Low GPA; How can I better my chances? Is there still a shot?

[coconutlovurr21]

Hi,

I'm an ORM VA resident. I currently have a very low GPA. I'd say around a 2.4 at 40 hours. Freshman year, my grandma died and it took a massive impact on me. Then, spring semester, I got cheated on and that also messed up my mental health (decided to go to therapy after this because was very, very unmotivated). My GPA was extremely low freshman year + fall semester of sophomore year. I understand that I shouldn't have let these events affect me that severely.

I did the calculation and if I start getting 4.0s (magically), I should be able to raise my GPA to 3.45 MAX. I posted about this on Reddit, and someone claiming they used to be on the adcoms for their university reached out to me. They basically insinuated that although I was in the running, my chances were very, very slim to none because there's so many excellent people applying every year. I guess I feel a little disheartened after that.

I'm really not sure what to do. Can I still be in the running? Is it all over for me because I'm an ORM? How should I proceed forward?

Thank you so much!

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[Mr.Smile12]

You need to read more posts here. It won't be an easy path forward, and you probably need some reinvention. Without more insight on what you have been doing, it is hard to say on just your GPA.

 

[jhmmd]

Hi,

I'm an ORM VA resident. I currently have a very low GPA. I'd say around a 2.4 at 40 hours. Freshman year, my grandma died and it took a massive impact on me. Then, spring semester, I got cheated on and that also messed up my mental health (decided to go to therapy after this because was very, very unmotivated). My GPA was extremely low freshman year + fall semester of sophomore year. I understand that I shouldn't have let these events affect me that severely.

I did the calculation and if I start getting 4.0s (magically), I should be able to raise my GPA to 3.45 MAX. I posted about this on Reddit, and someone claiming they used to be on the adcoms for their university reached out to me. They basically insinuated that although I was in the running, my chances were very, very slim to none because there's so many excellent people applying every year. I guess I feel a little disheartened after that.

I'm really not sure what to do. Can I still be in the running? Is it all over for me because I'm an ORM? How should I proceed forward?

Thank you so much!

whaaaat

 

[coconutlovurr21]

You need to read more posts here. It won't be an easy path forward, and you probably need some reinvention. Without more insight on what you have been doing, it is hard to say on just your GPA.

you're correct! i'm just new to the forum and not really sure how to navigate it properly. does reinvention work? the same person told me "upward trends can only help so much" so i'm not sure anymore LOL.

 

[jhmmd]

you're correct! i'm just new to the forum and not really sure how to navigate it properly. does reinvention work? the same person told me "upward trends can only help so much" so i'm not sure anymore LOL.

Again, you will need to make your application outstanding in every other area in order to make up for a bad GPA. Even then, it is not a sure shot.

 

[coconutlovurr21]

Again, you will need to make your application outstanding in every other area in order to make up for a bad GPA. Even then, it is not a sure shot.

Should I get a lot of ECS in? Should I try my best + apply for postbacc? Or, am I SOL?

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

You probably have to do postbacc. For now, focus on grades and volunteering and see how high you can take your GPA and assess during final semester. Don’t waste your time on Reddit or SDN.

 

[coconutlovurr21]

You probably have to do postbacc. For now, focus on grades and volunteering and see how high you can take your GPA and assess during final semester. Don’t waste your time on Reddit or SDN.

Noted, thank you so much! I'll just focus on the present for now. Then, proceed from there.

 

[jhmmd]

Should I get a lot of ECS in? Should I try my best + apply for postbacc? Or, am I SOL?

There are several different areas of the AMCAS/AACOMAS application for you to work on. There used to be a guest login (password: amcas) so that you can poke around and preview it. For example, volunteering (clinical as well as non-clinical), shadowing, research, MCAT score, extracurriculars (mostly to make you more interesting and tie together your "theme"--you must have a hook of some kind), PS, secondary essays, LoRs, you get the point. There is a lot to work on and you are up against people who are also trying to make every single area outstanding. So just be aware of the competition.

Everyone has heard of the "bad freshman year; I spent too much time partying" story. Upward trends are also nothing new. That alone is not enough to make you stand out in a good way. It can be a lot of work just getting good grades.

It's unclear where you are in your pre-med journey. Have you graduated from college yet?

