Too many science hours

[meteoramonk]

I am about to graduate with a double major in physics and chemistry. My science gpa is atrocious at around 2.2. I know I am not in any condition to apply to Med school now, but I worry that with the number of science hours I have, ~110 shrs, it would be decades before I could seriously apply. Should I even bother?

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[Arjuna]

I am about to graduate with a double major in physics and chemistry. My science gpa is atrocious at around 2.2. I know I am not in any condition to apply to Med school now, but I worry that with the number of science hours I have, ~110 shrs, it would be decades before I could seriously apply. Should I even bother?

First of all, why in the **** is your G.P.A soo low? I cant seem to think of why that would be. As far as medical school is concerned, you MUST retake the courses you didnt do well in as well as taking additional higher level courses. Then, you can apply DO/Caribbean and if your MCAT is high, you can get in. Also, try to do a post bacc after retaking your classes and if your MCAT is high, consider an SMP. In the meantime, get some killer ECs and an interesting job, like Teach for America. It should help get your app in the door.

 

[LateBl00meR]

First of all, why in the **** is your G.P.A soo low? I cant seem to think of why that would be. As far as medical school is concerned, you MUST retake the courses you didnt do well in as well as taking additional higher level courses. Then, you can apply DO/Caribbean and if your MCAT is high, you can get in. Also, try to do a post bacc after retaking your classes and if your MCAT is high, consider an SMP. In the meantime, get some killer ECs and an interesting job, like Teach for America. It should help get your app in the door.

Way to be supportive....
Meteormonk, retake the classes with the lowest grades. D.O. schools will calculate only the newest grades into your transcript. M.D. schools would rather see you take more upper level science and do well in them, however, it will be almost impossible to raise your science gpa above 3.0 any time soon. If MD is your goal, an SMP probably is a must.

 

[dangit]

Meteroamonk,

I was in your shoes. My GPA was very low, but I managed to bring it up with two years worth of upper division biology classes. I also hit a unit cap and my counselor told me to take classes at another institution because they wanted me to graduate and move on.

Before you start, you need ask yourself why you got such a low GPA. Were you working? If so, you probably should focus on studying during your postbac years. I think a postbac is the way to go because you need to rehabilitate your GPA. Did you take too many classes per semester? Take your time and don't take too much on your plate. You need to figure out what went wrong and make sure you don't repeat it. Doing a postbacc is like getting a second chance. Make sure you show you're serious through a strong GPA.

Retake any classes you have below a C. If you got C's in your pre-req it's up to you if you want to retake them. Most schools want you to take upper division courses isntead and do well because it's easier to do better in classes you retake and that's not really impressive. Show them that you have the cognitive ability to do well in medical school. AACOMAS (DO application) will replace the lower grade if you repeat classes. AMCAS (MD application) will average the two scores.

Check out my website in the signature below. I have a section on postbac programs.

Also, make sure you do well on your MCAT. A low GPA can be countered by a strong MCAT score. Strong being anything higher than a 33.

You want to try to get at least a 3.0 science GPA(cumulative, including post bac and undergrad GPA) before you apply. It will take a while. Don't rush. If it takes a few years then so be it. If this is really your dream, fight for it. Earn it. Work for it. I really didn't want to spend 2 years doing post bac, but now that I got accepted to medical school, I'm glad i went through it. Was it easy? No. But I'm glad that I did it. Ask more questions if you have any. good luck!

 

[JJMrK]

Let's be real: you've got nearly a C average after almost 4 years worth of work. I think you may be able to get in somewhere, in the distant future, but it won't be easy.

You need to figure out why you got such poor grades and address the situation.

After that, step 1 might be to sign up for a post-bacc and retake some of your C/D classes. DO schools will replace these grades. Do what you have to do to get A's. If you can get your GPA above a 3.0 and do well on the MCAT, you may have a shot in a few years.