terribly worried/in need of advice

[MissHacksAlot]

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hey guys,
im very much aware of the predicament im in so no bashing, please. bio major, w/an overall gpa-2.9, science gpa-2.6. im pretty much screwed unless i get around a 30 on the mcats, right? studyin hard 4 aug, expect no less than a 26 based on current studying/practice exams. shadowing a do 4 the summer, lots of volunteering on record, n a minority female. not lookin 2 go 2 a top do school, will settle 4 newhere that accepts. also contemplating out of the country- that being ross. advice ne one? should i even bother w/do? be kind w/ur words, i break easily. thanks.

 

[ShyRem]

You really need to get that GPA up to have a shot. There are DO schools that have a 3.0 GPA cutoff. how much longer do you have to go in school? Is it possible for you to get your GPA up a bit? That being said, apply EVERYWHERE. You never know.

Oh - and please try not to do the text messaging short hand. It's hard to read.

 

[BMW19]

Even if the average GPA at some DO schools is 3.2 there have to be people with 2.9 and 3.0 GPAs there. That being said you should prob. get in the high 20's on your MCAT. I think if you get a 26 or 27 you will def. get in somewhere

BMW-

hey guys,
im very much aware of the predicament im in so no bashing, please. bio major, w/an overall gpa-2.9, science gpa-2.6. im pretty much screwed unless i get around a 30 on the mcats, right? studyin hard 4 aug, expect no less than a 26 based on current studying/practice exams. shadowing a do 4 the summer, lots of volunteering on record, n a minority female. not lookin 2 go 2 a top do school, will settle 4 newhere that accepts. also contemplating out of the country- that being ross. advice ne one? should i even bother w/do? be kind w/ur words, i break easily. thanks.

 

[mastamark]

hey guys,
im very much aware of the predicament im in so no bashing, please. bio major, w/an overall gpa-2.9, science gpa-2.6. im pretty much screwed unless i get around a 30 on the mcats, right? studyin hard 4 aug, expect no less than a 26 based on current studying/practice exams. shadowing a do 4 the summer, lots of volunteering on record, n a minority female. not lookin 2 go 2 a top do school, will settle 4 newhere that accepts. also contemplating out of the country- that being ross. advice ne one? should i even bother w/do? be kind w/ur words, i break easily. thanks.

I think it would be good to bump up your GPA to around 3.0-3.1 overall and the science up to about 2.75 to get a shot at most schools. There are cutoffs that will prevent you from even getting an interview at some schools. I heard they don't even take a second look at Essays or anything if you don't at least make the minimum cut. My GPA is low too, and I am worried as well. I am trying hard to maintain a 3.0 science and 3.2 overall GPA. I am also minortity, with 5 years as a paramedic. I plan on going into family practice or internal medicine.

The cutoff thing is real though. I am sure with a couple of retakes you could get up a little. Maybe in summer school or something.

Best of luck 😳

 

[LINYKid]

hey guys,
im very much aware of the predicament im in so no bashing, please. bio major, w/an overall gpa-2.9, science gpa-2.6. im pretty much screwed unless i get around a 30 on the mcats, right? studyin hard 4 aug, expect no less than a 26 based on current studying/practice exams. shadowing a do 4 the summer, lots of volunteering on record, n a minority female. not lookin 2 go 2 a top do school, will settle 4 newhere that accepts. also contemplating out of the country- that being ross. advice ne one? should i even bother w/do? be kind w/ur words, i break easily. thanks.

study hard and start early preping for the mcats. you can also do a few retakes if that would really bost your gpa, i.e. if you have classes with f's or d's

 

[Faraaz23]

As previous poster said, get that GPA up. Off the top of my had, both Touro's have interview cut offs at 2.75 GPA... they're average stats are higher than that though. A number of DO schools have a cutoff of 3.0 as well. It would be advisable for you to take another year of classes (especially science ones) and raise your GPAs.

A mcat of 30 would definitely be a great help, but its not the whole story.
When looking at applicants, among other things, schools want to know that the applicant can handle the rigors of the med school curriculum (which as you know, is on a whole new level from undergrad). The 2.6 probably will not convey this to them. And since med school is pretty much all science classes, they are going to take a close look at your performance in the sciences.

I think it would help for you to find out where you can improve, then act upon it. Do you have test anxiety? Did you have special circumstances which affected your grades? Do you go to a top-tier, highly competitive undergrad... where as you'd be making all A's and B's at an "average" school?When you study, are you studying in effective manner? Are there any D's and F's you have that you can retake? The good thing about applying to DO school is, they'll replace the grade when calculating your GPA (although they'll still see what you got first time).

The important thing is to not throw in the towel. Study for the MCAT as much as you can. Go ahead and apply to schools, and make sure you apply EARLY. But in the meantime, you may want to seriouisly consider taking more classes this fall semester. If you don't get in first time, try try again. Some people go through the admissions cycle a few times before they get in. Good luck.

