Wait so since I can't be a doctor anymore what should I do?

[The Batman]

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Since you know DO isn't doing grade replacement anymore. Or should I wait an see how DO school manage this new policy?

I was thinking I try and get into engineering or something similar.

 

[pseud0]

Usually, if someone has realized they don't have the grades they'll be looking into the myriad other healthcare careers there are, not a completely unrelated field. engineering is quite a bit different...sounds like you aren't very sure what you're actually interested in yet.

 

[sjcha]

Depends what your stats are. Also, AZCOM and I heard PCOM are still doing grade replacement.

 

[The Batman]

Usually, if someone has realized they don't have the grades they'll be looking into the myriad other healthcare careers there are, not a completely unrelated field. engineering is quite a bit different...sounds like you aren't very sure what you're actually interested in yet.

Don't get me wrong, i'm still considering pharmacy but I just don't see myself sitting behind a pharmacy counter filling prescriptions (no offense to pharmacists)

 

[The Batman]

Depends what your stats are. Also, AZCOM and I heard PCOM are still doing grade replacement.

Yeah but either those schools are going to become ultra competitive due to the influx of applicants OR everyone will follow suit and abandon the no grade replacement policy. Either way it's not worth retaking a bunch of classes in this much uncertainty in a very certain time.

 

[pseud0]

Don't get me wrong, i'm still considering pharmacy but I just don't see myself sitting behind a pharmacy counter filling prescriptions (no offense to pharmacists)

then don't do pharmacy.. be a nuclear medicine tech. be a a nurse...be a paramedic..there are a million options for you

 

[sjcha]

Well, AZCOM has other requirements if you want to utilize the grade replacement. It's not just a "free pass."

 

[bears1992]

If you are a standard premed with the prereqs, engineering will take at least 4 more years. A full engineering degree from right out of high school will take 5 years. How bad is your GPA that even 4 years of postbac could not bring it to a 3.0?

 

[Ehwic]

Yeah but either those schools are going to become ultra competitive due to the influx of applicants OR everyone will follow suit and abandon the no grade replacement policy. Either way it's not worth retaking a bunch of classes in this much uncertainty in a very certain time.

it's always going to be competitive whether the grade policy is in place or not. If you had stronger metrics all that will do is push your school list to more competitive schools.

 

[The Batman]

If you are a standard premed with the prereqs, engineering will take at least 4 more years. A full engineering degree from right out of high school will take 5 years. How bad is your GPA that even 4 years of postbac could not bring it to a 3.0?

well i've currently got 80 credits. If I take 50 credits and receive all A's my gpa would be a 3.1. That about sums it up.

 

[I'mJustCurious]

If you are determine to be a doctor and can't see yourself doing anything then you still can do it. Increase your GPA by doing a DIY post-pac, do a post-bac program, crush the MCAT, or even do an SMP. There are still ways to get into medical school without grade replacement.

 

[ScreenName23]

This may be completely off base, but I think you may have a shot without grade replacement assuming you have an upward trend given all the new classes you've taken. DO schools have historically gotten many of their candidates from people who had a rough undergrad, went back for grade replacement, and are now in a better spot. Its hard to tell what will happen without grade replacement, but one option is simply that the average gpa of DO schools entering classes decreases.

They don't suddenly think that students who have retaken classes are not able to handle the curriculum even though their school is full of these types of students. I think it's worth giving a try anyway. I haven't looked into this topic much, but I do think that there will be a lot of variability this first year without it so you should try anyway. Again anyone with more knowledge should correct me because I may be wrong!

Good luck with whatever happens, OP.

 

[bears1992]

well i've currently got 80 credits. If I take 50 credits and receive all A's my gpa would be a 3.1. That about sums it up.

A 3.1 would be good enough for DO school. The amount of work you will need to get a B.S. in engineering will be much more than the work required to get into medical school. Assuming you are a bio major, almost all of your classes are not going to count for anything in engineering. In my program (mechanical engineering) the only classes from a bio major that would transfer would be physics I & II, chem I, english I and II, (4) humanities and calc I. One of my classmates had a masters in sports marketing. He took all the same classes I did and only graduated a semester before me.

By the time you graduate with an engineering degree, you could be in your second year of med school. Fixing a poor GPA for med school takes way less time then doing a new four year degree from scratch. Also, I disagree with everyone saying you should go into another health career. If you want to do engineering, do it! I think physicians and engineers take similar approaches to solving problems. Engineer's have to diagnosis problems and create solutions just like physicians, although I would say that the work environment is completely different.

