Possibilities of Getting Into NC Schools?

[xXVoicesXx]

Hi, I'm currently a second year (but junior credits) student studying in North Carolina. I originally started school as a biology major with a pre-med concentration with intents on going to dental school. I didn't do well. I changed my major over the summer to psychology. However, I still want to go into medicine, but more so as a psychiatrist. I realize that I love psychology but I still have strong interest in medicine. I looked into requirements for just medical schools in NC and they're doable, but I'm worried that my previous performance is going to hurt me.

My overall GPA is a 3.2, my science GPA is a 2.3 (one general biology and two general chemistry, both with labs) and I withdrew from one biology.

I have five C's in various classes. My overall performance in school is improving because I have a better grasp on college, the rigor of classes, and how I need to study/approach them.

I still really want to do medicine and I feel like I have some hope but I don't know how strong it is. I still think about going into medicine almost every day and I would love it if I could become a psychiatrist instead of just a psychologist. How likely am I to be accepted to a medical school here in North Carolina if I take the requirements, study for the MCAT, and find a decent internship?

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[ahc336]

Fellow NC student here, hello. If you show improvement and a strong positive upward trend (we're just talking about your numbers right now) your chances increase exponentially. You may have to do a science master's program to become more competitive. That's going to take a lot of work though so be prepared.

Extracurricularly, how are you doing?

ECU's dean came to my uni to speak and he gave me the impression that they look at each applicant holistically and take into account their personal circumstances. This could've been him blowing smoke out of his ass to get kids to apply to ECU, but it could be accurate. If you improve your numbers and ECs and show you are committed (which is part of what they want to see), you will have better chances.

Campbell's program is DO and DO's are historically slightly easier to get into (just slightly, it's still difficult). Instead of needing a 3.6 bottomline to be competitive as you would for an MD school (just an example), you may be competitive with a 3.4 or 3.5 at a DO program.

And this is not me telling you to reevaluate your career choices, but in general terms, know when to quit or reroute. Consider PA school, NP, or just clinical psych. It's an uphill battle but I think it's do-able.

 

[Goro]

As of right now, your GPAs are disasters. How can you convince Adcoms that you'll survive med school????

Start by retaking all F/D/C science coursework.

Hi, I'm currently a second year (but junior credits) student studying in North Carolina. I originally started school as a biology major with a pre-med concentration with intents on going to dental school. I didn't do well. I changed my major over the summer to psychology. However, I still want to go into medicine, but more so as a psychiatrist. I realize that I love psychology but I still have strong interest in medicine. I looked into requirements for just medical schools in NC and they're doable, but I'm worried that my previous performance is going to hurt me.

My overall GPA is a 3.2, my science GPA is a 2.3 (one general biology and two general chemistry, both with labs) and I withdrew from one biology.

I have five C's in various classes. My overall performance in school is improving because I have a better grasp on college, the rigor of classes, and how I need to study/approach them.

I still really want to do medicine and I feel like I have some hope but I don't know how strong it is. I still think about going into medicine almost every day and I would love it if I could become a psychiatrist instead of just a psychologist. How likely am I to be accepted to a medical school here in North Carolina if I take the requirements, study for the MCAT, and find a decent internship?

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

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[xXVoicesXx]

As of right now, your GPAs are disasters. How can you convince Adcoms that you'll survive med school????

Start by retaking all F/D/C science coursework.

Well, I feel that I can convince them I can survive med school by doing much better the other 4-6 science courses I have left. Freshman year was very hectic for me, as well as this year (even though I know those are not excuses), but I have a much better grasp at how higher education works compared to a year ago.

I intend on retaking those C sciences.

Also, as a question, my university will let me retake the course, but it will not keep the old grade. It will show that I retook it, but the old grade is erased with the new one.

 

[xXVoicesXx]

Fellow NC student here, hello. If you show improvement and a strong positive upward trend (we're just talking about your numbers right now) your chances increase exponentially. You may have to do a science master's program to become more competitive. That's going to take a lot of work though so be prepared.

Extracurricularly, how are you doing?

ECU's dean came to my uni to speak and he gave me the impression that they look at each applicant holistically and take into account their personal circumstances. This could've been him blowing smoke out of his ass to get kids to apply to ECU, but it could be accurate. If you improve your numbers and ECs and show you are committed (which is part of what they want to see), you will have better chances.

