options???

[NYCFL]

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I've been reading the posts to the site for about a week now and would like to see if I could receive some good advice here. I suppose that I would be regarded as a career changer looking for the best option from people with real experience.

I graduated in 2000 from an ivy with a GPA of 2.8 (about 80 credit hours). Prior to attending that university, I earned a 3.75 over the course of a year at CUNY Queens (City University of New York) for about 27 credits. I have a semester of failed classes (with one A) abroad (the classes would not count towards anything but I had to stay enrolled for my status). I also have one a C for a summer class in accounting taken at NYU. I majored in international business.

Seven years later and what would appear as a successful career in the healthcare industry, am I still competitive with this GPA? What kind of programs and which ones could I realistically pursue in either NY or Florida? What are my options? I look forward for your help.
Thanks.

 

[Perrotfish]

To advise, we need to know:

Your total GPA, calculated from all courses at all schools, and the trend (positive, negative, or constant) of the grades.

Your total BCPM GPA (the GPA calculated from just your Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math courses) calculated from all courses taken at all schools and the trend (positive, negative, or constant) of the grades.

Whether or not you have finished the premedical/predental/pre-whateveryouwantodo prerequisites

What it is, exactly, that you want to do. Are you going for doctor? Dentist? Vet? Nurse? No Idea?

How you did on any standardized graduate level admissions tests (MCAT, GRE, etc) that you may have taken, if you have taken any at all.

 

[DrMidlife]

I love it. Welcome to the nontrad pre-screening committee! We should have a form for people to fill out. Actually that's not a bad idea...

 

[NYCFL]

I've ordered the transcripts, so I'll have that information in a few days. Concerning the questions not relating to the specific grades, here it goes:

1. I have no BCPM courses. I do have a statistics course that I scored a B in. GPA trend was pretty stable, except for the first year which was 3.75.
2. I wish to pursue an MD.
3. I've taken no standard examinations.

On the grades, I am a little surprised that they would give any weight to grades from a study abroad institution since no credits were transferable to my university and I simply opted to not take them. The only course that transferred, I got an A in. It's clear that I was not informed or thinking ahead ten years ago! Is this workable with 2 years of postbac work?

 

[Perrotfish]

I love it. Welcome to the nontrad pre-screening committee! We should have a form for people to fill out. Actually that's not a bad idea...

Question 1) How old will you be when you actually begin recieving a living wage income. State your answer in the form of a strangled sob.

 

[Perrotfish]

I've ordered the transcripts, so I'll have that information in a few days. Concerning the questions not relating to the specific grades, here it goes:

1. I have no BCPM courses. I do have a statistics course that I scored a B in. GPA trend was pretty stable, except for the first year which was 3.75.
2. I wish to pursue an MD.
3. I've taken no standard examinations.

On the grades, I am a little surprised that they would give any weight to grades from a study abroad institution since no credits were transferable to my university and I simply opted to not take them. The only course that transferred, I got an A in. It's clear that I was not informed or thinking ahead ten years ago! Is this workable with 2 years of postbac work?

Yes it is doable in 2 years. Yes they will hold every course you've ever taken against you. If you never attended the classes try to get the Fs changed to Ws, study abroad classes are generally pretty relaxed about that sort of thing. If you've taken no prereqs you're a great candidate for a formal post-bac program. Go over to the post-bac forum on SDN and find out what one of those is an how you apply. You should hurry, since you don't have a lot of time to apply to next fall's class.

Edit: wow, post 500. I need a life

 

[NYCFL]

This is actually very useful advice. I will contact my university and the study abroad program. Can I ask you if the programs and the med schools take into consideration the GPA relative to the where you studied and what you studied? I am considering a postbac a CUNY Hunter (they have a formal program) but I am concerned that it may be regarded as not as competitive. Is that a valid concern?

 

[DrMidlife]

I routed this poor OP from postbac over here, so I should at least be constructive.

First suggestion: Get the Iserson "How to get into med school: A guide for the perplexed" book. You should have something comprehensive and stable like this, on which you can base your plans. Premed advisers tend to be far less comprehensive than Iserson. This book, for me, was the equivalent of having a with-it physician relative to mentor me.

Second suggestion: Having worked in the healthcare industry is a strong asset. In addition to this, make sure you have clinical exposure, such as a volunteer gig in an emergency room. Even us sophisticated and mature older kids have to push stretchers and escort patients. Also, look for opportunities to do research (lab or clinical) and to do general community volunteering (like Special Olympics).

Third suggestion: You're about to give up everything for medicine. Don't find yourself not actually wanting what you get. Seek out physicians and other health professionals who will try to talk you out of it, and listen to what they say. If there is anything you want to do as much as medicine, do the other thing.

