Is this it for me?

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It doesn't seem like it will be that lethal, especially if you:
a) score nice and high on the MCAT (>33, but it's gotta be a min of 30 with 10/10/10).
b) apply to your state schools and the lower tier schools. Do yourself a favor a forget about Duke, Yale, Harvard, etc, because you're not in their territory.


rorogena88 said:
I need everyone's advice

Have I ruined my chance of becoming a doctor?

I just checked my grades a few minutes ago and I made a C in Biochemistry..I aced the final but for no use because I still made a C in the class

I have made a C in organic 1 and a C in organic 2

That makes 3 Cs (I just never liked chemistry.however, I made B in Gen chem 1 and an A in Gen chem 2)

my GPA is 3.4 and if I bring it up by next semester, it will be 3.56

I have not taken the MCAT yet but I am registered for May

I have done so many different types of volunteering

I have a year of research experience


so have I ruined my chance ?
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Goro said:
It doesn't seem like it will be that lethal, especially if you:
a) score nice and high on the MCAT (>33, but it's gotta be a min of 30 with 10/10/10).
b) apply to your state schools and the lower tier schools. Do yourself a favor a forget about Duke, Yale, Harvard, etc, because you're not in their territory.
Click to expand...


Thank you
I was not thinking about higer schools anyway

I want to stay in state..I also am considering the DO route
 
rorogena88 said:
I made a C in Biochemistry. I have made a C in organic 1 and a C in organic 2

my GPA is 3.4 and if I bring it up by next semester, it will be 3.56
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What will your BCPM GPA and science GPA be by the end of next term?

Three science Cs are not the death of all hope. But you may need to drown the effect of those Cs in a sea of As to get your sGPA into a competitive range.

My biggest concern would be the Biochem C, as this is a med school class, too. Be sure to take upper-level Bio and excel so as to reassure adcomms of your potential.
 
Catalystik said:
What will your BCPM GPA and science GPA be by the end of next term?

Three science Cs are not the death of all hope. But you may need to drown the effect of those Cs in a sea of As to get your sGPA into a competitive range.

My biggest concern would be the Biochem C, as this is a med school class, too. Be sure to take upper-level Bio and excel so as to reassure adcomms of your potential.
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you see, the only problem is that I am applying to med School in May..I am taking the May MCAT and I will only be enrolled in only 12 hours(4 classes)..2 of the 4 classes I will be taking, will be psychology courses, one is advanced physiology and one is a independent study course (Research) ...so even if I do so well, it will prob bring up my GPA to a 3.5 or so...

the C in biochem is a 79.3 and the Professor wouldn't give me the .7 to make it a B

so Is my only option to post pone applying a whole year until I rise my GPA or if I do well on the MCAT, just give it a shot and apply to in state schools?
 
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If a 3.5 is as much as you can get it, then it's fine. Many applicants have gotten in with less that a 3.5, although they may have some good EC's and an above average >32 MCAT score. 3.5 isn't horrible by ANY means, unless you are gunning for top tier. If you are, get that out of your head. As long as your BCPM and uGPA are around 3.5, you stand an average chance if you have a good MCAT score, apply broadly and early.
 
Catalystik said:
What will your BCPM GPA and science GPA be by the end of next term?

Three science Cs are not the death of all hope. But you may need to drown the effect of those Cs in a sea of As to get your sGPA into a competitive range.

My biggest concern would be the Biochem C, as this is a med school class, too. Be sure to take upper-level Bio and excel so as to reassure adcomms of your potential.
Click to expand...

btw Catalystik, are Neurobiology and Molecular Cell Bio considered Upper level Sciences in med school admissions?
 
How do you have such a high GPA with 3 C's? Your science GPA must be pretty rough. It doesn't mean give up and not apply but You should definitely consider retaking those C's, and bringing them up to A's. Then making up for it with a strong MCAT and ExCurs. Med school is competitive ad there is no getting around it.
 
rorogena88 said:
you see, the only problem is that I am applying to med School in May..I am taking the May MCAT and I will only be enrolled in only 12 hours(4 classes)..2 of the 4 classes I will be taking, will be psychology courses, one is advanced physiology and one is a independent study course (Research) ...so even if I do so well, it will prob bring up my GPA to a 3.5 or so...

the C in biochem is a 79.3 and the Professor wouldn't give me the .7 to make it a B

so Is my only option to post pone applying a whole year until I rise my GPA or if I do well on the MCAT, just give it a shot and apply to in state schools?
Click to expand...
I could better answer this question if I knew your BCPM GPA (and science GPA without the math).

