NEED advice...low gpa concerns

[MisterJ4729]

Short and sweet of if. Graduated in 2007 with degree in biology. Then in 2009 I took some more science courses to try and boost my GPA...had a major meltdown..here is what I'm left with.

Cum. GPA 2.025
Sci GPA: 1.97
Over 200 Credits.

For most of this decade my education has been pretty scattered and I have lacked the focus necessary to maintain good grades.

I just recently registered at a local community college and am taking Bio 1 and Chem 1 over again. In fact, I'm retaking ALL of my premed reqs all over again as well as taking some non science courses. I'm doing this because I want to establish a strong foundation and this time build upon it successfully.

Now I work full-time and can only go to school part time...and with this scenario it will take me four years to retake my premed prereqs, retake upper level bio courses, and non science courses. I will have accumulated 96 credits, with a GPA close to a 4.0. My plan then is to apply to a Master's program( hopefully an SMP).

Now I know that my uGPA will never get above a 3.0, but to do 96 credits with a 4.0 as well as getting above a 30 on the MCAT, coupled with my lab/work experience, and massive upward trend in grades should at least get me an opportunity at a SMP program. That being said, after I complete my masters, will med schools still screen me out or will they see my complete turn around and judge me based on my most recent work?

Furthermore, do you think the plan I have laid out has any merit at all?


I was also thinking about taking a few refresher premed pre reqs then doing upper level bio courses. This in conjunction with a high MCAT score could get me into a masters program in which I could demonstrate my aptitude in the the advanced sciences. With 4 years of research experience and 4 years of dealing with patients on a daily basis do you believe that THIS route could help me get into medical school as well?

All advice and suggestions are warranted.

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[Livestrong51085]

I think if you do everything you just said, yes you def have a shot. But you can't have any meltdowns at ALL anymore, and you must get a 4.0 or extremely close to it. I wish you all the best.

 

[seira85]

I think the plan you have laid out is a good one but just be sure to walk, not run, with each step.

A lot of people on these forums have been in a similar situation and have been slowly working towards trying to clean up their academic record as much as they can. I rarely post, but have been reading these forums for 4-5 yrs and there are some great success stories.

I also have a long road ahead of me and have gotten some great advice from people here. Basically, try to get as many, if not ALL A's, stay focused, and make yourself as well rounded as possible with volunteering/activities (make sure you've got the academic portion down packed before adding too much to your plate). Oh and ROCK MCATS when the time comes.

An SMP would probably be a good option afterwards, maybe an MPH? Maybe both?

Also, be careful about Community College classes. There is a lot of conflicting stuff about this not being a good option because some med schools prefer courses taken at 4 yr schools (i.e. state school, etc). Do a search and I'm sure you will find some advice on this somewhere on these forums.

Are you open to DO schools? For what it's worth they look at the most recent grades/retakes.

Approach this journey with an open mind, know that it will be very long, and eliminate distractions. Good luck! I'm rooting for you! =)

 

[Jlaw]

The main thing is to make sure you know why you performed poorly in the past. It's easy to say "I'm going to do all of my pre reqs and finish with a 4.0", but often it's harder in practice than theory. That said, if you can do what you say you should have a great story to tell in your applications and a decent shot at some acceptances. Like others said, look at D.O....the grade replacement thing could really help your cgpa. Good luck.

 

[DitchDoc73]

IMO you still have a shot at DO, but MD will be a near impossibility (because of the differences in the way they average GPA's). The only concern that I can possibly see with your plan is that many adcoms may want to see a few semesters of recent upper divsion classes at a full time load to prove that you can handle it. I know that it is almost impossible to do this while working full-time, but it may be an issue that comes up. Other than that I believe that you have a well thought out plan. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[NTF]

While it maybe ok to get the ball rolling with CC classes at some point you're going to have to prove yourself with a significant number of upper level science courses at a 4-year school.

I'm thinking you'll need the equivalent of 2 years of full-time course work with plenty of rigor to get adcoms to believe your past GPA is really past (assuming good MCAT and all the other bells and whistles). Definitely make DO a part of your plan. Seriously consider the Caribbean as well.

And you really need to commit yourself to ALL A's FROM NOW ON. You want there to be a absolute demarcation line between the old you and the new you in your transcript.

Good luck.

 

[Mister T]

Short and sweet of if. Graduated in 2007 with degree in biology. Then in 2009 I took some more science courses to try and boost my GPA...had a major meltdown..here is what I'm left with.

Cum. GPA 2.025
Sci GPA: 1.97
Over 200 Credits.

For most of this decade my education has been pretty scattered and I have lacked the focus necessary to maintain good grades.

I just recently registered at a local community college and am taking Bio 1 and Chem 1 over again. In fact, I'm retaking ALL of my premed reqs all over again as well as taking some non science courses. I'm doing this because I want to establish a strong foundation and this time build upon it successfully.

Now I work full-time and can only go to school part time...and with this scenario it will take me four years to retake my premed prereqs, retake upper level bio courses, and non science courses. I will have accumulated 96 credits, with a GPA close to a 4.0. My plan then is to apply to a Master's program( hopefully an SMP).

