Lost in med

[(Destiny)]

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Hi all! I'm pretty new to this, but am struggling with deciding how to proceed and was hoping to get some advice from you guys.

Background: I (African American if it's relevant) graduated from NYU in 2017, sGPA of 2.8 (I know), cumulative GPA of 3.3. I sort of started to give up on medical school, partially because of my sGPA, but held out hope. I recently took the MCAT and received a 514 (127/131/126/130). After graduating, I spent a year working as a tutor and a scribe. Then I took a year off to relax then study for the MCAT.

My questions boil down to: 1) can I move forward with these stats 2) if so, how? Should I be looking at SMPs? I'm concerned about going in that direction because I know it can be risky. My track record involves mostly B's in sciences, I just can't seem to make that final jump and I know that could be bad if I were to continue that in an SMP. Should I try out applying to some medical schools? I don't think my GPA is high enough (my sGPA will likely ruin that, I think I recall something about screens) plus I'm quite late to the game/cycle, but I'm open to the idea.

Please help, thank you!

 

[LiftingMed]

I would suggest posting in this subforum too. If you don't care about MD/DO, then you'd be fine for DO + their cycle runs later.

Underrepresented in Healthcare

Are you underrepresented in healthcare? This is the place to get advice and support each other during your journeys in healthcare.

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[Osminog]

The sGPA is lethal. Do an SMP. There's some risk attached to it, but if you excel, you'll be in a strong position to get admitted into MD schools.

 

[etp123]

SMPs are very sink or swim. You gotta reevaluate what it is that is keeping you from achieving A's in your classes and fix that problem asap bc if you were afraid of the academic demand in an SMP, then you should be more afraid of the demand in med school (which will be greater than SMP). You gotta develop good study practices and have the toolset for academic success before you apply. I think you have the capacity for academic success, as seen by your ability to do well on the MCAT, now just gotta figure out how to translate that to the classroom.

Some schools do have a 3.0 sGPA screen so maybe call and ask the schools on your list/scout their websites/MSAR to see if they do before you spend money on the application.

Can you perhaps take a few postbac classes over this fall/spring? It could help pull your sGPA up and having evidence of a strong upward trend will definitely help you.

 

[Goro]

Hi all! I'm pretty new to this, but am struggling with deciding how to proceed and was hoping to get some advice from you guys.

Background: I (African American if it's relevant) graduated from NYU in 2017, sGPA of 2.8 (I know), cumulative GPA of 3.3. I sort of started to give up on medical school, partially because of my sGPA, but held out hope. I recently took the MCAT and received a 514 (127/131/126/130). After graduating, I spent a year working as a tutor and a scribe. Then I took a year off to relax then study for the MCAT.

My questions boil down to: 1) can I move forward with these stats 2) if so, how? Should I be looking at SMPs? I'm concerned about going in that direction because I know it can be risky. My track record involves mostly B's in sciences, I just can't seem to make that final jump and I know that could be bad if I were to continue that in an SMP. Should I try out applying to some medical schools? I don't think my GPA is high enough (my sGPA will likely ruin that, I think I recall something about screens) plus I'm quite late to the game/cycle, but I'm open to the idea.

Please help, thank you!

Signs are encouraging. Do you have a rising sGPA trend?

If not no medical school is doing you any favors if you're at risk for failing out.

Being a URM student, just make a 3.3+ GPA in a post-bac or SMP.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[(Destiny)]

Thanks, guys. To address one question I saw - I worry about SMP but not medical school because I didn't think medical school required all A's while the SMP seems like it's only worth it if I make (almost) all A's. I'm not sure what's been keeping me from getting the A's - I studied constantly. There was a bit of a learning curve for the "how to study" bit, but even once I think even once I got it down, I continued to make B's, a B+ once in a while.

It seems the consensus is that an SMP or postbacc (DIY?) is needed. I will begin researching them ASAP. I think I'm leaning towards a DIY postbacc, but I'm open to feedback.

Thank you!

 

[SenselessDuck]

Thanks, guys. To address one question I saw - I worry about SMP but not medical school because I didn't think medical school required all A's while the SMP seems like it's only worth it if I make (almost) all A's. I'm not sure what's been keeping me from getting the A's - I studied constantly. There was a bit of a learning curve for the "how to study" bit, but even once I think even once I got it down, I continued to make B's, a B+ once in a while.

It seems the consensus is that an SMP or postbacc (DIY?) is needed. I will begin researching them ASAP. I think I'm leaning towards a DIY postbacc, but I'm open to feedback.

Thank you!

I, personally, would suggest a DIY Post-bac if time and money are constraints for you. Your cGPA is pretty solid for DO and even some MDs. Your sGPA is sub-3.0 but it def can be helped because it's not too far off from 3.0. Before you jump into anymore classes, you need to find what was the common denominator in you getting Bs and B+ instead of As. You say you constantly studied but just because you study a lot doesn't mean you were studying correctly in a manner that is best suited for you.

514 for the MCAT is pretty awesome to me so it shows you can master things. You just have to find what is separating you from an A. Was it frequency? Studying the wrong thing? Not being consistent? Not asking questions on material you didn't understand? Waiting till the last minute to study? The list can go on.

Different subject require different methods of studying and reviewing for the information to sink in.

Find out what you can do to better you studying habits and lock down those As.

Get good LORs, shadowing, and good ECs. You would have a good chance in my eyes. Just try and get these done before the score expires.