I'm screwed, aren't I?

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skittlesblu9291

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I am a Junior this year at a high ranked state university. I was very sick my freshman and sophomore years so I was frequently out of school for surgeries and hospitalizations. I also changed my major from Ancient History & Archaeology to Pre-med. I didn't do well with the change and now my cumulative GPA is a dismal 2.58. I am very worried about my chances to get into Medical school. I literally failed 4 out of my 8 classes last semester. My family and I have made a new plan. I hope to redo the past two years. If I am able to maintain between a 3.7 - 3.9 for the next 4 year and get a pretty decent MCAT score... do I have a chance of getting into a renowned Medical school... like Johns Hopkins Medical school? Should I just hang up my dreams of ever getting into Med school?

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Why does it have to be a renowned Medical School? Why not any medical school. DO school is still an option too.
 
Oh, I understand that. It's just been a dream of mine to return to Johns Hopkins as a doctor and not as a patient. You see, I received a life-saving surgery there when I was 3 months old. I returned to live/ receive treatment there for 2 years.
 
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You may have to be in school for a really, really long time.
I finished 3 years of undergrad with a 2.75. I am now transferring schools into an associates program (2 years), then will go on to get my bachelors (another 2 years). Even if I get a 4.0 in both programs, I'm only looking at a 3.4, which is below the average GPA for most DO schools, let alone MD.
You can retake the classes you failed, but MD schools will average them together. So if you fail one, then get an A in one, you're looking at a C for the class. Most DO schools will do grade forgiveness with retakes.
If you can manage > cGPA/sGPA 3.0 and literally rock your MCAT, there's a chance.
Sometimes you may just need to keep the dream small.
 
High-tier MD schools? Probably not. Low-mid tiers, maybe. DO schools, definitely.
Are you well enough now that no more disasters will occur?

I am a Junior this year at a high ranked state university. I was very sick my freshman and sophomore years so I was frequently out of school for surgeries and hospitalizations. I also changed my major from Ancient History & Archaeology to Pre-med. I didn't do well with the change and now my cumulative GPA is a dismal 2.58. I am very worried about my chances to get into Medical school. I literally failed 4 out of my 8 classes last semester. My family and I have made a new plan. I hope to redo the past two years. If I am able to maintain between a 3.7 - 3.9 for the next 4 year and get a pretty decent MCAT score... do I have a chance of getting into a renowned Medical school... like Johns Hopkins Medical school? Should I just hang up my dreams of ever getting into Med school?
 
I am well enough that I can return to school. I am not 100% sure that I will be okay but I am much better. Do you think that there is anything I can do to make myself more attractive to Med schools?
 
Not to be a debbie downer, but unless you're willing to stay in undergrad for the better half of a decade your chances at top-tier schools (JHU being one of them) are next to none.

Assuming each semester you're in school you take 15 credit hours, you'll need to stay in school for another 5 years to bring it up to a 3.59 cGPA, which is still far below JHU's consistent average of ~3.8+.

That being said, GPA is only one of the the multitude of factors in an application (arguably the most important, unless your MCAT is a 40+)

It's cool to dream in all, but I'd set my sights a little lower if I were you and focus on getting into ANY medical school at this point. An Osteopathic school is probably more in your reach at this point, if you finish with a 4.0 your junior & senior year your cGPA only goes up to a 3.29, so you'll need an MCAT of at least 32+ to get consideration from even the low-tiers.

As for making yourself more marketable, buff up EC's, nail the MCAT, and crack down on your GPA.
 
I am a Junior this year at a high ranked state university. I was very sick my freshman and sophomore years so I was frequently out of school for surgeries and hospitalizations. I also changed my major from Ancient History & Archaeology to Pre-med. I didn't do well with the change and now my cumulative GPA is a dismal 2.58. I am very worried about my chances to get into Medical school. I literally failed 4 out of my 8 classes last semester. My family and I have made a new plan. I hope to redo the past two years. If I am able to maintain between a 3.7 - 3.9 for the next 4 year and get a pretty decent MCAT score... do I have a chance of getting into a renowned Medical school... like Johns Hopkins Medical school? Should I just hang up my dreams of ever getting into Med school?

Dude that would have made an awesome pre-med major ... why the change? You could have just added the pre-reqs and genetic/biochem to your curriculum. :(

As for JHU: Nope. But you can still be a doctor, and that's what matters. If you get into a medical school (preferably an allopathic one) and rock it, perhaps you could do residency at JHU. But that's highly unlikely, too, so I wouldn't have such a specific and lofty goal.
 
I don't think your situation is nearly as hopeless as these guys are making it out to be. Will it be hard? Oh hell yes. You have an epic challenge ahead of you. But it's not completely hopeless. First of all, you need to show the adcom at JHU that your past academic performance doesn't reflect your current abilities. To do this, you need to retake everything and maintain a stellar 4.0ish GPA. Also, since your cGPA is going to end up being low, you need to make every other part of your app stand out in a big way. Whereas most applicants are members/officers of campus student organizations, you'll need to found one. If the average students' LORs are from professors, your's need to be from senators. Instead of participating in research, lead it. Study abroad, found an NGO, mother****ing climb Mt. Everest! Be creative. Deviate from the standard formula presented on SDN. Make your app stand out in a huge way. Rock the MCAT's socks off, and write a personal statement that brings people to tears. Then, you'll have a shot at JHU. Nothing is guaranteed, though, no matter what.

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I don't think your situation is nearly as hopeless as these guys are making it out to be. Will it be hard? Oh hell yes. You have an epic challenge ahead of you. But it's not completely hopeless. First of all, you need to show the adcom at JHU that your past academic performance doesn't reflect your current abilities. To do this, you need to retake everything and maintain a stellar 4.0ish GPA. Also, since your cGPA is going to end up being low, you need to make every other part of your app stand out in a big way. Whereas most applicants are members/officers of campus student organizations, you'll need to found one. If the average students' LORs are from professors, your's need to be from senators. Instead of participating in research, lead it. Study abroad, found an NGO, mother****ing climb Mt. Everest! Be creative. Deviate from the standard formula presented on SDN. Make your app stand out in a huge way. Rock the MCAT's socks off, and write a personal statement that brings people to tears. Then, you'll have a shot at JHU. Nothing is guaranteed, though, no matter what.

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I can't tell if you care giving serious advice or being facetious, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are telling OP that the idea that he will attend JHU is pie in the sky.
 
I am a Junior this year at a high ranked state university. I was very sick my freshman and sophomore years so I was frequently out of school for surgeries and hospitalizations. I also changed my major from Ancient History & Archaeology to Pre-med. I didn't do well with the change and now my cumulative GPA is a dismal 2.58. I am very worried about my chances to get into Medical school. I literally failed 4 out of my 8 classes last semester. My family and I have made a new plan. I hope to redo the past two years. If I am able to maintain between a 3.7 - 3.9 for the next 4 year and get a pretty decent MCAT score... do I have a chance of getting into a renowned Medical school... like Johns Hopkins Medical school? Should I just hang up my dreams of ever getting into Med school?

if you still want to be a doctor, then no, don't hang up your dreams of getting into a med school. Instead, kiss top tier schools good bye and just focus on getting into ANY US med school .

every pre-med goes into the semester thinking they'll try their best to get that 4.0. thinking it doesn't turn that into reality. one step at a time.
 
start studying now for mcat !!! Don't give up!
 
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