what would you suggest a med hopful who has a overal GPA 2.9 ?

[Smooth Operater]

Hello, I have a friend who completed a bachelor degree in biochem and recently consider pursing medicine. But her overall undergrad GPA is crap GPA 2.9.

Should she just give up?

or

is there alternative path she can take to get into med school? If so, how long will it take?


P.S. she doesn't have much volunteering experience since she just recently consider med.


Thanks for your help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[146233]

Has "your friend" taken the MCAT? If not, that's a step to consider. Additionally, her cumulative GPA will indeed be a serious obstacle. She needs to consider osteopathic medicine (and even there her GPA will be a problem) and a post-bacc or Special Masters Program to help raise her GPA.

After an entire baccalaureate program with a cumulative GPA of 2.9, even getting to 3.4 will be a long battle. The important thing at this point is to make sure every grade she gets from here on out demonstrates a strong upward trend. Georgetown's SMP (http://smp.georgetown.edu/) may be advantageous to her, given its students take courses with actual Georgetown medical students. It would be a good opportunity for her to show medical schools she CAN, in fact, handle the rigors of a medical education.

She should consult a pre-health advisor at her school to help determine the best course of action.


Best,
-z

 

[Law2Doc]

Hello, I have a friend who completed a bachelor degree in biochem and recently consider pursing medicine. But her overall undergrad GPA is crap GPA 2.9.

Should she just give up?

or

is there alternative path she can take to get into med school? If so, how long will it take?


P.S. she doesn't have much volunteering experience since she just recently consider med.


Thanks for your help!

It's going to be a long journey for your "friend", several years at least. There are a number of options. I would suggest taking postbac type upper level undergraduate courses for A's until the cumulative GPA comes up above a 3.0, and then consider SMP programs. Good grades in an SMP after bringing the GPA up high enough to get past automatic screens, plus good ECs and a decent MCAT might give your friend a shot. No point even thinking about the MCAT though until the GPA is in the >3.0 range. At the same time as your friend is taking more classes, have her start volunteering and shadowing (basically a prereq for med school). She might not even truly be interested in medicine once she sees what it entails. Also bear in mind that since DO schools allow you to use retakes to replace original grades, your friend can probably up her GPA faster if osteopathy is of interest (AMCAS for MD doesn't work this way). Finally, if grade rehabilitation proves impossible, there's always caribbean options. It's a much harder road with fewer opportunities in terms of specialty, and the attrition is absurdly high at some places, but it does provide a second chance for certain determined individuals.

 

[146233]

That's better advice. Listen to Law2Doc.

-z

 

[TheGreatHunt]

Honestly, it doesn't sound like she shows a very big commitment to medicine. I'd tell her to do a couple of extra semesters, get that GPA up to at least a 3.5, shadow a doctor, and actually SEE what being a doctor is all about.


Everyone wants to be a doctor, ain't no one want to do the work!

 

[DropkickMurphy]

what would you suggest a med hopful who has a overal GPA 2.9 ?

An IP ban.

Should she just give up?

Yes, you should.

is there alternative path she can take to get into med school?

How is your credit rating?

she doesn't have much volunteering experience since she just recently consider med.

Yeah, after you failed to get into dental school.

 

[pennybridge]

do you have unfettered access to a time machine?

 

[45408]

do you have unfettered access to a time machine?

best inquiry yet

 

[twohearted]

How is your credit rating?

They accept it in lieu of the MCAT in the carrib. But it has to be high.


Seriously though, did you bust your a@# for that 2.9? Because if you did, then I second the time machine. If you just f---ed up big time and slacked through 4 yrs college, then if you really are motivated, you could prob. get that gpa up to a 3.3ish after two years of 4.0 post bacc ugrad courses (sciences please.) And then do an SMP maybe. Plus a kick a@# MCAT and ECs (like doing engineering research developing a time machine.)

