Tanked last year of Undergrad Chances/Options

[msuhortond1]

Without beating around the bush, I performed relatively poorly in my last 3 semesters of college; average GPA of 3.35 with 2 failed courses. Some personal issues came up and they had a rather significant impact on my performance to say the least. I still managed to pull out a cGPA of 3.72 and a sGPA of 3.89. As far as EC's go, while they are not the best I do not believe they are horrible.
-400+ hours Volunteer work between Red Cross and local Hospitals
-3000+ hours working as a Paramedic
-TA for a few professors
-President/member for a few clubs
-100+ hours of job shadowing
-No research

How are medical schools going to look at these last 3 semester? Are they ging to have a profound impact on my consideration? It is a rather large dropoff from the GPA I carried my first few years in undergrad, roughly 3.9. What would be my best course of action, should I take another semester of courses to show that it was more of a anomaly. I graduated with a degree in accounting so the science courses I did take are the bear minimum.

Thanks in advance.

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[canjosh]

Honestly it's probably going to be a bit of a red flag. It might be helpful to enroll in some post-bacc courses as you suggested. I think your GPA is good enough to get you past initial screenings and stuff, but it'll probably come up at interviews. If you take more classes, you can show that you're serious about proving to them that it was anomalous. What about your MCAT?

 

[pancakesyrup]

The failed courses will leave a horrendous mark on your transcript, even with your good overall GPA. Either do a postbac, or if you're willing to go to a DO school, retake those failed courses and apply DO.

 

[msuhortond1]

Thanks for the replies. I have already retaken the 2 courses I had failed, recieving a 3.5 & 4.0 and my MCAT score was a 33Q. I am more then likely going to take another semester of some upper level science courses.

Can I possibly explain to the Medical schools that I apply too about the events that took place during that time frame. I lost my father to cancer and my twin brother was KIA in Iraq. Iam not trying to make myself a martyr because I know some people have had it much worse but do Medical schools take events like this into account?

 

[pancakesyrup]

Thanks for the replies. I have already retaken the 2 courses I had failed, recieving a 3.5 & 4.0 and my MCAT score was a 33Q. I am more then likely going to take another semester of some upper level science courses.

Can I possibly explain to the Medical schools that I apply too about the events that took place during that time frame. I lost my father to cancer and my twin brother was KIA in Iraq. Iam not trying to make myself a martyr because I know some people have had it much worse but do Medical schools take events like this into account?

I think they take difficult events into account. You're in good shape at least for osteopathic schools, but I'm not so sure about MD but it's definitely worth a try.

 

[canjosh]

Thanks for the replies. I have already retaken the 2 courses I had failed, recieving a 3.5 & 4.0 and my MCAT score was a 33Q. I am more then likely going to take another semester of some upper level science courses.

Can I possibly explain to the Medical schools that I apply too about the events that took place during that time frame. I lost my father to cancer and my twin brother was KIA in Iraq. Iam not trying to make myself a martyr because I know some people have had it much worse but do Medical schools take events like this into account?

So is your cGPA of 3.72 counting the Fs? Did you fail science classes? As far as the incredibly difficult stuff you went through, you will often be able to talk about those things, either in the personal statement or a secondary essay. If the 3.72 doesn't include the Fs, what is your GPA counting them?

 

[Jarudy]

As much as adcoms might seem heartless, your specific situation will be taken into account. Including your personal story without dwelling on it will significantly improve your chances of admission. Do not under sell yourself.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Your story is rough. I'm sorry to hear you went through all that.

I think you still have a good shot at MD if your MCAT is strong. It would be good to do an extra year of classes where you retake the "F" grades and do some research.

Don't give up. It'll get better.

 

[torshi]

Your GPA is still relatively high and you have a good MCAT score. Your good. Of course they might ask what happened, but you still proved you can handle it by retaking failed courses and passing and managing your gpa