Is studying for the MCAT even worth it with my low GPA?

[439634]

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[V5RED]

Caribbean is not a realistic option anymore. Look at the trends for how many people are graduating from american medical schools and how many residency slots exist.

You could prep for the MCAT and see how that goes. If it went well, it could show that you have the aptitude, and after a post bacc or SMP, you might be able to get in somewhere. That said, you might be looking at years of GPA repair. I doubt a 2.6 sgpa is simply due to grade deflation though.

You also said you are not really passionate about medicine. Are you really willing to spend years working on fixing your application to maybe get in?

 

[Uafl112]

Your best bet would be to retake classes and apply DO.

 

[439634]

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[juliuspepperwood]

Assuming I get a decent score on the MCAT, should I apply 1) SMP 2) Post-bacc or 3) Master's degree? I'm thinking a master's degree in like public health would be good to boost my application, and in case medicine doesn't work out I could get a job with that degree as a back-up...

Do a post-bacc to retake your science classes first and get A's in all of it. It will boost your GPA a lot for DO, a little for MD and look good to everyone. It will also help prep you for the MCAT to take everything over again. Then take the MCAT and do amazing. During this time continue your previously mentioned excellent extracurriculars, which I hope include non-clinical volunteering as well as clinical & research.

 

[claduva94]

No one seems to be paying attention to this part.

Aside from my chances of getting into med school, I've been contemplating whether it's really for me or not. My parents are VERY insistent on me pursuing medicine, but I was also considering public health since I like its sociological approach to disease prevention. I have done a LOT of research about career options, but I'm honestly not sure if I'm doing the pre-med route because my parents want me to or because I want to do it. I'm just at a loss about what to do after I graduate...

I would highly recommend getting experience in what you are interested in so that you can better decide on a pathway. You need to be certain about medicine. It is your career after all. Do you like research? Do you have clinical experience? What do you like? Where will you be happy? You shouldn't be committing to anything before you can answer that question.

 

[juliuspepperwood]

No one seems to be paying attention to this part.

I would highly recommend getting experience in what you are interested in so that you can better decide on a pathway. You need to be certain about medicine. It is your career after all. Do you like research? Do you have clinical experience? What do you like? Where will you be happy? You shouldn't be committing to anything before you can answer that question.

True

 

[KilluaZoldyck]

I just don't see you getting into med school with that. What did you do to screw it that bad? Anyways, if you don't think you can score in the 90th percentile in the new mcat, then just don't waste you money. Become a radiology technologist or something, they get payed in 6 figures.

 

[hippocampus503]

Doing an SMP is a good idea. I think if you decide medicine is the career for you, it is definitely worth pursuing.

 

[moisne]

Go DO and get your GPA above 3.0
Though you shouldn't go for being a doctor at all - you are doing it for your parents... You are going to be so miserable and your heart won't be in it so it will be super hard to excel

 

[Goro]

First, grow a spine and pursue something because YOU want to do it, not your parents.

And to answer your question, as of now, your GPAs make you noncompetitive for medical school.

You have a lot of GPA repair to do.

I'm currently studying for the MCAT this summer and couldn't help but wonder if it's still worth taking since I'm afraid no medical schools will accept me. I have a 2.6 sGPA and a 2.9 cGPA (I'm in a top 25 university school; massive grade deflation and bad freshman year). I'm going to be a 4th year and have excellent extracurriculars and letters of rec.

Aside from my chances of getting into med school, I've been contemplating whether it's really for me or not. My parents are VERY insistent on me pursuing medicine, but I was also considering public health since I like its sociological approach to disease prevention. I have done a LOT of research about career options, but I'm honestly not sure if I'm doing the pre-med route because my parents want me to or because I want to do it. I'm just at a loss about what to do after I graduate...

If I decide to go the medicine route, should I take a post-bacc program, SMP, or masters? What about DO and Caribbean schools? And finally should I bother taking the MCAT with my poor GPA? Please help. Thanks