in need of some advice..

[72531]

I am currently a junior and have about a 3.0 gpa. I have some lab experience, various volunteer experiences, I have tutored, and I do a couple other extracurriculars, one being a DJ at the campus radio station. I really want to be a doctor and I know my grades have not reflected this. This past year has been really rough. In the fall I withdrew from OrgoII and I took it this spring but got a D just by a bit. Part of my terrible grades has been from my severe depression that has gone untreated for years. I know this is a crappy reason and it would probably make me look even worse. I am wondering if I should even apply anymore. I am going to apply as disadvantaged btw. Anyway the things I am thinking about are 1)applying soon and also applying to virology grad programs just so I have a backup plan 2)waiting until after the results of my last year and applying.
What would you guys do?

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[heaterfeater]

I am currently a junior and have about a 3.0 gpa. I have some lab experience, various volunteer experiences, I have tutored, and I do a couple other extracurriculars, one being a DJ at the campus radio station. I really want to be a doctor and I know my grades have not reflected this. This past year has been really rough. In the fall I withdrew from OrgoII and I took it this spring but got a D just by a bit. Part of my terrible grades has been from my severe depression that has gone untreated for years. I know this is a crappy reason and it would probably make me look even worse. I am wondering if I should even apply anymore. I am going to apply as disadvantaged btw. Anyway the things I am thinking about are 1)applying soon and also applying to virology grad programs just so I have a backup plan 2)waiting until after the results of my last year and applying.
What would you guys do?

I would definitely wait until a year has past since now your depression is diagnosed and hopefully under control- or you have all summer at least to work on that- and make yourself a success story. Show how your dedication was hiding under your depressed state the whole time and do well next year in school and finish orgo with an A.

 

[red dot]

need more info:
is the 3.0 before or after you got that D?
do you think you will be able to pull it up a fraction more by the end of your senior year?
more importantly, what is your gpa trend?
and finally, have you taken the mcat? if so, is your score "good enough to help out your gpa a bit?"
you may have a good shot, especially if your applying disadvantaged is warranted. based only on the information you have given so far, i would say yes, apply to both med and grad school programs and see which you'd get into first (cover your bases). about the depression, schools are ok with that, except i'm not sure what one could say or how one would explain it going untreated.
anyway, i got into schools even with a superlow gpa and have been in what sounds like similar situations, so feel free pm me if you like.

 

[72531]

3.0 after..but it wasnt really much better before.
i know i can pull it up because i will be taking microbio and health classes i enjoy.
i would say my trend hasnt really been downward or upward (maybe downward now)
i haven't taken the mcat or gres but i think i will just so i know where i stand.

need more info:
is the 3.0 before or after you got that D?
do you think you will be able to pull it up a fraction more by the end of your senior year?
more importantly, what is your gpa trend?
and finally, have you taken the mcat? if so, is your score "good enough to help out your gpa a bit?"
you may have a good shot, especially if your applying disadvantaged is warranted. based only on the information you have given so far, i would say yes, apply to both med and grad school programs and see which you'd get into first (cover your bases). about the depression, schools are ok with that, except i'm not sure what one could say or how one would explain it going untreated.
anyway, i got into schools even with a superlow gpa and have been in what sounds like similar situations, so feel free pm me if you like.

 

[NonTradMed]

Since your GPA is low, why dont' you take out a year to get your depression under control, come back, retake orgo and other classes to raise your GPA? You could do both at the same time, but I dont' recommend applying right now because as it stands, you are in for an uphill battle. I'd recommend taking the grad program over med school. However, is it possible to spend another in school and take more upper level classes? Raising your GPA is vital, and then doing well on MCAT.

 

[stiffany]

3.0 after..but it wasnt really much better before.
i know i can pull it up because i will be taking microbio and health classes i enjoy.
i would say my trend hasnt really been downward or upward (maybe downward now)
i haven't taken the mcat or gres but i think i will just so i know where i stand.

I also wouldn't recommend taking the MCAT (or, to a lesser extent) the GREs just to "know where you stand." Instead, study hard for them and really try your best. You don't want a crappy MCAT score received thanks to poor preparation to further hold you down.

Also, consider taking to a counselor or someone who can help you get back up on your feet. Being premed is hard enough emotionally without all of the additional strain that comes from poorly treated illness.

 

[72531]

I wasn't saying that I would just wing the tests or something...of course I would study hard.

I also wouldn't recommend taking the MCAT (or, to a lesser extent) the GREs just to "know where you stand." Instead, study hard for them and really try your best. You don't want a crappy MCAT score received thanks to poor preparation to further hold you down.

Also, consider taking to a counselor or someone who can help you get back up on your feet. Being premed is hard enough emotionally without all of the additional strain that comes from poorly treated illness.

 

[Law2Doc]

3.0 after..but it wasnt really much better before.
i know i can pull it up because i will be taking microbio and health classes i enjoy.
i would say my trend hasnt really been downward or upward (maybe downward now)
i haven't taken the mcat or gres but i think i will just so i know where i stand.

I would hold off on the MCAT for now -- you have a 3.0 with a D in a prereq, so you already know that realistically you will want to be taking some more classes before you are ready to apply. I suggest planning on a slightly longer road and look into postbac options.

 

[EndSong]

Your GPA is low but it isn't death, especially if its not reflective of your actual intellectual ablities. The MCAT is a good way to determine this. If you can score well on your MCAT, I'd say it would be able to make up for your GPA especially considering your disadvantaged status. The depression is somewhat harder since its harder to prove or disprove so it could go either way, unless of course you had some particular disadvantages that made it harder which i would definitely include in the personal statement. If you think you go do well on the MCAT, I see no reason not to go for it since this would save you some time and money (post bac programs are expensive and you'd also be losing 1-2 years of future income). If you're not sure about doing well on the MCAT, then you should do a post-bac and go for something more tried and true.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

A 3.0 overall, with a D in a pre-req, will be a major, major hurdle. Retake the Orgo, and like Law2Doc said, plan on taking a longer road if you're serious about going through this process.

 

[red dot]

i think the most important thing is the trend. so you should do whatever it takes (either your choice 1 or 2) to make that trend look good. i would hold off on the mcat until that happens. as for the D, it's a huge hurdle yes, but i've gotten worse. it's doable.