Serious GPA Repair Strategy for DO Acceptance

[desperatelyhopefuldoctor]

Hi all, I really need some advice because I don't understand how the DO sGPA calculations work.

For some context: I attended a Top 15 undergraduate university, and I have great leadership, lab research, and shadowing experience. Unfortunately, I let my extracurriculars and social life overwhelm me. Now I have a sGPA of a 2.57 with 77 credits already taken towards it, and a cGPA of 3.01 with a major in Anthropology.

I got C's in both semesters of GenChem; got C-'s in OChem, retook it, but still only got C+'s. I got a D in Bio I, retook it and got a B, and I got a C in Bio II. I've taken upper-level science classes but still only ended up with mostly B's, due both to harsh curves but also my own ability to learn from and fix my mistakes.

I am a second-semester senior, taking 3 science classes this semester I KNOW I can get A's in because they are the easiest science classes my school offers and I refuse to allow myself perform as I have in the past. I am postponing my MCAT until I can get these grades up.

Now, my next game plan is to fix my science GPA and hope I have a shot at DO schools. My question is do DO schools only look at the new grades? or only use those new grades in the sGPA calculation? Theoretically you could retake all of these classes and get A's, right? And that would hopefully make me a more competitive candidate (certainly more than I am now)? Please, I just really need some advice. I've already signed up to be a non-degree seeking student at my local university doing a DIY postbacc, and am just trying to gauge whether I should retake my basic science courses and get A's in all of them (I know it sounds unrealistic, but I will have my sister tutoring me and she has gotten A's in all of hers at this university, and I plan on being a much more focused student). Will this be enough if I have everything else (shadowing, volunteer work, etc)?

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[AlteredScale]

DO schools can see a GPA with and without grade replacement. The sGPA calculated by AACOMAS will be with retakes considered. You could retake all classes and get A's in them but just focus on the ones with C-/C or lower.

Idk how long it will take, but it's imperative you fix your sGPA. Do NOT give in to the urge of prepping for your MCAT until your GPA is reaching to 3.2-3.3 range.

Best of luck!

 

[adrian710]

Take a year and retake all classes. Take summer to study for MCAT. It'll be 3 years until you enter medical school if grades come up and you score 500+ on MCAT, so be patient but all is possible.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

The amount of damage a 2.5 has done is so large that grade replacement is going to take too much time for you. Instead, do an SMP at a school like AZCOM to earn a seat in next year's class. Just focus on doing well on the MCAT for now.

 

[adrian710]

The amount of damage a 2.5 has done is so large that grade replacement is going to take too much time for you. Instead, do an SMP at a school like AZCOM to earn a seat in next year's class. Just focus on doing well on the MCAT for now.

You think OP can get into an SMP or Post-Bacc with a 2.5 sGPA?

 

[desperatelyhopefuldoctor]

The amount of damage a 2.5 has done is so large that grade replacement is going to take too much time for you. Instead, do an SMP at a school like AZCOM to earn a seat in next year's class. Just focus on doing well on the MCAT for now.

Do you really think I have a shot at getting into the SMP though? What kind of MCAT score would I need?

 

[SkyBlueMonkies]

You think OP can get into an SMP or Post-Bacc with a 2.5 sGPA?

Some DO-linked or non-linked SMPs may be open to that GPA, but the majority will be closed doors to OP with that GPA. For example, LECOM's MS in Biomedical Sciences does not have an explicit GPA requirement - AZCOM, on the other hand, requires 2.75.

 

[desperatelyhopefuldoctor]

Should I only retake GenChem I&II, Orgo I&II, and Bio II? Or should I also retake Physics and Bio I, which I got B's in? The difference in my sGPA is significant if I also retake Physics and Bio, but would it be frowned upon?

I'm hoping to do GenChem and Bio II over the course of 1 year, supplemented with one other "easy" science course, then a second year of Orgo and other science courses. I'm allotting myself two years to do the coursework needed to repair my sGPA before I apply to DO schools and SMP programs, and I want to make the most of those two years. However, what other classes should I take during that time? Should Physics and/or Bio be retaken as well?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

You think OP can get into an SMP or Post-Bacc with a 2.5 sGPA?

An osteopathic one, yes.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Do you really think I have a shot at getting into the SMP though? What kind of MCAT score would I need?

Yes (osteopathic), and I don't know how the MCAT score now work. I'd say whatever number right now is the 70th percentile should be fine.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Some DO-linked or non-linked SMPs may be open to that GPA, but the majority will be closed doors to OP with that GPA. For example, LECOM's MS in Biomedical Sciences does not have an explicit GPA requirement - AZCOM, on the other hand, requires 2.75.

Shouldn't be too hard to get to 2.75 with a 2.57, but it would be a nightmare to get to 3.3+ for a shot at real admission.

 

[desperatelyhopefuldoctor]

I've done all the calculations and planned out what courses I would do for the next two years, and if I did manage to get A's in all of them my sGPA would be 3.47 (again, this is with very heavy grade replacement). Would this be enough to apply to DO schools?

My current mindset is Do or Don't, there is no try anymore. I sincerely believe in myself enough to know that I can get these A's because my life literally depends on it. But I don't know if this is the path I wanna go down if even with a 3.47 I can't get into a DO school given the rest of my academic history.

 

[austintr]

I would say that if you were able to get up to a 3.47 sGPA, you would stand a good chance at getting admitted, assuming a decent MCAT and extracurriculars. Osteopathic schools are generally much more accepting of reinvention, as illustrated by the way AACOMAS handles repeats. It sounds like you already know you'll need to work very hard to make this a reality, so that's definitely a good starting point. It IS possible however, because I took my own cGPA up from around a 2.7 to 3.2 after 5 retakes. There are definitely consequences, however. You will need to be able to articulate this change in attitude and performance in secondaries, interviews, etc. And on top of that, you don't generally get financial aid for classes you've already taken for credit, so there is definitely extra expense. Bottom line is, if you work hard enough and want it hard enough, you can be successful in this endeavor. Best of luck to you!

 

[adrian710]

I've done all the calculations and planned out what courses I would do for the next two years, and if I did manage to get A's in all of them my sGPA would be 3.47 (again, this is with very heavy grade replacement). Would this be enough to apply to DO schools?

My current mindset is Do or Don't, there is no try anymore. I sincerely believe in myself enough to know that I can get these A's because my life literally depends on it. But I don't know if this is the path I wanna go down if even with a 3.47 I can't get into a DO school given the rest of my academic history.

A 3.4 sGPA is def competitive. I would say a 3.2+ sGPA / 3.4+ cGPA is competitive so anything above is very solid.

 

[adrian710]

The amount of damage a 2.5 has done is so large that grade replacement is going to take too much time for you. Instead, do an SMP at a school like AZCOM to earn a seat in next year's class. Just focus on doing well on the MCAT for now.

AZCOM SMP has direct linkage? Two year program though right?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

AZCOM SMP has direct linkage? Two year program though right?

I don't know. Back in my time it was a one year program with interview.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Touro SMPs at Harlem and Middletown (linkage program) both require a 3.0cGPA+/3.0sGPA+ and from what I've read, you need ideally a 3.2-3.3 at least to be considered. I don't think a 2.5 sGPA would cut it there and at a lot of other MS/SMP programs.

 

[TheUnderdogSupreme]

Are the smp programs looking at gpa with grade replacement or without when reviewing an application?

 

[adrian710]

Are the smp programs looking at gpa with grade replacement or without when reviewing an application?

Without