Pre-med Advice with Low GPA

[Bella Huynh]

Hello! So I am a current undergraduate student at CSULA with a Biology major and planning on graduating in the Spring 2019. I want to go to medical school, I know that I might not be the best student out there but do I have a chance? Here are my stats:

1) My current GPA is 3.1 and if I were to have straight A's (hypothetically) in my last two semesters then my GPA would be 3.3 --> so my advisor told me I should do a post bacc program to improve my GPA. She already calculated if I were to get straight A's in the post bacc then I can have a GPA of 3.4

2) I was planning on taking the MCAT in April 13, 2018 but after talking with her about the post bacc, I am thinking of doing the post bacc then take the MCAT and applying the next cycle.

3) EC: I have been volunteering at the ER for two years (~360 hours, and still counting)
I have a phlebotomy license and currently looking for a job
I am an officer of the premed club at my school
I have research (1 1/2 years, and still continuing)
missing shadowing, community service

I am Vietnamese btw

I know my chances are very, very, very, slim but should I still try shooting for it? I really want to become a doctor and I have tried my best, I know that I am not that smart but I have been doing everything I can in trying to be a competitive student. I go to all the pre-med conferences and talk to the admissions. I think that a post bacc would help me but money is also the problem. And also, do medical schools look at you lowly or differently because you did a post bacc?

Thank you so much!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted953743]

If you put your real name as your username, I suggest you delete the contents of this post for the sake of anonymity. Get another account and ask admins to delete this one.

 

[Opal10]

I was in a very similar situation and here's the best advice I can give that led to having a successful application cycle:

1. Do not take the MCAT until you are ready. Even if it means delaying your application until another cycle. You have something to prove because of your GPA, so blow them away with your MCAT score to show you mean business. Take your studying VERY seriously, like it's your job. Getting a poor MCAT score your first time and having to retake it will give adcoms even more reasons to doubt you. Not that it's not doable, it will just make things even more difficult.

2. Address the cause(s) of your less than ideal academic performance briefly and professionally. Even just one or two sentences tops without going into a ton of detail. Most applications will give you space to "explain any discrepancies in your application" or "is there anything else you would like to add". BRIEFLY address why you didn't do as well as you could have and why now things have changed and you are prepared to take on the rigorous academic course load of medical school.

3. You need shadowing and community service, even if you had a 4.0 and perfect MCAT. I'd recommend a minimum 50 hours shadowing and an ideal of at least a couple hundred hours community service. What I came to realize is that some if not most medical schools do not count volunteering in a research or hospital setting as community service. Start right away and continue on a weekly basis. Schools like long-term commitments to this type of volunteering. I used www.volunteermatch.org to find opportunities in my area.

4. Apply early and very broadly. Research dates that primary applications open and get those secondaries in as early as possible without sacrificing substance.

5. Don't take my word for it. Read other posts by those who work on medical school adcoms and/or hold faculty positions like Goro. Goro has a guide for students who have reinvented themselves, I highly recommend it. Search out other sources of info outside of SDN. Meet with local adcom members and/or physicians. My local medical school's admissions staff meets with pre-meds one-on-one to offer advice, so I set up an appointment with them. If your local school(s) do something similar reach out to them or your advisers to help prepare your application.


You CAN do this! That being said, it is a long hard road to reinvention. It can be painful and discouraging at times. You will have people, sometimes lots of people tell you you won't make it. It can be hard to read posts on SDN by others with much higher stats than you, but just realize that every person is different and each individual has their own unique path to becoming a doctor. The end result is up to you, but it is by no means easy. I had to grow some thick skin and be realistic about my strengths and weaknesses. Research the application process and apply in a strategic way. I believe in you!

 

[Ultimakey]

I was in a very similar situation and here's the best advice I can give that led to having a successful application cycle:

1. Do not take the MCAT until you are ready. Even if it means delaying your application until another cycle. You have something to prove because of your GPA, so blow them away with your MCAT score to show you mean business. Take your studying VERY seriously, like it's your job. Getting a poor MCAT score your first time and having to retake it will give adcoms even more reasons to doubt you. Not that it's not doable, it will just make things even more difficult.

2. Address the cause(s) of your less than ideal academic performance briefly and professionally. Even just one or two sentences tops without going into a ton of detail. Most applications will give you space to "explain any discrepancies in your application" or "is there anything else you would like to add". BRIEFLY address why you didn't do as well as you could have and why now things have changed and you are prepared to take on the rigorous academic course load of medical school.

3. You need shadowing and community service, even if you had a 4.0 and perfect MCAT. I'd recommend a minimum 50 hours shadowing and an ideal of at least a couple hundred hours community service. What I came to realize is that some if not most medical schools do not count volunteering in a research or hospital setting as community service. Start right away and continue on a weekly basis. Schools like long-term commitments to this type of volunteering. I used www.volunteermatch.org to find opportunities in my area.

4. Apply early and very broadly. Research dates that primary applications open and get those secondaries in as early as possible without sacrificing substance.

5. Don't take my word for it. Read other posts by those who work on medical school adcoms and/or hold faculty positions like Goro. Goro has a guide for students who have reinvented themselves, I highly recommend it. Search out other sources of info outside of SDN. Meet with local adcom members and/or physicians. My local medical school's admissions staff meets with pre-meds one-on-one to offer advice, so I set up an appointment with them. If your local school(s) do something similar reach out to them or your advisers to help prepare your application.


