Start from scratch? Divorce undergrad grades?

[reddirtgirl]

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Hi:

Long story short, I have always wanted to be a doctor since I was like 5 or 6. Decades later, I still do. However, I have a horrible GPA & even worse BCMP GPA, all based on a TON of credit hours.

Cumulative Undergrad AMCAS GPA Incl. Post Bac: 2.485629336
Cumulative Hours Incl. Post Bac: 201.8
Cumulative Quality Points Incl. Post Bac: 501.6

Cumulative Undergrad AMCAS BCPM GPA Incl. Post Bac: 2.243298969
Cumulative BCPM Hours Incl. Post Bac: 97
Cumulative BCPM Quality Points Incl. Post Bac: 217.6

There are many reasons for why this happened (ADHD, family situation, partied, blah blah blah). It seems pointless to mention that I have a BA history & BS cellular biology from the flagship university of a southern state (not UVA or Chapel Hill). Additionally I have about 5 years bench research but no pubs (DNA/RNA/protein/ELISA/*tons* of cell culture/embryonic stem cells, animal cloning, malaria vax development). I also have a few years of volunteer experience at a free clinic. I hate working in a basic research lab & also hate the lifestyle/culture of working in industry as a research assistant/associate (and may be underqualified for latter).

I spent the last 3-4 yrs working menial jobs/retail & traveling (recovering from & enjoying life). I have no kids nor mortgage.

I'm contemplating a few plans but wonder how viable they are in terms of having a sustainable like AND getting into med school (very open to Carribean, DO):

I am contemplating a few plans:

A) Working menial jobs & taking classes to nudge up my GPA (meaning I'd disclose previous undergrads). Currently looking into phleb/med tech/patient care tech programs which all take 3-6-9 months. Where I live the lowliest of tech jobs all require certification.

pro:
-can't think of any other than not working in research lab
-can get phleb/med tech/patient care tech certs & work during school
con:
-really broke life until?
-my GPA seems terminally unimprovable so it may be a lost cause
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B) Get phleb/med tech/patient care tech certs & start from scratch at community college w/ high school diploma in hand, no disclosing any college work already done. Get RN. Work. Get BSN (only b/c med schools require a bachelors for admissions). Do BCMP classes along the way then med sch or apply for postbac/medsch combo program.

pro:
-programs local to where I live
-a way to make a living regardless of getting into med school
-can get phleb/med tech/patient care tech certs & work during school
con:
4? yrs til BSN
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C) either starting from scratch or disclose undergrad grades to transfer credits: some sort of bachelors in medical technology/clinical laboratory science, take BCMP courses along side, then apply to med school.

pro:
-a way to make a living regardless of getting into med school
-can be combined w/ BCMP classes from local CC
-can get phleb/med tech/patient care tech certs & work during school

con:
-don't know of local programs; there are online programs
-if I don't start from scratch & disclose undergrad grades, its less time but more impossible for med sch
-start from scratch = years before med school apps

Any thoughts?

 

[MissIrish]

You can't just "divorce" your undergrad, though many of us nontrads who are in the same boat as you (me included) wish we could! You must report everything when you apply to medical school.

DO is more forgiving of past indiscretions because they do grade replacement. Retake anything you received lower than a C in and get As this time around. Show the adcoms you have changed and you do have the ability to do well in med school. This will be the best use of your time.

Carribbean should be a last resort for when one has applied to and been rejected by every US MD and DO school mulitiple times. If you do a search you can find out more about it.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[reddirtgirl]

thanks for the nonjudgemental & sympathetic reply. For the record, it was not my intention to deceive by omission. I posted that msg after looking through the app, supplemental & other app info of a nonAMCAS school. The almost complete lack of mentioning "state *every* course & college you attended" got my hopes up just a bit.

 

[EHCMD]

hi reddirtgirl...

i am kinda in the same boat as you...with a BBA, with a low GPA....

just wondering how you came up with all those numerical stats at the top of your post...

i noticed that you mentioned non-AMCAS school and googled that...all i could find is that there are apparently 6 non-AMCAS schools but i couldn't find the name of any...

😕 i want to get an idea of what the application looks like...so i can figure out what i need to do...i too have wanted to be a dr all my life, but my choices didn't always represent that...

thanks in advance for any information you can provide me with...

-EHC.MD- wannabe...

 

[Narnian]

I think most schools would overlook a low GPA if you have some kind of stellar volunteer credentials, like Peace Corps, or Ameri-Corps. There is also the military. Most schools applications have a block to fill out if you are or were military. Its speaks volumes about a person.

 

[EHCMD]

I think most schools would overlook a low GPA if you have some kind of stellar volunteer credentials, like Peace Corps, or Ameri-Corps. There is also the military. Most schools applications have a block to fill out if you are or were military. Its speaks volumes about a person.

how did you know i was in the military *spooky*...jk...

really though, how deep do they look into your military career? I was in but didn't amount to much...i didn't get in trouble and did get out with a honorable discharge in 1994 (right before the first gulf war)...i seriously considered going back after 9/11 but i was a single parent to an elementary school age son by then...so i didn't re-enlist...i am considering the national guard now, but i need to look into it a little more....

