What are my chances? 3.0 gpa. NY resident (MD/DO)

[786doctor]

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[Etyan]

If cost is an issue, an informal post-bacc at a local university is the best route.

• MD schools seem to favor upper division science courses to show your mastery of difficult material
• DO schools do grade replacement, so the focus should be on retaking your previous low grade courses
• Outside of an SMP, graduate coursework is generally viewed as a semi-interesting extracurricular at best. The assumption (though not always accurate) is that graduate grades are inflated. Graduate grades will NOT be counted into your overall undergraduate GPA.

Continuing your research would be good. Getting clinical experience in is critical. Good luck.

Hi all,
Wondering what my chances are for medical schools (primarily ones in NYC area so Downstate and Stony brook are my top choices). I know my GPA is low, I messed up first two years of college but picked it up as best as I could junior and am currently a senior (top 20 liberal arts college) and I'm predicting I can boost my gpa to a 3.1 or 3.2 by the time I graduate. My mcat is a little bit more respectable at a 32.

I have decent research experience, although no publications or anything of that sort. Have interned at the NIH doing research however.

I am a NY resident and need to stay within NYC to be close to/support family while I'm in medical school.

Any advice? I know I have to take time off, but what's the best course of action? Do I continue doing research after graduation (and perhaps take some graduate level courses [independent of a masters program] and ace them) or should I just apply to a post-bacc or SMP. The problem with the latter is that they are expensive, and I can't afford it.

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[786doctor]

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[Etyan]

Thanks for the reply!
I've actually retaken organic chemistry (went from a C in orgo 1 to B+, and from F to B+ in Orgo 2). With the grade forgiveness I can reach a 3.2 gap by the end of graduation with ease, this would be around 3.1 for MD school applications.

Do you think perhaps a SMP would be most helpful? I would be willing to attend one if I am sure it will actually help me become a physician. Also, I will plan to shadow a doctor to get some clinical experience.
Thanks again!

A SMP is helpful for certain MD admissions, and I've spotted a few DO-focused SMPs as well. Each school handles things differently - so it depends on what schools you're looking to apply to.

SMPs are also notoriously expensive and effort-intensive. Not doing well in a SMP is an indicator you probably won't do well in med school, which means a bad SMP performance can seriously hurt your chances of getting into any MD program. B+ won't cut it, either; while your medical student peers can skirt by with 75% or 80% on exams, SMP students must be consistently scoring 90+% on medical school material.

If you can take all that in stride, a stellar SMP performance (even with a sub 3.0 uGPA) will attract favorable attention from AdComms and guarantees interviews at some programs.

 

[786doctor]

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[Etyan]

I am not familiar with the nuances of admissions at either program, so some independent investigation on your part will be much more informative.

From what you've posted thus far, however, the absence of clinical volunteerism and shadowing in your application are concerning. These should be improved upon prior to application to any full-time postbacc/SMP program.

Thanks again for your help Etyan!
I have heard that about SMPs (expensive and effort intensive) but I am no longer worried about the effort part, I know that I can put in the effort needed to succeed and I will do that given the opportunity. I just need a program to take a chance on me and let me prove myself, which is the most difficult part. Would I have a decent shot at Temples post bacc or Georgetowns SMP with my current stats?

 

[SixStringPsych]

Thanks again for your help Etyan!
I have heard that about SMPs (expensive and effort intensive) but I am no longer worried about the effort part, I know that I can put in the effort needed to succeed and I will do that given the opportunity. I just need a program to take a chance on me and let me prove myself, which is the most difficult part. Would I have a decent shot at Temples post bacc or Georgetowns SMP with my current stats?

I've heard Temple's post Bacc is as hard as getting into med school itself, though people who get in succeed and go to great programs. Regardless, I would send applications all over the country, since there aren't THAT many SMPs anyway. I've also heard Loyola Chicago has a great program that offers lots of spots into the MD program.

 

[occams_razor]

For stony brook the average cGPA and sGPA are both 3.8 and MCAT is 33. The 10th percentile GPAs are 3.4

For downstate average is the same as SB (3.8) but the 10th percentile is 3.5

If you are set on MD I would recommend an SMP unless you can bring your GPA up to 3.5 through post-bacc (depending on how many credits you have this may not be feasible)

 

[786doctor]

For stony brook the average cGPA and sGPA are both 3.8 and MCAT is 33. The 10th percentile GPAs are 3.4

For downstate average is the same as SB (3.8) but the 10th percentile is 3.5

If you are set on MD I would recommend an SMP unless you can bring your GPA up to 3.5 through post-bacc (depending on how many credits you have this may not be feasible)

I know you posted this a longggg time ago, but I'm hoping you get this message and can respond... Where do you find such information? Regarding 10th percentile and stuff?

 

[benjaminl1nus]

Where do you find such information?

MSAR. You can get it for $25 on AAMC. Get it before you apply to medical school, so you can apply strategically and not waste your money.

Cheers!
Ben

 

[786doctor]

MSAR. You can get it for $25 on AAMC. Get it before you apply to medical school, so you can apply strategically and not waste your money.

Cheers!
Ben

Awesome, I'll definitely do that. Thanks so much!!!

 

[786doctor]

MSAR. You can get it for $25 on AAMC. Get it before you apply to medical school, so you can apply strategically and not waste your money.

Cheers!
Ben

Also, so would what is on princeton review's website be inaccurate? They say 25th percentile is 2.8 GPA, which doesn't sound quite right to me considering swimmer125 said 10th percentile is around 3.5 (assuming he received this information from the MSAR). Guess I will just have to buy it and see

http://www.princetonreview.com/StonyBrookUniversityStonyBrookUniversitySchoolofMedicine.aspx

 

[benjaminl1nus]

Anything online is either inaccurate or out of date, to put it simply. MSAR is a database that records raw data from medical schools, so it is the only trusted source for up to date information. which is most directly helpful for figuring out where to apply.

regarding 25th percentile being 2.8 gpa, that is a fairy tale that I WISH was true.

 

[occams_razor]

Also, so would what is on princeton review's website be inaccurate? They say 25th percentile is 2.8 GPA, which doesn't sound quite right to me considering swimmer125 said 10th percentile is around 3.5 (assuming he received this information from the MSAR). Guess I will just have to buy it and see

http://www.princetonreview.com/StonyBrookUniversityStonyBrookUniversitySchoolofMedicine.aspx

yep, I got that info from MSAR, which is accurate. Definitely invest in it, it's worth it! The info from the princeton review is wrong

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

yep, I got that info from MSAR, which is accurate. Definitely invest in it, it's worth it! The info from the princeton review is wrong

Just curious if those numbers from MSAR are for applicants and not acceptees/matriculants. I know for New York State schools there are more out of state applicants eventhough they accept only 10-20% of out of state applicants. So I would think the avg gpa's for instate applicants who are accepted would be lower. Thanks for any clarification.

 

[gyngyn]

Just curious if those numbers from MSAR are for applicants and not acceptees/matriculants. I know for New York State schools there are more out of state applicants eventhough they accept only 10-20% of out of state applicants. So I would think the avg gpa's for instate applicants who are accepted would be lower. Thanks for any clarification.

MSAR posts the median for acceptance.