Help this poor girl out -- will be reimbursed with good karma!

[MDAG11]

Here's my life story (at least in terms of my GPA)

Highschool
--- took community college courses
(about 45 quarter units worth) 3.2 gpa


Undergrad

First year

Took gen chem (C-), and calculus(C+) (part of BCPM) and an overall about 39 quarter units --- First year GPA : 2.61 (EPIC FAIL)


Second Year

Finished General Biology, and Physics ( part of BCPM) about 45 quarter units second year GPA: Mostly B's and B-'s 3.05

Summer after second year:

OCHEM : B (3.0)

currently taking OCHEM 2 and nutrition class...( 7 quarter units)

What you've been waiting for....

I'm not going to make any excuses for my grades but my gpa is obviously a problem and I need to fix it! I still have my 3rd and 4th year left to go... but it's pretty impossible for me to be a competitive applicant anymore ( It's mathematically impossible for my cum. GPA to be higher than a 3.2-3.3) So How do I repair my GPA??? IS THERE STILL HOPE? I'm planning to be a cell bio major and I'm a first generation college student ( not URM). So now I'm unfortunately in trouble because I have way too many units (mainly due to CC units) and not enough time.

Thanks in advance! and definitely let me know if you need any other information.

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[YouNeverKnow22]

nothing is impossible, don't be discouraged. work your tail off these next two years and do some meaningful EC's.....it's not all about the numbers. Take some easy summer classes to boost that GPA as well. Good luck.

 

[searun]

OP, you are in a hole, a rather deep hole. But you still have two years left. You need to crush your academics for the next two years, pretty much run the table, make it your top priority. If you become an "A" student and can do well on the MCAT, you still have a shot. But if you give it your best effort, and are still getting "B"s and "C"s, find another dream and move on with your life. Medicine is not for everyone.

 

[TopSecret]

Here's my life story (at least in terms of my GPA)

Highschool
--- took community college courses
(about 45 quarter units worth) 3.2 gpa


Undergrad

First year

Took gen chem (C-), and calculus(C+) (part of BCPM) and an overall about 39 quarter units --- First year GPA : 2.61 (EPIC FAIL)


Second Year

Finished General Biology, and Physics ( part of BCPM) about 45 quarter units second year GPA: Mostly B's and B-'s 3.05

Summer after second year:

OCHEM : B (3.0)

currently taking OCHEM 2 and nutrition class...( 7 quarter units)

What you've been waiting for....

I'm not going to make any excuses for my grades but my gpa is obviously a problem and I need to fix it! I still have my 3rd and 4th year left to go... but it's pretty impossible for me to be a competitive applicant anymore ( It's mathematically impossible for my cum. GPA to be higher than a 3.2-3.3) So How do I repair my GPA??? IS THERE STILL HOPE? I'm planning to be a cell bio major and I'm a first generation college student ( not URM). So now I'm unfortunately in trouble because I have way too many units (mainly due to CC units) and not enough time.

Thanks in advance! and definitely let me know if you need any other information.

There is still hope but your chances depend on a strong MCAT score.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Yep, definitely kill the MCAT. If you can get a 34-35+ and a 3.2-3.3 with a high upward trend, especially if you were disadvantaged as a first-gen college student (though I don't know if you were "disadvantaged"), you'll have a shot. But whatever you do, make sure you study your butt off and do well; a mediocre MCAT score could really kill you at this point.

Moving to What are my Chances.

 

[DaTruMD]

You have a long, tough road ahead of you. Improve that GPA ASAP (straight As) and kill the MCAT.

 

[Stratego]

Read about the redemptive power of the SMP (Special Masters Program) in SDN's Postbaccalaureate Forum. Getting straight As in the meantime will be important too.

 

[homer21]

If you can get Straight A's these last two years, many schools will consider the upward trends in your grades. They will do this because they consider upper division classes harder and If you can ace your upper division classes then you can handle the med school. But still with that low of a GPA you will need to do outstanding on the MCAT and should probably apply to DO schools. Good Luck

 

[apumic]

You've gotten some good advice. You're a hole but you know that. Now start clawing out of it. Retake some of those courses and get As in them (esp. the science ones). Make sure you get A's in each upper division course as well. If you can get As in at least one upper div course in chem, physics & bio, that should help to show you can get good grades the first time in each of those areas.
Finally, play the 1st gen card in your SOP. 1st gens are generally disadvantaged in terms of college due to a variety of factors (parents' lack of knowledge of college/professional school, parental attitudes toward high ed, etc.), which have likely effected you. Use those to your advantage and show how you overcame them. That would explain your struggling the first year or two before suddenly "clicking" your junior year and being an excellent student. Take advantage of the situation rather than letting it weigh you down and you could still be competitive!

 

[Looking Glass]

Here's my life story (at least in terms of my GPA)

Highschool
--- took community college courses
(about 45 quarter units worth) 3.2 gpa


Undergrad

First year

Took gen chem (C-), and calculus(C+) (part of BCPM) and an overall about 39 quarter units --- First year GPA : 2.61 (EPIC FAIL)


Second Year

Finished General Biology, and Physics ( part of BCPM) about 45 quarter units second year GPA: Mostly B's and B-'s 3.05

Summer after second year:

OCHEM : B (3.0)

currently taking OCHEM 2 and nutrition class...( 7 quarter units)

What you've been waiting for....

