What is the best path for me to take?

[yanks26dmb]

I've been out of undergrad for a year working. Up until very recently I had planned on attending UCLA law school..I was accepted early decision.

However, now, I am really second guessing this and have decided to shoot for my life long dream of being a doctor. I was a health science major in college and will still need to take a couple pre-reqs.

My GPA is rather low due to a poor first 2 years, although I have a solid upward trend. I have a 2.9 overall, although a 3.6 GPA within my major, and a 3.4 GPA overall after my first two years. Also, I'm not sure if medical schools do this, but I was allowed to write a medical addendum for my law school applications as an untreated medical condition played a part in my poor early college grades; upon treatment, my grades went up drastically.

I have no desire to be a surgeon, or dematologist, or anything like that. I simply want to be a family doctor/pediatrician. My question is, does it matter where I go to school? Would a school like American University of the Caribbean be acceptable (it is accredited). If I should really be shooting for a med school on US soil, will taking classes after completing my B.S. affect my GPA? (law schools only look at classes up until your B.S./B.A. is complete).

So in summary, if I simply want to become the most basic doctor out there, how much should I worry about lifting my GPA and/or what school I get into. I apologize for the lengthy post and appreciate any responses you guys may be able to provide.

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[Nobuo]

I've been out of undergrad for a year working. Up until very recently I had planned on attending UCLA law school..I was accepted early decision.

However, now, I am really second guessing this and have decided to shoot for my life long dream of being a doctor. I was a health science major in college and will still need to take a couple pre-reqs.

My GPA is rather low due to a poor first 2 years, although I have a solid upward trend. I have a 2.9 overall, although a 3.6 GPA within my major, and a 3.4 GPA overall after my first two years. Also, I'm not sure if medical schools do this, but I was allowed to write a medical addendum for my law school applications as an untreated medical condition played a part in my poor early college grades; upon treatment, my grades went up drastically.

I have no desire to be a surgeon, or dematologist, or anything like that. I simply want to be a family doctor/pediatrician. My question is, does it matter where I go to school? Would a school like American University of the Caribbean be acceptable (it is accredited). If I should really be shooting for a med school on US soil, will taking classes after completing my B.S. affect my GPA? (law schools only look at classes up until your B.S./B.A. is complete).

So in summary, if I simply want to become the most basic doctor out there, how much should I worry about lifting my GPA and/or what school I get into. I apologize for the lengthy post and appreciate any responses you guys may be able to provide.

If you are considering being a basic primary care doc, you can consider also the D.O. (Osteopathic) schools. Caribbean schools are acceptable too, but I heard that it's harder to get into a residency from a Caribbean school because you need higher board scores than the average US residency applicant.

If your overall GPA from all of the courses you've taken is around 3.4, I don't think that's too bad. I'm not 100% sure, but I think medical schools consider the GPA from all of your classes that you've taken in college or higher level education regardless of the time span. I have some friends who got their B.S. or B.A. degree already and are still taking college classes as pre-reqs for med school and it should still count, I think.

 

[yanks26dmb]

If you are considering being a basic primary care doc, you can consider also the D.O. (Osteopathic) schools. Caribbean schools are acceptable too, but I heard that it's harder to get into a residency from a Caribbean school because you need higher board scores than the average US residency applicant.

If your overall GPA from all of the courses you've taken is around 3.4, I don't think that's too bad. I'm not 100% sure, but I think medical schools consider the GPA from all of your classes that you've taken in college or higher level education regardless of the time span. I have some friends who got their B.S. or B.A. degree already and are still taking college classes as pre-reqs for med school and it should still count, I think.

Thanks so much for the response.

Mabye I could have clarified better.

My overall GPA for all classes is 2.9.

My GPA NOT INCLUDING my first two dismal years (which was partly a result of an untreated medical condition) was 3.4.

My Health Sciences major GPA was 3.6.

I suppose my follow up question is regarding residencies. If I simply plan on shooting for basic primary care, does it matter where I do my residency?
Also, are there people who simply cannot get into a residency of any kind (i.e. mabye those from Caribbean schools?) and thus have a med school degree but nothing to do with it?
Lastly, will going to a lower-end residency affect my ability to the point of not being able to find work?

Thanks again.

 

[Mobius1985]

A GPA of 2.9 is very low. Medical schools do no give special consideration if you have a medical condition effecting your grades. For you, getting into a US medical school is still possible if you take post-baccalaureate classes to raise your GPA (yes they will be calculated into your total GPA and raise that number). A GPA of 3.65 is the mean for those accepted to MD med schools. It is 3.4 for DO medical schools. An advantage of condsidering the DO route, is that their application service will substitute a retaken grade for the original, making your GPA rise faster.

You wouldn't have to get your GPA up as high if you take the MCAT and get a great score. Another SDN member with a GPA of 2.92 is getting interviews because of the redeeming value of his MCAT score of 43.

You can take another route to redemption by taking a formal post-bac program in a school with linkage to a med school. They basically guarantee consideration if you have a minimum GPA in their program. Special Masters Programs are similiar, but lead to a graduate degree (and don't raise the undergrad GPA). See the SDN subforum on Post baccalaureate Programs for more information.

Caribbean programs should be the last option, because only 50% of graduates successfully match into US residency programs. They are expensive and there is a high flunk out rate. There is another subforum on International Programs, including Caribe, that you can read for more info.

 

[Mobius1985]

I suppose my follow up question is regarding residencies. If I simply plan on shooting for basic primary care, does it matter where I do my residency?

Also, are there people who simply cannot get into a residency of any kind (i.e. mabye those from Caribbean schools?) and thus have a med school degree but nothing to do with it?

