grad student needs advice

[neuroscienceguy]

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Hey guys,
I really need some help here, I am currently a grad Student at Western Michigan University getting a master’s in Biology. My undergrad GPA is very low (2.8) but I have upward trend. My current Grad GPA is a 3.8, and I am also work 24 hours a week as a PCA in an ER at large hospital. I volunteer for Big Bothers and Big Sisters, and I am currently doing research in the field of neuroscience (for my masters). I took the MCAT once and did poorly, without studying very much, and I am sure that if study more I will be able to much better (low 30s-high 20s). I would like to know my chances of getting into medical school, MD or DO, with a good Grad GPA, good MCAT score and my extracurricular.

Thanks in advance for the insight

 

[DrHuang]

i think that with a good MCAT score (33+) you'd have a decent shot for allopathic schools and a really good shot at osteopathic schools. good luck!

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Hey guys,
I really need some help here, I am currently a grad Student at Western Michigan University getting a master’s in Biology. My undergrad GPA is very low (2.8) but I have upward trend. My current Grad GPA is a 3.8, and I am also work 24 hours a week as a PCA in an ER at large hospital. I volunteer for Big Bothers and Big Sisters, and I am currently doing research in the field of neuroscience (for my masters). I took the MCAT once and did poorly, without studying very much, and I am sure that if study more I will be able to much better (low 30s-high 20s). I would like to know my chances of getting into medical school, MD or DO, with a good Grad GPA, good MCAT score and my extracurricular.

Thanks in advance for the insight

Osteo for sure.

Allo will be more difficult. You need to retake the MCAT and score in the HIGH 30s to compensate for the awful undergrad GPA. Unfortunately, the graduate GPA will not fully compensate for the undergrad GPA. Also, is your master's just courses or research too? If you work really hard and get a publication or two, that could help quite a bit.

 

[BozoSparky]

Hey, is your advisor supportive? The letter of rec from this person will be critical!!!

 

[QofQuimica]

Hey guys,
I really need some help here, I am currently a grad Student at Western Michigan University getting a master’s in Biology. My undergrad GPA is very low (2.8) but I have upward trend. My current Grad GPA is a 3.8, and I am also work 24 hours a week as a PCA in an ER at large hospital. I volunteer for Big Bothers and Big Sisters, and I am currently doing research in the field of neuroscience (for my masters). I took the MCAT once and did poorly, without studying very much, and I am sure that if study more I will be able to much better (low 30s-high 20s). I would like to know my chances of getting into medical school, MD or DO, with a good Grad GPA, good MCAT score and my extracurricular.

Thanks in advance for the insight

You might also consider taking some undergrad-level post bac classes to get your UG GPA up to a 3.0. The problem is that some schools screen based on GPA and MCAT, and they won't want to give you a secondary since you have a 2.8 UG GPA. The grad GPA is calculated separately by AMCAS, so it doesn't really fix the problem for schools that automatically screen. If you don't want to take extra classes (completely understandable!), I suggest that you call the schools where you plan to apply and make sure that they're not going to screen you based on UG GPA. It absolutely sucks that some schools do this, but I'm just giving you a heads up on that. I had similar problems trying to apply to some schools with a P/F UG curriculum and no UG GPA but with excellent graduate grades and MCAT score.

 

[browniegirl86]

I had similar problems trying to apply to some schools with a P/F UG curriculum and no UG GPA but with excellent graduate grades and MCAT score.

Wow! I don't want to be nosy, but this intrigues me . . . where did you do your undergrad, Q?

Oh, excuse me. DOCTOR Q. 🙂

 

[riceman04]

Hey guys,
I really need some help here, I am currently a grad Student at Western Michigan University getting a master’s in Biology. My undergrad GPA is very low (2.8) but I have upward trend. My current Grad GPA is a 3.8, and I am also work 24 hours a week as a PCA in an ER at large hospital. I volunteer for Big Bothers and Big Sisters, and I am currently doing research in the field of neuroscience (for my masters). I took the MCAT once and did poorly, without studying very much, and I am sure that if study more I will be able to much better (low 30s-high 20s). I would like to know my chances of getting into medical school, MD or DO, with a good Grad GPA, good MCAT score and my extracurricular.

