Getting discouraged... Advice Welcome

[MissV8787]

I dont have a 3.0 but I'm not too far from it and i am taking the MCAT this summer . I am also planning on taking Orgo 1 for the 3rd time.... Do i still have a chance if my MCAT is pretty good?( >/= 27)

What hurts so much is that I want this so bad and I feel like there is always something in my way from my goal. And i guess this and where it stems from is essentially my personal statement.

Looking at Meharry, Howard, GA-PCOM, San Juan, Ponce.....

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[Terpskins99]

I dont have a 3.0 but I'm not too far from it and i am taking the MCAT this summer . I am also planning on taking Orgo 1 for the 3rd time.... Do i still have a chance if my MCAT is pretty good?( >/= 27)

What hurts so much is that I want this so bad and I feel like there is always something in my way from my goal. And i guess this and where it stems from is essentially my personal statement.

Looking at Meharry, Howard, GA-PCOM, San Juan, Ponce.....

If you can crack at least 27 (preferably 30), I think you may have a chance at the osteopathic program but not a very good one.

Here's the deal. Your application needs to demonstrate to an admissions committee that you would be able to handle a medical school curriculum. Repeating an undergrad pre-requisite class (yes, even one as difficult as orgo) raises a huge red flag. In medical school, your workload will be literally 3-4x as much as what you experience as an undergrad and you have considerably less study time available to prepare for exams.

Someone in your position could benefit from a post-bac medical program, but only if you do extremely well in it. You MUST maintain a stellar GPA (I'm talking minimum 3.6 GPA) in the program or it will be a waste of your time and money. If for some reason you continue the same level of performance in the post-bac program as you did as an undergrad... then at that point I would consider a different career.

 

[LovelyMD]

I dont have a 3.0 but I'm not too far from it and i am taking the MCAT this summer . I am also planning on taking Orgo 1 for the 3rd time.... Do i still have a chance if my MCAT is pretty good?( >/= 27)

What hurts so much is that I want this so bad and I feel like there is always something in my way from my goal. And i guess this and where it stems from is essentially my personal statement.

Looking at Meharry, Howard, GA-PCOM, San Juan, Ponce.....

I am not sure what the admissions requirements are for the schools you're considering, so I can't comment more specifically, but I would aim to get over a 30 on the MCAT.

I was also curious about why you are taking Orgo 1 for a third time? I wouldn't suggest retaking it again unless you got lower than a C. What were your orgo grades?

 

[njbmd]

I dont have a 3.0 but I'm not too far from it and i am taking the MCAT this summer . I am also planning on taking Orgo 1 for the 3rd time.... Do i still have a chance if my MCAT is pretty good?( >/= 27)

What hurts so much is that I want this so bad and I feel like there is always something in my way from my goal. And i guess this and where it stems from is essentially my personal statement.

Looking at Meharry, Howard, GA-PCOM, San Juan, Ponce.....

The uGPA of less than 3.0 is likely not going to get you into medical school even with a MCAT score above 30 and applying to schools that are traditionally HBCU/Puerto Rican. You grossly underestimate the number of very applicants of color that have above 3.0 uGPA.

That third take on organic chemistry is likely going to be painful too. As LovelyMD stated, don't retake unless your grade was less than C. I would also add, that you need a very long string of excellent grades (nothing less than B+ with mostly As) to offset an earlier slow/poor start if that was your problem.

A better course of action for you would be a program like the Georgetown GEMS which is geared to disadvantaged applicants (if you have significant obstacles) to get their academics in order for success in medical school. Be aware that you have to show evidence that now you have overcome your scholarship difficulties and be prepared to work harder than you have ever worked in your life. There are other programs out there like GEMS that might be closer to where you are located.

Unless you had severe logistical problems (personal illness, severe financial problems, family illness), a "three-peat" on O Chem is a huge problem. I would also strongly caution against taking the MCAT unless you are very sure that you have properly prepared for this test (scoring significantly above 30 on practice exams) and that you have a very strong pre-med knowledge base that you can apply to the type of problem-solving that the MCAT requires. You can't re-taking the MCAT over and over with mediocre scores especially with a relatively poor uGPA (regardless of circumstances).


