NEED Help

[water4life]

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Hi
I am a non traditional student as well. I am currently in Grad school getting and masters degree but my GPA is sub par (3.3) and my undergrad GPA is sub par (2.7 in business this was 7 years ago) my undergrad GPA science is 3.4 and MCAT is 27. I am trying to decide a: is it worth applying to med school? b: should i take the MCAT again c: should i take additional course work to increase my GPA? d: Should i get my PHd? Any help or advice would be much appreciated... I know many people ask these questions but I would really like any advice on this.

Thank you

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

Hi
I am a non traditional student as well. I am currently in Grad school getting and masters degree but my GPA is sub par (3.3) and my undergrad GPA is sub par (2.7 in business this was 7 years ago) my undergrad GPA science is 3.4 and MCAT is 27. I am trying to decide a: is it worth applying to med school? b: should i take the MCAT again c: should i take additional course work to increase my GPA? d: Should i get my PHd? Any help or advice would be much appreciated... I know many people ask these questions but I would really like any advice on this.

Thank you

I'd take a look at the current MSAR book listing 10th - 90th percentile acceptances by GPA & MCAT section, if a school's 10th percentile GPA is 3.5, that one's probably not one to pursue. Some schools ranges (read: Hopkins, WashU, Harvard) are pretty far up there, Puerto Rican schools are an option with much lower averages si hablas espanol; hay que comprender el espanol. (gotta speak/understand spanish for them). Many state schools are much easier to get into as an in-state, up for moving to Texas or IL?

For taking the MCAT again, probably yes, depends on if you were fully prepared, had taken all prereq courses, studied 1-2 months exclusively for the MCAT. 9s per each section would be sufficient for some schools' interview criteria, at that point they'd be looking at grades but MCAT scores likely would not hold you back.

On a more upbeat note, I heard recently from one school's admissions office that if a candidate has completed sufficient post bacc coursework, GPA for post bacc is considered much more heavily than undergraduate GPA, that'd be a good question for each school that you're considering.

PhDs in my understanding are quite competitive, given many (most?) offer paid tuition + stipend to the candidate, I believe they look for substantial research experience/publications.

 

[DrMidlife]

Whoa there. GPAs for undergrad work and grad work are kept very separate and viewed very differently.

The MOST important GPA numbers in a med school app are for undergrad work. Postbac work in undergrad courses is undergrad work. Sometimes postbac work is tallied on its own separate line, but it gets munged into the overall undergrad numbers.

Grad programs are less predictably rigorous and a graduate GPA is not viewed as equivalent to undergrad numbers. Grad work in biomed science, or a medical masters program, are going to be viewed more favorably than a masters in something else, but regardless, undergrad GPA dominates. Typically, grad work isn't referred to as a "postbac."

As we've learned from nontrads here in the past, undergrad classes that you take under the auspices of a grad program are going to be counted as grad work.

To the OP, even if your masters degree is in biomedical science, you're in a tough spot. Going back to do more undergrad work is going to be very time consuming - you could spend 4 years getting your undergrad GPA over 3.5. So you might want to look into a SMP, and you can find info on these in the (misnamed) postbac forum.

And I'd definitely take the MCAT again, and use a strong over-30 number to prove that your undergrad GPA is a fluke.

Best of luck to you.

 

[plauto]

sorry for being so honest, but with a 2.7 UG GPA you won't get in anywhere in the US (allo or osteo). And your graduate GPA, while not so important, does not help either. Post-bac with a GPA above 3.5/3.6 and strong MCAT are only things I can think of that will give you a second chance.

 

[gman33]

Your UG GPA is much too low to apply now.
If you want to become competitive you need to boost that GPA.
My guess is you need 2 years of upper level science courses followed by a SMP. You need to do exceptionally well (like 4.0).
After that retake the MCAT and get 30+.

If you are interested in DO schools, retake your former classes with bad grades and get UG gpa above 3.3 at a minimum.

You are 3-5 years away from being ready to apply to med school.
Make sure you are willing to make this commitment before you go down this road.

 

[water4life]

Your UG GPA is much too low to apply now.
If you want to become competitive you need to boost that GPA.
My guess is you need 2 years of upper level science courses followed by a SMP. You need to do exceptionally well (like 4.0).
After that retake the MCAT and get 30+.

If you are interested in DO schools, retake your former classes with bad grades and get UG gpa above 3.3 at a minimum.

You are 3-5 years away from being ready to apply to med school.
Make sure you are willing to make this commitment before you go down this road.

Hi everyone and thanks for the responses! From what i have heard from people from admissions committees is that while my UG is low since it is a field that is not science based and is 5 + years removed that it will not affect me as much as if it was in biochemistry and last year.....