 

[Green Pirate]

do you have unfettered access to a time machine?

shouldn't you be asking if OP's "friend" has access to a time machine?

 

[pennybridge]

shouldn't you be asking if OP's "friend" has access to a time machine?

ah....right.

 

[Spathi]

Well there is an equation. 10XGPA + MCAT= your score. Then look at the averages of the schools, and your number must be higher.

You would have 29+MCAT. The lower schools tend to have scores as low as maybe 65 or so. So if you got a 36 or a 37 MCA you would probably get in because that would get you to about a score of 65. If you are a URM, your parent is an alumni or donates big time bucks you can lower the needed number by a few points. This assumes you have good letters, activities, a good personal statement, good interviewing skills, which are all necessary loops to jump through.

This is just going by the numbers. People have gotten in with less and have been rejected with more.

 

[Depakote]

Answer the following questions for yourself:

1.) Am I willing to do whatever it takes to become a physician (even if this means devoting years of my life and thousands of dollars before even starting the application process)?

2.) Do I really care if I become a DO as opposed to a MD?


I would say your best bet at this point is to become a DO (or go carib, but I wouldn't resort to that personally).

My advice at this point would be to start a post-bac program and begin re-taking classes with the specific intent of raising your GPA. If you retake a class the DO application service will only count the second attempt at a class when calculating your GPA (the schools will still see your grades for the first, but DO schools do seem to be more forgiving of non-trads and people with prior academic difficulties). If you can raise your GPA then part of the work will be done. While you're doing this, get out and shadow a DO (or multiple DOs). Get LORS and make sure medicine is right for you.

When you're done and you've taken the MCAT, if you manage some massive GPA bumping (lots of hours and good grades) plus a strong MCAT, maybe you can toss a few apps at MD schools but your primary focus should be DO schools.

 

[Law2Doc]

Well there is an equation. 10XGPA + MCAT= your score.

That's just a rough guideline for folks who don't have to do any grade rehabilitation. Few, if any, schools actually use this exact formulation, and there are significant non-numerical factors that get considered as well. I wouldn't put much weight into that as a measure of actual success, just an attempt by some to create an objective formula for what isn't really an objective process. In fact, the sliding scale notion that a high MCAT will bail out a low GPA is false -- an SDN myth. Someone with a 2.9 will rarely get into an allo med school even with the highest of MCATs. You need to fix the GPA with more schooling as well as do decently on the MCAT.

 

[xucardsfan08]

10xGPA + MCAT score is not an accurate formula. There is a reason they use the MCAT to screen 3.8 vs 3.9 vs 4.0. A GPA of 2.9 is not insurmountable by any means. The MCAT for her is highly important but what brought her GPA down is more important. If if was a lack of effort, then re-evaluating priorities and rocking the MCAT will be beneficial. If she struggled to get a 2.9, then a high MCAT score is very very unlikely and she would struggle in med school anyway.

 

[scgroat]

Exactly right, it comes down to what that 2.9 reflects. The GPA, even after rehab, will always be a handicap, but some schools will be interested if the apparent problem was corrected. Then again, if you have two otherwise equal candidates, one who screwed up and another who didn't, the one who didn't gets the nod. Therefore, it requires more than just GPA rehab and MCAT success; it requires something that shows that your friend wants to be a doctor more than anything in the world, something that eats at the heart of your interviewer and makes him/her feel guilty for not wanting to give you a chance.

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=7726

By the way, how do you create a link that isn't the actual web address?

 

[voirlesetoiles]

If med school is what your friend really wants to do, it can happen. It'll take a lot of hard work and dedication.... and the road is anything but smooth. If this is your friend's dream, the one profession he/she would love to join, then there's absolutely no reason to give up on a dream without putting up a fight.

 

[Law2Doc]

Therefore, it requires more than just GPA rehab and MCAT success; it requires something that shows that your friend wants to be a doctor more than anything in the world, something that eats at the heart of your interviewer and makes him/her feel guilty for not wanting to give you a chance.