A strong MCAT score coupled with a good performance in a "GEMS-type" program could get you into medical school but right now, regardless of what you score or the MCAT, you are not ready to apply. Long gone are the days of a uGP of less than 3.0 getting you into any medical school in the US. If you really "want this so bad", you will do what you have to do to accomplish your goals which is show some excellent scholarship/academics. At this point, you are not ready.

 

[MissV8787]

I got an F in Orgo 1 the first time because someone i was dating passed away. And the second time was just too much for me... So i KNOW i need to retake it to get rid of the D.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

I can only speak for M.D. programs, but I think you should do a year or two with an informal post-bacc in biology supplemented with some "easier" courses (subjects that come easy to you, not "fluff" courses) in order to bump your gpa. After you finish Orgo, you should enroll in a test prep course before you take the MCAT. Then you should apply to an SMP and kick butt while you're in the program. (I don't know anything about SMPs, but there's a subforum on here where you can get info.)

You also need to make sure that your ECs, research, etc. are on point.

It's going to be a struggle and take at LEAST 2 more years of your life, but if you really want this -- you can do it.

 

[TheFamilyDoc]

You should be OK with at least a 26 or more for Howard Meharry and D.O. Schools and if all else fails there is always the Carribean!

 

[PinkIvy08]

It's never too late to achieve your goals. True, you've had a rough start, and it's going to take a lot of work and some time to get where you want to be, but nothing's impossible. You might need to learn how best to study for you. Are there any tutoring services offered at your school? Are you taking advantage of them and office hours?

I agree with the aforementioned advice. Do a post-bacc, but make sure to ace everything. Also, killing the MCAT (>30!) will attest to your intellectual capacity and potential for mastering the material presented in med school. While it won't erase a bad academic past, it will highlight a promising future.

Don't get down, get focused!

 

[mybubbles14]

It's never too late to achieve your goals. True, you've had a rough start, and it's going to take a lot of work and some time to get where you want to be, but nothing's impossible. You might need to learn how best to study for you. Are there any tutoring services offered at your school? Are you taking advantage of them and office hours?

I agree with the aforementioned advice. Do a post-bacc, but make sure to ace everything. Also, killing the MCAT (>30!) will attest to your intellectual capacity and potential for mastering the material presented in med school. While it won't erase a bad academic past, it will highlight a promising future.

Don't get down, get focused!

I agree with the post bac advice...although it might be difficult getting into one with less than a 3.0. Although yes people get in w/ a 26, I would aim for higher like a 30+ as others have said...

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

I know Wake Forest and Ohio State University have great post-bacc programs where the GPA cut-off is around 2.7 and MCAT cut-off of 23 or so. They're extremely competitive (they only accept 10-15 students per year), but successful completion guarantees you M1 status at their school. You should grab an MSAR and look into all of the schools that have post-bacc programs, see what their requirements are, and try applying to those schools so that if acceptance this year doens't work out, at least you have a chance at a solid plan B that might still get you into school next year, just as a post-bac student.

As far as the Puerto Rican schools go, do you have intermediate/advanced/fluent knowledge of Spanish? >50% of class is taught in Spanish, so you have to be prepared for that. Still, while their MCAT scores are lower, their GPA is still mid 3.00s so I don't know if they overlook low GPA because of strong MCAT and vice versa. Everyone is an individual, though, so if you put together a good personal statement and you've got a strong application by way of extracurriculars, they may look past numbers and give you a shot anyway. It all depends.

I wish you luck all the same!

 

[mybubbles14]

I know Wake Forest and Ohio State University have great post-bacc programs where the GPA cut-off is around 2.7 and MCAT cut-off of 23 or so. They're extremely competitive (they only accept 10-15 students per year), but successful completion guarantees you M1 status at their school. You should grab an MSAR and look into all of the schools that have post-bacc programs, see what their requirements are, and try applying to those schools so that if acceptance this year doens't work out, at least you have a chance at a solid plan B that might still get you into school next year, just as a post-bac student.

