Low GPA explanation?

[deleted404486]

hsouef

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[liveoak]

your father is not an excuse (but great job taking care of him!). However, it has given you incredible experience that will likely bolster your application. Work on that angle. forget about explaining your decent (albeit a bit below average) GPA.

G street tonight?

 

[soundnin]

I don't like to make excuses... A)Will my justification of my low GPA be suffice for medical school or is my 3.5 will be viewed sufficient to GPAs of 3.6+ no matter what?

then don't make excuses. 3.5 isn't even that low.

also (just my humble opinion as i'm in the middle of my own application cycle), i would think someone was a little off if i asked about a downward trend GPA and he pulls out a rehearsed story about working during undergrad and his dad's dementia with a binder full of pay stubs, medical records, etc. in hand

no reason to put yourself in a negative light (paranoid, insecure applicant). like the poster above stated, focus on how you grew from your experience.

 

[deleted404486]

fieha

 

[liveoak]

And selling my application on the back of my sick father is not something i feel comfortable with.

well, did it motiviate you to study medicine? if it did, you have to talk about it. period.

get over your low gpa. you sound like a *****.

 

[WSOXFAN]

I believe that your experiences with your father will only serve to make you a stronger medical school candidate, and in the end, a stronger doctor. Medical schools are not going to require any sort of documentation to 'prove' that you took care of your dad. I would imagine that it would be a key component to your personal statement and would probably be mentioned in letters of rec of people who know you well. It will undoubtedly be brought up in any interviews you have.

Honestly, don't get too hung up about what your application lacks. Your gpa is ok, but your personal story really does go beyond the standard "I want to be a doctor to help people." Make the schools aware of your situation, the way it impacted you and your choice to pursue medicine as a career.

Best of Luck!!!

 

[mipp0]

Hi

I don't post much but I am starting to put together my apps for 2012.

I went to UC Davis and graduated in 3 years with a major in psych.

My GPA is a 3.5. My GPA has a general downward trend till it bottoms out and then slight upward trend. I have all As and Bs in pre-med courses.

I struggled because of two reasons I had to work 30 hrs a week because of financial difficulties and my father suffered from Alzheimers. My mom, sister, and I took care of my father at home. We use to rotate according to our schedules. My sis was in college too and my mom worked as well. We use to make sure my dad got his meds on time, taking showers, changing clothes, walks, trips to doctors and eating sufficiently. At points I skipped classes because someone needed to be at home for my father. ie. mom was at work and sis had a exam at college. I also skipped classes for work because of the need for money.

My father was hospitalized when he fainted frequently and some psych medications caused some brain damage. He spent 3 months in and out of hospitals during a summer and become bed ridden because he was diagnosed with a form of dementia. the next 2 months me and my family still took care of my father (palliative care). my grades dropped the most during this time. Financial responsibility piled on and stress from my dad's health. I still struggled along and managed to graduate in 3 years. The situation w/ my father has normalized with help from some family members. I went back to school for a minor in Public Health to supplement my education also trying to study for MCAT + still working 30 hrs a week.

side note: I have ok ECs. Lots of work at office, 300 hrs volunteering at hospital, 1.5 yrs research (No pubs) , 300 hrs shadowing doctor with three different doctors (100 hrs each). And decent LORs. Only missing piece is MCAT which i plan to take soon.

I don't like to make excuses.

However long story short, I have prove that I worked 25-30 hours a week (via work) for the 4 yrs of my undergard. I have prove of my fathers illness via medical records. However i have no documentation of the 3.5 years our family took care of my father at home?



A)Will my justification of my low GPA be suffice for medical school or is my 3.5 will be viewed sufficient to GPAs of 3.6+ no matter what?

B) Is it likely med school will ask for documentation of my father's condition. Should I gather them?

C) what documentation will suffice for the time our family spent taking care of my father? Letter from doctors? Hospital records?

Home care, dementia, and work are great explanations for a declining GPA.

How old is your dad? Very hard to believe (not saying you are lying) such an aggressive, advanced stage of dementia for a man in his early 50s (I'm assuming this of course).

Ignore above posters. They have no idea what they are talking about.

MAKE SURE TO MENTION THIS IN YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT. ADD IT IN YOUR AMCAS APP AS WELL.

 

[deleted404486]

hsodf