Need advice

[vazduh]

So I'm stuck in a rut.

I will have 168 credit hours when I graduate from a top 30 with a BSc in Neuroscience. Assuming I get a 4.0 this spring I will have a 2.4 cGPA. I was terribly depressed for the first four years of college and did not take my studies as seriously as I should have.

As I did not have enough credits to graduate and needed some time off of school, I took a gap year last year. During this time away from college, I accomplished a few things: I began taking my health more seriously which helped me get out of my funk; I volunteered part time at a local hospital; I became EMT certified; I self-prepped for the MCAT and earned a 517. I returned to college with renewed zeal and got a 3.7 this past semester.

My poor undergrad performance is working against me. For better or worse, my MCAT and ECs are keeping my hope of becoming a DO alive. I've just started reading SDN and other forums to help me form a plan for post-bacc studies. Right now, I'm thinking 2+ years of DIY at a local public college and working as an EMT will get me started fixing the big mess I've created for myself.

If anyone has any advice, I'm all ears. I feel very lost. Thank you.

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[Sephirakra]

ORM status (white male) are working against me.

Stop that. Stop that right now. If you rock this semester, which is in no way guaranteed, you'll have a 2.4 cGPA. Your being a white male is a distractor and an excuse. Never let it enter your mind again.

 

[vazduh]

Stop that. Stop that right now. If you rock this semester, which is in no way guaranteed, you'll have a 2.4 cGPA. Your being a white male is a distractor and an excuse. Never let it enter your mind again.

I'm not using it as an excuse for anything. My situation is messy and that is entirely my own fault. I'm owning that fact. People put whether they are ORM/URM all the time on posts asking about their school list/chances. That's the only reason I put it in my post. Other people put it in theirs. It surely means something--otherwise other people wouldn't mention it--but I'm not going to use it to excuse my performance. That's entirely my own fault.

 

[Gaborik10]

That GPA is horrible but who knows maybe some kind of an upward trend of 4.0s in upper level sciences can help you. Just make sure that your MCAT score doesn't expire. Thats a good score and you don't want it to go to waste. Schools typically only accept scores within a certain time frame. Idk if its 3 or 4 years. I'm sure someone else knows.

And the whole ORM White male thing is ridiculous. That's nonsense. Get real. If you don't get into med school it will have nothing to do with that fact that you are white.

 

[vazduh]

That GPA is horrible but who knows maybe some kind of an upward trend of 4.0s in upper level sciences can help you. Just make sure that your MCAT score doesn't expire. Thats a good score and you don't want it to go to waste. Schools typically only accept scores within a certain time frame. Idk if its 3 or 4 years. I'm sure someone else knows.

And the whole ORM White male thing is ridiculous. That's nonsense. Get real. If you don't get into med school it will have nothing to do with that fact that you are white.

Thanks for the reply. I got rid of the ORM comment. Ultimately, it is an irrelevant detail.

 

[Goro]

So I'm stuck in a rut.

I will have 168 credit hours when I graduate from a top 30 with a BSc in Neuroscience. Assuming I get a 4.0 this spring I will have a 2.4 cGPA. I was terribly depressed for the first four years of college and did not take my studies as seriously as I should have.

As I did not have enough credits to graduate and needed some time off of school, I took a gap year last year. During this time away from college, I accomplished a few things: I began taking my health more seriously which helped me get out of my funk; I volunteered part time at a local hospital; I became EMT certified; I self-prepped for the MCAT and earned a 517. I returned to college with renewed zeal and got a 3.7 this past semester.

My poor undergrad performance is working against me. For better or worse, my MCAT and ECs are keeping my hope of becoming a DO alive. I've just started reading SDN and other forums to help me form a plan for post-bacc studies. Right now, I'm thinking 2+ years of DIY at a local public college and working as an EMT will get me started fixing the big mess I've created for myself.

If anyone has any advice, I'm all ears. I feel very lost. Thank you.

Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[vazduh]

Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Thanks for this guide. It is helpful and reassuring.

Would you happen to know if some SMPs look at grade replacement, or if all programs base their GPA calculations on AACOMAS/AMCAS standards?

Also, if I have a stellar performance in an SMP (3.7+), will DO/MD schools overlook a sub 3.0 uGPA?

 

[Ultimax]

The purpose of SMP is to show that you can handle science classes and predict your ability to succeed in medical school. It is up to each to school’s admission committee to decide if they are willing to overlook your uGPA. I dont think anyone here can answer that for you. You have to do SMP because your uGPA is low; and if you perform well on the MCAT exam, and that will definitely help your application.
Until complete your SMP and receive your MCAT score, it is impossible to predict your chance.

 

[Goro]

Would you happen to know if some SMPs look at grade replacement, or if all programs base their GPA calculations on AACOMAS/AMCAS standards?

Grade replacement is no longer a thing. Also, each SMP is going to be different. Some have strict cutoffs at 3.0, others, like mine, have less.

Also, if I have a stellar performance in an SMP (3.7+), will DO/MD schools overlook a sub 3.0 uGPA?
Yes; that's the whole point of SMPs.

 

[vazduh]

Thanks again. I was under the impression that MD/DO would consider uGPA even after SMP.

 

[Shotapp]

Thanks again. I was under the impression that MD/DO would consider uGPA even after SMP.

They still do. Like another sdn member said. It depends if the school or schools are willing to overlook your low uGPA.