Low GPA, Masters + Post Bacc program for high GPA

[iistoogood4u]

I had a very low undergrad GPA (~2.7) at a UC cuz of a lot of screwing around. Now, I'm attending a State University for a Master's in Biology taking grad courses and upper div undergrad coureses. My stats are:

3.9 GPA
** all the below EC are done in grad school as I have done nothing in ugrad (pre dental at the time) **
President of AMSA
3 years of research experience
Research competition 1st place- heading to nationals
Hospital volunteering
International Volunteering/Shadowing
Couple of awards certificates here and there
Buncha clubs here and there
20+ units per quarter every quarter

I basically retook every upper division biology course and upper div courses I haven't taken before alongside my graduate courses. I have not taken my MCATs yet, but lets assume I get an average matriculant MCAT score, maybe 1 pt lower. What do you guys think about my chances? Some people say a Master's degree is worthless, like an EC, but what if I took post bacc classes like I did?

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[Mobius1985]

Virtually all allopathic (MD) med schools judge you by your undergrad GPA (and MCAT score). The undergrad classes you've been taking that are not required by your masters program will be included in the composite application GPA by AMCAS. The grad school classes will be listed separately and not considered. Figure out for us what your GPA will be using this AMCAS GPA calculator:
http://medschool.ucsf.edu/postbac/pdf/AMCAS%20GPA_Calculator%20Version%204%20Final.xls

Osteopathic (DO) medical schools do include your masters GPA in the composite application GPA. They don't include any grade where you retook the class if it had the same credit hours or greater. Now figure what your GPA would be with the
DO GPA calculation spreadsheet: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=450050

Let us know what you come up with to get further input.

Your ECs look fine (and the research great), assuming you have about 150 total hours of clinical volunteering. You will however need to shadow physicians in the states as well. A few brief experiences would be fine (8+ hours for each of 2-3 docs).

 

[iistoogood4u]

Well.... I did the spread sheet. With the calculated AMCAS GPA, I have:

Cum uGrad AMCAS GPA Inc. Post Bac- 2.97
Cum UGrad AMCAS BCPM GPA inc. Post Bac- 2.98
Cum all other Ugrad AMCAS GPA inc Post Bac- 2.93

Good game to me. good game.....
Please tell me this isn't how they're going to see me.

 

[Mobius1985]

Unfortunately, that IS how they will see you. If you only intend to apply to allopathic med schools, figure out how many more undergrad class As you'd need to get your GPA above a 3.0. After you complete your current masters and possibly additional undergrad work, take the MCAT. If you score very high, considering your recent excellent record in the upper-level sciences and strong research, you could try applying. One of SDN's posters got an acceptance with a GPA of 2.92 and an MCAT of 43. If your MCAT isn't quite that terrific, you could apply to a Special Masters Program linked to a med school. This is a last-ditch salvation plan for low GPA people to get into a med school. Look on SDN's Post-baccalaureate Forum for more information. If you don't want to do the extra work, you could still apply in the Caribbean. You have a better chance of becoming a doctor if you stay in the states, as Caribe schools have a high attrition rate and a 50% chance of matching into a residency in the US. I'd suggest you consider DO medical schools first. Just for fun, please use the DO GPA calculator and see what you get.

 

[giggles15]

I'm in a similar situation. I did a post-bacc/ Masters program at Drexel with 2 years of course work. my My undergraduate GPA is a 2.94 on AMCAS, but my master's GPA is 3.5. I feel like I've proved that I can perform at a med school level. So you are say that they still wont even look at me even after I have done all this work. I feel totally screwed and that I did it all for nothing.

 

[drizzt3117]

I'm in a similar situation. I did a post-bacc/ Masters program at Drexel with 2 years of course work. my My undergraduate GPA is a 2.94 on AMCAS, but my master's GPA is 3.5. I feel like I've proved that I can perform at a med school level. So you are say that they still wont even look at me even after I have done all this work. I feel totally screwed and that I did it all for nothing.

Was that the IMS SMP at Drexel?

 

[Mobius1985]

So you are say that they still wont even look at me even after I have done all this work. I feel totally screwed and that I did it all for nothing.

Giggles, We would need to get a broader picture of your situation to give you an opinion. Why not start your own thread here on "What are my Chances?" and we'd be happy to help. Include the type of masters program you did, and all other relevant details.

 

[giggles15]

Ok I will reply on a new thread

 

[iistoogood4u]

Ok to update my situation, I finished my MCAT on July and got a 35R. Submitted my AMCAS on July 1, 2009, finished most of my secondaries in the first week of Sept. How am I looking? Any one wanna take a stab at my situation now?