An envelope full of Benjamins?

 

[scgroat]

a big asp envelope!

 

[searun]

She can help people and her GPA will be competitive. God rested on the 7th day and on the 8th day he created nursing school, to provide alternatives to the nutty pre-meds.

 

[littlealex]

Yeah, after you failed to get into dental school.

Dude, you're not funny. In fact, you're a dick. I have no trouble believing in him when he says its his friend. Hell, even if it is him, he's in a tight spot and its pretty pointless to sit here and try to make people feel bad.

Damn, the anonymity of the internet brings out the ugliest in men.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Dude, you're not funny.

I wasn't trying to be, but then again whether or not you find me funny tends to be a very good indicator of exactly how far up your ass that stick is lodged. In your case, I think it might be best to check your transverse colon to make sure it hasn't been perfed......it would be a shame if you died a slow lingering death from peritonitis. I mean, you have contributed so much more to society than anyone else here....it would just be a shame......

In fact, you're a dick.

Yup, I'm a dick. I admit it. And you seriously think that being pointed out by YOU is going to somehow force me to become a warm and fuzzy individual. The day I bend to the will of candyasses will be the day I have a tag on my toe......got me?

I have no trouble believing in him when he says its his friend.

You're also a newbie who apparently has a soft spot for *******es.

Hell, even if it is him, he's in a tight spot

Yes, of his own making because of his apparent academic and linguistic shortcomings. Pardon me, whilst I go get my violin. But this isn't the first time this kid has started this same type of thread over the past couple of years. He's a frequent flyer over in the dental side of things and even over there he's a laughing stock because of his deplorable grasp on the English language (which admittedly has improved slightly since the last go around of the trials and tribulations of his "friend").

its pretty pointless to sit here and try to make people feel bad.

Not if you're really bored while on call for the fire department......forcing POS's to face the cold harsh light of reality can be a good way to pass the time between calls.

Damn, the anonymity of the internet brings out the ugliest in men.

No, it brings out the worst in women too. But then again, I'm just about this blunt in real life when someone asks what their chances are and they are beyond ****ed.

 

[braluk]

To the OP
Click on my signature that links to special masters program. Another poster mentioned about programs such as Georgetown's SMP, but some of these high-yield programs (GT, University of Cincinnati, etc..) are fairly difficult in itself to get into and have acceptance rates comparable to med schools. You will want to look into SMP programs (again click on my signature link) that have slightly lower admissions requirements. Of course there's still many issues needed to be resolved- MCAT, relevant clinical & volunteer experience, and namely, why did your friend get a low GPA in the first place? Jobs? Personal issues? Or is your grasp on the sciences simply not strong enough? If it is the latter issue, there needs to be a revamp in studying issues and revisiting the fundamental sciences and how/why the material isnt understood better. Those are pertinent issues that you will need to address way before you take any steps forward.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Or is their grasp on the sciences simply not strong enough?

Does English count as a science?

 

[Ultra7]

Dude, you're not funny. In fact, you're a dick. I have no trouble believing in him when he says its his friend. Hell, even if it is him, he's in a tight spot and its pretty pointless to sit here and try to make people feel bad.

Damn, the anonymity of the internet brings out the ugliest in men.

Actually, I think he is funny.

 

[Re3iRtH]

Honestly, it doesn't sound like she shows a very big commitment to medicine. I'd tell her to do a couple of extra semesters, get that GPA up to at least a 3.5, shadow a doctor, and actually SEE what being a doctor is all about.


Everyone wants to be a doctor, ain't no one want to do the work!

Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, don't no one wanna
lift no heavy a$$ weight.

 

[pennybridge]

Damn, the anonymity of the internet brings out the ugliest in men.

ha. anonymity. that's a quaint idea. Ask the SDN admins what they think about anonymity and how it applies to this site's privacy policy when deans of admissions come calling.

