Is my upward trend good enough so far? Is there still hope?

[Kape1one]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello SDN,

First of all, happy holidays!

I will get straight to the point. I go to UC Berkeley and struggled my first semester there.
I got around a GPA of 2.15 my first semester, and a 2.75 my second semester. I took some classes over the summer and did good in them. So my cGPA for my first year was around a 2.8 GPA. Then, I just finished my first semester of my second year and did much better! I got around a 3.4 GPA!It is still low, but I am improving a lot!
So to summarize, my GPAs for my three semesters so far have been 2.15, 2.75, and 3.4.
Is this a good enough upward trend?
I am planning on aiming for 3.5-3.6 GPA my last five semesters at Berkeley. I am planning on doing a year of post-bacc or retake a couple of C's after my senior year.

E.Cs: I have been doing research at a molecular lab that deals with mice.
I have also been volunteering at the E.R at a local hospital since I started school.
Finally, I have been volunteering at a senior home.

If I keep up the upward trend, but graduate with a low GPA of around 3.2-3.4, can I still make it?

I am also planning on doing good on the MCAT (above a 30) in order to balance out my poor GPA.

BTW, I am a URM in case that helps.

Thanks!

p.s sorry for the long post.

 

[candav]

I think the schools see GPA by year, not by semester, so your upward trend would be less pronounced than as you outlined. Also, aim for higher than a 3.6 in your later years. You're clearly a conscientious and motivated student, so I'm sure you can do it! Best of luck 🙂

 

[plumhill]

Its good that you got an upward trend but you need to go higher than that. As tough as it sounds, aim for as close to a 4.0 each semester. Even as a URM you should aim for at least a 3.4-3.5 or higher in order to be a safe shot into an MD program. Though I detest such a numbers-heavy system, you'll have much better chances at schools the better your numbers are.

And while an upward trend will slightly offset a lower cGPA, keep in mind that there are tons of ORMs and URMs applying who had a 3.6+ the whole way through.

 

[johnisles2011]

I like the upward trend too, but come on. You have two years left. Why are you shooting for a 3.5-3.6? Shoot for the moon. An upward trend looks really good if you end it with a 3.8+.

I think the post-bacc could be a gamechanger if you do it. I know some people have managed to significantly change their fates with a post-bacc.

But really, if you hit the books hard and got a 3.8+ for the next two years and did well on the MCAT, you might not even need to do a post-bacc or retake classes.

Good luck

 

[Kape1one]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I will definitely strive for a better GPA for the rest of my undergraduate years!

Does anyone else have other feedback?

Again, thanks!

 

[sliceofbread136]

You guys are underestimating the benefits of URM status. Honestly, I think you'll be fine with around a 3.4 and a 32ish MCAT. However, don't limit yourself and shoot as high as you can.

 

[DrOhan]

Yeah i agree with sliceofbread136, I am an URM also and it would help but it definitely would not offset for a low gpa. If you aim to be competitive without it then being a URM will only further help you, thus giving you a better shot.