How to get into MD school

[deleted758864]

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I just graduated from UC Irvine (BS in Biochem) with a 3.5 cGPA and 3.45 sGPA (I took a lot of engineering calculus and physics classes, which kind of ruined my GPA a bit). I was initially planning on going to graduate school and do research. However, I recently got involved and became extremely interested and would love to pursue the field of medicine.

Unfortunately, I don't have much extracurricular activities/leadership/clinical experience, and my GPA is not competitive either. The only relevant experience I have is 2 years of research experience and 6 months working in a non-profit organization helping the underserved community in Orange County. I haven't taken the MCAT yet either. I am currently working as a full-time research assistant at Harvard University hoping to get some publications while studying for the MCAT.

So my questions are: What should I do in this situation to strengthen my application for med school (besides studying and getting a really good MCAT score)? I don't really have an upward GPA trend either (Fre:3.3, Soph:3.3, Jun:3.4, Sen:3.9) because I didn't do too well in most of my lower division courses, however, I did well in my upper division classes. Would retaking science classes I didn't do too well at Harvard Extension School help my application? I have also heard of many schools offering post-bac and SMPs. Should I take do one of those programs before applying to med school in my situation? If so, which one? I am also planning on volunteering at some local hospitals and shadowing a couple of physicians to gain more clinical experience. What other activities should I do to strengthen my med school application?

I'm sorry about the long post.

 

[787593]

BE the ball

 

[Goro]

I just graduated from UC Irvine (BS in Biochem) with a 3.5 cGPA and 3.45 sGPA (I took a lot of engineering calculus and physics classes, which kind of ruined my GPA a bit). I was initially planning on going to graduate school and do research. However, I recently got involved and became extremely interested and would love to pursue the field of medicine.

Unfortunately, I don't have much extracurricular activities/leadership/clinical experience, and my GPA is not competitive either. The only relevant experience I have is 2 years of research experience and 6 months working in a non-profit organization helping the underserved community in Orange County. I haven't taken the MCAT yet either. I am currently working as a full-time research assistant at Harvard University hoping to get some publications while studying for the MCAT.

So my questions are: What should I do in this situation to strengthen my application for med school (besides studying and getting a really good MCAT score)? I don't really have an upward GPA trend either (Fre:3.3, Soph:3.3, Jun:3.4, Sen:3.9) because I didn't do too well in most of my lower division courses, however, I did well in my upper division classes. Would retaking science classes I didn't do too well at Harvard Extension School help my application? I have also heard of many schools offering post-bac and SMPs. Should I take do one of those programs before applying to med school in my situation? If so, which one? I am also planning on volunteering at some local hospitals and shadowing a couple of physicians to gain more clinical experience. What other activities should I do to strengthen my med school application?

I'm sorry about the long post.

Your GPAs, while < avg, are not lethal for MD.

Your best bet will be to take a gap year and fill in those deficits. Non-clinical volunteering = service to others less fortunate than yourself; clinical volunteering, shadowing. I'd forgo Research in lieu of the previous three, because you're not going to be applying to the Powerhouses.

Your GPAs are fine right now for DO.

 

[deleted758864]

Your GPAs, while < avg, are not lethal for mD.

Your best bet will be to take a gap year and fill in those deficits. Non-clinical volunteering = service to others less fortunate than yourself; clinical volunteering, shadowing. I'd forgo Research in lieu of the previous three, because you're not going to be applying to the Powerhouses.

Your GPAs are fine right now for DO.

Thank you. However, since my gpa is < average, should i also attempt to improve it by retaking classes since GPA is probably one of the most important parts in the application?

 

[Goro]

Thank you. However, since my gpa is < average, should i also attempt to improve it by retaking classes since GPA is probably one of the most important parts in the application?

You should not retake any class you got a C or better in. Just take other challenging classes.

The only time you should do a retake is if the grade is C- or worse, or you are unsteady with the material for MCAT

 

[mwsapphire]

I'd say you do have a decent upward trend, OP. A year of doing well i upper level classes can lift you up slightly more than otherwise.

I'd say to volunteer for others less fortunate, fill in that clinical experience, and apply both MD and DO. Your GPA is low, but not fatal, for MD. Just make sure you're within range for the programs you apply to.