 

[coconutlovurr21]

There are several different areas of the AMCAS/AACOMAS application for you to work on. There used to be a guest login (password: amcas) so that you can poke around and preview it. For example, volunteering (clinical as well as non-clinical), shadowing, research, MCAT score, extracurriculars (mostly to make you more interesting and tie together your "theme"--you must have a hook of some kind), PS, secondary essays, LoRs, you get the point. There is a lot to work on and you are up against people who are also trying to make every single area outstanding. So just be aware of the competition.

Everyone has heard of the "bad freshman year; I spent too much time partying" story. Upward trends are also nothing new. That alone is not enough to make you stand out in a good way. It can be a lot of work just getting good grades.

It's unclear where you are in your pre-med journey. Have you graduated from college yet?

Thank you! I do hope to become an OB-GYN, so I am currently volunteering at women shelters and a local OB/GYN clinic. I will be doing more women-based community service, so I hope that showcases my dedication to women's health. I will also attempt to do more nonclinical volunteering as I enjoy giving back to the community.

I am currently a sophomore in my spring semester. I believe I have 2-3 more years and about 70-80 more credit hours to complete before I am able to graduate.

 

[jhmmd]

Thank you! I do hope to become an OB-GYN, so I am currently volunteering at women shelters and a local OB/GYN clinic. I will be doing more women-based community service, so I hope that showcases my dedication to women's health. I will also attempt to do more nonclinical volunteering as I enjoy giving back to the community.

I am currently a sophomore in my spring semester. I believe I have 2-3 more years and about 70-80 more credit hours to complete before I am able to graduate.

Best of luck to you

 

[deleted1143496]

Are you open to applying DO? or are you stuck on MD?

 

[coconutlovurr21]

Are you open to applying DO? or are you stuck on MD?

I would really prefer to attend MD schools. However, beggars can't be choosers so I'll apply broadly with a few DOs.

Hypothetically, if you get an acceptance from a DO but then would prefer to go to an MD, does rejecting an acceptance look bad? I'm purely curious (I'd be grateful to get in first cycle, so probably wouldn't reject).

 

[CoolBreezes]

A rough start to school sucks but doesn’t put you at an insurmountable disadvantage. You’ll need to get your academic house in order, so to speak, and show sustained excellence for several years thereafter. Don’t add on too many extracurriculars before your study skills are solid.

Applying at the end of junior year likely isn’t wise but you can certainly put together a decent application later on, if you’re still committed to becoming a doctor. Run your own race.

 

[jhmmd]

I would really prefer to attend MD schools. However, beggars can't be choosers so I'll apply broadly with a few DOs.

You will want to apply to at least 30 medical schools to be safe. I would include more than a few D.O. schools unless you can magically raise your GPA from a 3.45 to a 3.7 or so.

Invest in a MSAR. There you can find statistics about all the med schools--# OOS, #IS, average GPA/MCAT, fun facts to know and tell, etc. You will want to craft your list carefully.

You don't want to do this more than once. There is a question on the app that asks if you have applied before, and if you have, you are at a disadvantage. Don't think that you can get around this by changing your name because all schools do background checks these days.

Like @Mr.Smile12 said, I think that you should do some research, put in the work, and then post in WAMC.

 

[jhmmd]

A rough start to school sucks but doesn’t put you at an insurmountable disadvantage. You’ll need to get your academic house in order, so to speak, and show sustained excellence for several years thereafter. Don’t add on too many extracurriculars before your study skills are solid.

Applying at the end of junior year likely isn’t wise but you can certainly put together a decent application later on, if you’re still committed to becoming a doctor. Run your own race.

Like runners like to say, "It's you against the clock."

 

[coconutlovurr21]

A rough start to school sucks but doesn’t put you at an insurmountable disadvantage. You’ll need to get your academic house in order, so to speak, and show sustained excellence for several years thereafter. Don’t add on too many extracurriculars before your study skills are solid.

Applying at the end of junior year likely isn’t wise but you can certainly put together a decent application later on, if you’re still committed to becoming a doctor. Run your own race.

Yes, that's very true!! I'll definitely work on my study skills. I believe something is working because I currently have 4 As, one high B (aiming for a low A), and one B. Definitely think it's a massive improvement from the past few semesters.

You will want to apply to at least 30 medical schools to be safe. I would include more than a few D.O. schools unless you can magically raise your GPA from a 3.45 to a 3.7 or so.

Invest in a MSAR. There you can find statistics about all the med schools--# OOS, #IS, average GPA/MCAT, fun facts to know and tell, etc. You will want to craft your list carefully.

