- Joined
- Sep 24, 2007
- Messages
- 530
- Reaction score
- 5
Ok, here goes. Please ignore the pre-dental under my name, that's from a long time ago. I'll just stick to the facts:
-have an "ugly" college career. Rough start and end with a decent middle. Finished with a ~3.3 in both my sGPA and cGPA from a mid-tier uni. Red flags are a few C's and a D my very last semester. I had A's in upper level sciences my junior year.
-was pre-dental, and I took the DAT and got a good score. Not astronomical, but 85th percentile or higher on most sections. This is not indicative of anything but it means I can do well on a standardized test with a similar amount of prep.
-Applied to dental, and didn't cut it. I explored other career options and found that a nearby university associated with a good medical school (UTMB) offered a graduate degree (MS) in clinical laboratory science, a career I seriously considered in the past. I applied and got in. I'm currently through two of the (supposedly) hardest semesters with a 3.92. Also noted is that the program, similar to nursing, OT, etc. culminates with a board certification exam and licensure as an MT(ASCP) as well as the MS.
- I have calculated the best-case scenario in which I obtain an A in every single class I take. If the graduate grades are calculated with the bachelor's grades, the best I can achieve is a cGPA of 3.49 and an sGPA of 3.56. I am also keeping busy by volunteering and working part-time.
TL;DR - will high grades in a clinically-based MS program potentially outshine a lackluster college career assuming a "good" MCAT of 30 to 33 and "standard" extra-curriculars (it's pretty much all I have time for)? I'm just trying for in-state DO and MD schools mind you.
-have an "ugly" college career. Rough start and end with a decent middle. Finished with a ~3.3 in both my sGPA and cGPA from a mid-tier uni. Red flags are a few C's and a D my very last semester. I had A's in upper level sciences my junior year.
-was pre-dental, and I took the DAT and got a good score. Not astronomical, but 85th percentile or higher on most sections. This is not indicative of anything but it means I can do well on a standardized test with a similar amount of prep.
-Applied to dental, and didn't cut it. I explored other career options and found that a nearby university associated with a good medical school (UTMB) offered a graduate degree (MS) in clinical laboratory science, a career I seriously considered in the past. I applied and got in. I'm currently through two of the (supposedly) hardest semesters with a 3.92. Also noted is that the program, similar to nursing, OT, etc. culminates with a board certification exam and licensure as an MT(ASCP) as well as the MS.
- I have calculated the best-case scenario in which I obtain an A in every single class I take. If the graduate grades are calculated with the bachelor's grades, the best I can achieve is a cGPA of 3.49 and an sGPA of 3.56. I am also keeping busy by volunteering and working part-time.
TL;DR - will high grades in a clinically-based MS program potentially outshine a lackluster college career assuming a "good" MCAT of 30 to 33 and "standard" extra-curriculars (it's pretty much all I have time for)? I'm just trying for in-state DO and MD schools mind you.