What are my chances?

[lakas12]

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At Glance:

• UC Berkeley undergraduate student, incoming senior
• Biology Major
• heavily involved with social justice work with recruitment of underrepresented groups into higher education during freshman and sophomore years
• working-student junior year, worked on violence prevention initiatives on campus
• On Summer before senior year, I am volunteering at a lab and plan to continue throughout my senior year
• I will be volunteering at the hospital starting Fall 2015 and shadowing physicians
• Identified as | queer | Filipino| first generation student

In the future:

• Take MCAT in August 2016
• do a fellowship during gap year

Concerns:

• Current Overall GPA: 3.1 (After junior year)
• Current Science GPA: 2.6
• Took 1st half of General Bio twice and got the same letter grade (C)

My goal is to get MCAT score of at least 32.
I've had my struggles and challenges with academics during my first 2 years.. What are my chances? I am trying to avoid post-bac for financial reasons but I would go if REALLY Necessary. I know my GPA doesn't wholly define my competency for medical school but I just want to have a temperature check. I feel like premed advisors in my university do not understand the struggle...

 

[mw18]

I'm not an expert, but I'd say you're looking at pure DO and would benefit greatly from some grade replacement. Your GPA, to this point, doesn't lend itself to success on the MCAT. But there have been plenty of people who have found success on the MCAT after struggling early on. I would do post-bac work to retake the classes you did poorly in, and hope (and by hope I mean prepare for and earn) for a solid score on the new mcat. I assume you meant an equivalent score to a 32, as the mcat changed this year. I would worry equally about your chances of having success if admitted with your educational background, unless you have developed much better habits since you struggled.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Your best bet is to do well on the mcat ace this year to graduate with say a 3.3/2.9. Retake anything c or lower get a 30+ on the MCAT and focus on the new DOs

For MD an SMP has to bs the move and if you get that 32+ equivalent you are striving for you can definitely be competitive for an SMP

 

[bshap000]

I'd say your top concerns should be that 2.6 sGPA (you really need to work on bringing that up) and ensuring that you really do get above a 30 (whatever the equivalent is now) on the MCAT. Also, I'd worry that the repeated Cs in a general bio course could raise some big red flags...

 

[bengirlxD]

The science gpa is gonna kill you unless you retake those classes but other wise if you do well on the MCAT you should invest into low- mid tier MDs and lots of DOs

 

[md-2020]

At Glance:

• UC Berkeley undergraduate student, incoming senior
• Biology Major
• heavily involved with social justice work with recruitment of underrepresented groups into higher education during freshman and sophomore years
• working-student junior year, worked on violence prevention initiatives on campus
• On Summer before senior year, I am volunteering at a lab and plan to continue throughout my senior year
• I will be volunteering at the hospital starting Fall 2015 and shadowing physicians
• Identified as | queer | Filipino| first generation student

In the future:

• Take MCAT in August 2016
• do a fellowship during gap year

Concerns:

• Current Overall GPA: 3.1 (After junior year)
• Current Science GPA: 2.6
• Took 1st half of General Bio twice and got the same letter grade (C)

My goal is to get MCAT score of at least 32.
I've had my struggles and challenges with academics during my first 2 years.. What are my chances? I am trying to avoid post-bac for financial reasons but I would go if REALLY Necessary. I know my GPA doesn't wholly define my competency for medical school but I just want to have a temperature check. I feel like premed advisors in my university do not understand the struggle...

MD is not likely

 

[lakas12]

Your best bet is to do well on the mcat ace this year to graduate with say a 3.3/2.9. Retake anything c or lower get a 30+ on the MCAT and focus on the new DOs

For MD an SMP has to bs the move and if you get that 32+ equivalent you are striving for you can definitely be competitive for an SMP

What is SMP?

 

[WedgeDawg]

What is SMP?

Special master's program. It's essentially a program that you apply to that allows you to take advanced science classes with the intent of showing medical schools you can handle a rigorous science curriculum (such as the one you would experience in medical school).

 

[lakas12]

So I'm getting that there is still a low likelihood of getting into MD even at the lower tier school without doing post-bac but showing improvement in senior year?

 

[WedgeDawg]

So I'm getting that there is still a low likelihood of getting into MD even at the lower tier school without doing post-bac but showing improvement in senior year?

Correct