When to Apply/What to Do? (low GPA)

[jellooo]

Hello! So I'll be doing a gap year that will allow me to have access to some great mentors and potentially take some classes at a nearby university. However, even with this and a pretty high MCAT, I'm worried that my low GPA is going to be a huge pitfall. So, I'm considering a one year grad certificate that will allow me to take those higher level science classes and at least show my competency with these subjects.

My question in particular is when I should actually be applying. I may have this wrong, but if I'm doing a one year grad cert program, and I want to go to med school right after, I would have to apply the summer before the program even starts to matriculate the next fall. But at that point, I wouldn't have any grades for that year anyway. Am I supposed to take another gap year after the program? I'm just not sure if I'm confusing some timelines, so any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

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[PreMedMissteps]

I'm worried that my low GPA is going to be a huge pitfall.

How low is low? What is the science GPA and what is the cum GPA?

 

[jellooo]

How low is low? What is the science GPA and what is the cum GPA?

it's a 3.5 cum GPA and a barely 3.0 science GPA

 

[Drez06]

Speaking as a nontrad with an MD acceptance this cycle, I’m FIRMLY in the camp of the more gap years the better (I have nearly a decade!). The real world experiences I have gained since undergrad have been life-changing and irreplaceable (from job hunting and interviewing, to being directly responsible for patient care and managing a large team, to taking the time to get married and travel and live life!). If you do it right, you will have so much more to talk about in your interviews. By the way, I also did a one year grad cert program that was amazing and helped prove that I can handle the rigors of med school (another thing I was able to point to in the interview), which was crucial for me as I also have low stats (cGPA 3.38, sGPA 2.9). It’s not a death sentence; just put in the work, gain as much experience as you can, and prove that you can handle the courseload by nailing your post-grad work. Best of luck to you when you do apply!!

 

[PreMedMissteps]

By the way, I also did a one year grad cert program that was amazing and helped prove that I can handle the rigors of med school

Which program was this? Was it a SMP? Did it have any ties to a med school? How expensive was this?

 

[Drez06]

Which program was this? Was it a SMP? Did it have any ties to a med school? How expensive was this?

It was the Applied Gerontology Program through the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (I was working in dementia care), 18 credits total. I probably spent 8-9K total after all was said and done. No ties to Med school unfortunately but I had been out of school for almost 6 years and didn’t have the best GPA, so it all worked out in the end!

 

[PreMedMissteps]

It was the Applied Gerontology Program through the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (I was working in dementia care), 18 credits total. I probably spent 8-9K total after all was said and done. No ties to Med school unfortunately but I had been out of school for almost 6 years and didn’t have the best GPA, so it all worked out in the end!

Congrats!

 

[jellooo]

Speaking as a nontrad with an MD acceptance this cycle, I’m FIRMLY in the camp of the more gap years the better (I have nearly a decade!). The real world experiences I have gained since undergrad have been life-changing and irreplaceable (from job hunting and interviewing, to being directly responsible for patient care and managing a large team, to taking the time to get married and travel and live life!). If you do it right, you will have so much more to talk about in your interviews. By the way, I also did a one year grad cert program that was amazing and helped prove that I can handle the rigors of med school (another thing I was able to point to in the interview), which was crucial for me as I also have low stats (cGPA 3.38, sGPA 2.9). It’s not a death sentence; just put in the work, gain as much experience as you can, and prove that you can handle the courseload by nailing your post-grad work. Best of luck to you when you do apply!!

thank you so much! this was extremely helpful (and eased my mind quite a lot). Congrats!