Stuck in a deep hole...

[TGibson81]

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I have read quite a few of the posts submitted by others and felt my feet sink a bit more. People are worried about their chances of getting into a medical school with 3.5 GPAs and 31m on the MCAT. I have no idea where to even begin this journey....

I graduated 5 year ago with Bachelors in Marketing. I dont know why I chose business rather than to just pick a major and graduate. I had a fantastic time (ie: lots of partying) in college but never felt the need to worry about GPA or studying.

Now, sometime later I have realized that I have always wanted to go to Medical school; so I decided to pick up an Anatomy & Physiology course at the local university. I immediately felt that this is what I should have done while in my undergrad. So here I am, longing to learn more, to take all the Med School prereqs, the MCAT, and hope for a chance achieve my goal. But here are the sad statistics:

My undergrad GPA is 2.37 ( although I got an A in A&P I & II, I calculated that 120 hours, or 4 more years full-time, with all As, would bring my GPA to a 3.1) 🙁 ***So including my 2 AP classes, Im at a 2.46 now***

I have no medical experience and besides a passion for learning, dont really know where to begin.

I have mapped out a plan to take Trig, Calc1&2, Chem 1&2, Organic 1&2, Physics 1&2, Bio 1&2, Microbiology, and possibly Genetics over the next 2 years. But even if I make the desired A in each of these courses, i will end up with a 2.8GPA.

So here is the question- If I earn an outstanding score on the MCAT, is it possible that they committee reviweing applicants will look at my current grade performance vs. my prior undergrad?

I am crossing my fingers and hoping.... Any feedback is appreciated

 

[drizzt3117]

If you raised your GPA to ~2.8, got a good MCAT score (you'd probably need 33+) and got into and did a special masters program (read the postbac forum for more info) you might have a legitimate shot at DO and lower tier MD schools.

 

[GoSpursGo]

If you raised your GPA to ~2.8, got a good MCAT score (you'd probably need 33+) and got into and did a special masters program (read the postbac forum for more info) you might have a legitimate shot at DO and lower tier MD schools.

Realistically, I'd say mostly just the DO schools, and those would still be somewhat longshots without a truly amazing MCAT. How long does it take to get to a 3.0?

 

[TGibson81]

Realistically, I'd say mostly just the DO schools, and those would still be somewhat longshots without a truly amazing MCAT. How long does it take to get to a 3.0?

At the end of my 2 years, if I add a few more classes on, I can it a 3.0.
One option would be going back to to my school and retaking a few classes I didn't do well in, but being that those would be business classes, that wouldn't be too helpful except to raise my GPA.

Im wondering if I get alot of experience and do very well on the MCAT if Id have a shot. I am more interested in DO programs than MD programs, but the ability to practice as a DO in the south is pretty restricted, mostly due to lack of public knowledge- compared to the midwest.

Would a MS program GPA count in place of my undergrad GPA on an application?

 

[MilkmanAl]

At the end of my 2 years, if I add a few more classes on, I can it a 3.0.

If you have a 3.0 overall and in science courses and a stellar MCAT score, you probably have a legitimate shot at getting a couple interviews if the rest of your application is excellent. Also, since you claim to be more interested in DO programs, you can retake the undergrad courses you did poorly in. The DO application service will replace the old grades with your new ones, whereas AMCAS, the MD application service, will average them in. If you have no luck after raising your GPA and securing that 35+ MCAT score, apply to some SMP's (which you can read more about in the post-bac forum). If you're willing to put in a few years' worth of hard work, your goal is realistic. Crank out A's, and hope for the best.

Would a MS program GPA count in place of my undergrad GPA on an application?

No. Graduate and undergraduate GPA's are evaluated separately with undergrad being by far the most important of the two.