Hoping for an MD acceptance in the future

[AP03]

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I will be starting my 3rd year of undergrad this fall and I'm hoping someone could give me a little bit of advice/insight on my situation based on the stats I have now.

I started college and endured some hardships resulting in a GPA of 0.75 (I didn't finish the semester, I simply quit attending). After starting a new university, I completed two years with a cGPA of 3.51. With both GPAs figured, I have about a 2.81 (sGPA is much higher - none of the classes taken my very first semester were science classes). I plan on spending an extra year in undergrad to try to increase my GPA some. Obviously, I know I have to get as close to a 4.0 every semester from now on (it's not so easy with a 2 year old and having to work full time but I'm trying) My major is Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. I haven't declared a minor yet.

Over the past two years, I have:
-worked full time (40 hrs/week) as a Pharm Tech
-volunteered at a local hospital in the ER (so far only 40 hrs) but I plan to continue until I apply
- volunteered with various organizations (i.e. Salvation Army)
- Pre-Med Club
- Molecular Bio Club (Vice President)
- Raised $5,000 for cancer research (this was a project that I developed and lead)
- so far, 6 months of research involving public accessibility to healthcare (still currently working - publication to come)
- Recently started another research project involving Cancer research. We have projected that this will continue for the next year or so with a publication in the future.

Future plans:
-I plan to shadow doctors in three different specialties
-I will continue the research I'm working on now possibly adding more.
-I plan to continue volunteering at the hospital
-I would like to do more volunteering throughout my community.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do for the next 2 to 3 years to improve my app for a possible MD acceptance. Obviously, I have to work on my GPA, but is there anything else I should be doing that I'm not?

Thank you in advance 😀

 

[TRN1983]

I wish you the best of luck, but no matter now impressive your accomplishments afterward if you can't get that cGPA up to the 3.3/3.4 range at a minimum I'd say you're going to have a very difficult time getting into an MD school. It's sad, but it's reality because you'll not even make the paper cut.

Keep going to school for a long time, petition for retroactive withdrawals for those courses you took (slim chance of success, but if you've got a good excuse I'd try), just get that GPA however you can.

Luckily, there are still other options (e.g. DO) and if you wanna be a physician, even if you don't wanna go to school for ages to raise your GPA you can do it.

 

[AP03]

I've been told before that I could ask for withdrawals in those classes during my first semester, but I was wondering (if by some miracle that they granted them), how bad would it look on my app? I'm asking because I have 3 other W's already at a school I attended before the one I'm at now. Those happened because I became pregnant and couldn't manage going to school and working full time while being pregnant.

 

[Mobius1985]

Ws are way better than Fs on your transcripts, and you have a good reason for them.

 

[TRN1983]

Ws are way better than Fs on your transcripts, and you have a good reason for them.

ditto