Low GPA chances

[frank29]

I am going to enter fourth year of undergrad in Sep 2016. Presently my GPA is around 2.65 overall and science. I live in Canada. I am going to write my MCAT in Aug 2016. I am interested in applying to DO schools in US. Do you think I have chance of admission in any of DO school for the year 2017 admission. Is it worth applying for DO schools in US. Or you recommend that the only option open for me is going to any of the Caribbean schools.

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[Scrubs101]

Don't apply this year, do some GPA repair by retaking any C/D/F coursework. You really want to apply with a 3.0+ to get past most screens and 3.25+ to feel more comfortable.

Also NEVER carib

 

[frank29]

Why do you say never Carib. I thought that is the only hope considering my low GPA. As I am going to be in final year, the chances of improving it substantially is also very tough.

 

[Scrubs101]

Why do you say never Carib. I thought that is the only hope considering my low GPA. As I am going to be in final year, the chances of improving it substantially is also very tough.

Do a quick search on this forum as to why to never go to the Carib.

There have been people who have had quite a bit of success and are current med student who have come back from worse GPAs. DO schools allow you to replace your bad grades with new ones if you retake the courses you did poorly in. This will be the absolute quickest way to boost your GPA. You just need to take a few years to retake coursework and prove you ability to succeed in medical school.

You can do this trust me, DO schools are known to reward reinvention. Whatever you do dont fall for the lifetime debt sentence that are the diploma mills in the Carib. They prey upon the desperation of pre-meds.

 

[Goro]

Chances are zero as of right now. You need GPA repair. Don't bother with MCAT right now, you have bigger fish to fry.

Don't even think about Carib diploma mills unless you like the idea of being unemployed and deeply in debt. You're the naive mark they prey upon.

I am going to enter fourth year of undergrad in Sep 2016. Presently my GPA is around 2.65 overall and science. I live in Canada. I am going to write my MCAT in Aug 2016. I am interested in applying to DO schools in US. Do you think I have chance of admission in any of DO school for the year 2017 admission. Is it worth applying for DO schools in US. Or you recommend that the only option open for me is going to any of the Caribbean schools.

 

[confidentandgood]

Why do you say never Carib. I thought that is the only hope considering my low GPA. As I am going to be in final year, the chances of improving it substantially is also very tough.

Consider it this way. Would you rather take a few years to do GPA repair and get into a respectable medical school (with a good chance of matching) or dive into the Caribbean and risk graduating with a tremendous amount of debt and no successful matches?

This has happened to more Caribbean hopefuls than you think; just use the search function.

 

[drvfedorov]

Realistically you would need to get your GPA around 3.5, as a Canadian. But I agree with everyone else, taking a couple of years off is no big deal in the grand scheme of things. I am assuming you're a typical student around 22 years old, if so, think about the fact that most med students are around 25-26.

 

[TRPMinus]

Why do you say never Carib. I thought that is the only hope considering my low GPA. As I am going to be in final year, the chances of improving it substantially is also very tough.

Carib is the only hope for you, if you're too lazy to put in the time to repair your GPA and do well on the MCAT. Not too sure why people discourage this so much, a little natural selection goes a long way

 

[drvfedorov]

Not too sure why people discourage this so much, a little natural selection goes a long way

haha, some of us like to give everyone a realistic shot at their life decisions.

 

[frank29]

I have read in most of the reviews here that carib schools are no good. Is there no benefit in these schools. Where is the other side opinion of the students who go there and are successful. It's not that all of those students are doomed.

 

[tony101]

I have read in most of the reviews here that carib schools are no good. Is there no benefit in these schools. Where is the other side opinion of the students who go there and are successful. It's not that all of those students are doomed.

The thing is at a Caribbean school, you used to have a better chance at a residency. Now I've heard some people even state only 50% of the people in those schools get residencies. Understand if you don't get a residency, you can't practice medicine = you can't even use your MD degree and you have 250,000+ in debt.

Go to a community college, get your grades up. Will it take a few years?
YES! But being a doctor isn't a sprint, its a marathon.
DO's are forgiving in that aspect, don't lose your chance for redemption by taking a HUGE risk at the Caribbean.

 

[drvfedorov]

I have read in most of the reviews here that carib schools are no good. Is there no benefit in these schools. Where is the other side opinion of the students who go there and are successful. It's not that all of those students are doomed.

No one on here is denying that going to the Caribbean isn't going to give you an MD. We are saying that the CHANCES, TODAY, are extremely slim. Given the high attrition rate during the basic science years, preparing for the board exams, and matching, your overall chances dwindle extremely quick. Do some students make it through, yes. But that number is so small (check the CARMS data). At the end of the day, everyone says not to because from a decision standpoint it is a huge gamble that you may regret your entire life. OR you could take a few years off destroy your post-bacc classes, destroy your MCAT and then apply.

 

[Shotapp]

I'm also Canadian/permanent resident of the US. The fact that your gpa is a 2.65 shows that you were not focused or studied at all (there is grade inflation in Canada. For instance a 60-69 is a C...70 to 79 is a B... 80 to 89 is an A...etc). I think you show think of a plan B...

 

[ATPsynthase123]

I'm also Canadian/permanent resident of the US. The fact that your gpa is a 2.65 shows that you were not focused or studied at all (there is grade inflation in Canada. For instance a 60-69 is a C...70 to 79 is a B... 80 to 89 is an A...etc). I think you show think of a plan B...

Are you joking? Lol no wonder every time I see a WAMC post by a Canadian it is like "hey guys, Canadian here with a 3.9 GPA and a 3.85 sGPA." You literally just have to try and the grading scale guarantees that you will make a decent grade.

At my school in the U.S. the only class that had a grading scale curved that much was Genetics because it has like a 60-70% fail rate.


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[Shotapp]

@ATPsynthase123

Yeah Op's situation is pretty sad...If you don't have a 3.9 GPA and a killer cars score on the Mcat, your prospects of getting into medical school up there are pretty nil. I went to high school/ college in the States...I don't plan to go back to Canadia...ever.