If you need help calculating it: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=590424
 
bdrensch said:
How do you have such a high GPA with 3 C's? Your science GPA must be pretty rough. It doesn't mean give up and not apply but You should definitely consider retaking those C's, and bringing them up to A's. Then making up for it with a strong MCAT and ExCurs. Med school is competitive ad there is no getting around it.
Click to expand...

I can consider retakes but 1- the original grades won't be replaced 2- I will be applying in the spring so I won't have the classes before applying
 
rorogena88 said:
so Is my only option to post pone applying a whole year until I rise my GPA or if I do well on the MCAT, just give it a shot and apply to in state schools?
Click to expand...
Well, do you have enough money to apply twice if the first round isn't successful? In addition, do you know what actions you will have to undertake in order to improve your application for a second application cycle. In my experience as a reapplicant, a lot of money/time/stress would have been avoided if I had just waited until the "issues" with my application had been remedied.

On a related note - Do you know how your state schools look at reapplicants? This might be a deciding factor because if they are not very open to them, you really only have one shot. Why not make it the strongest possible....?
 
CopaceticOne said:
Well, do you have enough money to apply twice if the first round isn't successful? In addition, do you know what actions you will have to undertake in order to improve your application for a second application cycle. In my experience as a reapplicant, a lot of money/time/stress would have been avoided if I had just waited until the "issues" with my application had been remedied.

On a related note - Do you know how your state schools look at reapplicants? This might be a deciding factor because if they are not very open to them, you really only have one shot. Why not make it the strongest possible....?
Click to expand...

no, I don't have the money to apply twice but I do not want to wait a whole year just to retake one class..and even if I retake, it will still show on my transcript and my school does not do a grade replacement, they average both grades...

also I don't know how I will do on the MCAT yet but it will be a huge factor on whether I end up retaking the classes or not..
 
rorogena88 said:
okay I calculated my GPA

cGPA including this semester : 3.68 and if I do well next semester : 3.7
 BCPM GPA: 3.47 including this semester and If I do well next semester :3.5
 Science GPA without the math is : 3.1

I am taking 16 hours next semester and only one of them is a science course (advanced physiology) ..I am a psychology minor and most of the classes I am taking next semester are psychology classes because I wanted an easy semester to study for the MCAT////////I thought of taking more science classes but it turns out, I would need more than 5 science classes to bring up my science GPA to a 3.6 so I decided to stick with a light course load and a good MCAT score

also I work 20 hours a week and I am currently doing research and an honors thesis so my schedule is to the max

and since we are talking about science GPA , I took a few courses that were offered by the honors college (I am a member of the honors college) 1- HonSem:Neurology Speech and Language Disorders 2- Science and Psyhology 3- Developmental Psyhology ...Will these courses count as BCPM GPA or no? (The reason I am asking is because the material coverd in these courses was mostly science and antomy)
Click to expand...

 You are in good shape if you maintain A's for the rest of your courses you take before your apply. Apply early, broadly, and include plenty of DO schools, and you have a good chance of getting in this cycle. Make sure LOR's are lined up this spring, so they don't delay your application.

If the classes you took were majority chemistry, call it chemistry, majority biology, call it biology, etc. If AMCAS disagrees with you they can change it, and you can appeal that decision with a course description, etc. I had a pharmacology course that focused on anatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, etc. and called it biology, AMCAS agreed with that assessment. The worst they will do is tell you no, that doesn't count as BCMP.

Sticking with the light course load and getting a high MCAT will help you more than a bunch of A's and a low MCAT score. Make sure, though, that both your grades are high, and your MCAT is high. :luck:
 
rorogena88 said:
so Is my only option to post pone applying a whole year until I rise my GPA or if I do well on the MCAT, just give it a shot and apply to in state schools?
Click to expand...

rorogena88 said:
okay I calculated my GPA

cGPA including this semester : 3.68 and if I do well next semester : 3.7
BCPM GPA: 3.47 including this semester and If I do well next semester :3.5
Science GPA without the math is : 3.1

I am taking 16 hours next semester and only one of them is a science course (advanced physiology) ..I am a psychology minor and most of the classes I am taking next semester are psychology classes because I wanted an easy semester to study for the MCAT////////I thought of taking more science classes but it turns out, I would need more than 5 science classes to bring up my science GPA to a 3.6 so I decided to stick with a light course load and a good MCAT score

and since we are talking about science GPA , I took a few courses that were offered by the honors college (I am a member of the honors college) 1- HonSem:Neurology Speech and Language Disorders 2- Science and Psyhology 3- Developmental Psyhology ...Will these courses count as BCPM GPA or no? (The reason I am asking is because the material coverd in these courses was mostly science and antomy)
Click to expand...
That sGPA is on the low side, isn't it.