Campbell's program is DO and DO's are historically slightly easier to get into (just slightly, it's still difficult). Instead of needing a 3.6 bottomline to be competitive as you would for an MD school (just an example), you may be competitive with a 3.4 or 3.5 at a DO program.

And this is not me telling you to reevaluate your career choices, but in general terms, know when to quit or reroute. Consider PA school, NP, or just clinical psych. It's an uphill battle but I think it's do-able.

How much will that science master's really help me? I've searched around and people have said that it only marginally helps people become more competitive for medical schools. It normally helps people who have sub-3.0 GPAs when they graduate undergrad.

Extracurricularly, I haven't much to say. The only thing I'm doing is marching band and we do some service activities, but I'm also trying to become more involved on campus through things such as an desk assistant or orientation leader. The most medical related thing I've done was a 8-week hospital intership wayyy back in high school my junior year.

 

[Goro]

Sad to say, that won't be enough. You need a solid two years of upward trends to salvage your situation.

For MD schools, retaking classes results in averaged grades...it's doesn't matter what your school policy is. For DO schools, only the better grade is taken.

Your fastest shot path to being a doctor will be to retake all F/D/C science coursework do well on MCAT and aim straight for CUSOM and other DO schools.

If you're boning for the MD, you'll need to ace everything from now on (assuming you have only one year left), and even then do a post-bac or SMP (acing those) and ace MCAT as well.

Well, I feel that I can convince them I can survive med school by doing much better the other 4-6 science courses I have left. Freshman year was very hectic for me, as well as this year (even though I know those are not excuses), but I have a much better grasp at how higher education works compared to a year ago.

I intend on retaking those C sciences.
You have a LOT of ECs to make up for as well: shadowing, both patient and non-patient contact.

Also, as a question, my university will let me retake the course, but it will not keep the old grade. It will show that I retook it, but the old grade is erased with the new one.

 

[xXVoicesXx]

Sad to say, that won't be enough. You need a solid two years of upward trends to salvage your situation.

For MD schools, retaking classes results in averaged grades...it's doesn't matter what your school policy is. For DO schools, only the better grade is taken.

Your fastest shot path to being a doctor will be to retake all F/D/C science coursework do well on MCAT and aim straight for CUSOM and other DO schools.

If you're boning for the MD, you'll need to ace everything from now on (assuming you have only one year left), and even then do a post-bac or SMP (acing those) and ace MCAT as well.

I'm only a second-semester sophomore right now. I have first-year junior credits. I'll be attending my college for my junior and senior year

How would the MD school average my grade if the school doesn't keep record of the old one?

 

[Goro]

It won't be on your transcripts? If not, then they can't average, can they?

If you can ace the next two years, then you should be OK for Brody, CUSOM, and maybe U NC.

I'm only a second-semester sophomore right now. I have first-year junior credits. I'll be attending my college for my junior and senior year

How would the MD school average my grade if the school doesn't keep record of the old one?

 

[xXVoicesXx]

It'll show as a retake but no prior grade

It won't be on your transcripts? If not, then they can't average, can they?

If you can ace the next two years, then you should be OK for Brody, CUSOM, and maybe U NC.

 

[osckey]

It'll show as a retake but no prior grade

Nope. It will show your grade, that you can be sure of. OP, I went through a similar situation albeit I encountered my difficulties throughout two semesters of my freshman year. Had a terrible GPA and took about 4 years to repair (graduated in 5). @Goro is right. There's no way around this other than to take significantly more classes than the 4-6 you have left. Every grade that I had, even with my institution's grade replacement policy, was on my transcript. If you attempted a class and stayed in it past the add/drop week then it's going to permanently be on your transcript. For me, AMCAS averaged the grades of all my retakes. You're going to need to work hard and consistently prove your grit through years of excellent coursework while being prepared to answer valid questions about your performance.

NC is a state which hosts fantastic medical schools within the highly sought after research triangle region. Even CUSOM, which is brand new, is becoming competitive in terms of admissions. Time and energy will fix your problem. Work hard, nail the MCAT, keep your EC's meaningful, and I think there will be a spot for you somewhere. If I could do it then so can you.