Rejected from Midwestern MABS Program what to do next?

[URMpremed]

So I am a non traditional student with a low undergrad GPA 2.75 and a low MCAT. I want to apply to DO school but I know I have no chance in hell of getting into a med school with bare minimum GPA especially after being rejected from Midwestern. I guess I am just asking where should I go from here? Should I just go to a community college retake the sciences courses I received low grades in or find another masters program. I am already retaking my MCAT in April. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[TriagePreMed]

Definitely retake and get both GPA >3.2 and an MCAT of 25+ and you should be able to find an Osteopathic college willing to accept you. I wouldn't recommend community college for retakes though.

 

[URMpremed]

Thanks. So you suggest I go back to my alma mater to retake my basic sciences?

 

[URMpremed]

Basic Science Courses that I have taken with grades:

Gen Chem I: A , Gen Chem II: B
Orgo I: C, Orgo II: D
Physics I& II: C
General Bios I & II: C
Biochemistry: B
Physiology I & II: C

 

[Woland]

2.75 is bare minimum and with the listed grades for basic sciencies you have to prove to any medical school that you have changed, got smarter, improved your study habits and capable of scoring better than C average in study-intensive disciplines.

Aside from retaking and impoving dismal basic science grades, I wager it would go a long way to take upper division sciences to show that you can do well with unfamiliar complex material and not just someone who can beat the dead horse until they get an A.

Also, I am not the one to shoot down someone hopes and aspirations, but maybe you should do some soul searching to see if you are sure you are capable of handling the science content/load necessary for medical school (prep). I know you want to be a doctor as much as any other person on this board, but I doubt you'd see improvement without really finding out why you never been able to climb above the C in classes that most people breeze through?

 

[URMpremed]

I appreciate your comments. Yes I have been doing some soul searching and i completely agree with everything you are saying. I never studied for any of the classes that I posted so that was pure laziness. I have changed my ways and I am more serious about my studies now and will commit to any class that I take. What upper division science classes should I take in conjunction with the basic science courses that I bombed?

 

[MedWonk]

Basic Science Courses that I have taken with grades:

Gen Chem I: A , Gen Chem II: B
Orgo I: C, Orgo II: D
Physics I& II: C
General Bios I & II: C
Biochemistry: B
Physiology I & II: C

You could retake the classes you got Cs and Ds in and do grade replacement for DO. It would likely be cheaper and would certainly have nice effect on your sGPA and cGPA. Get your sGPA and cGPA to be 3.3 at a minimum. Ideally, you'd want them to be at least 3.5.

 

[URMpremed]

How does grade replacement work? Does AAMCOS Automatically replace the grade if you have retook the course or do I have to request it?

 

[Woland]

I appreciate your comments. Yes I have been doing some soul searching and i completely agree with everything you are saying. I never studied for any of the classes that I posted so that was pure laziness. I have changed my ways and I am more serious about my studies now and will commit to any class that I take.

Honesty is always good. I truly can appreciate it, as I used to be a highly professional procrastinator.

What you need IMHO is a proverbial "strong upward trend". Which in reality means that you need As/A-s in all pre-requisite classes. That tends to override prior poor performance and will make for a great conversation topic on your personal statement come the application season. ("I have matured now and no longer capable of slacking off in classes due to my sense of duty to myself/family/community/gods etc")

What upper division science classes should I take in conjunction with the basic science courses that I bombed?

For myself, after law school I had to take all science pre-requisites, so after completing the bare minimum I found upper division genetic, embryology and some brach offs of pathogenic micro rather fascinating. For you, take the basics, rock them out and them go harrass your school's premed counselor if s/he is competent (avoid the incomptetent fools like fire as unfortunately some school have them, and it is easy to find out whether your college has good pre-prof/pre-med advising). Pre-med advising tends to have good word for useful/interesting courses as well as seasonal pre-med specific courses (although I considered them waste of cash).

 

[URMpremed]

Thanks for your advice. I love honesty especially when people tell me things that I do not want to hear. Great idea to talk about my academic struggles in my personal statement.

 

[tremulousNeedle]

I appreciate your comments. Yes I have been doing some soul searching and i completely agree with everything you are saying. I never studied for any of the classes that I posted so that was pure laziness. I have changed my ways and I am more serious about my studies now and will commit to any class that I take. What upper division science classes should I take in conjunction with the basic science courses that I bombed?

What others said, plus...
Include this in your personal statement.
Your application will likely need some explaining.

 

[Goro]

Suggest anatomy, cell biology, genetics, and anything like pharmacology

I appreciate your comments. Yes I have been doing some soul searching and i completely agree with everything you are saying. I never studied for any of the classes that I posted so that was pure laziness. I have changed my ways and I am more serious about my studies now and will commit to any class that I take. What upper division science classes should I take in conjunction with the basic science courses that I bombed?

 

[kayak30]

What was your MCAT score if you don't mind sharing? Do you have healthcare/research experience? I live in Chicago and I'm familiar with MW...you can't get below a C for any pre-reqs and you show a D. Contact the school and see what they suggest you might just need to retake that one class before the MS program. Or like others suggested retake more classes and take upper level and apply DO with good MCAT.