Thanks in advance for the insight

I'm a Big too!!!!

 

[relentless11]

I agree with Q up there, you might get screwed at schools that screen the applications first. However for some schools, I don't know if this applies to all, they know that some people have low GPA's due to other reasons outside their control. This is usually addressed briefly in the personal statement. I know the UC's, although VERY numbers based (e.g.: screening), they said they look at the whole primary application, and thus see your trends, and personal statement. Therefore if they find justification, the application may go to a manual sorting pile, where people look at your application more thoroughly to determine if you get a secondary or not.

I would NOT rely on this at all. You never know, and perhaps human error might come into play. Therefore at the VERY LEAST, get above a 30 on the MCAT. That would at least raise an eyebrow or two, and possibly justify them to take a closer look on your application. Best bet is to get both your undergrad GPA to hit 3.0, and an MCAT above 30 to just avoid this.

I am in the same boat as you are. Sub-2.0 UG GPA. So i've been doing post-bacc and now a PhD program. My grad GPA is fine, but been taking UG upper div coursework as they count as post bacc too. My problem is time, not getting A's. I don't know if I'll have enough time to take enough classes to get my GPA up to a 3.0, but i'll get as close as I can.

So yea, if you get knocked out before getting a secondary, your letters of recommendations are meaningless. Sucks, but thats the way the system works. Take home message is you want to either avoid the screening problem by getting your UG GPA/MCAT up, or by applying to schools that don't screen. I'd personally do both, because it increases your options, and even without screening, some places take into account your UG GPA/MCAT (to a lesser extent) for interviews and their final decision. If the UG GPA thing is not possible, then get that MCAT as high as you can.

Of course everything above is in regards to MD schools. For DO, I think grad GPA is weighted a lot better. So I think for the most part, aslong as you do well on your MCATs, you should be in good shape for DO.

 

[QofQuimica]

Wow! I don't want to be nosy, but this intrigues me . . . where did you do your undergrad, Q?

Oh, excuse me. DOCTOR Q. 🙂

It's called New College; it's a small liberal arts college in Florida. Not only are there no grades or GPAs, but also no credit hours. Their website is www.ncf.edu if you want to read about the program.

 

[gujuDoc]

I'm going to say I agree with all the advice given already. Like Q, I think you should talk to schools of interest. I don't think you'd have that big of an issue at DO schools because the minimum required for many DO schools are 2.7, even though most people usually have quite a bit higher then that for DO schools.

For MD schools, it is pretty crapshoot but you'd have to get 33+ on the MCAT to stand a chance. DO schools tend to look at the whole package and also tend to calculate grades a little differently. DO Schools will not average courses retaken so your GPA on AACOMAS will be much higher then your AMCAS gpa.

MD schools may or may not be forgiving depending on the school and what they think of the rest of your profile. Some schools will average the Postbac, others will average it but look more at your later trends. Masters programs are separte GPAs and may or may not be looked at favorable over the idea of postbac depending on where you are applying. This is why its critical to talk to adcom directors and/or other adcom members at schools of interest.

 

[gujuDoc]

Wow! I don't want to be nosy, but this intrigues me . . . where did you do your undergrad, Q?

Oh, excuse me. DOCTOR Q. 🙂

Just so you know, at NCU, there may not be grades, but there are narrative evaluations. So they still do evaluate you on some level.

 

[QofQuimica]

Just so you know, at NCU, there may not be grades, but there are narrative evaluations. So they still do evaluate you on some level.

Yeah, they do give NEs, but the NEs are not part of the official transcript. All AMCAS saw on my transcript was a list of courses (in random order, I might add!) that I had passed. It also lists my independent study projects and my thesis title. Then it says I was awarded a BA. That's it. I actually do pity the poor AMCAS person who had to verify me.... 😛