Want to go MD, poor undergrad GPA

[peasoup]

Hey All,
Just getting into it my cGPA was a 3.1, my sGPA was slightly better I believe 3.3 maybe 3.2. Graduated in 2010. I knew I needed to improve and completed a health sciences certificate program at VCU getting a 4.0 in the program and scored a 34 on the MCAT. I completed the program and the MCAT in 2011. I applied late and only to VCU, then did not get in. I learned I needed medical experience and to apply earlier. I took a year off and did some research getting a couple A's and a B bringing my graduate gpa to a 3.8. I was dumb for not applying again, but here I am wanting to apply this June. I have been working as a medical scribe for experience and I know I want to go to medical school. Should I retake the MCAT to have a more recent score? Do I have good enough stats to apply to MD or should I apply DO? Your help is greatly appreciated.

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[hvairline]

If you took the MCAT back in 2010, then you may be just at the cut off for the score period for most schools so I would recommend retaking it! It looks that you have superior ECs that could compensate for your lower GPA. Do you know what your c,s GPA would be when you also include your graduate courses? If it is around 3.4 then I would say that you are pretty competitive for MD, especially if you apply broadly. But you would have to justify why you took so many gap years; ie. what have these years taught you about the art of medicine? What experiences convinced you that you should devote your life to this science etc.,? Hope this helped!

 

[peasoup]

I apologize if I wasn't that clear with the dates. I graduated in 2010 with a cGPA of 3.1. In 2011, I completed a post-bac program (health certificate program as I completed the pre-reqs undergrad) scoring a cGPA 4.0 and that same year (2011) I scored a 34 on the MCAT. I applied that year late and not broadly at all and did not get in anywhere. The next year I did nothing to improve myself as an applicant (I took a couple grad school classes), so I did not apply. This year I have been working as a medical scribe and want to apply. I have checked with schools and most say this is my last year it is valid. I am wondering should I retake it to show my commitment? And, do I have a good shot at MD schools? (I will have to wait until I get home to calculate the cGPA with my grad school classes, but I don't even know if I can even factor them directly in, as my post-bac was through a graduate school...are they then a separate GPA?) Sorry for the long response with added questions. Thanks for giving me feedback though.

 

[Dbate]

I apologize if I wasn't that clear with the dates. I graduated in 2010 with a cGPA of 3.1. In 2011, I completed a post-bac program (health certificate program as I completed the pre-reqs undergrad) scoring a cGPA 4.0 and that same year (2011) I scored a 34 on the MCAT. I applied that year late and not broadly at all and did not get in anywhere. The next year I did nothing to improve myself as an applicant (I took a couple grad school classes), so I did not apply. This year I have been working as a medical scribe and want to apply. I have checked with schools and most say this is my last year it is valid. I am wondering should I retake it to show my commitment? And, do I have a good shot at MD schools? (I will have to wait until I get home to calculate the cGPA with my grad school classes, but I don't even know if I can even factor them directly in, as my post-bac was through a graduate school...are they then a separate GPA?) Sorry for the long response with added questions. Thanks for giving me feedback though.

I don't know where you applied, but I would target low MCAT schools that would value your score: Drexel, GWU, Georgetown, etc.

Also, Tulane has a rather low GPA average of 3.4 (although the average MCAT is about a 33).