GPA Question

[Aguirre]

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I think this question may require that I go through some of my academic history so please bear with me. I attended one university for a few years (about six semesters) and then I dropped out. My gpa was little above 2.0. I failed and withdrew from a variety of courses. I then attended community college and graduated with a 3.7. I've just finished my first semester at Rutgers - New Brunswick with a 4.0 that included calculus and general biology. I'm interested in premed, but I'm worried about my admissions prospects. Even if I manage to maintain such high grades over the course of the next few semesters, my cumulative gpa would be somewhere between 3.0-3.2. Biology was very easy, but I know it's not organic chemistry. However, I'm very motivated and focused, and I think I have the potential to do well. Assuming I continue to do well, how will admissions committees view my grades? Also, if it makes a difference, I'm a philosophy major.

 

[DrMidlife]

Good news: you're not alone. See the low GPA thread in the postbac forum, which has been visited over 300,000 times so far.

More good news: you're a New Jersey resident? That's an advantage because there's a cheap instate med school that hosts a cheap instate one-year biomedical masters (if you need one). Such a program (typically called an "SMP") is effectively an audition for med school where you do the first year with med students to prove you can handle it.

Still more good news: your MCAT score, which is still completely under your control, is a very powerful data point which can bring home the message that you're way more "a 4.0" than "a 2.0".

Yet still more good news: it sounds like your science GPA will be plenty high (it includes bio, chem, ochem & math). Another powerful data point against your lower cumulative GPA.

Further yet still more good news: being a philosophy major won't hurt you a bit. The stats are here, and I don't think anybody's going to argue with a humanities background, which is an asset against strong performance in the sciences.

You already know the news that isn't great: you have a lot of work ahead of you, you need to apply early and broadly, and the competition is stiff.

Best of luck to you.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

Remember that you can delay graduation for a looonnnggg time. Keep taking science AND non-science classes to try to bring both GPA sections up.

Consider taking some fluffy, easy classes where you know you can get A's. They'll boost your GPA the same as any other classes with half the effort.