Low GPA! Should I apply this year?

[JayL86]

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Hello, I am a 4th year biology major and have already taken all of my pre-med class requirements besides the MCAT. I would greatly appreciate any advice on what I need to do to be a strong applicant? Specifically what I need to aim for on my MCAT to compensate for my low grades.
My current GPA is a 3.22 and I have not taken my MCAT, but I will in June.
-my science GPA is a 2.9
-I am currently doing research with an emergency room hospital and am listed as a co-author in medical journal publication.
-I have been shadowing a doctor once a month for the past year.
-I volunteer at a hospice twice a month, and tutor children in a homeless shelter once a month.
-I have a 100 hours of volunteer work in the pediatric ER.

If you think I should wait and apply later, how many extra semesters should I take to increase my acceptance chances? Any advice is greatly appreciated! I am willing to do whatever it takes!
Thanks in advance for your time and help. Cheers!!

 

[RoadRunner17]

Hello, I am a 4th year biology major and have already taken all of my pre-med class requirements besides the MCAT. I would greatly appreciate any advice on what I need to do to be a strong applicant? Specifically what I need to aim for on my MCAT to compensate for my low grades.
My current GPA is a 3.22 and I have not taken my MCAT, but I will in June.
-my science GPA is a 2.9
-I am currently doing research with an emergency room hospital and am listed as a co-author in medical journal publication.
-I have been shadowing a doctor once a month for the past year.
-I volunteer at a hospice twice a month, and tutor children in a homeless shelter once a month.
-I have a 100 hours of volunteer work in the pediatric ER.

If you think I should wait and apply later, how many extra semesters should I take to increase my acceptance chances? Any advice is greatly appreciated! I am willing to do whatever it takes!
Thanks in advance for your time and help. Cheers!!

Do a science post-bac program. There's got to be science classes you haven't taken already that you can take to get that science GPA up. Look to the chemistry department if you have to.

Calculate how many credit hours of A's in science classes you need to get your science GPA up to 3.0, maybe 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3. Since you're a biology major, that might be hard but I would get it up above 3.0 as I have heard schools put the cutoff to even be considered, at 3.0. However many credit hours translates into semesters, that's how much more work you'll need to do at a minimum.

You will also need to do EXTREMELY well on the MCAT to have a chance. I say 35+. There are people who have had similar GPAs to yours and a 35+ MCAT and they got in by the skin of their teeth, i.e. one interview, one waitlist, one acceptance off that waitlist in the summer. Check out MilkmanAl's story (do a search on the pre-allo forum).

Bottom line, you are gonna have to do more work to raise that GPA, and you will have to work your ass off to get that good MCAT score. Can it happen? Sure. It is up to you. Good luck.

 

[JayL86]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply and straight forward advice!

 

[Mobius1985]

If you stay in school for three more semesters and get a 4.0 GPA, you'd raise your GPA to 3.45. With an MCAT of 33, you could postentially have a chance at an allopathic med school admission. If you complete 5 more semesters at 4.0, you'd get your GPA to 3.54, which would need a compensatory MCAT of only 32.