You don't want to do this more than once. There is a question on the app that asks if you have applied before, and if you have, you are at a disadvantage. Don't think that you can get around this by changing your name because all schools do background checks these days.

Like @Mr.Smile12 said, I think that you should do some research, put in the work, and then post in WAMC.

I see! I didn't know applying more than once puts you at a disadvantage. Thank you for that!

I'll definitely try to see where I am by the time of graduation and then post WAMC, then see what I should do.

 

[wysdoc]

I would really prefer to attend MD schools. However, beggars can't be choosers so I'll apply broadly with a few DOs.

Hypothetically, if you get an acceptance from a DO but then would prefer to go to an MD, does rejecting an acceptance look bad? I'm purely curious (I'd be grateful to get in first cycle, so probably wouldn't reject).

You are planning waaay too far ahead here.
First thing is to see if you can be a successful college student.

 

[coconutlovurr21]

You are planning waaay too far ahead here.
First thing is to see if you can be a successful college student.

Yes, haha. I'm worrying about a problem years from now. I should definitely do the best I can and then see how to proceed from there. I just got a little worried after the person was saying my chances were slim to none. Just wanted to see if it was a hopeless dream or if I still stood a chance.

 

[Med Ed]

Yes, that's very true!! I'll definitely work on my study skills. I believe something is working because I currently have 4 As, one high B (aiming for a low A), and one B. Definitely think it's a massive improvement from the past few semesters.

Keep this up. There are quite a few medical students (and doctors) who had rocky starts to undergrad. Right now you just need to put one foot in front of the other and rack up more A's.

The price of a bad start is usually a couple of gap years for additional GPA repair and/or gathering more experiences.

 

[candbgirl]

Yes, haha. I'm worrying about a problem years from now. I should definitely do the best I can and then see how to proceed from there. I just got a little worried after the person was saying my chances were slim to none. Just wanted to see if it was a hopeless dream or if I still stood a chance.

Of course you stand a chance but nobody here(or Reddit ) can say one way or another. Just know that you have an uphill battle from here on out. Of all the applications each cycle only around 40 percent are accepted to medical school. And of that about half are accepted to one school. That means near 60% of applicants are rejected every cycle. This includes applicants with stellar applications.
So work hard, get yourself and your grades together, develop good ECs and see where you are after you graduate. No sense in figuring out possible GPAs if this or that happens.

 

[Ohjennabow]

Show a solid upward trend, work on your EC's, get good, substantial clinical hours and meaningful experiences, get some research if you can. You may have to do a post bac or grade-enhancing post-bac. I also have a low GPA as a non trad from many many years ago but have shown a solid upward trend and am doing a post bac. I'm a nurse with tons of clinical hours and my mentor who was on an adcom at an Ivy league med school said she has no doubt I will get in.

Take what you read on SDN and Reddit with a grain of salt. I recommend listening to The Premed Years podcast and following Dr Gray at medschoolhq. He has lots of examples of those who have overcome low GPA to get accepted to med school.

It's true that the road won't be easy, but it's not impossible.

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

Hi,

I'm an ORM VA resident. I currently have a very low GPA. I'd say around a 2.4 at 40 hours. Freshman year, my grandma died and it took a massive impact on me. Then, spring semester, I got cheated on and that also messed up my mental health (decided to go to therapy after this because was very, very unmotivated). My GPA was extremely low freshman year + fall semester of sophomore year. I understand that I shouldn't have let these events affect me that severely.

I did the calculation and if I start getting 4.0s (magically), I should be able to raise my GPA to 3.45 MAX. I posted about this on Reddit, and someone claiming they used to be on the adcoms for their university reached out to me. They basically insinuated that although I was in the running, my chances were very, very slim to none because there's so many excellent people applying every year. I guess I feel a little disheartened after that.

I'm really not sure what to do. Can I still be in the running? Is it all over for me because I'm an ORM? How should I proceed forward?

Thank you so much!

Check with your college: Does repeating a class replace the lower grade? Even if it doesn't, it's a pretty easy way to get an extra A or two in your average. If you have any Ds, replacing one with an A would be phenomenal for your GPA.

 

[gyngyn]

Check with your college: Does repeating a class replace the lower grade?

Even if one's college "replaces" grades, neither AMCAS nor AACOMAS does. They will be averaged.