Getting into med school with an ugly UG transcript, willing to do anything.

[newglobe]

Hello all! This is my first time posting, so apologies if I have put this in the wrong place!

I'm currently an UG student double majoring in Biochemistry/Physics, and I've recently decided that, if I'm able to, I would like to become a surgeon! Key phrase being if I am able to. Unfortunately, my UG transcript is really, really bad. Awful. I'm now set to graduate with a 3.9 GPA, but my first year I:
- Failed Organic Chemistry AND Organic Lab.
- Got a C- in Cell Biology, retook it over the summer and got a D. I later retook it again and got an A.
- Got C's in Physics I and Genetics, though I retook them both and got A's.
- Withdrew from 3 of my classes.

After that I got an A in every single class I took. I managed to bring myself from a 1.89 to a 3.9, but nothing can hide that first year on my transcript. I don't even have a real reason for doing so poorly other than my abysmal mental health at the time, but I don't think that's something adcoms would want to hear.

I'm very happy in academia right now and plan to attend to grad school (maybe twice if I have the money for it) before completing a PhD program. But even after that, would that be enough to make up for my sh***y UG transcript? Everything I've read says that UG transcripts are critically important, and mine is hideous. If I aced every other part of the application-- ECs, essay, letters of recommendation, MCAT, etc-- would I have a reasonable chance of getting into medical school after grad school?

And if not, is there any other route I could take that would allow me to get into med school in the future? Or anything I could do to fix or alleviate this while I'm still in UG? I'd do just about anything if it meant increasing my chances.

Thank you so much for your time!

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[Doctoscope]

What is your GPA after factoring in the F's, D's, and C's? Your med school app GPA is not your institution GPA. There is no grade replacement for AMCAS/AACOMAS, so you need to factor in every single grade you've received (e.g. if you took a class 3 times and got F, D, and A, you need to count all 3 grades).

 

[newglobe]

What is your GPA after factoring in the F's, D's, and C's? Your med school app GPA is not your institution GPA. There is no grade replacement for AMCAS/AACOMAS, so you need to factor in every single grade you've received (e.g. if you took a class 3 times and got F, D, and A, you need to count all 3 grades).

AMCAS GPA is 3.62, BCPM GPA is 3.68, not counting any post-bac courses I may take.

 

[Doctoscope]

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take both time and money. And always remember that you’re in a marathon now, not a sprint...

forums.studentdoctor.net

If you can continue to show good academic performance, and do well on the MCAT, then you can still get into a medical school.

P.S. a lot of students go into medical school thinking they want to do 1 thing (e.g. surgery), but end up switching their minds about specialties. You also need to consider that there's a chance you may not match into the specialty you want at all. If working as a family/general practitioner (or any specialty that's not on mind) is a "deal-breaker" for pursuing medicine, then the field may not be a right choice.