URM, Low GPA, Yet to take MCAT, NV resident

[momo585]

Hi,

I'm new here and heard about SDN through a friend. I've been browsing through the SDN and I see it's very informative. I wanted your guys' opinion on my situation, and where I should go from where I am. I am a Nevada resident, and went to an out-of-state state school. I graduated last May with a 2.96 GPA. I have been volunteering at the hospital and coming up on 100 hours, and plan on continuing. I have shadowed with an MD for the past two years. I have had other volunteering experience with kids' summer camps over the past two years as well. I have been trying to find a job in a hospital as an EKG monitor technician, but it has been difficult to even get an interview. I plan on beginning my studying for the MCAT in October, and taking the MCAT early 2019. I also plan on re-taking two classes that I received a D in throughout my undergraduate career, in the Spring semester of 2019. I wanted to know if there was anything else I should be considering doing during this gap year? Should I only aim for DO schools? What should I aim for on the MCAT? What schools should I focus on? Is an SMP or Post-Back more appropriate? I feel somewhat uninformed and naive as I read throughout SDN, and I want to know what to apply to my situation in order to help me take steps forward. I know I'm well below the average GPA, but I do feel like I can make it happen.

(edit) Wanted to add that I am an African American male.

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[ucsfstudents]

First, congratulations on your progress toward become a doctor. I think one thing to think about and reflect upon, is why you received a 2.96 GPA. I think figuring out why that happened, and how you can prevent that from happening again, will allow you to develop a different and hopefully more successful approach to studying and test taking while preparing for the MCAT and retaking those courses.

 

[momo585]

Thanks, I think I've identified it as pretty much being naive to what it really took to get into medical school. I honestly didn't go through any hardships outside of class or anything like that throughout undergraduate, I was just lazy and somewhat ignorant to the fact that I needed a much higher GPA in order to be competitive. My mindset was pretty much, "just pass my classes and I'll be fine."