Upward trend, but I never gets As

[Opplesnbononos]

Ok, so I'm having issues as to whether or not I'd still want to pursue DO/MD. I'm in my second year of college, and my grades are flip floppy, which I know isn't good. The classes that I've failed were either online classes (NEVER AGAIN) or I had to stop attending class for personal reasons.

Besides those nasty grades, all of my other classes are all solid B+s. I think with some summer and midwinter classes, I can bring my gpa up. I was on academic probation because of it, but my 3.3 last semester took me off of it. However, from what I'm reading in other threads I'd need to attain straight As in order for admissions committees to even consider me. What would my chances be if I just maintain my B+ average until I graduate? (Assuming that + and - counts) These would all be NY schools, and Jersey. Would my highest grade count for retaken courses, or would they average in my F + B+?

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[CurrySpice]

You need As. If you don't ace a single undergrad class, what makes you think you will survive graduate school? I am 100% sure that if you really apply yourself you can get at least a few As.

PA school has more grade leniency, at the trade-off for significantly more clinical experience.

Nursing may also be a good option.

 

[Opplesnbononos]

You need As. If you don't ace a single undergrad class, what makes you think you will survive graduate school? I am 100% sure that if you really apply yourself you can get at least a few As.

PA school has more grade leniency, at the trade-off for significantly more clinical experience.

Nursing may also be a good option.

I'm pretty sure I can survive graduate school, I'm not a dummy. But the A thing is quite a mystery to me. Last semester with two of my classes, the lowest grade I received on all tests/quizzes/essays/research papers was 92 which is an A. I participate in class, all of that good stuff, and yet my final grades were B+s. The exact number grades were 89 and 88! (A 90 is an A) I asked my professors why, no response!

I was also thinking of PA (nursing is out of the question) but from what I'm looking at, I need the same qualifications and grades as MD/DO/OT.

 

[Catalystik]

Would my highest grade count for retaken courses, or would they average in my F + B+?

AACOMAS, the DO med school application service, has a grade forgiveness policy where they only count the most recent retake grade (not the highest), provided the credit hours are the same or greater, when they calculate the application GPA. Replacing your low grades this way could rapidly repair your GPAs, especially if you can manage some As.

Average stats for entering DO students are cGPA 3.47, sGPA 3.36, MCAT 26.49. These are your goals, but lower stats can still get you in at less-selective DO schools. A higher MCAT score can compensate for a lower cGPA.

 

[CurrySpice]

I'm pretty sure I can survive graduate school, I'm not a dummy. But the A thing is quite a mystery to me. Last semester with two of my classes, the lowest grade I received on all tests/quizzes/essays/research papers was 92 which is an A. I participate in class, all of that good stuff, and yet my final grades were B+s. The exact number grades were 89 and 88! (A 90 is an A) I asked my professors why, no response!

I was also thinking of PA (nursing is out of the question) but from what I'm looking at, I need the same qualifications and grades as MD/DO/OT.

Dedicated, intelligent people ace classes. If you're smart, then clearly you're not applying yourself enough to your classes. Telling people you are intelligent is different than actually proving it to an adcom through grades . If you tell people that you worked hard and still got poor grades, either something was wrong with your study strategy or you're just stupid.

There are many people here who have been accepted with a lower GPA. HOWEVER, it is because their first year (or two or three) of classes they were lazy and got poor grades. Once they decided to apply themselves, they got enough A grades to compensate.

IF your story about your grades is correct, you need to go force your professors to have a conversation with you. It may be outside the time when you can petition a grade, but it is possible they miscalculated it. It is also possible that they did a bell-curve for the class and your grade got lowered (it sucks, but it can happen).

 

[Opplesnbononos]

AACOMAS, the DO med school application service, has a grade forgiveness policy where they only count the most recent retake grade (not the highest), provided the credit hours are the same or greater, when they calculate the application GPA. Replacing your low grades this way could rapidly repair your GPAs, especially if you can manage some As.

Average stats for entering DO students are cGPA 3.47, sGPA 3.36, MCAT 26.49. These are your goals, but lower stats can still get you in at less-selective DO schools. A higher MCAT score can compensate for a lower cGPA.

I'm just wondering if I have the time to raise my GPA that high by graduation in 2 years. Thanks for telling me about grade forgiveness, I didn't know that at all.

 

[Catalystik]

A fifth year of college or a postbac after graduation can be utilized for further GPA repair if necessary. There's no rush to apply to med school. Folks older than 30s and 40s are doing it, so a late 20-something won't stand out as unusual.