how to raise gpa?...

[huzzfuzz]

i searched for similar threads but they were all in different fields...

i'm a first year junior...bound to be a 5th year senior...with a cumulative gpa of 3.0...i have just started taking my science courses so i'm not sure of my sci gpa...(long story)...i've always gotten a's and b's in all my other courses except for one math class that i got a c in...it was algebra/trig class not required for my degree but a prereq for the course that i do need to have for my degree...i've only taken one biology class and one chemistry class...do i still have time to raise my gpa to an acceptable/desirable one? (3.7/3.8)...would retaking the math class do any good?...or will my future science courses raise it?...

i'm really getting freaked out right now so any advice will truly be appreciated!...

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[hoyt7]

Unfortunately you already have a lot of credits in, so going from a 3.0 to 3.7/3.8 is going to be tough. For example, if you have a 3.0 after 2 years (60 credits) and you get a 4.0 for the next 2 years (60 credits), you'll still only be at a 3.5. My recommendation would be to bust your hump in your science classes and show the admissions committee and upward trend in your grades and that you can handle the tough science courses.

 

[DrReo]

Raising it that high might we out of range, depending on how many courses you want to take, for example, my high school GPA was 3.1 my junior year then I left to college and got an average GPA of 3.9 for 54 credits and it raised my CUMM GPA to 3.55. Even though it was high school, it still took a lot to raise it .45. Also, it depends how many credits y ou have too. I know there are GPA calculators that you could play around with. I wouldn't retake it, maybe earn a higher grade in a math course higher than that to show improvement.

 

[DrReo]

Upward trends can do wonders, from what I've heard

Unfortunately you already have a lot of credits in, so going from a 3.0 to 3.7/3.8 is going to be tough. For example, if you have a 3.0 after 2 years (60 credits) and you get a 4.0 for the next 2 years (60 credits), you'll still only be at a 3.5. My recommendation would be to bust your hump in your science classes and show the admissions committee and upward trend in your grades and that you can handle the tough science courses.

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[Chill Pill]

AFAIK you can enroll in a post-bacc program before reapplying. If you do well in that program you will probably have a better chance.

I'm no expert on the matter, so someone correct me if I'm wrong....

 

[LizzyM]

I don't understand. If you got a C in a 3 credit course, then an A in a 3 credit course would "balance" it to make a 3.0. Yet you say that you've gotten As and Bs and yet have only a 3.0. Do you have B- grades that are pulling down the gpa.

Pulling up a gpa is a difficult task. Assuming 120 total credits, the difference between a B or A in a 3 credit course is a difference in the gpa of 0.025. So, getting an A rather than a B in a 3 credit course will take your final gpa at graduation from a 3.0 to a 3.03 (rounding up). Pull all As in 60 credits and you can go from a 3.0 to a 3.5 but no higher. Take more credits and you change the numerator such that each additional 3 credit course will contribute a smaller proportion to your gpa. Pulling a 4.0 on 63 credits can bring a 3.0 (60 credits) to 3.51 (123 credits).

An upward trend is great but you are going to need something else to hook the adcom into giving you an interview.

 

[MahlerROCKS]

End strong and you should be fine

 

[huzzfuzz]

I don't understand. If you got a C in a 3 credit course, then an A in a 3 credit course would "balance" it to make a 3.0. Yet you say that you've gotten As and Bs and yet have only a 3.0. Do you have B- grades that are pulling down the gpa.

Pulling up a gpa is a difficult task. Assuming 120 total credits, the difference between a B or A in a 3 credit course is a difference in the gpa of 0.025. So, getting an A rather than a B in a 3 credit course will take your final gpa at graduation from a 3.0 to a 3.03 (rounding up). Pull all As in 60 credits and you can go from a 3.0 to a 3.5 but no higher. Take more credits and you change the numerator such that each additional 3 credit course will contribute a smaller proportion to your gpa. Pulling a 4.0 on 63 credits can bring a 3.0 (60 credits) to 3.51 (123 credits).