I'm not going to make any excuses for my grades but my gpa is obviously a problem and I need to fix it! I still have my 3rd and 4th year left to go... but it's pretty impossible for me to be a competitive applicant anymore ( It's mathematically impossible for my cum. GPA to be higher than a 3.2-3.3) So How do I repair my GPA??? IS THERE STILL HOPE? I'm planning to be a cell bio major and I'm a first generation college student ( not URM). So now I'm unfortunately in trouble because I have way too many units (mainly due to CC units) and not enough time.

Thanks in advance! and definitely let me know if you need any other information.

As one of the other poster mentioned. If after finishing your degree and your GPA is still between a 3.0 and a 3.3, you may want to consider an SMP like the ones that they have at Georgetown or the University of Cincinnati or EVMS. Those are basically one year graduate level programs that allow you to take medical school classes - it gives you a chance to prove to admissions committee that you're capable of handling medical school coursework. Some of the programs like EVMS also have pretty good linkage with their medical school, so you have a better chance of being accepted by the same medical school. However, in order to be a competitive applicant for both an SMP and MD program, you'd probably need to score a 33-35 on your MCAT.

 

[ChemEngSoonMD]

All you gotta do is get 40+ on your MCAT to make up that low GPA.

 

[RecyclingBinh]

How many credit hours do you have already?

i'm working on bringing up my GPA and I have 117 hours already. I think it's still possible with a lot of A's.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

My best advice is to apply broadly when the time comes, consider SMPs as well. It should not be shocking if you are not admitted to a LCME or AOA accredited medical school. You may wish to consider applying to a Caribbean Medical School.

 

[MDAG11]

How many credit hours do you have already?

i'm working on bringing up my GPA and I have 117 hours already. I think it's still possible with a lot of A's.

Total UC: Passed -- 86 , Completed --- 91
Total Transfer: Passed--- 33 , Completed ---45
(I think the difference between passed and completed is that completed includes units from pass/np classes whereas passed does not... IDK)

Overall: Passed 119, Completed 136

SO YEA.....

 

[UTsksk]

OP, you are in a hole, a rather deep hole. But you still have two years left. You need to crush your academics for the next two years, pretty much run the table, make it your top priority. If you become an "A" student and can do well on the MCAT, you still have a shot. But if you give it your best effort, and are still getting "B"s and "C"s, find another dream and move on with your life. Medicine is not for everyone.

I'm sorry, but I'm one of those optimistic people when it comes to dreams. One of my advisors told me to give up on my dream as a doctor cause I would never reach it. I moved away and have maintained a 4.0 since then so it's always doable. Heh, I'm going to personally send her my acceptance letter and rub it in her face.

For the OP, go for an awesome upward trend and high mcat...easier said than done so have fun with it

 

[djd2187]

Keep your options open, there is a good chance that you might have to do a postbacc program to bring your gpa up. So start looking into those, possibly osteopathic schools too. Also during this time beef up your ec's. and honestly, like everyone else on this page who has given you advice, do your best on mcats. Good luck, don't give up, there is always a option.

 

[DaTruMD]

All you gotta do is get 40+ on your MCAT to make up that low GPA.

36+ is good enough, I think.

 

[DaTruMD]

I'm sorry, but I'm one of those optimistic people when it comes to dreams. One of my advisors told me to give up on my dream as a doctor cause I would never reach it. I moved away and have maintained a 4.0 since then so it's always doable. Heh, I'm going to personally send her my acceptance letter and rub it in her face.

For the OP, go for an awesome upward trend and high mcat...easier said than done so have fun with it

LOL. Awesome.

 

[MDAG11]

How do the community college units that I took while I was in high school weigh in??? they still count right? I can't beleive what I did in highschool is also affecting me. Should I stop "trippin' " about those?

As for the advice that you guys have given me -- thank you.
Obviously it's going to be a challenge, but I'm not at all ready to give up.

 

[MDAG11]

I'm sorry, but I'm one of those optimistic people when it comes to dreams. One of my advisors told me to give up on my dream as a doctor cause I would never reach it. I moved away and have maintained a 4.0 since then so it's always doable. Heh, I'm going to personally send her my acceptance letter and rub it in her face.

For the OP, go for an awesome upward trend and high mcat...easier said than done so have fun with it

NICE!
that's the way to do it congrats haha

 

[Looking Glass]

How do the community college units that I took while I was in high school weigh in??? they still count right? I can't beleive what I did in highschool is also affecting me. Should I stop "trippin' " about those?

As for the advice that you guys have given me -- thank you.
Obviously it's going to be a challenge, but I'm not at all ready to give up.

Yes, your community college courses in high school will be counted in your overall GPA. You will get a better understanding of this when you fill out your AMCAS application. You have to disclose every single college course that you took from when you were in high school up until after you graduated from college. I believe the AMCAS people have a way of finding out where you took college courses.