My chances/options

[Necr0sis713]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

So, i'm finally going to be applying for med school this cycle. However, I need a bit of grounding to put things into perspective because my background is non-trad. I basically graduated after 6 years with a 2.5 GPA with a major in psych. During my undergrad career I kept changing my major, because I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I was also really into music and completely neglected my school work to be musician "full time" and work on song writing, recording, playing at open mics, etc.

Now...this is pretty reflective of on my transcript. Going from my university, to an art school (where I still didn't really try and did terribly too) because I just didn't consider my school to be important to me. After some pretty big life events, I finally came to realize what i've been doing and saw the importance of getting a good education, so I decided to get a post bacc because science was always something I was good at, and I was always into health and fitness.

For my post bacc GPA, I essentially am gonna get a 3.8. All A's, just 2 B's in physics 1 and the lab. I got straight A's in bio, gen chem, orgo, cell bio, etc. Jam packed into semesters, meaning I can handle the course load as well. Also, this was MY FIRST ATTEMPT at sciences. It's not like I graduated with a bio degree with a low GPA and am trying to make up for it by getting a post bacc. In that regard, my science GPA is going to be well over a 3.5

If I nail the MCAT coming up in April, do I really have a realistic chance of going anywhere? My EC's are mediocore, consisting of 200 hours (and still accumulating) of volunteering at a hospital, oncology unit, and was even a tutor for middle school kids for a year. I'm gonna try to shadow a doctor this summer too.

I kinda feel like my chances at MD are slim to none. I really don't want to dick around anymore and just want to move on in my life. I've changed for the better and come to love science and medicine, and I feel like my post bacc grades reflect that. SMP maybe? DO for sure?

 

[Moko]

I need a bit of grounding to put things into perspective because my background is non-trad. I basically graduated after 6 years with a 2.5 GPA with a minor in psych. ... this is pretty reflective of on my transcript. ... For my post bacc GPA, I essentially am gonna get a 3.8. ... In that regard, my science GPA is going to be well over a 3.5. If I nail the MCAT, do I really have a realistic chance of going anywhere? My EC's are mediocore, consisting of 200 hours (and still accumulating) of volunteering at a hospital, oncology unit, and was even a tutor for middle school kids for a year. I'm gonna try to shadow a doctor this summer too. ... I kinda feel like my chances at MD are slim to none. I've changed for the better and come to love science and medicine, and I feel like my post bacc grades reflect that. SMP maybe? DO for sure?

It's hard to say without knowing your cumulative GPA, which from the sound of it is hovering below 3.0. If I was in this situation, I would retake any classes with C's, D's and F's, and then apply DO.

A SMP (particularly those with linkages) can be a way to gain acceptance to a MD school, but you may need to improve your GPA slightly to be competitive for SMPs. Even with completion of the program though, a MD acceptance is by no means a guarantee. Work out the amount of time, effort and cost that each path will take, I think the DO route will be the quickest though.

Regardless of which path you choose, for ECs, continue volunteering for causes that are meaningful to you, shadow a few physicians in specialties of interest (especially a DO if you're considering the DO route), and possibly take back up teaching if time allows for it. Teaching is generally looked upon very favorably in admissions. Congrats on your post bacc performance and turnaround. Best of luck.

 

[Necr0sis713]

I really appreciate the help. I did redo some classes I got bad grades in actually. Not all, but most. My cumalitive Gpa at this point would be around 2.7 or 2.8, while my science will be well above 3.5, even 3.8 including regrading.

Lol btw, I edited my post. I meant to say major in psych but typed minor

 

[Necr0sis713]

Oh yeah, also: would applying as a Hispanic give me a better chance? My mother his Hispanic but my dad is middle eastern.

 

[silleme]

Most medical schools have an unwritten 3.0 cGPA cutoff. Unless you knock the MCAT out of the park, most schools probably won't even look at you no matter what ethnicity you identify as. I agree with what @Moko said regarding re-taking your classes you got Fs, Ds, and Cs in and applying to DO schools. If you somehow manage to get into a linked SMP, focus on your academics there and hopefully you'll see some success at that school's program the next application cycle.

 

[Necr0sis713]

Most medical schools have an unwritten 3.0 cGPA cutoff. Unless you knock the MCAT out of the park, most schools probably won't even look at you no matter what ethnicity you identify as. I agree with what @Moko said regarding re-taking your classes you got Fs, Ds, and Cs in and applying to DO schools. If you somehow manage to get into a linked SMP, focus on your academics there and hopefully you'll see some success at that school's program the next application cycle.

That's a problem. Because I changed my major twice and accumulated a bunch of bad credits in art classes, my GPA is very hard to raise. For every A I get it only goes up .05 points.

