GPA, Year off, and general questions!

[TerikE]

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Hello all,

I am currently a Junior entering Spring Semester. I have a 3.07 GPA and have not taken the majority of my science classes. I know that I am behind schedule as far as applications are concerned. I plan on taking a year off after I get my BA. I have a few questions:

Is my GPA dangerously low for my level?
Will taking an additional year (or semester) to raise my GPA hurt my chances of admission?
I have not done any real research at this point (outside of Bio Lab). I do however have experience working for a Physical Therapist for a number of years. Will this help my during the application process or will it be negligible since it is not exactly Medical School related?
If I want to take a year off after my B.A., when would be the best time to take my MCAT?


I feel confident that I can raise my GPA, but I am not sure if I will be able to be in the competitive (3.5+) range by time for application (hence the extra year or semester).

Any help is greatly appreciated. The advisors at my JUCO are not helpful at all so I have to turn to you guys 🙂

 

[ozzi22]

well first of all, you need to get nothing but 4.0s now on to raise your gpa. working with a physical therapist is good and it might be counted towards clinical experience. since you are a junior and would like to take a year off before you apply, i suggest you take the mcat in no later than your spring of your senior year after you have done your prerequisite, then apply for med school during the summer. if you do well on that like a 30+ and apply, you might get in and start med school by august a year after you have applied. good luck.

 

[ISUBird100]

At this point, you GPA is on the lower end for both MD and DO schools, which have average GPA's of 3.66 and 3.48, respectively. However, you still have plenty of time to bring it back up.

Focus on getting as many A's as possible starting next semester. Med schools love seeing upward trends. Taking an additional semester/year won't be seen as a negative by the adcom's either. Just keep working hard in your classes and do your best.

In terms of working for the PT, I don't think it will hurt you since it is medically related and you're (hopefully) getting patient contact.

Not sure when you should take the MCAT. Maybe someone who's more experienced with this whole process can answer that one for you. Best of luck to you.

 

[michigangirl]

At this point with the stats you are stating, an extra year (or two) is imperative and can only help you (unless you bomb your science classes during that year)-- whether it's done as a post-bac or otherwise-- a GPA of 3.07 that doesn't include many science classes doesn't bode well. You need to do great in the pre-med core type classes and take the MCAT when you are ready-- the year before you apply. So take your time, plan out when you're going to take the premed requirements, and spend the extra time wisely. Don't try to pile too much into the extra year(s)-- concentrate on rocking the science courses. Adding research and stuff to the mix might detract from study time, so decide how good you are at multi-tasking. Good luck.

 

[TerikE]

well first of all, you need to get nothing but 4.0s now on to raise your gpa. working with a physical therapist is good and it might be counted towards clinical experience. since you are a junior and would like to take a year off before you apply, i suggest you take the mcat in no later than your spring of your senior year after you have done your prerequisite, then apply for med school during the summer. if you do well on that like a 30+ and apply, you might get in and start med school by august a year after you have applied. good luck.

Thanks for the reply. Would retaking classes that I received low grades in be advantageous since it would raise my GPA the most through that? The classes that I received low grades in are:
Psych: C
Chem 1010: C+ (This is not the Chem class required for medical school. I took it as an intro class since I had never taken chem before)
Nutrition: B-
Intro to Health Professions (elective): C+


Thanks again!

edit: After looking more carefully at my transcript I failed Math 1010 twice. On my 3rd try I got a B+. How would this average out at a MD school? The average of all 3 leads me to 1.1 GPA which is like a D.

 

[ISUBird100]

MD and DO schools look at retakes differently. The AMCAS will average the two grades together, but the AACOMAS will take take the highest grade.

Forgot to add, I would reconsider taking the other math class that you failed. Other than that, I wouldn't retake any of the other classes. See you how you do once you get more science classes under your belt. If you have a high enough GPA byt the time you graduate, then I wouldn't worry about retaking any of the other classes you listed. If your GPA is still a little low, then I would reconsider taking some classes.

 

[TerikE]

Thanks to all for the replies so far! I know that I will have to work hard but I have faith that I will eventually be accepted into Medical school.

 

[ozzi22]

Thanks for the reply. Would retaking classes that I received low grades in be advantageous since it would raise my GPA the most through that? The classes that I received low grades in are:
Psych: C
Chem 1010: C+ (This is not the Chem class required for medical school. I took it as an intro class since I had never taken chem before)
Nutrition: B-
Intro to Health Professions (elective): C+


Thanks again!

edit: After looking more carefully at my transcript I failed Math 1010 twice. On my 3rd try I got a B+. How would this average out at a MD school? The average of all 3 leads me to 1.1 GPA which is like a D.

there is no point in retaking classes you did partially well on. if you retake it, the old grades will still be counted towards your gpa for md schools and it wont bring it up that much, unless you are going the D.O route, then i suggest you retake because of the grade forgiveness our D.O friends gives us.
my friend failed organic chem twice and retook it and made a c+ the 3rd time, however, she is in an MD school right now. the thing is, you are going to explain why you had to retake a class three times on the interview if it does come up. sometimes it does not. cheers🙂