Path to Redemption

[Continuum]

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Hey everyone,

I'd like to ask you for your advice. I'm 29 years old, and have graduated with a BS Biology degree nearly a year ago. I didn't come to the conclusion of medicine being my career goal until the completion of my degree. I simply chose biology because I found the content interesting, without a clear end-game in mind. Since then I have been fortunate to work with a radiology group in a position that allowed me to shadow different doctors every day. This experience has had a huge impact on my entire outlook, I've developed my first role models, and can't think of anything I'd rather do more than pursue the path of becoming a physician.

Admittedly I went about my undergraduate career with a very immature mindset and poor study habits. I have not taken the MCAT yet so I do not have that score for reference. Using an AACOMAS-Calculator excel spreadsheet I found on these forums, I've entered all of my undergraduate coursework. My undergraduate GPA comes out at 2.928, and my science GPA comes out at 3.000. I know this is well below average, and that my best chance of gaining an interview from a DO school is to go back and retake the classes I've made a C or below in, do extremely well on the MCAT, and attain a good amount of ECs/shadowing/volunteer hours. I own my mistakes, my failures fall upon my own shoulders. I know that from here on out any work spent on repairing my GPA will have to be nothing short of A-quality, and I'm prepared to do just that.

My question to you is should I retake all classes I've made a C or below in? Before switching my major to biology I was majoring in international relations, and have acquired quite a few bad marks in classes that don't apply to my BCPM GPA. Retaking only the BCPM classes and two non-bcpm classes will bump up my science GPA to a 3.667, but will still leave my undergraduate GPA at 3.352. Also to note, I have since moved to the West Coast, and consequently will be needing to retake these semester classes under the quarter system. As a result I may not be able to find equivalent courses that would work with the grade-forgiveness, such as with Mammalogy.

One of my major concerns is if, worst case scenario, I go back and retake all these classes, do very well on the MCAT, and acquire a lot of ECs/shadowing/volunteer hours, I still don't get an interview/acceptance. At this point, I'm still where I am today, with a BS Biology. There isn't a lot one can do with this degree without further training. Would using the time spent retaking classes be better spent pursuing a 2nd bachelor's degree? Thank you for your time & advice!

 

[Cardboard101]

The fastest route if you want to go DO is to retake classes. Ace as many classes as you can and try to bring your GPAs up to 3.3+. That, a 508+ MCAT and decent ECs should land you some interviews.


I'd focus on just the science courses, pre-reqs and biochem especially.

 

[lifeonmars]

Sounds like you've done all your homework on what you need to do to achieve your goal. I'm also 29, and I'm in the middle of my application cycle right now. I was a liberal arts major undergrad, and I had a bad GPA upon graduation. Went back to school to finish my pre-reqs, and got straight A's. I've gotten my cGPA up to ~3.4 and my sGPA ~3.6 (or at least that is what it will be at the end of this semester). Took my MCAT in September, got a 509. I put in tons of volunteer hours, shadowing, chemistry TA, chemistry tutor, medical scribe.

I would say yes, try to get your GPA up to around the numbers you mentioned. More importantly, you need to do well on the MCAT! Stick to your guns and don't take no for an answer!

 

[0dee]

Just like the above poster mentioned, you did your homework in terms of what to do. Now go ahead and sign up for those classes, get straight A's and ace the MCAT. Just make sure that quarter system classes will still replace your old grades. I'm not familiar with how that works in comparison to a semster system. Your best bet would be to call AACOMAS and ask them so you don't waste money and time.

You're not in this alone, we all fear that question "what if I don't get in?". For now, focus on acing your retakes, get plenty of healthcare exposure. Good luck!

 

[Continuum]

Thanks for the feedback! You're right, I suppose I'll have to deal with the possibility of not getting in when I cross that bridge. Right now I just need to focus on eating this whale one bite at a time.

Got a question for anyone who has knowledge on semester -> quarter transfer equivalency. One of the classes I need to retake is physics 2, which was broken up into two parts in semester hours: lecture (3hr) and lab (1hr). I know I'll have to take physics 1, 2, & 3 in the quarter system to fix the physics 2 grade. However, the community college I'm planning on retaking this class has physics 1, 2, & 3 at (5hr) each, with the lab combined. To my understanding, the grade replacing has to be equal to/greater in value than the original class. So, the 5 hour combined lecture/lab quarter course comes out to 3.333 semester hours ( 5/1.5=3.333) would be greater than the semester lecture-only course of 3 hours. However, if I were to combine my previous lecture and lab course to 4 hours, the quarter course would need to be at least 6 hours to qualify for grade replacement, right? On my transcript the lecture (3) and lab (1) courses are separate, but the class I'm looking to use for grade replacement for has lecture & lab (5) combined. I'll give AACOMAS a call tomorrow to clarify this with them before enrolling in any courses, but I'm just wondering if any of you out there have encountered this problem before.

 

[Papa Oso]

I got accepted with a 3.3 c GPA and a 504 MCAT so if you can get around those stats, you'll be fine. If you really want to be a physician, I would retake your C's, do well on the MCAT, and get shadowing and volunteering experience. Whether it is worth it is up to you. It's never too late to redeem yourself. I would take your time doing this well though. In the grand scheme of things, taking an extra year or two to do this right won't matter, and finishing med school when you are 38/39 won't matter if you will be practicing for 30 plus years.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

Being passionate about this field is the first thing you have going for you, owning your mistakes is the other half you have down. You know what you need to do, and I do believe you will find it rewarding when you finally get that acceptance that I know you will work so hard to get. Put your head down and power through it. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.