URM low gpa, chances at top Medical School

[Makeithappen14]

Hello I'm new to this forum and I wanted to know what are my chances at a top Medical School (Harvard, Stanford, Wustl). I have a relatively low gpa and even though I'm still considered a sophomore I have been in school for four years. Due to high levels of stress and living with a mental illness, I have dropped a lot more classes than I have passed. When I say a lot, I mean I have a lot of W's on my transcript!!! If I were to apply right now my gpa would be around a 2.2 but I still have two and a half years left of school. So I'm just wondering If I were to get all A's for the remaining of my college career and then go to grad school and receive a 4.0 gpa, what will be my chances? By the way I'm an AA male and will be applying with a disadvantaged background.

As of now...
NO Ec's or Volunteer Hours yet
NO Research yet
& NO Direct Patient Contact yet

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[HopefulSlav]

Don't. Feed. The. Troll.

 

[Makeithappen14]

Don't. Feed. The. Troll.

I'm actually not a troll. This is my current situation. I know it may seem unreasonable but these are my stats as of now

 

[Makeithappen14]

DANG I FED HIM

t
Trust me I'm not a troll

 

[JustAPhD]

Perhaps a troll, but whatever, time for some hard love.

Literally zero chance as of now. You don't have an application at all, you just have a very low GPA. Get your ECs in, do research, go shadow, and get great grades from here on out. With grade replacement out the window you're looking at multiple semesters of A-level work to build a competitive app for any medical school. Figure out why you're doing poorly in classes and fix it, ASAP. No excuses are going to cut it. BTW grad school won't help a low uGPA.

 

[LizzyM]

You can't really know if a career in medicine is a good fit for you without some exposure to real life clinical situations. You need to observe, volunteer and/or work in a clinical setting where you are close enough to smell patients.

Your academic record does not engender confidence in your ability to do well in a medical school classroom. While there were extenuating circumstances, the admissions committee will be looking for evidence that you turned a corner and have, for several years, demonstrated an ability to exceptionally well in academic pursuits.

Given your health and your academic difficulties, it is no surprise that you have not been involved in volunteer service to those in need. However, if your reason for pursuing a career in medicine hinges on a desire to help those in need, you need to show that it is more than just talk and that you have gotten out there and helped people in need. This need not be clinical service. If people need help and are unable to help themselves (too poor, too sick, too young, too old) you can volunteer to help them.

If part of your reason for pursuing a career in medicine is because you like science, then you need to show us that you have a curious mind that wants to be involved in scientific discovery. That means research. That can come later but keep it in mind.

Take care of your health, do your best academically,and get involved in outside activities to test whether medicine is right for you. Time will tell what the right path for you will be.

 

[Makeithappen14]

Perhaps a troll, but whatever, time for some hard love.

Literally zero chance as of now. You don't have an application at all, you just have a very low GPA. Get your ECs in, do research, go shadow, and get great grades from here on out. With grade replacement out the window you're looking at multiple semesters of A-level work to build a competitive app for any medical school. Figure out why you're doing poorly in classes and fix it, ASAP. No excuses are going to cut it. BTW grad school won't help a low uGPA.

Since grad school won't help with my gpa. Do you know what will help offset a low gpa?

 

[Makeithappen14]

Since grad school won't help with my gpa. Do you know what will help offset a low gpa?

Besides a really high mcat score?

 

[Makeithappen14]

You can't really know if a career in medicine is a good fit for you without some exposure to real life clinical situations. You need to observe, volunteer and/or work in a clinical setting where you are close enough to smell patients.

Your academic record does not engender confidence in your ability to do well in a medical school classroom. While there were extenuating circumstances, the admissions committee will be looking for evidence that you turned a corner and have, for several years, demonstrated an ability to exceptionally well in academic pursuits.

Given your health and your academic difficulties, it is no surprise that you have not been involved in volunteer service to those in need. However, if your reason for pursuing a career in medicine hinges on a desire to help those in need, you need to show that it is more than just talk and that you have gotten out there and helped people in need. This need not be clinical service. If people need help and are unable to help themselves (too poor, too sick, too young, too old) you can volunteer to help them.

If part of your reason for pursuing a career in medicine is because you like science, then you need to show us that you have a curious mind that wants to be involved in scientific discovery. That means research. That can come later but keep it in mind.

Take care of your health, do your best academically,and get involved in outside activities to test whether medicine is right for you. Time will tell what the right path for you will be.

Thank you

 

[summergirl]

Since grad school won't help with my gpa. Do you know what will help offset a low gpa?

Reincarnate into an even more rare race of URM?

 

[Makeithappen14]

Reincarnate into an even more rare race of URM?

Funny. I wish that I can, maybe that would help lol

 

[LizzyM]

Since grad school won't help with my gpa. Do you know what will help offset a low gpa?

A high MCAT will help somewhat but there are those who will scoff that it measures your performance on one day and that the GPA is more important because it is indicative of how you perform over the long haul.

Nothing substitutes for solid evidence that you have the "right stuff" academically to do well in medical school. All the work experiences, leadership, and volunteerism in the world does not substitute for the academic horsepower to do well in medical school.