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, don't no one wanna lift no heavy a$$ weight.

hahahahahaha
This is brilliant. This should be the scrolling text on the front page of SDN.

And

not only is DKM funny but he tells it like it is. Get used to it.

 

[gary5]

Buy her a computer and teach her how to use sdn.

 

[Cirrus83]

lol 1000+ posts and suddenly you decide to become a troll.
Seriously, wouldn't anybody who had made more than 25 posts already have seen an identical thread about 9000 times?

 

[scgroat]

Very good point. When you're one of the lucky few who have come back from the dead, it's nice to bask in your glory. Then again, these threads do get old, and they are abundant. Maybe Dr. Cox is right to offer a small taste of the grim but likely reality. Nonetheless, good luck to the OP or friend.

 

[Steiner]

Here's some people who have done it

 

[christian15213]

After an entire baccalaureate program with a cumulative GPA of 2.9, even getting to 3.4 will be a long battle.

3.4 is not that bad of a struggle depending on MCAT... but yea it isn't that great... what would you say about a 3.6?

 

[mshheaddoc]

*****


Please take the OP's question at value and quit from degrading users to trolls and the like. Some users have valid questions and to answer them with off-hand comments doesn't help the professional value of this forum. So please stay on topic when answering a thread. If you haven't anything on topic to state, then find a place where you do.

please see our reminder at the bottom of each page: Our membership encourages open discussion and debate as long as it relates to the topic of the thread at hand. Posts which do not relate to the original purpose or topic of the thread may be moved to a more appropriate location. : )

*****

 

[TheGreatHunt]

Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, don't no one wanna
lift no heavy a$$ weight.

HAHAH! You know it!
Good ole Ronnie...

I wonder if there are any big Pre-meds out there?

 

[sendwich]

1) take the MCAT. if you're hitting high 20's (aka 26 and above) you're in a good place.

2) take a year's worth of upper div science courses at the local university. preferablly a competitive ones. GET ALL A's!!! if you don't, you're setting yourself back.

3) do a SMP program. WORK YOUR ASS OFF and pull nothing lower than a 3.7+. bombing in this type of program-->think of alternative career choices.

pm me if you have further questiosn as i have been in your shoes 2 years ago.

 

[avery2007]

my two cents...

don't rush to decide if you have some time. make sure that each step taken (lots of good advice given so far) is sure and focused and deliberate.

...and that your confidence is where it should be.

in the end--you want to become a physician which means thinking like one--eager to learn--one who instills confidence in your patients--one who is humble and yet assertive when necessary (the list is different for each person and you decide what qualities you want to develop)

personally--i had to brutally assess my strengths/weaknesses before tackling the MCAT and my graduate program.

i didn't rush into anything--and then, when i was ready, i truly attacked that test/program and beat it...

 

[Tired]

*****
Please take the OP's question at value and quit from degrading users to trolls and the like. Some users have valid questions and to answer them with off-hand comments doesn't help the professional value of this forum. So please stay on topic when answering a thread. If you haven't anything on topic to state, then find a place where you do.
*****

I guess he must have been dissatisfied with the 40+ responses he got when he created the exact same thread a month ago.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=366764

 

[CTtarheel]

Well there is an equation. 10XGPA + MCAT= your score. Then look at the averages of the schools, and your number must be higher.

You would have 29+MCAT. The lower schools tend to have scores as low as maybe 65 or so. So if you got a 36 or a 37 MCA you would probably get in because that would get you to about a score of 65. If you are a URM, your parent is an alumni or donates big time bucks you can lower the needed number by a few points. This assumes you have good letters, activities, a good personal statement, good interviewing skills, which are all necessary loops to jump through.

This is just going by the numbers. People have gotten in with less and have been rejected with more.

yeah, but to even get to that point you have to clear the basic screens. The truth is that at many schools (though not at all schools) your application will simply not get read if you have less than a 2.9. It's not worth it for them to waste time on those apps looking for the one possible diamond in the rough they might be able to admit.