Life Got In The Way

[Breww]

I started off strong as a biomedical engineering major/ pre-medicine. Then my life went downhill. Family members were murdered, dad almost died of a heart attack, I had to press charges against an ex-boyfriend who attacked me ... etc. After three years of hell, my GPA went to hell as well. I changed my major to a double in Biology and Philosophy with minors in Chemistry/ English. But it won't help much because my GPA is in the crapshoot. I have no chance at applying for med school, so I'm thinking about going into public health ... get a master's ... and later apply for med school.

Do admissions committees care about extreme situations? Can murders, date rapes, deaths, etc. justify a crappy GPA? Do I have a chance at all? What are my options/ best plan of action? Thanks.

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[runawayclock]

Wow, OP... assuming you're not a troll, that's some terrible luck you've had there. I'm surprised you didn't just take a semester or a year off, considering your situation.

1. Destroy your MCAT - the great equalizer. It would show that even if you didn't do so well in your 1st year sciences, you have a good grip on basic sciences and that you can write coherently. Also, get a lot of good ECs and a kickass PS - have a spotless application other than your GPA.
2. Would a second bachelor's be an option at all? (Would definitely boost your GPA) or try for a special masters program? (depending on your GPA i suppose) If your last year is at least very good, you could explain that the horrible grades were under extraordinary circumstances, and that your last year's grades, and your masters/2nd B.Sc reflects this.
3. I can't tell you if murders, date rapes, deaths, etc. can justify a crappy GPA simply because it must be so rare to come across in an app.... either way, best of luck!

 

[Catalystik]

Retake all the low grades, then apply to DO med schools which only count the most recent retake when calculating your application GPAs.

Or, take more college classes until your GPA is > 3.0 and apply for a Special Masters Program with an MCAT of 30+, which could give you a chance at an MD school.

A traditional masters degree doesn't do much to make you more competitive for med school.

 

[BellusRenovatio]

Wow I'm sorry to hear that your life has been so challenging! I think if you work extremely hard to get your GPA up decently and possibly apply for a masters program you still have a legitimate shot. Aside from that, make sure you do all the "unofficial" requirements (volunteer work, clinicals, etc.) However, I don't understand why you have a Bio/Phil majors and Chem/English minors. You would be better off picking one or two and concentrating on getting your grades. Medical schools don't really care if you've got more than one major and/or minor its all about the numbers. Also, it raises a bit of a red flag because it doesn't show a true commitment to an area of study. Finally, your story seems like a legitimate excuse, but you've really got a lot to prove. Your situation will most likely be taken into consideration, but don't expect too much sympathy. I wish you the best of luck and I hope things have improved in your personal life.

 

[ThaliaNox]

A public health masters program will not do anything to mitigate a low undergrad GPA. Even hard science masters programs don't do that well. Your best chance at med school is to retake the classes you did poorly in and apply to DO schools.

Life circumstances can get you a little leeway, but only if you can show that you've taken care of these things. They don't want you to have another crisis in med school if they can help it. A little leeway is also a little, not like making up for a 3.0 GPA.