Lastly, will going to a lower-end residency affect my ability to the point of not being able to find work?

If you can get into an MD or DO med school, you'll find that Family Practice and Pediatric residencies are not extremely competitive. (BTW, MD and DO programs both have excellent statistics, like 95% chance, of graduating and matching into residency.) You could match to a big city hospital aor a small town training program and come out with similiar skills. It will not effect your ability to find a job. There is a huge demand for both fields in private practice.

Yes there are folks that graduate in the Caribbean and can't find a residency anywhere. They are MDs with big loans to pay off, but not working as physicians because they can't get licensed to practice.

 

[magikdoc]

There is a section on the AMCAS and on some secondaries, allowing you to mention "special circumstances" that led to your current status. Basically, I think you can apply as a disadvantaged applicant if you really believe that you can convince medical schools of the significance of your health issue. You have to remember that there are a lot of people that have health issues/economic problems/family issues too....

That being said, I also definitely agree that you still do need to hit at least the bottom bell curve (GPA/MCAT) for almost all medical schools even for them to begin reading about your circumstances.

Bottom line is... it is never too late to start working after your dream. I am pretty sure any pre-med advisor would also recommend you to pursue D.O. or complete a post-bacc. before attempting the M.D.

 

[Chemist0157]

Another SDN member with a GPA of 2.92 is getting interviews because of the redeeming value of his MCAT score of 43.

Holy crap!

I think you should go for it. Take some extra clases if you can to get that GPA up. It seems like you don't have a preference to which medical school, and that opens up other options like D.O. and going to the Caribbean. If it's your dream, you should at least try!

 

[UNMorBUST]

Holy crap!

I think you should go for it. Take some extra clases if you can to get that GPA up. It seems like you don't have a preference to which medical school, and that opens up other options like D.O. and going to the Caribbean. If it's your dream, you should at least try!

QFT. If it is your deam why not try. Whats the worst? Them not accepting you. There are worst things out there.

 

[yanks26dmb]

I appreciate the advice and support guys...the attitudes and willingness to help on here versus the law school forums I used to post on are are like night and day.

It is certainly a big decision, I will need to turn down a seat at a top law school to pursue a not so certain dream...but I think I will only regret it if I dont.

Yet another question; from what I am being told, a D.O. school is easier to get into. I think this is where I will have my best shot. How likely is it that a person coming from a D.O. school does not get accepted to a residency? This is my biggest concern...laying out the money for med school only to find out I am not matched to any residency..

As a general consensus, should I stay away from Caribbean schools?

 

[Nobuo]

I appreciate the advice and support guys...the attitudes and willingness to help on here versus the law school forums I used to post on are are like night and day.

It is certainly a big decision, I will need to turn down a seat at a top law school to pursue a not so certain dream...but I think I will only regret it if I dont.

Yet another question; from what I am being told, a D.O. school is easier to get into. I think this is where I will have my best shot. How likely is it that a person coming from a D.O. school does not get accepted to a residency? This is my biggest concern...laying out the money for med school only to find out I am not matched to any residency..

As a general consensus, should I stay away from Caribbean schools?

I think D.O. programs have more chance to get accepted into a residency, because they can apply to both D.O. and M.D. residency positions after med school. As a D.O. med student, you take the COMLEX and you can also choose to take the USMLE boards which will allow you to apply to both. So actually as a D.O., you have more options for residency.

And yea, I would try to stay away from Caribbean schools... not that they're bad, but it's just hard to get into residency in the USA if you go there.

 

[yanks26dmb]

Can anyone point me to the sub-forums that were brought up in this thread?

I did a quick search and couldnt find a post-bacc or Carib forum..

 

[Nobuo]

Can anyone point me to the sub-forums that were brought up in this thread?

I did a quick search and couldnt find a post-bacc or Carib forum..

Here you go:

Postbac forums:
http://more.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

Carib forums:
http://more.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=90

 

[Law2Doc]

Would a school like American University of the Caribbean be acceptable (it is accredited).

I don't think "it is accredited" by the LCME, which is the accrediting body that counts for US purposes.


As mentioned above, offshore schools have very high attrition, and of those who survive the washout, they face the reality that only 40% of folks coming from non-US med schools tend to match. So caribbean should only be used as a second chance once you have exhausted other options to rehabilitate your credentials, IMHO.

 

[Law2Doc]

You wouldn't have to get your GPA up as high if you take the MCAT and get a great score. Another SDN member with a GPA of 2.92 is getting interviews because of the redeeming value of his MCAT score of 43.

Not good advice. There is no sliding scale of getting past a low GPA with a high MCAT. That is largely SDN myth, derived from a few anecdotal cases taken out of context, like the one referenced above. In fact, with med schools receiving as many as 10,000 applications, you have to be competitive in BOTH GPA and MCAT, not one or the other.

If your GPA is a 2.92, you absolutely need to take more undergrad level courses and raise up the GPA. It will take a lot of time, but is doable, if you get A's from here on out for a couple of years. Some people cap off a string of A's with an SMP (which doesn't improve the GPA as it's graduate, but does show med schools you can handle the work). You may have an easier time getting yourself competitive for DO than MD, particularly since if you retake courses, for DO purposes only the second grade is counted. While DO's sometimes have difficulty matching into certain competitive allo specialties, that would not be an issue if you sought FP or peds.

 

[pianola]

Funny you mention UCLA law; my best friend is currently studying there.

If you don't mind my asking, OP: What made you change your mind about law school?

I talk with my best friend every day and we're comparing our career paths all the time. I have to say, his career path seems quite a bit more "manageable" than mine for those who are not inclined to put away debt for 7+ years of their life.