 

[silleme]

That's a problem. Because I changed my major twice and accumulated a bunch of bad credits in art classes, my GPA is very hard to raise. For every A I get it only goes up .05 points.

That's why the DO route may be best for you since they utilize grade replacement. Again, if you can get into a linked SMP program (there are several on the sub-3.0 thread where people were successful) then you'd have a much better chance at matriculation into medical school.

 

[gmbz]

So 0.05 per A. 6 more classes and you will be at the 3.0 cGPA. Correct?

May be worth having a conversation with the schools admission's department addressing this fact. I would ask them pretty bluntly as well.

 

[Necr0sis713]

So 0.05 per A. 6 more classes and you will be at the 3.0 cGPA. Correct?

May be worth having a conversation with the schools admission's department addressing this fact. I would ask them pretty bluntly as well.

I did some calculating, and i'm gonna be at 2.8 cumulative after my post bacc (after this semester)
Meanwhile, my science GPA is gonna be 3.87 including regrading, or 3.7 if you include that chem 101 I didn't try at freshman year.

You have to consider the fact too that my science grades (again, besides that one chem 101 class 7 years ago) were always good at the first attempt. It's not like I got a bad GPA as a science major and am retaking the courses over again. I hope this reflects that i'm just more competent at sciences than any other subject, and that my grades show that it's something I really am interested in.

 

[gmbz]

I was eluding to the fact that most places have a cGPA cutoff whether they are transparent about it or not. If I were only ~6 classes from getting above that threshold I would aim to hit that.

There is no question that you are capable and able to function at the level required for medical school. However, it is a buyers market currently. So it would be in your best interest to be "seen" by real eyes as opposed to getting flat screened out due to being <3.0 cGPA.

My opinion of course.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Oh yeah, also: would applying as a Hispanic give me a better chance? My mother his Hispanic but my dad is middle eastern.

Maybe but I wouldn't count on it. It's up to each individual school to decide whether you're considered URM. But traditionally, only certain groups of Hispanics have fallen within that category. Even if you have Hispanic heritage, some schools may not consider you URM unless you demonstrate a strong connection/commitment to that community.

 

[Necr0sis713]

Maybe but I wouldn't count on it. It's up to each individual school to decide whether you're considered URM. But traditionally, only certain groups of Hispanics have fallen within that category. Even if you have Hispanic heritage, some schools may not consider you URM unless you demonstrate a strong connection/commitment to that community.

I'm not going to apply as URM or disadvantaged, but just checking the box that says "are you hispanic/latino?". I mean, I did have significant interactions with the latino community, so it's not like i'm being dishonest.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I'm not going to apply as URM or disadvantaged, but just checking the box that says "are you hispanic/latino?". I mean, I did have significant interactions with the latino community, so it's not like i'm being dishonest.

Oh no, I'm not saying you're being dishonest. All I'm saying is that there isn't any box to check for URM. You can indicate that you're Hispanic but it doesn't guarantee that schools will consider you URM. Each school will likely have its own metric for that. If a school considers you to be a strong URM candidate, it may improve your chances of getting an interview.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

multiple posts eek

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

multiple posts eek

 

[Ad2b]

how long between graduation and now?

FYI, how I was told the adcoms see the GPA report:

UGRAD cGPA
UGRAD BCPM
POST-BACC cGPA
POST-BACC BCPM
MCAT

Or some derivative of that... yes, the ugrad cGPA might keep you out of some schools, especially if you did not take enough time between u-grad and post-bacc. If you took some time (years), then you are one of those reinventionist types like many of us on here.

 

[Necr0sis713]

how long between graduation and now?

I already graduated with my psych degree. A solid year. My last semester of my psych degree I got all A's in upper level psych courses and philosophy and sociology. Then after that, it's been a year of all A's in my prereqs except a B in physics 1. My schedules were full time and loaded too. Even had a summer with physics 2 and gen chem 2 with labs, as a testament to my desire to show schools that i'm competent for sciences.

Had I put effort when I was younger, i'm sure I could have gotten good grades. I was just really naive (cliche...I know) and just focused on developing musical abilities and songwriting and practicing performing in front of an audience.

After this semester i'm going to finish all of my pre reqs. I mean, I technically need a second lab for orgo, but my university only has one lab and the premed counselor said that the premed track at UIC only requires 1 semester of lab, and that most students don't have a problem getting accepted. But, just for the sake of sticking to the guidelines i'm gonna try to just take orgo lab 2 in the summer or fall at Loyola (after sending in my app). No other universities offer a second orgo lab in my city, so i'm gonna have to pay out the ass just for that one lab. lol.

However, even though I'm gonna apply this spring, I might just take some other courses because I really like science. I might take a biochem class while pending interviews and stuff. But that's the thing, If i have to go out of town for an interview I might get screwed over by being registered in a class.