-ehc.md- wannabe

 

[gman33]

I think most schools would overlook a low GPA if you have some kind of stellar volunteer credentials, like Peace Corps, or Ameri-Corps. There is also the military. Most schools applications have a block to fill out if you are or were military. Its speaks volumes about a person.

This is completely false.
It's nice to have this experience, but it will do nothing to offset a low gpa.

OP - Your only shot at a US school is DO. Retake all your low grades until you have the gpa in the 3.5 range. Based on the amount of coursework, this may take a long time.

You need to make sure you figure out what the problem was with your lack of ability to do well in classes. Until you figure out and correct this, don't even think about med school.

 

[Chuck's Right Foot]

thanks for the nonjudgemental & sympathetic reply. For the record, it was not my intention to deceive by omission. I posted that msg after looking through the app, supplemental & other app info of a nonAMCAS school. The almost complete lack of mentioning "state *every* course & college you attended" got my hopes up just a bit.

I believe I was your MCAT instructor..... So I'm a bit familiar with your situation.... (You are into climbing, blogging etc....)

Quickest route for you will probably be DO if you don't have connections to an MD program. If you retake a course, they take the highest grade, not the average. Great way to boost your GPA quickly, and you're smart enoguh to do well enough on the MCAT. They are much more forgiving of a non-trad lifestyle as well. You'd be an interesting candidate to them.

 

[Krisss17]

It's definitely easier to divorce your old spouse than it is to divorce your old GPA...depending on whether you go allopathic or osteopathic, you can be paying that alimony for a loooonnnnnnggggg time. Best option, retake your less than stellar classes (especially if these are your prereqs), and apply for to an osteopathic school.

 

[Narnian]

This is completely false.
It's nice to have this experience, but it will do nothing to offset a low gpa.

OP - Your only shot at a US school is DO. Retake all your low grades until you have the gpa in the 3.5 range. Based on the amount of coursework, this may take a long time.

You need to make sure you figure out what the problem was with your lack of ability to do well in classes. Until you figure out and correct this, don't even think about med school.

Here is an interesting link 👍

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/04/gpa-and-mcat/

Here is a quote from this article.

"For example, for the 2005 school year, 155 applicants were accepted to allopathic medical schools (out of 17,978 total accepted that year) with a GPA that was lower than a 2.75. (Undergraduate Grade Point Average, Medical School Admission Requirements, 2007-2008, page 29) So, it is possible to gain admission with a low GPA, but you can see from these numbers that this is very rare. Also, these individuals most likely had stellar applications otherwise."

 

[atomi]

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[gman33]

I believe it is possible to do this. Nobody talks about it, but it is possible. Nobody will tell you how to do this either. You have to be creative and willing to take a risk.

IMO, there is nothing unethical with 'starting over.'

My guess is you are talking about not disclosing or finding some way to hide your previous academic record.

If that is what you mean; that is pretty much the definition of unethical.

 

[Terpskins99]

Here is an interesting link 👍

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/04/gpa-and-mcat/

Here is a quote from this article.

"For example, for the 2005 school year, 155 applicants were accepted to allopathic medical schools (out of 17,978 total accepted that year) with a GPA that was lower than a 2.75. (Undergraduate Grade Point Average, Medical School Admission Requirements, 2007-2008, page 29) So, it is possible to gain admission with a low GPA, but you can see from these numbers that this is very rare. Also, these individuals most likely had stellar applications otherwise."

There's a name for this phenomenon. Its called nepotism. 😛

Honestly, the first step for all of you guys is to figure out whether or not you have what it takes to stay in med school should you even get there. A common misconception is that it is hard to fail med school. Thats not true. Medical schools usually grade their students on a bell curve. In some instances, that means a certain percentage of the class will fail any given exam. You're competing with everyone else in the class just to stay afloat. That is not an easy task when you consider the company you're in.

Its because of this that I often recommend folks in your particular situation to look into post-bac programs. If you REALLY feel you have the mettle to hang with the med school crowd, this is the only way to definitely prove it to an admissions committee.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

I believe it is possible to do this. Nobody talks about it, but it is possible. Nobody will tell you how to do this either. You have to be creative and willing to take a risk.

IMO, there is nothing unethical with 'starting over.'

In Texas (which wouldn't help the OP, but might help someone else in TX in a similar situation,) an "Academic Fresh Start" is guaranteed by law. Here is a description of the law on the UT-Arlington Admissions Web Site (but this is a state law and is the same at all state schools)

http://www.uta.edu/admissions/fresh_start.php

Even then, however, you still need to provide ALL of your transcripts when you apply, so the old, bad grades would still be there. However, I think you could, without fearing repercussions for omission, etc enter your only your new coursework into TMDSAS, so all your GPAs will be calculated on that coursework alone.

 

[atomi]

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[atomi]

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[Narnian]

There's a name for this phenomenon. Its called nepotism.😛

I guess your right lol. George W. Bush did graduate with a Masters from Harvard Business School