 

[brew]

You could do both. Get a degree like biomedical engineering and you will take a lot of bio classes and all your prereqs for medical school... BUT engineering classes are difficult so... probably not the best plan if you want to pursue medicine. But you will have a solid backup career if medical school ends up not working out. Throwing another idea into the mix

 

[kamakazi5]

well i've currently got 80 credits. If I take 50 credits and receive all A's my gpa would be a 3.1. That about sums it up.

As dire as you think your situation is it could be much worse. I assumed you had graduated and had been working on a postbac already. You still have a shot. Bust your ass and get the grades you need, kill the MCAT and go to medical school.

This will be easier said than done but you are by no means out. Lol, try raising your GPA with 220+ credits like me.

 

[mcloaf]

then don't do pharmacy.. be a nuclear medicine tech. be a a nurse...be a paramedic..there are a million options for you

I don't think OPs opinion is as weird as you're making it sound. Just because something involves patient contact doesn't mean it would be similarly satisfying to being a physician. I went to medical school because (among other things) I want to be an autonomous decision maker and I want an academic aspect to my career--you're not going to get those things as a nuclear med tech.

 

[pseud0]

Just the way he's talking makes me think he hasn't fully thought it out though...going from thinking about med school to thinking about starting over with engineering makes me think he was never fully committed to being a physician in the first place.

 

[icevyne25]

Cardiac perfusionist/Anesthesia Assistant are my back ups right now. I can see myself happy doing both. Although both are competitive in their own way (less schools/low matriculation) it's still less competitive than DO

 

[Xavieous]

If your GPA is that poor, Engineering/nursing/respiratory therapy/medicine.....all of these progams are competitive to get into and require pre-requisite courses to enter (maybe not engineering). You should continue on the path you are on now, until you have decided to change course to another path that you know exactly what you need to do to achieve that goal. But, you should try and change your efforts so that you can begin getting As in your classes because regardless of what you wish to peruse you need academic success to get into many of these programs. Don't feel you are barred from entrance to any of of these programs either, many view upward trends and take them into full consideration when evaluating you. But, you will need to begin finding out what it will take for you to get better grades, so that you can set yourself up for success.

 

[Goro]

NP
PA
DPM
optometry
Clinical labs
Clinical techs

 

[GypsyHummus]

OP,

If you have at least a 3.0 and didn't fall asleep on MCAT test day, I'd recommend looking into podiatry. Saturation hasn't hit them the way it has in optometry, pharmacy, and even dentistry.

If you had a high GPA but bombed the MCAT, look into Dental school. The DAT is so much easier than the MCAT, it's ridiculous. The DAT is like 2 college finals stapled together with tricky cube games in between for variety. The MCAT was a monster.

 

[Alienman52]

A 3.1 would be good enough for DO school. The amount of work you will need to get a B.S. in engineering will be much more than the work required to get into medical school. Assuming you are a bio major, almost all of your classes are not going to count for anything in engineering. In my program (mechanical engineering) the only classes from a bio major that would transfer would be physics I & II, chem I, english I and II, (4) humanities and calc I. One of my classmates had a masters in sports marketing. He took all the same classes I did and only graduated a semester before me.

By the time you graduate with an engineering degree, you could be in your second year of med school. Fixing a poor GPA for med school takes way less time then doing a new four year degree from scratch. Also, I disagree with everyone saying you should go into another health career. If you want to do engineering, do it! I think physicians and engineers take similar approaches to solving problems. Engineer's have to diagnosis problems and create solutions just like physicians, although I would say that the work environment is completely different.

How on earth would a 3.1 be good enough for DO school? Average GPA for matriculates in 2016 was 3.54 c and 3.45 s.

Edit: doesn't mean OPs chances are absolutely nill. Maybe try to get over 3.0 each and then nail an SMP (3.8+) and KILL the MCAT (513+)

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[sjcha]

How on earth would a 3.1 be good enough for DO school? Average GPA for matriculates in 2016 was 3.54 c and 3.45 s.


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I think the dogtor was implying that if OP can get past the 3.0 cutoff, then he/she has a shot, depending on the rest of his/her app. The average GPA might be towards the mid 3's, but you also have to take into consideration the outliers. A 3.1 doesn't guarantee acceptance, but there is still hope!

 

[Alienman52]

I think the dogtor was implying that if OP can get past the 3.0 cutoff, then he/she has a shot, depending on the rest of his/her app. The average GPA might be towards the mid 3's, but you also have to take into consideration the outliers. A 3.1 doesn't guarantee acceptance, but there is still hope!

Oh sure I would definitely agree that OP would have a better shot with a 3.1 than a sub 3.0, but by no means is a 3.1 "good enough."


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[sjcha]

Oh sure I would definite agree that OP would have a better shot with a 3.1 than a sub 3.0, but by no means is a 3.1 "good enough."