Now I know that my uGPA will never get above a 3.0, but to do 96 credits with a 4.0 as well as getting above a 30 on the MCAT, coupled with my lab/work experience, and massive upward trend in grades should at least get me an opportunity at a SMP program. That being said, after I complete my masters, will med schools still screen me out or will they see my complete turn around and judge me based on my most recent work?

Furthermore, do you think the plan I have laid out has any merit at all?


I was also thinking about taking a few refresher premed pre reqs then doing upper level bio courses. This in conjunction with a high MCAT score could get me into a masters program in which I could demonstrate my aptitude in the the advanced sciences. With 4 years of research experience and 4 years of dealing with patients on a daily basis do you believe that THIS route could help me get into medical school as well?

All advice and suggestions are warranted.

Are you smart? Do you understand physics, gen chem, orgo, verbal, and bio well?

Can you dedicate 3-6 months solely on the MCAT by doing as much material asp ossible? You could probably skip a lot of wasted time and money if you do really well on the MCAT (above 35) by doing a **** load of material.

I'm talking AAMC 3-10, EK Bio, EK Bio 1001, EK 101 Verbal REasoning, EK 1001 Gen Chem Questions, 1001 Orgo Questions, 1001 physics questions,

and TBR Physics I + II, Gen. Chem I and II, Orgo I and II, and Verbal Book

Princeton Review Science Workbook + Princeton Review Verbal Workbook

Kaplan Exams 1-11.

If you did all that material you should do pretty well on it and 3-5 months could do it.

But I think you're dead out of luck in getting into an American allopathic medical school.

DO schools will accept you if you can do really well on the MCAT as described above, and you can give a good reason as to why you screwed up/good bull****ter.

However, I'll just say that if youve been this scatterbrained even in the past year or two or whatever when you got "serious" what makes you think you have what it takes to go through medical school?

Just saying. You have to remember opportunity costs (lost time), and any debts that you've accumulated.

In a way, you wasted 4-6 years of money for grades that haven't amounted to much .

A friend of mine failed out of medical school (Tufts) after third year. Do you know how much debt he had from Tufts Med school alone? 200,000 before interest. And his undergrad debt? $40,000.

And he can't declare bankruptcy on that.

(Long story short: He's fortunate that his parents are upper middle class/doctors so they can handle to pay off the debt. Now he's off to Europe to go to medical school for cheap.

What makes you think you can do it for sure now

Now I know that my uGPA will never get above a 3.0, but to do 96 credits with a 4.0 as well as getting above a 30 on the MCAT, coupled with my lab/work experience, and massive upward trend in grades should at least get me an opportunity at a SMP program. That being said, after I complete my masters, will med schools still screen me out or will they see my complete turn around and judge me based on my most recent work?

You're ASSUMING you will get 4.0 with 96 credits. Don't do that. Assume the worst, hope the best.

This in conjunction with a high MCAT score could get me into a masters program in which I could demonstrate my aptitude in the the advanced sciences.

Don't assume you'll get a high MCAT score. It's a highly variable beast.

The big question is why you ****ed up so badly. The straight dope is that even with slacking, goofing off, etc. a C+/B-/B should not be that hard to achieve. Did you go to a difficult college like MIT or Johns Hopkins? Or somewhere not so prestigious/average or even below average?

Were you sick? Were you depressed? Were you just not interested in the material?

Are you on any drugs now like Adderall and think that's why you'll do better?

You don't need to tell us, but you seem like, at least, that you feel confident in your ability to do well after ~6 years of mess ups. That's tricky.

You can definitely do it, but you need toknow yourself pretty well and know your weaknesses and whether or not you can correct them.

If you have difficulty with the basics, then how can you deal with the higher level classes? etc. etc.

Just some food for thought.

 

[7starmantis]

While my extremely eager fellow applicant has some good advice and much truth in his post, I dont buy the whole 3-5 months doing every published MCAT prep book available. I had three prep books and never made it all the way through any of them. I also dont buy the preface that you must have a MCAT > 35. Now, in your case you do need a great MCAT so that may very well come to pass.

That being said, your bottom line is you must increase your GPA and show an "upward trend" and you must get some good clinical experience to show you have seen what being a doctor is like. You also need to nail the MCAT. I did all of my pre-med years working full time and being married. Its possible, you just have to be willing to sacrifice, and sacrifice a lot.

I do agree with Mr T about your plan. Getting a 4.0 for 96 hours is a feat, trust me. You need to take it in small steps and nail each small goal. You could still make it, but its going to take lots of time, effort, money, work, and sacrifice. Are you up for it? Is it worth it with your lifestyle? Only you can answer those questions.

 

[MisterJ4729]

well hello everyone...its been awhile since I've posted on here...I'm happy to say my first semester is going well...I have aced my first two courses on my long road back. I plan to take courses year round. I must admit I was scared to take classes every night while working full time. I didn't think I would be able to handle it with all my past failures. However, the past is just that..the past. I feel very confident I can succeed as long as I just take it one step at a time. Thanks for all your support!