You CAN do this! That being said, it is a long hard road to reinvention. It can be painful and discouraging at times. You will have people, sometimes lots of people tell you you won't make it. It can be hard to read posts on SDN by others with much higher stats than you, but just realize that every person is different and each individual has their own unique path to becoming a doctor. The end result is up to you, but it is by no means easy. I had to grow some thick skin and be realistic about my strengths and weaknesses. Research the application process and apply in a strategic way. I believe in you!

What about tutoring in a hospital? Sinai runs a program like that with underserved in Harlem.

 

[Goro]

Hello! So I am a current undergraduate student at CSULA with a Biology major and planning on graduating in the Spring 2019. I want to go to medical school, I know that I might not be the best student out there but do I have a chance? Here are my stats:

1) My current GPA is 3.1 and if I were to have straight A's (hypothetically) in my last two semesters then my GPA would be 3.3 --> so my advisor told me I should do a post bacc program to improve my GPA. She already calculated if I were to get straight A's in the post bacc then I can have a GPA of 3.4

2) I was planning on taking the MCAT in April 13, 2018 but after talking with her about the post bacc, I am thinking of doing the post bacc then take the MCAT and applying the next cycle.

3) EC: I have been volunteering at the ER for two years (~360 hours, and still counting)
I have a phlebotomy license and currently looking for a job
I am an officer of the premed club at my school
I have research (1 1/2 years, and still continuing)
missing shadowing, community service

I am Vietnamese btw

I know my chances are very, very, very, slim but should I still try shooting for it? I really want to become a doctor and I have tried my best, I know that I am not that smart but I have been doing everything I can in trying to be a competitive student. I go to all the pre-med conferences and talk to the admissions. I think that a post bacc would help me but money is also the problem. And also, do medical schools look at you lowly or differently because you did a post bacc?

Thank you so much!!

Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[Opal10]

What about tutoring in a hospital? Sinai runs a program like that with underserved in Harlem.

I am not on an admissions committee so I can't say for sure. However, I spoke with the director of admissions at my local med school and was told they look for community volunteering as a separate activity from any volunteering in a hospital or research setting. Think habitat for humanity, church groups and mission trips (I'm not religious so this one wasn't an option for me), soup kitchens, homeless shelters, hospices (still clinical but not in a hospital), suicide hotlines, women's shelters, etc.
They're looking to see that you're committed to helping others in a setting that puts you outside of your comfort zone. It sounds like tutoring in a hospital is great, but if you have some time I would think about doing something else as well that's outside of a hospital setting. Again, I'm not an adcom, this is just what I've gathered from my own research about the process and speaking with those involved in admissions.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I don’t think ECs are going to make up for your troubled GPA.

Even with a PERFECT postbacc, your GPA will only be a 3.4. That may be fine for DO schools, but are DO schools fine for you??

But then, really, what’s the chances that you’ll have a 4.0 in postbacc when you’re averaging Bs during your 3 years of undergrad? And really, what’s the chances that you’ll get a 4.0 for this semester (how are you doing) and for next semester?

What about your BCPM GPA...what is that?

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I was in a very similar situation and here's the best advice I can give that led to having a successful application cycle:

1. Do not take the MCAT until you are ready. Even if it means delaying your application until another cycle. You have something to prove because of your GPA, so blow them away with your MCAT score to show you mean business. Take your studying VERY seriously, like it's your job. Getting a poor MCAT score your first time and having to retake it will give adcoms even more reasons to doubt you. Not that it's not doable, it will just make things even more difficult.

2. Address the cause(s) of your less than ideal academic performance briefly and professionally. Even just one or two sentences tops without going into a ton of detail. Most applications will give you space to "explain any discrepancies in your application" or "is there anything else you would like to add". BRIEFLY address why you didn't do as well as you could have and why now things have changed and you are prepared to take on the rigorous academic course load of medical school.

3. You need shadowing and community service, even if you had a 4.0 and perfect MCAT. I'd recommend a minimum 50 hours shadowing and an ideal of at least a couple hundred hours community service. What I came to realize is that some if not most medical schools do not count volunteering in a research or hospital setting as community service. Start right away and continue on a weekly basis. Schools like long-term commitments to this type of volunteering. I used www.volunteermatch.org to find opportunities in my area.

4. Apply early and very broadly. Research dates that primary applications open and get those secondaries in as early as possible without sacrificing substance.

5. Don't take my word for it. Read other posts by those who work on medical school adcoms and/or hold faculty positions like Goro. Goro has a guide for students who have reinvented themselves, I highly recommend it. Search out other sources of info outside of SDN. Meet with local adcom members and/or physicians. My local medical school's admissions staff meets with pre-meds one-on-one to offer advice, so I set up an appointment with them. If your local school(s) do something similar reach out to them or your advisers to help prepare your application.


You CAN do this! That being said, it is a long hard road to reinvention. It can be painful and discouraging at times. You will have people, sometimes lots of people tell you you won't make it. It can be hard to read posts on SDN by others with much higher stats than you, but just realize that every person is different and each individual has their own unique path to becoming a doctor. The end result is up to you, but it is by no means easy. I had to grow some thick skin and be realistic about my strengths and weaknesses. Research the application process and apply in a strategic way. I believe in you!

That was excellent advice!

 

[Opal10]

That was excellent advice!

Thank you!

 

[jarednogeek]

Your GPA will keep you out of medical school. I would quit any heavy extracurricular involvement and focus on your grades. You'll need a Post-bac with high grades. No point in focusing on the MCAT now though you'll need a very good score on it. Focus on grades first and see if you can pull off A's. Your GPA will keep you out of medical school, so focus and what is necessary to improve them or choose another career path.