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I guess it's safe to say that nothing is "good enough" by mere stats alone. Sure, a 4.0 and 528 would be amazing, but at the end of the day, stats are numbers. I don't think those stats would guarantee an acceptance either if the interview was a **** show and/or ECs, LORs, etc. are all terrible. I could be mistaken though

 

[bears1992]

If your GPA is that poor, Engineering/nursing/respiratory therapy/medicine.....all of these progams are competitive to get into and require pre-requisite courses to enter (maybe not engineering). You should continue on the path you are on now, until you have decided to change course to another path that you know exactly what you need to do to achieve that goal. But, you should try and change your efforts so that you can begin getting As in your classes because regardless of what you wish to peruse you need academic success to get into many of these programs. Don't feel you are barred from entrance to any of of these programs either, many view upward trends and take them into full consideration when evaluating you. But, you will need to begin finding out what it will take for you to get better grades, so that you can set yourself up for success.

Engineering is not competitive.

How on earth would a 3.1 be good enough for DO school? Average GPA for matriculates in 2016 was 3.54 c and 3.45 s.

Edit: doesn't mean OPs chances are absolutely nill. Maybe try to get over 3.0 each and then nail an SMP (3.8+) and KILL the MCAT (513+)

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Well a 3.0 with an upward trend and a great MCAT seem to be the common theme over in the underdogs thread.

 

[Alienman52]

I guess it's safe to say that nothing is "good enough" by mere stats alone. Sure, a 4.0 and 528 would be amazing, but at the end of the day, stats are numbers. I don't think those stats would guarantee an acceptance either if the interview was a **** show and/or ECs, LORs, etc. are all terrible. I could be mistaken though

You're not mistaken by any means. The whole application is important, but I would venture to say that stats are the most important factor, and by no means is a 3.1 "good enough" for entry into a school of one's choosing haha

Engineering is not competitive.

Well a 3.0 with an upward trend and a great MCAT seem to be the common theme over in the underdogs thread.

While this may be true, there is a reason for the title of that thread. (I'm very familiar with that thread haha I actually started it) It's for underdogs who wouldn't normally have stats that are "good enough," but might bring other things to the table. All I'm saying is that the original poster who stated that a 3.1 was "good enough" was misinformed if he/she thought it would allow entry into plenty of schools; not a good idea to mislead the OP into potentially wasting money on a cycle that could be better spent later down the road after better preparation.

 

[123456ers]

If you want it bad enough its possible for you to show an upward trend and get in somewhere. It just may take considerably more time and the room for error is extremely low. Just a question of if you want this or if something else is for you. There is nothing wrong with realizing medicine isnt your path or that it isnt worth it for you personally.

good luck man. nothing wrong with being undecided either!

 

[bears1992]

You're not mistaken by any means. The whole application is important, but I would venture to say that stats are the most important factor, and by no means is a 3.1 "good enough" for entry into a school of one's choosing haha


While this may be true, there is a reason for the title of that thread. (I'm very familiar with that thread haha I actually started it) It's for underdogs who wouldn't normally have stats that are "good enough," but might bring other things to the table. All I'm saying is that the original poster who stated that a 3.1 was "good enough" was misinformed if he/she thought it would allow entry into plenty of schools; not a good idea to mislead the OP into potentially wasting money on a cycle that could be better spent later down the road after better preparation.

Hey you did start that thread lol. I just meant that from the accepted posters in that thread along with Goro's advice, a 3.1+upward trend+great MCAT should be enough to get OP a DO acceptance with a 20+ school list. I haven't even applied yet so I should probably shut up now lol.

 

[Geo16]

If you are interested in the health field in general, I strongly feel that it's okay to switch the plan.
I've volunteered in the hospital for over a month now and I want to say that nurse's jobs are much more fun than I expected. Both RN/CNA are really cool and I really appreciate their help and effort everyday; so much that I wanted to become a CNA or a Nurse.

However, I really, personally, want to say that don't give up your dream. Keep working hard at it!! Until you've applied 2-3 times and fail couple more times in your life, I want you to keep going. You can choose an alternative plan later on. Let your worries go and give a little bit more patience to yourself. Try harder for your next classes and work harder in volunteering. 🙂

 

[Mysterious Stranger]

Cardiac perfusionist/Anesthesia Assistant are my back ups right now. I can see myself happy doing both. Although both are competitive in their own way (less schools/low matriculation) it's still less competitive than DO

If you can be happy being a midlevel care provider, you should NOT go to medical school. Do PA school - you've already graduated or are about to graduate, and the PA program is only 2.5 years long. You can do almost anything and have a scope of practice very close to what doctors have.

 

[ICUBlue]

If you're not already a nurse, don't do NP route over PA, if it comes down to that for you.

Perfusionists have a really cool job. Sometimes with rough call for a non-physician though.




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