I Need Advice on How to Reformulate My Plan to Become A Doctor LOL

[biogyal33]

Greetings to all! I have recently been bombarded with having to take a gap year due to irresponsible planning on my part. Nonetheless, I still plan on becoming a doctor at some point so I need a little help. I am a rising senior at a public university in South Florida and I had originally planned on applying for the 2020 cycle, to the lowest tier MD schools as well as a few DO schools. However, upon doing calculations on hypothetical GPA calculators to recalculate my current GPA to the AAMC standards, it appears as though my GPA will drop 0.5 points. ZERO POINT FIVE POINTS. I failed four classes between my semester of dual enrollment in high school and my freshmen year of college at a community college. The sob story behind that has to do with Hurricane Irma and my car getting repossessed because my father hates me and literally not having a way to school and missing exams sitting in hours of traffic etc. I am going to try to not dwell on excuses because I know ADCOMS don't really care. Both my GPAs are around a 3.0, so I was planning on doing well on on my MCAT and bringing up my GPA to at least a 3.1 in the summer before I apply. I signed up for my MCAT, I was volunteering and shadowing like my life depended on it, and I even to went to another country this past April to volunteer at an orphanage. I also forgot to mention I am URM, black female. Anyways, I obviously will get screened out of most schools without having at least a 3.0, so I have no choice but to apply during my senior year. I cancelled my MCAT exam and my summer classes because I feel quite defeated and I am slowly trying to plan my next move and what to do next. With that being said, if I miraculously receive a 4.0 over two 18 credit semesters, I would be able to bring my GPA up to a 3.4 but that is my university's calculation. So I wrote this long drawn out thing to say that I need help accurately calculating my GPA as closest to what the AAMC will calculate when it is my time to apply. I also have a few more questions/concerns that I will list as bullets.

• I already started the application for the 2020 cycle, with just basic information such as my name and birthplace. I do not want to be counted as a re-applicant for next year and the time for official submission has not come yet. The withdraw application and submit application buttons are grayed out. What should I do to ensure my application is not transmitted as a re-applicant for next year?
• Please do not suggest I complete a post-bacc and smp or whatever they are called because I do not have time or money for either of those things and I am not going to take out anymore loans unless it is for medical school.
• Is the USF AAMC grade conversion calculator accurate?
• If not, if I send someone my transcript with certain information blacked out, could they assist me in converting my GPA?

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to hear me out!

 

[907914]

Greetings to all! I have recently been bombarded with having to take a gap year due to irresponsible planning on my part. Nonetheless, I still plan on becoming a doctor at some point so I need a little help. I am a rising senior at a public university in South Florida and I had originally planned on applying for the 2020 cycle, to the lowest tier MD schools as well as a few DO schools. However, upon doing calculations on hypothetical GPA calculators to recalculate my current GPA to the AAMC standards, it appears as though my GPA will drop 0.5 points. ZERO POINT FIVE POINTS. I failed four classes between my semester of dual enrollment in high school and my freshmen year of college at a community college. The sob story behind that has to do with Hurricane Irma and my car getting repossessed because my father hates me and literally not having a way to school and missing exams sitting in hours of traffic etc. I am going to try to not dwell on excuses because I know ADCOMS don't really care. Both my GPAs are around a 3.0, so I was planning on doing well on on my MCAT and bringing up my GPA to at least a 3.1 in the summer before I apply. I signed up for my MCAT, I was volunteering and shadowing like my life depended on it, and I even to went to another country this past April to volunteer at an orphanage. I also forgot to mention I am URM, black female. Anyways, I obviously will get screened out of most schools without having at least a 3.0, so I have no choice but to apply during my senior year. I cancelled my MCAT exam and my summer classes because I feel quite defeated and I am slowly trying to plan my next move and what to do next. With that being said, if I miraculously receive a 4.0 over two 18 credit semesters, I would be able to bring my GPA up to a 3.4 but that is my university's calculation. So I wrote this long drawn out thing to say that I need help accurately calculating my GPA as closest to what the AAMC will calculate when it is my time to apply. I also have a few more questions/concerns that I will list as bullets.