With the added information, I think that the difference between applying summer 2012 vs summer 2013 will be the likelihood of getting into any med school vs the increased chance of an acceptance to a school you really want to attend, DO and MD (if you could get more A-level science grades).

It seems it should make a difference if you can get AMCAS and AACOMAS to accept those science-heavy psych classes as BIO. I suggest you be very proactive about this, not waiting until your transcripts are verified to see what happens, but rather sending in the course descriptions at the get-go for their consideration, so as not to delay later with a lengthy appeal to change your application transcript back to the way you classified it initially.

Maybe for fun you could tell us the impact of having those three courses classified as science?
 
As stated before I think the C in Biochemistry will hurt and also the C in Organic Chemistry 2. The C in Organic chemistry 1 is understandable, it's a new class and you're expected to do better in the future which you did not. To me it seems as if you're having a downward trend which can be pretty lethal to an application. However, luckily your cGPA and sGPA is still decent enough to give you a shot at a MD school when applying in 2012. I think the most important thing right now is probably your MCAT score. If you can really nail the Biological Sciences section which mind you consists of Organic chemistry and even had some Biochemistry passages in my case then you will be golden. Strive to get a MCAT score > 32 and a BS section score > 11. If all of that mixed with decent ECs should get you some where. Stay focused and don't give up hope this is definitely just a road bump not the end.
 
Catalystik said:
That sGPA is on the low side, isn't it.

With the added information, I think that the difference between applying summer 2012 vs summer 2013 will be the likelihood of getting into any med school vs the increased chance of an acceptance to a school you really want to attend, DO and MD (if you could get more A-level science grades).

It seems it should make a difference if you can get AMCAS and AACOMAS to accept those science-heavy psych classes as BIO. I suggest you be very proactive about this, not waiting until your transcripts are verified to see what happens, but rather sending in the course descriptions at the get-go for their consideration, so as not to delay later with a lengthy appeal to change your application transcript back to the way you classified it initially.

Maybe for fun you could tell us the impact of having those three courses classified as science?
Click to expand...


I am not interested in a specific school..to me, what matteres is that I become a doctor and save people's lives regardless of the school 🙂

I will put the classes I mentioned under Biology and see how that goes
 
flodhi1 said:
As stated before I think the C in Biochemistry will hurt and also the C in Organic Chemistry 2. The C in Organic chemistry 1 is understandable, it's a new class and you're expected to do better in the future which you did not. To me it seems as if you're having a downward trend which can be pretty lethal to an application. However, luckily your cGPA and sGPA is still decent enough to give you a shot at a MD school when applying in 2012. I think the most important thing right now is probably your MCAT score. If you can really nail the Biological Sciences section which mind you consists of Organic chemistry and even had some Biochemistry passages in my case then you will be golden. Strive to get a MCAT score > 32 and a BS section score > 11. If all of that mixed with decent ECs should get you some where. Stay focused and don't give up hope this is definitely just a road bump not the end.
Click to expand...

I took a sample MCAT and I did well on the bio and Chem section..you see the reason I did so bad in those 3 chem courses is because they needed so much study time and at the time My dad was very sick and we were in and out of the hospital..I ended up studying for my Ochem2 exam in the hospital and trust me it was not fun at all (btw I took them right after one another..which was not smart knowing that I didn't have enough time to study)
 
rorogena88 said:
the reason I did so bad in those 3 chem courses is because they needed so much study time and at the time My dad was very sick and we were in and out of the hospital..I ended up studying for my Ochem2 exam in the hospital and trust me it was not fun at all (btw I took them right after one another..which was not smart knowing that I didn't have enough time to study)
Click to expand...
If you could have this information referred to in one of your LORs by an advisor or teacher, it would help you.
 
This is my List


MD
Texas A and M medical School
Texas Tech University health Science Center
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
West Virginia University School of Medicine
Florida State University College of Medicine
Oklahoma State University
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
Ohio University




DO
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton
Nova Southeastern University
College of Osteopathic Medicine


This should be enough right?
 
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rorogena88 said:
This is my List


MD
Texas A and M medical School
Texas Tech University health Science Center
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
West Virginia University School of Medicine
Florida State University College of Medicine
Oklahoma State University
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
Mercer University School of Medicine
Ohio University




DO
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton
Nova Southeastern University
College of Osteopathic Medicine


This should be enough right?
Click to expand...

You can only apply to Mercer if you're a Georgia resident. They're private, but they're somehow heavily state funded. I'm not sure how that works.

But, if you ARE a Georgia resident and you're interested in the DO route, I was really impressed with GA-PCOM.It seemed like a top-notch place. I also really liked the VCOM branch in South Carolina, which isn't too far away from the Georgia line.
 
