I was wondering if I should even bother to apply or not and what to do...

[KewlMewl]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Ok so my stats are:

BSc. Physiology...thinking of completing a minor in econ.

2.74 CGPA - still have 3 semesters left (Past 3 semester have had GPA's of 3.0 and above and rising. Mucked up my fy big time!)

MCAT : 29-O (9,9,11), wondering if I should retake it now, or after second UG degree/Masters Program.

Volunteer and paid experience in a cancer research lab w/ published paper.

Research experience back in high school in a hematology lab, along with shadowing the physician.

Scrubbed in and observed many surgeries inside the OR with neurosurgeons.

Volunteered with countless charities back in high school.

So should I even bother to apply to schools this summer, what are my chances if I do so? If not whats preffered a second UG degree or masters degree?

 

[KippocalypsE]

If you do not have over a 3.0 I don't advise you apply. Better you spend a year raising that up and possibly getting 34+ on your MCAT. Everything else seems fine. Although I think you could make it into a D.O. program with your stats. I personally have never taken any graduate classes, but I hear from some of my friends that they are automatic A's.

BTW, I am just thinking statistically. There will always be anomalies that are a rare exception. Case in point, an M.D. student I used to research with got in with a 3.01/31M (not URM either) but he applied to around 50 schools!

 

[Mobius1985]

High school experiences are generally not considered by adcomms. Where is your recent clinical experience and community service? Hopefully that shadowing in the OR is recent, but other than that there's nothing about your ECs that says you are devoted to the idea of becoming a physician and have the altruism needed to show adcomms that you have the mindset to serve others. It looks like a last minute decision to consider medicine. With those stats and lack of essential ECs, you won't be admitted to an allopathic medical school. Do not waste your money applying at this time.

 

[Perrotfish]

First, read through the low GPA thread. It's full of stories and advice from people with similar stats.

Short answer

No you can't get in to a US school with those stats.

Your options

1) Improve your GPA by taking more classes

2) Improve your GPA by retaking classes

3) Do an Sprecial Masters Program (one year graduate level programs designed to improve your application for medical school)

4) Go to the Caribbean. Try not to be in the 3/4ths of the class that either fails out or fails to get a residency.

 

[dynezxice]

3) Do an Sprecial Masters Program (one year graduate level programs designed to improve your application for medical school)

4) Go to the Caribbean. Try not to be in the 3/4ths of the class that either fails out or fails to get a residency.

Before you consider doing an SMP, consider that it could be a win/lose situation. A few SMPs require students to take classes alongside medical students as a way to gauge at your academic performance. If you can handle it and do well, that's good, but if you can't, med schools will think that you are not as competitive enough to be in med school. For more info, check out this thread. --> http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=346106

I personally don't recommend the Caribbean because it's risky business. Sure, they are affiliated with at least one hospital back in the States when you do residency, but what guarantees you that? An alternative I would suggest is to go the DO route. Osteopaths are no less doctors than allopathic doctors.

 

[KewlMewl]

High school experiences are generally not considered by adcomms. Where is your recent clinical experience and community service? Hopefully that shadowing in the OR is recent, but other than that there's nothing about your ECs that says you are devoted to the idea of becoming a physician and have the altruism needed to show adcomms that you have the mindset to serve others. It looks like a last minute decision to consider medicine. With those stats and lack of essential ECs, you won't be admitted to an allopathic medical school. Do not waste your money applying at this time.

Okay but the fact is I have always wanted to go to med school. The shadowing in the OR was last summer and 3 summers before that I was an RA with the hematologist. This summer I've been promised that I can observe another couple of surgeries in other fields. I can get letters of recommendation from each of the physicians, and surgeons that I shadow. As far as community service in college is concerned, after my first year in college, I had to put that off to concentrate on my studies, though I was heavily involved back in high school. I haven't been able to do much community work here in montreal worth mentioning as I am not fluent in french. Also my GPA has improved greatly from what it started at (1.53) and has improved consistently every semester, will that not be taken into consideration at all?

 

[Mobius1985]

my GPA has improved greatly from what it started at (1.53) and has improved consistently every semester, will that not be taken into consideration at all?

Sorry, but with your GPA so low, it won't make enough of a difference at US allopathic med schools, and from what I know about Canadian med schools, it won't help you there either.