Now, i'm pretty set on doing an SMP. But the thing is: Since it takes about a year after applying to finally "start school" , given I get accepted, gives me a gap year. So...if I apply for an SMP, i'm gonna have to wait a year to start, then take a year to finish it. If I apply for DO, I have a higher chance of getting accepted after that gap year. Can I put in my application that i'm gonna be doing research/more EC's during that gap year btw?

 

[Ad2b]

@0731 - I am 51. My u-grad is substantially abysmal; think in terms of sewer line levels. However, I have 30 years between that and today. Now, I'm ... I've... done well... plus with the time, I built a decent career. all that time between u-grad and now puts me in the reinventionist category that appeals to some schools... but not all.

My only concern with the allo path for you - this is based on what others have told me that are current adcoms of major MD schools - is that you don't have a lot of time between u-grad and post-bacc AND you are lacking ECs and shadowing.

What you've done is awesome and don't diminish that at all. Just not sure how only a year will be interpreted.

The one thing I will say is this:

IF this is what you want to do, then do it right. Don't race to get in. Take all the steps necessary to do it right the first time and it will work out. You've already shown you can do the work and have changed study habits, etc. Don't stop. And don't ever be me (seriously, don't be me and give up only to retry again 10 - 20 years later)

 

[Necr0sis713]

how long between graduation and now?

FYI, how I was told the adcoms see the GPA report:

UGRAD cGPA
UGRAD BCPM
POST-BACC cGPA
POST-BACC BCPM
MCAT

Or some derivative of that... yes, the ugrad cGPA might keep you out of some schools, especially if you did not take enough time between u-grad and post-bacc. If you took some time (years), then you are one of those reinventionist types like many of us on here.

Wow, that honestly makes me feel better knowing that the GPA report shows all that. The Ugrad GPA might raise an eyebrow, but then they're gonna wanna look into the Post bacc gpa and MCAT score (let's pretend I do good here...lol)

Well...i've been reinventing myself my whole life during college. But, I was too naive to really see the importance of maintaining a good GPA. I kind of didn't really look into it all that much, and had the mentality of "C's get degrees", and thought I could always just make up bad grades without any repercussions. I focused more on music and even took 2 years off to work on recording an album (didn't complete it but got far into the recording process) and just worked on song writing, singing, playing multiple instruments etc. etc. etc.

 

[Ad2b]

They see it BUT ... if a computer pre-screens you out based on ugrad cGPA, you won't get in there, or have a shot. You'd have to research on here to find which schools pre-screen and avoid them because it's not worth the $35 to apply and get pre-screened out.

and don't "pretend" on the MCAT... nail it. Make it your BFF ...

reinventing does not generally count if done during u-grad... everyone does that to some extent. Revinventionist is more like those of us who took years off between ugrad and post bacc (think >5 years) ...

 

[Goro]

There are MD schools that reward reinvention, as do ALL DO schools.

So, i'm finally going to be applying for med school this cycle. However, I need a bit of grounding to put things into perspective because my background is non-trad. I basically graduated after 6 years with a 2.5 GPA with a major in psych. During my undergrad career I kept changing my major, because I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I was also really into music and completely neglected my school work to be musician "full time" and work on song writing, recording, playing at open mics, etc.

Now...this is pretty reflective of on my transcript. Going from my university, to an art school (where I still didn't really try and did terribly too) because I just didn't consider my school to be important to me. After some pretty big life events, I finally came to realize what i've been doing and saw the importance of getting a good education, so I decided to get a post bacc because science was always something I was good at, and I was always into health and fitness.

For my post bacc GPA, I essentially am gonna get a 3.8. All A's, just 2 B's in physics 1 and the lab. I got straight A's in bio, gen chem, orgo, cell bio, etc. Jam packed into semesters, meaning I can handle the course load as well. Also, this was MY FIRST ATTEMPT at sciences. It's not like I graduated with a bio degree with a low GPA and am trying to make up for it by getting a post bacc. In that regard, my science GPA is going to be well over a 3.5

If I nail the MCAT coming up in April, do I really have a realistic chance of going anywhere? My EC's are mediocore, consisting of 200 hours (and still accumulating) of volunteering at a hospital, oncology unit, and was even a tutor for middle school kids for a year. I'm gonna try to shadow a doctor this summer too.

I kinda feel like my chances at MD are slim to none. I really don't want to dick around anymore and just want to move on in my life. I've changed for the better and come to love science and medicine, and I feel like my post bacc grades reflect that. SMP maybe? DO for sure?

 

[Necr0sis713]

There are MD schools that reward reinvention, as do ALL DO schools.

Do you know if medical school apps have a section where they ask you if you had any relatives to went to their med school?

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Do you know if medical school apps have a section where they ask you if you had any relatives to went to their med school?

Many secondary applications ask this.