• I already started the application for the 2020 cycle, with just basic information such as my name and birthplace. I do not want to be counted as a re-applicant for next year and the time for official submission has not come yet. The withdraw application and submit application buttons are grayed out. What should I do to ensure my application is not transmitted as a re-applicant for next year?
• Please do not suggest I complete a post-bacc and smp or whatever they are called because I do not have time or money for either of those things and I am not going to take out anymore loans unless it is for medical school.
• Is the USF AAMC grade conversion calculator accurate?
• If not, if I send someone my transcript with certain information blacked out, could they assist me in converting my GPA?

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to hear me out!

1) You have not submitted so you will not be a reapplication
2) Thankfully, as a URM if you can pull a >508 on the MCAT even with a GPA of a 3.0 then you have about the same odds as an ORM with a 3.8/512. That is just the way the game is played.
3) The USF calculator seems to do the job well.

 

[Ultimakey]

I don’t think the GPA jump is that huge, but I could be wrong.

 

[biogyal33]

I don’t think the GPA jump is that huge, but I could be wrong.

I wouldn't be able to tell until I apply, but I did not want to chance it because even if it is not a 0.5 point decrease it will likely put me below the 3.0 needed to not be screened out of most schools.

 

[biogyal33]

1) You have not submitted so you will not be a reapplication
2) Thankfully, as a URM if you can pull a >508 on the MCAT even with a GPA of a 3.0 then you have about the same odds as an ORM with a 3.8/512. That is just the way the game is played.
3) The USF calculator seems to do the job well.

Thank you for your advice, and good luck this cycle, I'm sure with your stats you will be very successful!

 

[seanm028]

Please do not suggest I complete a post-bacc and smp or whatever they are called because I do not have time or money for either of those things and I am not going to take out anymore loans unless it is for medical school.

I understand your hesitation, but with below-average stats, a postbacc might be necessary. Not trying to induce paranoia, but I think it's important to have a plan B.

 

[DoingItForTheBabe]

Please do not suggest I complete a post-bacc and smp or whatever they are called because I do not have time or money for either of those things and I am not going to take out anymore loans unless it is for medical school.

You're 22-23. You have the time. Schools will give you the loans. Getting to medical school isn't a race, but if you make it one you may materially hurt your chances of getting into medical school. Your biggest worry right now should be doing it right and taking as much time as you need to do it right. If that means an SMP/post-bacc, then you should really be entertaining those suggestions from knowledgeable posters. It is an intentionally ignorant mindset to preclude them from consideration due to not wanting to be the "old" medical student at "24."

 

[biogyal33]

I understand your hesitation, but with below-average stats, a postbacc might be necessary. Not trying to induce paranoia, but I think it's important to have a plan B.

I won't have the money to do it because my mom will not help me take out any loans and I am unemployed and from what I understand, there is a cap of loans you can take out as an undergrad student without parental help.

 

[biogyal33]

You're 22-23. You have the time. Schools will give you the loans. Getting to medical school isn't a race, but if you make it one you may materially hurt your chances of getting into medical school. Your biggest worry right now should be doing it right and taking as much time as you need to do it right. If that means an SMP/post-bacc, then you should really be entertaining those suggestions from knowledgeable posters. It is an intentionally ignorant mindset to preclude them from consideration due to not wanting to be the "old" medical student at "24."

Wow I didn't say any of that in my previous post about not wanting to be an old medical student :/. My mother will not give me her tax information in the event I am no longer able to take out loans on my own past graduation. So I literally will not have the money to do it. Furthermore, if I prolong this process any further my mom will start to get agitated with me and will start to mess with my mental health. While I know it is not about her, every derailment is an indication that I am less than to her. I come from a Caribbean household where failure is met with insults and things of those nature, something I genuinely do not have time for. That is why I said I was shooting for the lowest of the lows and for DO schools. I know people who have gotten in with low stats, my friend had multiple acceptances with a 3.3 and 504 MCAT, although my projected GPA will be significantly lower. However, I thought I could still have a chance, applying to 20+ schools as a URM.

 

[biogyal33]

Also to anyone reading this, wouldn't an upward trend be considered a plus, given my stats?