An upward trend is great but you are going to need something else to hook the adcom into giving you an interview.

i generalized when i said a's and b's...yes there were some b-'s in there...

 

[huzzfuzz]

Upward trends can do wonders, from what I've heard

i beg you to give me examples!...

 

[LizzyM]

i beg you to give me examples!...

If after a 3.0 during the first two years, including few biology, chemistry,physics and math courses (BCPM) you were to take 90 credits (3 years full time) and pull a 3.95, then an adcom might take a long look and consider you someone worth taking a chance on.

 

[Law2Doc]

AFAIK you can enroll in a post-bacc program before reapplying. If you do well in that program you will probably have a better chance.
.

If you are going to do a postbac, you are better off doing so before applying a first time... The goal should be to get all your ducks lined in a row before you ever pull the trigger. Make this a one shot ordeal.

OP, you probably want to keep taking courses and get your GPA up as high as you can, and then perhaps look into SMP or postbac programs.

 

[huzzfuzz]

If after a 3.0 during the first two years, including few biology, chemistry,physics and math courses (BCPM) you were to take 90 credits (3 years full time) and pull a 3.95, then an adcom might take a long look and consider you someone worth taking a chance on.

i DO have three years left!...and i've only taken 1 chem and 1 bio class...i've yet to take calc and stats...so you think that if i really put in the effort it's possible to get a gpa like that?...

 

[jochi1543]

i DO have three years left!...and i've only taken 1 chem and 1 bio class...i've yet to take calc and stats...so you think that if i really put in the effort it's possible to get a gpa like that?...

You need to see what's feasible mathematically. For example, if you have 2 years (60 or so credits) at 3.0, you will need another 2 full years of nothing but As in order to get a 3.5 cumulative.

 

[Spathi]

Try to get at least a 3.5. Even with a 3.5 you're still not sitting in a good position to get in...

If you can't get that it's off to post-bach for you.


Either that or KILL the MCAT in the sense of getting high 30's (not even mid-30's would work if you have only a low 3.0)

 

[biobossx99]

I think raising your GPA is one thing, but I think improving yourself as a student is more useful with the time you have left over.

I am in your boat. Started out okay, plummeted the GPA one summer and had to work for the past 2 years just to raise the damn GPA. (3.0->3.63)

But trends in your life are the most rewarding and important things you can improve on.

If you're now, at the present moment, a diligent and hard working student that follows your interest, the GPA will follow. I had to find out, why was I doing bad in my classes? What are my strengths? What are the situations that I don't want to find myself in before taking tests etc.

You should be figuring those things out, because you'll need to be a damn good student when you enter medical school.

Allen

 

[huzzfuzz]

sooo i'm pretty much screwed if i don't become like brainiac of the year...greaaaat......but i'm glad i found this all out sooner than later... at least now i know that i really really need to buck up...thanks to everyone for all their great advice!...

 

[Spathi]

Who cares if you get in or not. Is it really fun getting B's in classes and doing mediocre?

Even if you get your grades up to a 3.2 or a 3.3 is there any really downside to doing so?

 

[huzzfuzz]

Who cares if you get in or not. Is it really fun getting B's in classes and doing mediocre?

that was a wake up call...i guess i just didn't decide soon enough about med school...i was planning on entering a physical therapy program when i graduated...i'd planned on that right through high school...but after shadowing found that field to be extremely boring...so i decided to go for the long haul...

Even if you get your grades up to a 3.2 or a 3.3 is there any really downside to doing so?

umm...they're low gpa scores...the downside for me would be that it could have been better had i set my mind to it sooner...

i found these questions to be somewhat contradictory...maybe i just don't understand what you're trying to get at...

 

[Law2Doc]

sooo i'm pretty much screwed if i don't become like brainiac of the year...greaaaat......but i'm glad i found this all out sooner than later... at least now i know that i really really need to buck up...thanks to everyone for all their great advice!...