Fourth suggestion: (this is my favorite) As an exercise, over the next year or so, work on defining the job you want without using the word "doctor." You might find that if you leave prestige whoredom and moneygrubbing out of it, you don't really want to be a doctor: you want to be a nurse or a researcher or an epidemiologist or a global health facilitator who can handle the logistics of building and maintaining a clinic where there are no roads or phones. This exercise also gives you a mature and deep answer to the perennial interview question "why medicine?" (My answer to this, by the way, comes down to 4 bullet points that I can describe quickly, and then elaborate upon in depth.)

My $.02 for now, to be taken with a grain of salt. Best of luck to you.

 

[DrMidlife]

This is actually very useful advice. I will contact my university and the study abroad program. Can I ask you if the programs and the med schools take into consideration the GPA relative to the where you studied and what you studied? I am considering a postbac a CUNY Hunter (they have a formal program) but I am concerned that it may be regarded as not as competitive. Is that a valid concern?

I say don't sweat it. The "U" in CUNY is "university" - correct? If so, you're good. Community colleges (2-year colleges) are arguably frowned upon, but a 4-year school is arguably a 4-year school, within reason.

 

[Perrotfish]

Can I ask you if the programs and the med schools take into consideration the GPA relative to the where you studied and what you studied? I am considering a postbac a CUNY Hunter (they have a formal program) but I am concerned that it may be regarded as not as competitive. Is that a valid concern?

As far as I can tell (take this with a grain of salt, I never did a formal post-bac, so I didn't do a whole lot of research) medical schools show a preference for a few well known formal post-bacs like Harvard Extension. Other than that all classes are created equal, and all they care about is your Cumulative GPA, BCPM GPA, and MCAT score, and to a lesser extend the trend of your GPA and your ECs. You can read up on what is competitive for a medical school app elsewhere on this site

 

[NYCFL]

With a GPA of just under a 3.0 eight years out low b/c of understandable circumstances (health issues), and some very notable work experience in the field, could anyone recommend some other realistic programs besides CUNY City College and CUNY Hunter?

 

[Rowantastic]

With a GPA of just under a 3.0 eight years out low b/c of understandable circumstances (health issues), and some very notable work experience in the field, could anyone recommend some other realistic programs besides CUNY City College and CUNY Hunter?

Hello, fellow New Yorker.

Look into Columbia U's post-bacc program (go to http:www.columbia.edu and follow the links for their School of General Studies). It's rigorous, well-known, and well-thought-of.

eta: the full link to Columbia's post-bacc program is http://www.gs.columbia.edu/index_postbacc.htm

 

[njbmd]

I've been reading the posts to the site for about a week now and would like to see if I could receive some good advice here. I suppose that I would be regarded as a career changer looking for the best option from people with real experience.

I graduated in 2000 from an ivy with a GPA of 2.8 (about 80 credit hours). Prior to attending that university, I earned a 3.75 over the course of a year at CUNY Queens (City University of New York) for about 27 credits. I have a semester of failed classes (with one A) abroad (the classes would not count towards anything but I had to stay enrolled for my status). I also have one a C for a summer class in accounting taken at NYU. I majored in international business.

Seven years later and what would appear as a successful career in the healthcare industry, am I still competitive with this GPA? What kind of programs and which ones could I realistically pursue in either NY or Florida? What are my options? I look forward for your help.
Thanks.

From the latest data that we have, the average incoming undergraduate GPA for medical school matriculants (2006) is 3.6 and the average MCAT is 30. You need to calculate your uGPA and see where you fall - below average, average or above average. You have to include every grade from every post-secondary school that you have attended in your calculations and every class regardless of subject matter.

The best way to accomplish this is to obtain unofficial transcripts from all of your post-secondary institutions (good to have anyway for AMCAS application) and then do an Excel spreadsheet to keep a running total as you take classes. My guess is that you are going to be below that 2006 average which means that you are likely not going to be in the "competitive" category for medical school.

If this turns out to be the case, you options are postbacc work to raise your uGPA or a Special Masters Program. You can look on the AAMC website for a complete list of Special Masters Programs and formal Post Bacc programs. You may qualify for admission to one of these so investigate them.

In any case, you need to take the Medical College Admissions Test (if you elect to pursue medicine) and score well so that this aspect of your application is excellent. Even if you elect to pursue another health care profession such as Physician Assistant, perfusion technology etc, you need to make sure that your uGPA is solid. Get your information together and know where you are in the process.

 

[NYCFL]

The GPA is a tough one but I think I can get it up in a postbac program. It's clear that I would have to do a postbac program and that, since I have not taken any science classes, I would not really have any basis for any master's programs. With that said, I do go into this with very few science and math credits, which puts me in a situation where I can have a competitive science GPA. Does that serve to give me an advantage?