- Joined
- Mar 2, 2013
- Messages
- 355
- Reaction score
- 108
Hey SDNizens,
I've gotten a bunch of private messages over the past few months from people who have asked for advice on getting in to medical school with a low GPA. I thought I'd go ahead and just post this here so anyone can see it.
Here's a summary of my application process: I finished undergrad with way too many credits and a low GPA (neuro major, math minor). During my senior year I decided to try for med school. I took 2 months off after I graduated to study for the MCAT and got a 34. Over the next few months I got a volunteering gig at a hospital and enrolled in an EMT class. After I got my EMT cert, I switched to being an ER tech at same hospital and started doing a few AACOMAS retakes at a nearby (noncommunity) university as a sort of unofficial postbacc. By the time I applied, I had raised my GPA to a 2.99 sGPA/3.2 cGPA (this with a 4.0 post-bacc)
TL;DR 2.99 sGPA. 3.2 cGPA, 34 MCAT, many boxes checked. Non-disadvantaged whitey.
Before I ever give anyone advice, I like to emphasize that the strategies that I used had something like a 93% failure rate...I applied to 43 schools and got rejected by 40 (of the 3 acceptances, 2 were DO and 1 MD). That's a pretty high fail rate. But I did learn a lot from the process. Here are the things I think could help someone in a similar situation:
--Apply to as many places as you possibly can
--That being said, focus the most on SCHOOLS YOU THINK YOU ARE A FIT FOR, not schools you think you could get into because they have a low 10th percentile GPA acceptance. This way, your secondary essays will be much more genuine and are more likely to capture the attention of the adcoms. That's what I think happened for me at the school I got into.
--(No-brainer) do as well on the MCAT as humanly possible...takes a lot of discipline and it's miserable, but it's a vital investment of effort
--Don't leave any other weaknesses in your app. Make sure you've got all the "boxes checked" vis a vis volunteer work, clinical experience, good letters of rec, etc. You can't give schools any more reason to reject you than they already have with the low GPA.
--be passionate about it. similarly, be sure you want to do this. loving my EMT class and then loving my time at the ER (well, not loving every feces-laden minute of it, but the overall experience) helped sustain me even when things seemed really hopeless
--Seek out support from POSITIVE people. That means not most of SDN. As helpful as it can be for answering questions, most people on here are neurotic fatalists who will assure you that you're screwed, and maybe they're right! I worked in an ER and my co-workers were always telling me I'd get in and be fine even though I vehemently disagreed with them. My parents were the same way. The people on SDN know a lot more about the process than my parents did, but I think support is just as important as facts are. SDN provided the latter, family/friends/coworkers provided the former. Now they all get to say I told you so and I ain't even mad
--As for the personal essay, you can research until you're blue in the face (weird metaphor, just go with it) about whether to write one that does or does not address your low GPA, and you'll get very conflicting viewpoints. Try instead to come up with a coherent essay that showcases your personal growth, whether or not it explicitly addresses your GPA, and then get someone (pref multiple people) to edit the **** out of it. Some SDNers read and feedback'd mine, and that actually was helpful. If you want to send me a version later down the road I'd be happy to give my unprofessional two cents.
--Be gentle to yourself. Just because you have a low GPA doesn't make you any less deserving of becoming a doc than anyone else as long as you've got the determination and motivation. People live and learn. You're not inferior to anyone else on here just because they have higher stats, and your worth is not determined by numbers. Tape something above your bed that says this or something. Seriously, it's important to remember.
Hope this helps. Good luck to all.
I've gotten a bunch of private messages over the past few months from people who have asked for advice on getting in to medical school with a low GPA. I thought I'd go ahead and just post this here so anyone can see it.
Here's a summary of my application process: I finished undergrad with way too many credits and a low GPA (neuro major, math minor). During my senior year I decided to try for med school. I took 2 months off after I graduated to study for the MCAT and got a 34. Over the next few months I got a volunteering gig at a hospital and enrolled in an EMT class. After I got my EMT cert, I switched to being an ER tech at same hospital and started doing a few AACOMAS retakes at a nearby (noncommunity) university as a sort of unofficial postbacc. By the time I applied, I had raised my GPA to a 2.99 sGPA/3.2 cGPA (this with a 4.0 post-bacc)
TL;DR 2.99 sGPA. 3.2 cGPA, 34 MCAT, many boxes checked. Non-disadvantaged whitey.
Before I ever give anyone advice, I like to emphasize that the strategies that I used had something like a 93% failure rate...I applied to 43 schools and got rejected by 40 (of the 3 acceptances, 2 were DO and 1 MD). That's a pretty high fail rate. But I did learn a lot from the process. Here are the things I think could help someone in a similar situation:
--Apply to as many places as you possibly can
--That being said, focus the most on SCHOOLS YOU THINK YOU ARE A FIT FOR, not schools you think you could get into because they have a low 10th percentile GPA acceptance. This way, your secondary essays will be much more genuine and are more likely to capture the attention of the adcoms. That's what I think happened for me at the school I got into.
--(No-brainer) do as well on the MCAT as humanly possible...takes a lot of discipline and it's miserable, but it's a vital investment of effort
--Don't leave any other weaknesses in your app. Make sure you've got all the "boxes checked" vis a vis volunteer work, clinical experience, good letters of rec, etc. You can't give schools any more reason to reject you than they already have with the low GPA.
--be passionate about it. similarly, be sure you want to do this. loving my EMT class and then loving my time at the ER (well, not loving every feces-laden minute of it, but the overall experience) helped sustain me even when things seemed really hopeless
--Seek out support from POSITIVE people. That means not most of SDN. As helpful as it can be for answering questions, most people on here are neurotic fatalists who will assure you that you're screwed, and maybe they're right! I worked in an ER and my co-workers were always telling me I'd get in and be fine even though I vehemently disagreed with them. My parents were the same way. The people on SDN know a lot more about the process than my parents did, but I think support is just as important as facts are. SDN provided the latter, family/friends/coworkers provided the former. Now they all get to say I told you so and I ain't even mad
--As for the personal essay, you can research until you're blue in the face (weird metaphor, just go with it) about whether to write one that does or does not address your low GPA, and you'll get very conflicting viewpoints. Try instead to come up with a coherent essay that showcases your personal growth, whether or not it explicitly addresses your GPA, and then get someone (pref multiple people) to edit the **** out of it. Some SDNers read and feedback'd mine, and that actually was helpful. If you want to send me a version later down the road I'd be happy to give my unprofessional two cents.
--Be gentle to yourself. Just because you have a low GPA doesn't make you any less deserving of becoming a doc than anyone else as long as you've got the determination and motivation. People live and learn. You're not inferior to anyone else on here just because they have higher stats, and your worth is not determined by numbers. Tape something above your bed that says this or something. Seriously, it's important to remember.
Hope this helps. Good luck to all.
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