new to SDN, would love some input

[leeva]

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Thanks for reading this thread, I would love any kind of input. I graduated with 3.13 cum GPA (social science major) and 2.87 science GPA from a top 15 university. I always wanted to go to med school, but my GPA is obviously too crappy to consider applying. I've been out of school for a year and have been working in a public health related field. If I were to pick up a biology major from a school without a formal post-bacc program (George Mason?), take two years of full time school work to boost my cum GPA to around 3.3-3.4 and science GPA to around 3.4-3.5, would this be sufficient enough to be competitive for allopathic med schools? Of course this is given that I have a competitive MCAT score and I have my soft factors covered. If not, would I need to consider maybe a masters program afterward? Thanks again (btw, this site really has been encouraging as far as seeing how poor performances as a dumb 20 year old kid is not necessarily the kiss of death in terms of one's chances to pursue a career in medicine)

 

[medanthgirl]

Hi leeva,

it looks like we have very similar stats - i went to a top 25 school (but #1 in basketball go heels) and graduated with a 3.1 cumulative, 2.7 or 2.8ish science. i then specialized in public health, and worked in research the past few years. of course, working with oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists all day constantly reminded me how much i loved the practice and process of medicine. so i've been trying to work my way back. i think you could be successful w/o doing a post bacc program if you were really savy during your two years of informal post-bacc, i.e. taking some really knock-your-medical socks-off classes - i.e. immunology, neurobiology, if the school you'd be doing the informal post bacc at has a med school, try to take a graduate level class in physiology or pathology. but you get the idea.. it will really show them, wow they can handle rigourous classes. i would give yourself a semester to ease into it, maybe taking like genetics or cell bio, but then go as hard/challenging as you can w/o overloading yourself.

my path was influenced by my work:
undergrad: 3.1/2.7 sci
ma in int. health 3.8 (but no science really)
work: 3 years, and retook one class a semester that i had not done well in in undergrad + to prep for mcat. studied for mcat on my own.
mcat: 32S
now? accepted to U. of Cincinnati 1 year physiology post-bacc, will start in August, go Bear-cats!!! will apply for med school this summer, my first time doing so, gulp!

good luck!

 

[medanthgirl]

oh crap - i just noticed you said you'd go to george mason, which means you can totally call my bluff on the heels being #1 in basketball. phooey....

🙂

 

[sidewalkman]

Yeah, with that path, you should get in somewhere provided you meet those GPA marks.

And you call a ~3.0 GPA the kiss of death? Have you read some of the success stories on this board with far lower stats? 🙂

 

[leeva]

Congrats to Medanthgirl @ U Cinn. Those kind of specific stories gives people like me hope. Thanks again