Should I consider MD?

[jrcable]

So here is my story. I started going to college when I was 18, and I was a freakn bonehead. I didn't have any desire to do well in school and did not pay attention to or study for class hardly at all. I failed Bio Lab and Lecture and also Anatomy and Physiology 1. I took a few other classes and got C's in them. With that being said, I took a year and a half off of college and became a paramedic/firefighter. I am now 23 and am back in college pursuing a career in medicine. I am extremely motivated. And I love being back in school. I am currently taking Gen Chem 1, Re-taking Anatomy and Phys., and taking a English comp 2 class. I have all A's as of right now. Over the summer I will be taking Gen Chem 2, College Algebra and PreCalc, because I am required to in order to take Calc 1. My GPA will be around a 2.4c/2.6s give or take at the end of this semester. I plan to finish my degree in a Biology related Bachelors. I am not against D.O. school. HOWEVER, I would really prefer to go to MD school, as would most people. Do you think that if I put in the work and get very good grades from here on out I have a shot? Including doing very well on the MCAT obviously. Any insight would be helpful. I need to know what my options are as I am not getting any younger. Thank you in advance.

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[Chip N Sawbones]

For now, just focus on keeping your grades up. You will need to finish up with a cGPA over 3.0, even if that means taking extra classes after graduating. It's good that you're open to the idea of applying to DO schools because you likely will be, at least as backups. After you take the MCAT and get your score back we will be able to give you a better assessment on your chances for MD. In the future you might get better results asking questions like this on the nontrad forum. There are quite a few people over there who got MD acceptances with poor grades in their first round of undergrad followed by excellent work later in life. I'm one of them; a 2.89 with several failed classes in undergrad plus a 4.0 taking the prerequisite classes added up to a 3.14 and one (and only one) MD acceptance. Keep up the good work and MD might not be entirely out of the question for you.

 

[Snowdon48]

Do you think that if I put in the work and get very good grades from here on out I have a shot?.

Yes. If you continue to get A's and show that you have really turned a corner. MD programs will take this into account but as you said, great grades from hear on along with a solid MCAT will be needed. It sounds like you are willing to put in the work so don't give up. I suppose it's possible that you may have to pursue a masters degree to further bolster your GPA but not necessarily. It definitely needs to be above a 3.0. Have you figured out what your GPA would be by time you apply if you get A's from here on out?

There are a few threads on this forum on how much a good MCAT can actually compensate for a low GPA.

Good luck!!

 

[jrcable]

Yes. If you continue to get A's and show that you have really turned a corner. MD programs will take this into account but as you said, great grades from hear on along with a solid MCAT will be needed. It sounds like you are willing to put in the work so don't give up. I suppose it's possible that you may have to pursue a masters degree to further bolster your GPA but not necessarily. It definitely needs to be above a 3.0. Have you figured out what your GPA would be by time you apply if you get A's from here on out?

There are a few threads on this forum on how much a good MCAT can actually compensate for a low GPA.

Good luck!!

I have actually entered every single class into a calculator and I was reasonable not thinking that I would get all A's from here on out. I added a few B's and a C. It came out to be a sGPA of 3.56 and a cGPA of 3.6 If I did not fail a single class it would be higher but probably not by much.

Thanks for the reply. Greatly appreciated.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to non-trad at the request of the OP.

 

[Goro]

There are MD programs out here that do reward people who reinvent themselves (SUNY-Upstate, BU, Tulane, Albany, Drexel, to name a few). You'll also have good luck with the newest programs as well. So, ace your coursework and the MCAT, and you'll be fine.

So here is my story. I started going to college when I was 18, and I was a freakn bonehead. I didn't have any desire to do well in school and did not pay attention to or study for class hardly at all. I failed Bio Lab and Lecture and also Anatomy and Physiology 1. I took a few other classes and got C's in them. With that being said, I took a year and a half off of college and became a paramedic/firefighter. I am now 23 and am back in college pursuing a career in medicine. I am extremely motivated. And I love being back in school. I am currently taking Gen Chem 1, Re-taking Anatomy and Phys., and taking a English comp 2 class. I have all A's as of right now. Over the summer I will be taking Gen Chem 2, College Algebra and PreCalc, because I am required to in order to take Calc 1. My GPA will be around a 2.4c/2.6s give or take at the end of this semester. I plan to finish my degree in a Biology related Bachelors. I am not against D.O. school. HOWEVER, I would really prefer to go to MD school, as would most people. Do you think that if I put in the work and get very good grades from here on out I have a shot? Including doing very well on the MCAT obviously. Any insight would be helpful. I need to know what my options are as I am not getting any younger. Thank you in advance.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

I have actually entered every single class into a calculator and I was reasonable not thinking that I would get all A's from here on out. I added a few B's and a C. It came out to be a sGPA of 3.56 and a cGPA of 3.6 If I did not fail a single class it would be higher but probably not by much.

Thanks for the reply. Greatly appreciated.

That's way better than I thought. I figured you had a hundred credits or so of bad grades to try to overcome. If you can keep getting A's you'll be in excellent shape for quite a few MD programs.

 

[jrcable]

Thanks guys I greatly appreciate your input. I will be putting in maximum effort to keep my grades up. Very glad to hear I still have a shot at a few MD programs as I do not want to limit myself with matching into a solid residency. Thanks again.

Also do you guys think that getting into a lower tier MD school is a better choice than going into a higher tier DO school?

 

[iceman55]

In my opinion yes. There isn't really a bad MD school in the US, for most part all are respectable schools.

 

[jrcable]

In my opinion yes. There isn't really a bad MD school in the US, for most part all are respectable schools.

Thank you! I appreciate the reply.