Ebola4Breakfast said:
You can only apply to Mercer if you're a Georgia resident. They're private, but they're somehow heavily state funded. I'm not sure how that works.

But, if you ARE a Georgia resident and you're interested in the DO route, I was really impressed with GA-PCOM.It seemed like a top-notch place. I also really liked the VCOM branch in South Carolina, which isn't too far away from the Georgia line.
Click to expand...


I am a texas resident..I thought they accept about 10% out of state like other schools..I guess not
 
Catalystik said:
Florida State and W Virginia (unless you come from a bordering state of WV) are not OOS friendly either.
Click to expand...


MD
Texas A and M medical School
Texas Tech University health Science Center
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Oklahoma State University
Ohio University




DO
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton
Nova Southeastern University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences

I should be good the top 3 MD on this list right?

do you recommend any other ones? 15 should be good right?
 
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rorogena88 said:
MD
Texas A and M medical School
Texas Tech University health Science Center
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

I should be good for the top 3 MD right?
do you recommend any other ones? 15 should be good right?
Click to expand...
Without an MCAT score it's hard to say. Why did you not include more of your in-state schools?
 
rorogena88 said:
MD
Texas A and M medical School
Texas Tech University health Science Center
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Oklahoma State University
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
Ohio University




DO
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton
Nova Southeastern University
College of Osteopathic Medicine

I should be good for the top 3 MD right?
do you recommend any other ones? 15 should be good right?
Click to expand...

All the previous posters stated correct information concerning Mercer, West Virginia and Florida state. All 3 of those schools are not OOS friendly. Even though a lot of people love to apply to George Washington I think it's a waste of money especially since they have an outrageous secondary price and the most applicants. It's totally upto you if you want to shell $ 125.00 bucks not to mention expensive tuition and living cost if accepted. I would pick other safer/cheaper schools such as Drexel and EVMS but that depends on if you want to reside in those states/areas.
 
rorogena88 said:
I am a texas resident..I thought they accept about 10% out of state like other schools..I guess not
Click to expand...

Nope. I couldn't even submit my secondary even though I was screened in because I changed my state residency from Georgia to Alabama during the cycle. Mercer accepts absolutely no out of state students. You may be thinking of the Medical College of Georgia, which does allow OOS students to apply, but they're no where close to being that (10%) OOS friendly. I think MCG historically takes between 95-99% IS students. It's a tough crowd.

Also, I think one of your "MD" schools is actually a "DO" school. AT Still is the founder of Osteopathic Medicine. If his name is attached to OSU, then that's a DO school. I'm not familiar with the DO schools out West, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.

+1 about the comment on George Washington. Both the major DC schools rubbed me the wrong way. I heard rumors of people getting their applications rejected the day after submitting a secondary there. Couple that with that crazy high unscreened secondary, and I didn't think it was worth the risk. They get so many applicants.
 
Ebola4Breakfast said:
Nope. I couldn't even submit my secondary even though I was screened in because I changed my state residency from Georgia to Alabama during the cycle. Mercer accepts absolutely no out of state students. You may be thinking of the Medical College of Georgia, which does allow OOS students to apply, but they're no where close to being that (10%) OOS friendly. I think MCG historically takes between 95-99% IS students. It's a tough crowd.

Also, I think one of your "MD" schools is actually a "DO" school. AT Still is the founder of Osteopathic Medicine. If his name is attached to OSU, then that's a DO school. I'm not familiar with the DO schools out West, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.

+1 about the comment on George Washington. Both the major DC schools rubbed me the wrong way. I heard rumors of people getting their applications rejected the day after submitting a secondary there. Couple that with that crazy high unscreened secondary, and I didn't think it was worth the risk. They get so many applicants.
Click to expand...

flodhi1 said:
All the previous posters stated correct information concerning Mercer, West Virginia and Florida state. All 3 of those schools are not OOS friendly. Even though a lot of people love to apply to George Washington I think it's a waste of money especially since they have an outrageous secondary price and the most applicants. It's totally upto you if you want to shell $ 125.00 bucks not to mention expensive tuition and living cost if accepted. I would pick other safer/cheaper schools such as Drexel and EVMS but that depends on if you want to reside in those states/areas.
Click to expand...

+1 GW is so genuine everybody automatically applied there and the school takes advantage of that you can tell by their secondary fee. I would stay away from DC schools simply because they don't screen and they are absolutely in it for the money why the hell else would you unscreen secondaries to 13 some thousand applicants Jesus Christ! I wish I had used that money towards schools that I actually stood a chance with and cared about.
 
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