I want to be realistic with myself... and my current situation.

[fourstar]

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I did pretty bad my freshman year, and i only did average my sophomore year.

There's an upward trend in the gpa... but i really need to step back and look at my situation realistically.

I have no volunteering experience, no valuable research experience, or anything else going for me.

My gpa is also in the "B" average (almost 3.0) after completing 60 hours of pre-reqs. My BCPM gpa is even lower.

I'm still looking at about 60+ hours to finish my degree... however, the classes will only get harder and my overall and BCPM GPA won't be going up much higher except maybe 1 or 2 points by the time i graduate.

I'll only be reaching 3.5 gpa if i ACED every single of my courses from here on out, and i don't see that happening. At best, I'll have 3.5+ semesters but not a 4.0 semester four times in a row.

what do you guys think?

 

[mshheaddoc]

Get the research, get the experience. Your upward trend is promising and if your grades reflect that, you have a shot. There is always post-grad work as well for a year to strengthen credentials. It also depends on where you want to go!!

 

[dave613]

maybe you should consider another health profession field

 

[JHUstudent]

don't give up right now!!!
regarding ur gpa, it really depends wher eyou're going to school, what your major is, and most importantly, how you approach things now. I just graduated from hopkins w/ a 3.12. I interviewed at 4 schools and have yet to be rejected from any of them (two acceptance and two waitlists). Granted, i had a decent mcats (33) and good extracurriculars, when i applied, my advisors told me i was wasting my money b/c there was very little chance that i would get interviewed, let alone accepted. My advice is this, sit down and do some serious thinking. 3.5 is a respectable gpa and will get you into med school; but you're gonna have to WORK to earn those grades. You're gonna have to work to get a good mcat score. YOu're gonna have to volunteer. And, you're gonna have to get some good leadership/experience. You can definitely get in if you put in the time and effort, but it def won't happen unless you really get serious. Also, the most important things are your grades and mcat. Volunteer and extracurics are good b/c they give you something to talk about during an interview, but they won't get you an interview, you're grades and mcats will. Focus on those and in a worse case scenario, take a year off.

 

[chopper]

Realistically, if you keep up your defeatest attitude you will never make it into med school.

If you really want to be a doctor, stop making excuses and get with the program. Trust me - there are people out there with MUCH worse numbers who become physicians. You have to answer 'What do I want to do' and then the rest will follow.

How does this situation sound (make believe this is coming out of your mouth at an interview in 2 years): "I know I did bad Freshman and sophmore year, but I've grown so much since then. Doing poorly forced me to do some serious self evaluation about what I wanted to do with life, and I realized that I was meant to be a doctor. I resolved to get off the sideline and get serious. Two years later, I've been able to raise my GPA by doing well in upper division science courses, and I did well on last April's MCAT. The two years I've spent volunteering at X hospital has shown me a side of medicine I didn't realize was out there, and I've become very interested in practicing XXX when I graduate from med school. In a way, getting those mediocre grades was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to really look at my motiviations for this career choice, and I feel so much more confident in choosing medicine than I did as a Freshman."

Spin your experience any way you want, but 2 'bad' years as an undergrad do not mean that you can't be a doctor. Unless you let it.

 

[Og kingofBashan]

I agree w/ what everyone said (except dave). I was in your exact situation last year. I was at a 2.5 GPA, and decided to stop and think things over. This last year i got straight A's, and am on the way to recovering that GPA. The max I can get (if i ace everything) is a 3.5, and it'll take an extra 2 years to do it but oh well. Do not let a couple of measly years of poor grades get in the way of your life's dreams. Also do not listen to ppl saying "maybe you should think about something else" -cause i got plenty of that crap from people including advisors and it pissed me off but if you're serious just brush it off and stick to it. Take as easy a course load as necessary to ensure straight A's, and gradually increase your hours in subsequent semesters as you see fit.

If you got below a B in any of your pre-reqs so far I'd start by re-taking and acing those before anything. We'll have to do real good on the MCAT to compensate for the crappy grades so pre-reqs are important.
Also I wouldn't start volunteering or working until I got back on the right track (heck, I still haven't had any research or clinical exp yet!). Get that GPA going up first and then worry about the extras.

Also, I think if you really want to you can and will get straight 4.0's (or very close) to fix yourself. It's entirely possible, and that's what i'm personally aiming for. We can do it!

Figure out exactly why youve been messing up and make the right changes.

take care, and none of that down-talk!

 

[wytosk]

Ive been trying to get really REALLY motivated for the MCAT and finally i came to the realization that for those of us with a relatively low gpa we get an 8hr shot to redeem ourselves from 3 or 4 years of sub par performance!!! PS get some damn volunteer experience!

 

[superdevil]

well, i wouldn't throw in the towel just yet, but a lot of this does depend heavily (unfortunately) on your MCAT score. be prepared and destroy it.

 

[pyra]

Try your best to take upper division science classes your last two years. If that doesn't work out for you, there is also post-bacc. It will just take a few more years but eventually you will get where you want to go, med school. You can also spend those additional years in post bacc to get some clinical experience and research experience. There are multiple ways to make it into med school. You also have the option to go to a med school out of the country, if that is what you want.

 

[gary5]

Get the 4.0 for the next 4 semesters. If you have to study every night and all day on weekends, do it. The further you are from 3.5, the lower your chances of acceptance.

 

[Medikit]

I was in the situation you are in now (EXACTLY) and got one A- and one B+ my junior year and all A's my senior year. I'm doing one more year because I didn't feel ready for my mcat and I decided to double major in biochemistry. My GPA is now a 3.44 and 3.56 science.

The first thing is that I realized that I was wasting my time. I deleted all of my video games and severely restricted my internet time. I started waking up early (6:30 instead of 9:00) and managed my time better. My senior year I started doing study groups (This helps so much, you have no idea, make sure you find people who are good students) and I started doing a lot of my learning during class (this requires that you are up to date on all your reading and studying).

Your classes will not get any easier, so that is all the more reason to get your act together. Upper division should really stress you, but you may find that you actually start enjoying school, I know I did.

I also made up for it with my MCAT, you might be able to do that too. Unfortunetly my EC's are somewhat lacking, they are difficult to work in, especially when you are trying to work GPA necromancy like I was. I did it over the summer, and did research my senior year.



If you have any questions Private message me.

 

[Gutierrez001]

If you know you want to become a Doc then WHO cares if you have take an extra year or two or even maybe three making it up. So if you dont get accepted, make it up with a post-bacc or master program. Good LUCK and dont give up........There is no excuse for anything.

 

[TTSD]

Kick @$$ on the MCAT, take a crap load of upperdivision science courses and kick @$$, do tons of research and health-related activities. Maybe do a masters. You're still young.. only 60 hours. If not, remember, US allopathic is not theo nly way to go. You have DOs and Offshore.

 

[45408]

what do you guys think?

Decide whether or not the end is worth the means and then get to work.