Terrible GPA but Engineer

[kushr88]

Hey guys i was wondering if a good MCAT score will save me or should i just try a masters program first for the GPA.

Cum GPA: 3.0
Science : 2.6
Major: Nuclear Science Engineer

EC-

Volunteering:
50+ hours in ER

Shadowing:
30 hours Radiology
10 hours family doctor
10 Pathology

Research: Year of Coral Ecology research and lab work.

Clubs: Vice President of a health club and member of several others.

LOR: 4 pretty decent letters.

A couple of C's in science classes and got a D in orgo 1 and retoke and got a B- and just messed up orgo 2 and need to retake summer B. I'm taking the MCAT in July so any idea if a 30+ will keep me alive for this cycle?

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[docelh]

unlikely. sorry.

 

[HopefulMD805]

If there is a will, theres a way. Trust me.

 

[getright]

I would definitely recommend just saving your money to just apply to some smp/post-bacc programs. The science gpa is pretty low, maybe some DO schools will give you a chance if you can get a really good score on the mcat.

Do you happen to have any more clinical experience? Your shadowing hours are fine, but you're probably going to want to look at other forms of clinical exposure as well. Schools also like to see non-clinical volunteering.

 

[SOcash]

I'm taking the MCAT in July so any idea if a 30+ will keep me alive for this cycle?

No, sorry. If you are interested in DO schools (which to be honest is going to be a much more affordable way to medical school than MD schools) you should retake the classes you got a C or below in since they will use the most recent grade in the class to calculate your GPA.

You don't say anything about clinical experience outside of shadowing, and if you don't have long-term exposure to what working with patients is like, you definitely should wait to apply.

TD;DR response: save your money this cycle.

 

[kushr88]

Thanks for the advice.

Would volunteering at a camp for the terminally ill for about 35 hours be clinical experience?

 

[Xcited392]

Hey guys i was wondering if a good MCAT score will save me or should i just try a masters program first for the GPA.

Cum GPA: 3.0
Science : 2.6
Major: Nuclear Science Engineer

EC-

Shadowing:
50+ hours in ER
30+ Radiology
10 Pathology and family doctor

Research: Year of Coral Ecology research and lab work.

Clubs: Vice President of a health club and member of several others.

LOR: 4 pretty decent letters.

A couple of C's in science classes and got a D in orgo 1 and retoke and got a B- and just messed up orgo 2 and need to retake summer B. I'm taking the MCAT in July so any idea if a 30+ will keep me alive for this cycle?

First, you need to ask yourself if you want an MD or DO. Both will affect your plan of action.

Don't do a Masters--at least, not yet.

Yes, your GPA's are quite low. However, you're an engineering major, which means that there are lot of BCPM classes available to you. Taking upper science electives will help bring your cGPA and most importantly, bring your sGPA to at least a 3.0. From my estimation, you will need about 2 years of 4.0 work. But before you say, "Okay, I'll get all A's from now on," you need to evaluate how or why your GPA is low. Bad studying habits? Being lazy? Or maybe being an engineering major bit you in the behind.

When will you graduate? If you've already graduated, then you can take those classes as a post-bacc. If you're going to graduate next year, you could delay graduating and staying a 5th year to take classes to boost your gpa.

Also, you have NO clinical and volunteering experiences. Get these in check immediately. While shadowing is a good experience, you cannot expect to get an acceptance (especially with your stats) without them. You should aim for about 12 continuous months of volunteering/clinical experience.

 

[kushr88]

you should retake the classes you got a C or below in since they will use the most recent grade in the class to calculate your GPA.

UF averages the two grades together for a final GPA but will med schools do their own thing?

 

[SOcash]

UF averages the two grades together for a final GPA but will med schools do their own thing?

MD schools will also average the grades, DO schools will use only the most recent grade.