Tell me what you guys think

[orthGOD]

Alright guys, I am in a bit of a pickle. I know my GPA isn't as high as it should be and hell, I do not even know how to find my cum GPA due to I left Marquette for one year to go to UW-Eau Claire and came back. My freshman year I got 3.0s both semesters went to Eau Claire and got a 3.9 and 3.7 with getting A's in both semesters of o-chem. I came back to Marquette my Junior year and struggled with physics. I earned a CD first semester and an F the second. My junior year I had a C in anatomy and B in my retake of Physics 1.

Now. When I was up in Eau Claire I was not working at all. BUt due to the price of Marquette's tuition I work 25hrs a week. In addition this last Fall 08 semester, my Grandfather was in the ICU for 2 weeks, falling right in time with midterms. Thankfully my grandfather recovered and is doing fine, but having the POA it was a very stressful semester. I feel very competive in that I was part of a pilot program in the ER at the Level 2 trauma center in Milwaukee which provides better patient care regarding possible drug complications from home medications, have steller LOR of both MD and DO. I guess, I am scared that I do not want to make excuses for doing poorly, but if I was not working as much as I have to, I would be way better academically.

There are very few science C's. A few AB and a couple B's. Even if I do not get into MD/DO, I have every intention of a post-bacc to get my GPA up. I am taking the MCAT in April and have consistenly been scoring a 34.


What do you guys think? Am I screwed?


Don't be shy...I'd just like to hear some thoughts.

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[Mobius1985]

AMCAS GPA calculator: http://medschool.ucsf.edu/postbac/pdf/AMCAS%20GPA_Calculator%20Version%204%20Final.xls
or
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=590424


DO GPA calculation spreadsheet: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=450050

Tell us what numbers you come up with.

 

[orthGOD]

AAMC BCMP: 3.114 and that is without retaking Physics 2
Cumulative GPA of a 3.321


I have the stupid Marquette AB scale so what should I use, A- or B+ for the DO. haha.

 

[Mobius1985]

I just have the AMCAS grade conversion guide. Maybe it would work the same:
http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2009conversionguide.pdf

 

[orthGOD]

I just have the AMCAS grade conversion guide. Maybe it would work the same:
http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2009conversionguide.pdf

I got the same results. Should I plan on a post bacc or am I competitive with my 2 years of clinical experience and shadowing? If I get above a 32 on the MCAT I should be ok, right?

 

[flip26]

I got the same results. Should I plan on a post bacc or am I competitive with my 2 years of clinical experience and shadowing? If I get above a 32 on the MCAT I should be ok, right?

Ehh, not really...

Your GPA is too low. MCAT scores do not compensate for low GPAs. You need to raise your GPA in a post bacc, or consider an SMP.

 

[Mobius1985]

I agree with flip26. An MCAT of 32 won't compensate for a GPA of 3.321. Your two years of clinical experience and shadowing are great. However, if your GPA doesn't exceed a school's minimum cut off, your above average ECs won't be appreciated.

 

[Mobius1985]

I assume you are a senior from what you've shared. If you get a 4.0 next semester, then stay in school one more year (for a total of ten semesters) again getting a 4.0, you could potentially have a GPA of 3.524 to apply with. Then an MCAT of 32+ would compensate.

 

[orthGOD]

I assume you are a senior from what you've shared. If you get a 4.0 next semester, then stay in school one more year (for a total of ten semesters) again getting a 4.0, you could potentially have a GPA of 3.524 to apply with. Then an MCAT of 32+ would compensate.

I am graduating next December. So you are saying to not even bother to apply this time around? I am graduating in 4.5 years. What are some "easier" upper level science courses?


Do you think I will be competitive for DO school at all?

 

[Mobius1985]

Mean stats for those accepted to DO schools are cGPA 3.45 and MCAT 25.5. If you get an MCAT score of 25-26+, it would be sufficient to make you a good candidate for a DO medical school acceptance during this coming application season.

Can you get straight As next semester? If so, you might have an application GPA of 3.4. If so, and if you could manage an MCAT of 33, and if you have a forgiving state school, it would be worth taking a chance of applying to MD medical schools, but I'd still apply broadly and include DO medical schools in the mix of schools you choose, because MD med schools are going to prefer to see 1.5 years of recent excellent grades on your transcript that prove you can suceed in a science-heavy curriculum.

If you haven't found it yet the Pre-Osteopathic forum has a "What are my chances?" thread at:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=514416