps the gap year would be better spent doing some ECs both for your own interest and the application's sake.

Also, a more pressing question...how are you so sure of your goal to be a doctor when it sounds like you haven't done much at all to know the profession better (and supposedly therefore have little clue what the profession entails on a daily basis, etc. etc.)? Sounds inane, but it's a necessary question to honestly ask yourself at this point.

 

[pepocho]

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