Non traditional student needing help

[drtroy]

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I have read on different posts that amcas looks at every course you ever took when calculating gpa. I went to college back in '94-'95 but partying was more important than studying and I failed miserably. I mean am I totally screwed? I am back in school now and have made straight a's my first year. So in reality how do I look?

 

[rickthetwinkie]

I have read on different posts that amcas looks at every course you ever took when calculating gpa. I went to college back in '94-'95 but partying was more important than studying and I failed miserably. I mean am I totally screwed? I am back in school now and have made straight a's my first year. So in reality how do I look?

They take this into account. It won't look good, but the fact that you're doing well will impress them more. Just make sure you keep it up.

 

[ocwaveoc]

This post really belongs in the non trad section. But, I'll add my 2 cents. I'm a non trad as well. The bottom line is (from what I've gathered from my research) you'd need a MINIMUM GPA of 3.4 and 28-29 on the MCAT to have ANY chance of an MD school. So, with the new classes you'll be taking, if you think your GPA can be brought up to that level and can perform to the above stated MCAT score, you MAY have a chance at an MD school. In reality, 3.5 and 30 are the magic numbers for MD schools, in my observation. So, do the calculation and see if you can meet that. If not, you are really at a disadvantage.

 

[GoodDoctor]

GPA is broken out by year (FR, SO, JN, SR), so they can see a lousy FR year followed by 3 amazing years if they take the time to look. You can do a 5th year as a senior to improve the overall GPA if you need to. In your Personal Statement, throw in one explanatory, positive sentence about how you have grown since 95's bad grades.

 

[eekonomics]

I have read on different posts that amcas looks at every course you ever took when calculating gpa. I went to college back in '94-'95 but partying was more important than studying and I failed miserably. I mean am I totally screwed? I am back in school now and have made straight a's my first year. So in reality how do I look?

This is from Hopkins' website. It is a top tier medical school, so I don't know how the other ones do it. UC Irvine also says that if your undergrad was weak and you're doing a post-bac that you have to be a very strong applicant (get a 4.0).

"General Advice

Before committing yourself to post-baccalaureate preparation, become informed of the demands, including the expense and time involved with medical education and residency training.

Your entire academic history is likely to be scrutinized when you apply to medical school. If your baccalaureate degree was weak, even a strong post-baccalaureate performance may not be sufficient to overcome past performance given the highly competitive nature of medical school admissions."

 

[braluk]

Moving to the nontrad forums. To the OP check out some of the advice there and in the post bac forum (specifically the special masters programs thread I have stickied there) this should be helpful.

 

[oldpro]

I have read on different posts that amcas looks at every course you ever took when calculating gpa. I went to college back in '94-'95 but partying was more important than studying and I failed miserably. I mean am I totally screwed? I am back in school now and have made straight a's my first year. So in reality how do I look?

This has come a lot this last week, Welcome to the NonTrads forum:

Basically you must report all College work but for you time is a good thing

The Adcoms will look your recent GPA and in your personal statement you explain how you have changed and grown you should be accepted some where dont Fret, your Human.

 

[Law2Doc]

This post really belongs in the non trad section. But, I'll add my 2 cents. I'm a non trad as well. The bottom line is (from what I've gathered from my research) you'd need a MINIMUM GPA of 3.4 and 28-29 on the MCAT to have ANY chance of an MD school.

This is far from accurate. Depends a lot on your recent track record as well. There are folks who get into med schools after straight A's in SMP or postbac programs who did not have a 3.4 ug GPA. Thus 3.4 isn't the minimum.

 

[oldpro]

This is from Hopkins' website. It is a top tier medical school, so I don't know how the other ones do it. UC Irvine also says that if your undergrad was weak and you're doing a post-bac that you have to be a very strong applicant (get a 4.0).

Well All I can say is Yeah! AN Ivy league School will be out of reach of someone who had a 3.1 in undergrad and then went onto Post Bac, I'm sure there are a few who got in an IVY but for most I would think not. Really do not base advice on the the IVY league schools, do the numbers over all and see what you can do. Many have had really crappy grades before and made it in.

Good Luck

 

[Law2Doc]

Well All I can say is Yeah! AN Ivy league School will be out of reach of someone who had a 3.1 in undergrad and then went onto Post Bac, I'm sure there are a few who got in an IVY but for most I would think not. Really do not base advice on the the IVY league schools, do the numbers over all and see what you can do. Many have had really crappy grades before and made it in.

Good Luck

Hopkins is not an ivy league school, if that was what you were implying. But it is a top school.

 

[Think Big]

To the OP, it can be done. I did horribly during my undergrad, and I failed a number of classes including med school pre-reqs. It was mainly because as an undergrad, I had no intention of ever going to grad school. My main goal was to get the degree and get out (which I did.. eventually). The problem is that if you're like me, you'll have so many credits under your belt that you may never be able to raise your GPA more then a few tenths of a point. However, as someone pointed out, time is on your side, and it's good to put some years between you and your undergrad grades. I applied this cycle with sub 3.0 cumulative and science GPA's (but with kick-a$$ post-bac and grad GPA's) and got two acceptances to very good allopathic med schools. You really have to demonstrate your academic ability and dedication to medicine and, above all, leave the admissions committee with NO DOUBT that you will excel in the classroom, you will succeed in the clinic, and you will pass the boards the first time you take them. Adcoms do understand that not all of us decide to go to med school when we're 18-year-old freshmen.

 

[oldpro]

Hopkins is not an ivy league school, if that was what you were implying. But it is a top school.

Are you sure for medschool? It is always touted with Harvard as the same level?

 

[Law2Doc]

Are you sure for medschool? It is always touted with Harvard as the same level?

I'm sure. The Ivy league is based on the original undergraduate college football division (IV) and is composed exclusively of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell and Penn. No other school is in the Ivy league. There isn't another Ivy league for med or grad school, and in fact there is a pretty good range in ranking of the Ivies in terms of graduate schools (i.e. Dartmouth and Brown are not ranked in the top 20 med schools with the others, and Princeton doesn't have a med school).

However Hopkins is a very prestigious med school, and sure, it is at the same prestige level. That still doesn't make it an Ivy.