As far as the Puerto Rican schools go, do you have intermediate/advanced/fluent knowledge of Spanish? >50% of class is taught in Spanish, so you have to be prepared for that. Still, while their MCAT scores are lower, their GPA is still mid 3.00s so I don't know if they overlook low GPA because of strong MCAT and vice versa. Everyone is an individual, though, so if you put together a good personal statement and you've got a strong application by way of extracurriculars, they may look past numbers and give you a shot anyway. It all depends.

I wish you luck all the same!

the post bacs at OSU and meharry for example are only available to individuals who applied to their regular MD program...you can't just apply straight to the post bac.

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

the post bacs at OSU and meharry for example are only available to individuals who applied to their regular MD program...you can't just apply straight to the post bac.

Exactly. There's no harm in applying to those schools with the specific intention of getting into their post-bac programs. If you actually land an interview for the MD program instead, all the better. But you have to start somewhere, and you need to keep all avenues open if you want to maximize success. If you have to go through being rejected from their MD program to be considered for the post-bac program, what's the harm? The timeline is all the same. These schools accept people into their post-bac with lower stats, and that's what the OP needs.

OP, if you need to start something this fall, and you are serious about a post-bac, consider applying to Drexel and Temple. If you're from California, look into the UC post-bac program. Here's a website with different programs http://hpap.syr.edu/pblist.htm. If you want to go the normal route and apply to your schools and see what pans out, consider adding some schools that have post-bacs, too, like OSU and Wake Forest and anything else you can dig out of the MSAR.

 

[odieoh]

"I got an F in Orgo 1 the first time because someone i was dating passed away. And the second time was just too much for me... So i KNOW i need to retake it to get rid of the D."

I'm sorry to hear that someone close passed away. That is definitely a valid excuse for doing poorly the first time around.

On the other hand, for the second time "it was just too much for me" is not an acceptable reason. PD's are going to see the threepeat on your transcript and ask why, and if you say "it was just to much for me" then the thing running through their head is going to be "well then the workload of med school will likely be FAR too much for this candidate."

 

[Mast Cell]

Typically, a person with a lower GPA has a harder time getting a high MCAT score just because their foundation is probably not as strong as it could be. With that said, I had a low GPA in undergrad but I changed things by taking many upper level bio courses and doing really well in them. I repeated o.chem in my postbac as well. I continued (with conditional acceptance) to a master's program in biology and was able to take courses at the graduate level. Originally, the plan was to go to med school straight from undergrad, but sometimes plans don't work out. If you want this, you can make it happen. Just focus and don't worry about the time (and money, lol) - that first acceptance will be sooo worth it all.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Mast Cell]

...oh yeah, and i didn't take the MCAT until i was well into my postbac so that I could make sure that I was prepared for it. Chances are, u don't want to take it twice, even tho that's not the end of the world

(side note: meharry rejected me last week & i still haven't heard from howard. other schools offered me interviews though. this process is a bit strange. whenever you decide to apply, make sure to apply broadly)

 

[TTfutureMD]

So I should apply to medical school, knowing good and well that I will be rejected, only so that I can get into their post-bacc program. Am I hearing- or reading rather- this correctly?

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

So I should apply to medical school, knowing good and well that I will be rejected, only so that I can get into their post-bacc program. Am I hearing- or reading rather- this correctly?

"Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars." - Les Brown

Really, if you feel that you will more than likely be rejected, then you need to think about post-bac education anyway. So when you come at it from that angle, then yes, you need to apply with the intention of being rejected/referred for a school's post-bac program. Or, don't apply at all and do an informal post-bac. Put yourself in the best possible place to be interviewed/accepted, but understand that this process is so all-over-the-place that it wouldn't hurt to widen your safety net and have plan B.

Minority/disadvantaged students are blessed because schools are giving us the opportunity to strengthen our academics by having these programs that give us another option...why not take advantage if we can? Why apply solely to those schools that don't give these options only to have such a poor application that you will need to take more time off to strengthen it? Putting yourself in the post-bac way at least allows you to be productive and use that gap year wisely.

MAXIMIZE YOUR OPTIONS. The opportunity is there, so why not make use of it?