 

[rack]

think of it this way. even if you get a 30 on the mcat and a 2.6sci gpa, most DO schools have an average gpa of 3.4 sci and mcat of 25 (+/-1). this would make you about an average applicant without any heed to other qualifications (which generally impact your file significantly less anyways). the 2.6 is definitely in need of some fixing, as you wont receive the secondaries for a lot of schools with that gpa. Most schools have secondary cutoff minimums of 2.75 i think. In any event, consider retaking core science classes like genbio/chem/phys/orgo.

 

[PhDtoDO]

Take a year, work in a lab or somewhere that doesn't tax you.

Retake some of those low undergrad classes or take sci classes that you hear are easy/or you like....not necessarily 400 level....anything science.

You sound committed, so plan ahead. Taking the August mcat a year out gives you time to retake it in april before the application season.

Apply to all schools and get everything in a day early...ie send it the day before the first day they accept it.

SD is good for advice to load up and come back for more when you need a recharge!

-PhDtoDo

 

[Raven Feather]

Yeah, I don't know that a 30 MCAT will matter with a 2.6. I say retake classes to boost up the GPA. Most mininum cutt-offs are 2.75 to qualify to receive secondaries, but should really be much higher than that to be competitive. Good Luck!

 

[DrJekyl]

Here is my two cents. If you received poor grades in the basic sciences required for medical school, I suggest retaking those classes before taking the MCAT along with courses in biochemistry, physiology and/or genetics. Doing this will help you break a 30 on the MCAT, improve your science GPA, and show adcoms how serious you are about medical school. This may take you another year to accomplish, but it may help you get into some of your top choice schools. Also, be sure to maintain your involvement with shadowing/volunteering. Try to get involved in some research, and have some good extra curricular activities to talk about during your interviews. Good Luck!

 

[scrubs07]

Here is my two cents. If you received poor grades in the basic sciences required for medical school, I suggest retaking those classes before taking the MCAT along with courses in biochemistry, physiology and/or genetics. Doing this will help you break a 30 on the MCAT, improve your science GPA, and show adcoms how serious you are about medical school. This may take you another year to accomplish, but it may help you get into some of your top choice schools. Also, be sure to maintain your involvement with shadowing/volunteering. Try to get involved in some research, and have some good extra curricular activities to talk about during your interviews. Good Luck!

Completely agree with DrJekyl's advice, if you're going to commit to another year consisting of re-taking classes then stick to the classes that were sciences preferably pre-reqs if you hadn't done so well in them (bio, chem, physics) to of course show medical schools how serious you are and to help with your MCAT also, usually sciences are more credits therefore, worth more if you recieve a stronger grade in them. Best of luck!

 

[scpod]

bio major, w/an overall gpa-2.9, science gpa-2.6. im pretty much screwed unless i get around a 30 on the mcats, right?

I've known people who had an absolutoely awful freshman year, but turned things around the last couple of years and got in. They showed an increasing trend and got in even though their GPAs were low. Has the trend in your grades gotten better, worse, or stayed the same?

 

[rgerwin]

Definitely take a year off and get the science GPA up. People are definitely right about cutoffs, so there is no point in wasting your money. Then apply everywhere next year, and as long as your MCAT is 26+ (maybe 27+ on the safe side) you will get in somewhere domestic, and definitely overseas.

GOod luck!

 

[caduceus27]

hi
i know how u feel. i am kind of in your same " predicament" first i launched a thread couple of mnths ago on this same topic. people would give you different feedback. but the best advice i got was not to give up!! its not the end of the world if you dont get in. there are other ways to keep trying. first do your best on your up coming semesters. second take the courses you did bad in C or lower . third study very hard on the MCAT and do well. volunteering and shadowing a DO can help you, but you really need to get that GPA up before you apply. what you need to remember is that other people apply and have a better scores than you. and if was looking at two application i would honestly take the one with the higher grades. so dont give up spend a bit more time getting your gpa up and get into medical school. all things are possible dont lose hope. i hope this helps i know its nice to know that u are not alone. whats your state of residence?

make progress everyday
PS if you have any questions you can PM me.

hey guys,

im very much aware of the predicament im in so no bashing, please. bio major, w/an overall gpa-2.9, science gpa-2.6. im pretty much screwed unless i get around a 30 on the mcats, right? studyin hard 4 aug, expect no less than a 26 based on current studying/practice exams. shadowing a do 4 the summer, lots of volunteering on record, n a minority female. not lookin 2 go 2 a top do school, will settle 4 newhere that accepts. also contemplating out of the country- that being ross. advice ne one? should i even bother w/do? be kind w/ur words, i break easily. thanks.

 

[caduceus27]

hey dudes
can some explain to me this cutoff bussiness i dont understand it
make progress everyday

Yeah, I don't know that a 30 MCAT will matter with a 2.6. I say retake classes to boost up the GPA. Most mininum cutt-offs are 2.75 to qualify to receive secondaries, but should really be much higher than that to be competitive. Good Luck!

 

[pokeytu]

some school prescreen and if your GPA or MCAT are below a certain value then they will not evaluate your application. On a brighter note for the OP my BCPM gpa was around a 2.7 and my MCAT was a 31 and I received acceptances to NSU and AZCOM. If you have an upward trend in your grades and good ECs then the low GPA can be explained.