jackieMD2007 said:
Your grades are supposed to represent your performance over a period of time. A huge string of C's would possibly represent mediocrity over a period of time, or reflect some kind of long-standing hardship, scheduling problems (like taking all of your sciences at once--no bonus points people for taking all your lumps in one semester or year!), or something. But it isn't good.
Why should the ADCOMS put someone through with that if they have similar applicants with a mix of A's and B's or mostly A's and B's with one or two C's in there?
Well, it was a pertinent question because I screwed up in undergrad (never denied that) and by the time I got serious about my studies, it was senior year and I was trying to complete two unrelated majors to graduate on time, which I did, last year. So, yes, I have a lot of C's, especially in the sciences and I even have one D (from Physics 1). My ability to perform is not the question because I'm doing well in the master's program that I'm in right now and I somehow pulled off a 33 on the MCAT in April. I submitted my primary weeks ago (it's still not verified though -- it takes forever apparently).
My point is, next to pretty much everyone else on SDN, no, I'm not an ideal candidate at all. However, I want to go to med school and while my undergrad GPA is apparently a major, major drawback, I am hoping that because the rest of my application is solid (MCAT, EC's, LOR's, etc) that maybe one med school will look beyond the numbers and then interview me to see me for who I truly am, what I have done to rectify my past mistakes and how capable I am of handling the rigors of medical school. I am not expecting to get an interview at a top 40 school (I've only applied to one as my major reach) but I am hoping for some consideration at least in the other "reasonable" schools I've applied to (of course I know that there are no 'easy' schools to get into). Due to financial considerations, I was only able to apply to 9 schools and since my GPA is such a drawback, there really is no point in my applying to any more allopathic schools at this stage.
I am applying to osteopathic school as soon as I can get the money together for a few of them, not as a backup, but because I want to be a physician, period. MD/DO, it really doesn't matter, because I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing what schools I go to. The whole point of this post is that even though I have had terrible grades in undergrad (2.85 cumulative, less than that in BCMP, I'm sure), I am not letting this, or anyone else, dissuade me from pursuing for a career what it took me too long to decide. If I wasn't capable of succeeding in med school, I would've looked at other avenues a long time ago. One way or another, I'm going to get in, and if I have to re-apply next year, then I am prepared to do that (obviously with even stronger credentials). My application was as best as I could make it, and while there was obviously no hiding my GPA, I did say how I bettered myself as a student and a person through the years.
All this talk about a D being on a transcript automatically eliminating people like me from consideration is frustrating, not because I think it's crap (because I know how competitive it is and that people with better grades naturally should get more consideration), but because I am desperately trying to keep proving myself over and over. If this undergrad GPA is going to be a major hindrance all my life instead of what I can (and will) do, then I am at a loss for words. Whatever med school I (hopefully) attend, I will make them proud that I was a part of their institution. The numbers do not make a man, and I'm applying this cycle with the hope that at least one ad-com out there will see me for what I am and what I bring to the table.
At this point, it's all I can do, and I am prepared for the worst. However, I am just as dedicated to this as any of you are. If a D on my transcript gets me automatically rejected, then it's just the price I pay for being extremely lazy and unfocused in undergrad (too much partying, etc).