Another option is just to take courses in something you enjoy and can do well in for the rest of your college career, get the GPA up as high as possible, and then come back to the remaining sciences in an informal postbac at the end with a lighter load and perhaps a more mature outlook. It's much easier to do the tougher science courses when you have a less than full schedule and can immerse yourself in each one. This has worked for some people. Use office hours, get a tutor, do tons of problems.

A 3.0 is not fatal. But you are going to need a lengthy track record of "mostly A's" thereafter for med schools to cut you a break.

 

[huzzfuzz]

i don't know about postbac...it would just seem like i failed...how long does it take to complete a postbac?

 

[Meatwad]

i don't know about postbac...it would just seem like i failed...how long does it take to complete a postbac?

You aren't going to get far if you are that worried about what others perceive you as.

 

[huzzfuzz]

You aren't going to get far if you are that worried about what others perceive you as.

it's not about others...i just don't have any fall back plans...becoming a doctor has pretty much encompassed everything in my life right now...ever since i decided to go to med school i've been focused on nothing but...and having to think of alt routes into med school muddles my head a bit cause i don't have any preplanned plans...

 

[Spathi]

Ok, I'll clarify,

If your GPA in undergrad is botched then you'll have to fix it in grad school or a post-bach. But your undergrad GPA will still be on the application and they will see it and the GPA trend.

I'm not saying your undergrad will be critical since they won't be looking at it, but there is literally no reason to continue getting B's. People who want to get into medical school sometimes end up there after a twisted path on their way. At some point you have to suck it up and change your ways so you are getting A's, always going to class, and sitting in the library many hours. All this stuff that you're "learning" is going to come back and bite you on the MCAT, and if you didn't know the stuff backwards and forwards and inside out when you took it in a class, what do you plan on doing- studying right before the MCAT to learn it all. Just because you can't easily get your GPA up to a "3.6" or whatever you decided you needed while looking over this forum doesn't mean it's pointless to try to get it up.

I'm just saying at some point you have to change course and since you've already set yourself back, you not only have to change course but you have to work your way out of the hole you dug. You can start now, this semester, or you can graduate and "decide" you will do it later when you go to graduate school.

 

[huzzfuzz]

Ok, I'll clarify,

If your GPA in undergrad is botched then you'll have to fix it in grad school or a post-bach. But your undergrad GPA will still be on the application and they will see it and the GPA trend.

I'm not saying your undergrad will be critical since they won't be looking at it, but there is literally no reason to continue getting B's. People who want to get into medical school sometimes end up there after a twisted path on their way. At some point you have to suck it up and change your ways so you are getting A's, always going to class, and sitting in the library many hours. All this stuff that you're "learning" is going to come back and bite you on the MCAT, and if you didn't know the stuff backwards and forwards and inside out when you took it in a class, what do you plan on doing- studying right before the MCAT to learn it all. Just because you can't easily get your GPA up to a "3.6" or whatever you decided you needed while looking over this forum doesn't mean it's pointless to try to get it up.

I'm just saying at some point you have to change course and since you've already set yourself back, you not only have to change course but you have to work your way out of the hole you dug. You can start now, this semester, or you can graduate and "decide" you will do it later when you go to graduate school.

well said...i totally agree with you and have already started "suck[ing] it up" as you put it...before i asked my original question i knew i had to straighten up...what i wanted to find out from you guys was whether it would do any good in the end, and if not, whether i'd have to start making plans like postbac etc or if there was something i could do now, like retake a class or something...

giving up just isn't an option...thank you for the advice...

 

[Law2Doc]

i don't know about postbac...it would just seem like i failed...

The only way to fail in this process is to not get into med school. Lots of postbacs get into med school so that is hardly a failure path. As the prior poster indicated, if you have GPA issues, you fix them. If you don't, then you failed.