Where to go? Drexel, Rutgers

[aCiDmAn]

I have both sGPA and cGPA both below 3. cGPA is 2.8. sGPA even lower, don't remember the exact number, maybe 2.6 or 2.4. MCAT score is 31. Very little extracurriculars. No research or shadowing. Some volunteer hours from high school.

I got accepted to Drexel, and they recommended I do MMS (2 years) instead of just 1 year IMS because of my low science GPA, so I would need 2 years of work to show med schools. I got accepted to Rutgers Newark. Which is better for me? I would like one that makes it easy to gain medical experience. I think Rutgers might be better but do I really need 2 years of work? Waiting for Rutgers Piscataway and EVMS as well. Which Rutgers program is better? I need to pay a deposit soon.

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[DrMidlife]

I suggest that your MCAT score is encouraging and serves as "permission" to give med school a shot.

You won't like the rest of this.

Your sGPA of 2.4 is far more telling than your MCAT. It is a huge red flag poking me in the eyeball. That number says to me that it would be a mistake to proceed to a high stakes, expensive, intense grad program. 2.4 says to me that you're likely to get crushed and/or demoralized. It says that the long haul is a problem for you.

You still have to answer for that 2.4, and for your other undergrad numbers, even if you succeed in the Rutgers or Drexel programs. And Drexel/Rutgers bear no responsibility for your success in their program or in your subsequent med school app process. The host med school doesn't have to care about you. You bear ALL the risk in that $50k/yr+ gamble.

You're not ready for grad work in hard science. You're setting yourself up to fail. Get a more solid foundation with more undergrad, maybe a 2nd bachelors. Produce the solid multi-year undergrad performance that puts you in the game, instead of trying to buy your way in. Don't expect to start a grad program and suddenly magically become a straight A student. You won't.

Drexel & Rutgers & unfortunately EVMS are happy to take your money. They should be ashamed. You'd be lucky to get a seat in the Carib if you buy what they're selling.

tl;dr: go get good at getting A's in undergrad, and don't be a marketing victim.

Best of luck to you. Really.

 

[aCiDmAn]

Thank you for your response. The reason my sGPA is so low is because I kept getting Cs. Sometimes my exam scores were high and sometimes they were very low due to lack of studying, so they usually averaged to a C. I had poor study habits possibly due to undiagnosed ADHD, addiction, or lack of priorities, maturity, and focus (betting on latter, came from a household that lacked discipline and never enforced anything). I was always late to everything and did not do things on time. I did retake Chem II in the summer and went from C to A. I retook Orgo II and went from D to B, but I definitely felt I could have gotten an A if I spent more time. I never payed attention in class and always lost focus, but I have been able to study well during urgent situations or when studying with someone else who kept me focused. I know it's hard to believe this will happen, but let's say hypothetically I resolved my issues and am able to perform well. And let's also say it's 2.6 instead of 2.4 (I'll check later).

I didn't apply to any Caribbean schools because I didn't think I would get in because the only ok part of my application is my MCAT score, but if you think they might accept me because they just want my money...

 

[DrMidlife]

you're describing focus & discipline problems that are TOTALLY INCOMPATIBLE with med school (and residency). your explanation isn't reassuring. you need to solve these problems or pick another career. not kidding. at all.

resolve your issues in a lower stakes environment (undergrad). if you need medical help, get it. get obsessed with "how to study" guides such as cal newport's.

the WORST thing that could happen for you with med school is that you'd get accepted before you've got a long record of academic success (not single day performance but years-long) and then you'd fail out with a six figure student debt load that can't be discharged in bankruptcy. fun fact: people retiring are getting their social security garnished to pay loans from decades prior.

be smart. respect your competition. respect the profession.

 

[aCiDmAn]

I appreciate you looking out for my best interests. I think the higher stakes will help me. I know it's no excuse, but I never had a lot of pressure from family or friends. In the past I had trouble going through practice exams in one sitting and could only go through them right before the exam when there wasn't enough time to go through all the questions, but I never had trouble staying focused and going through the questions when it was the real exam. I have improved on this issue by just doing it. Basically, I used to only be able to do things when it was an emergency. There has been a rise in diagnoses of developmental conditions such as autism and ADHD, but I don't think I have anything that severe that can't be managed or outgrown. Sometimes behavioral problems just disappear through maturity. I was planning to use the "just do it" approach, but I'll look into Cal Newport and maybe get an accountability buddy as backup, though I don't want dependent on others.

The questions still remains, which program is best for a student with a good MCAT score but weak GPA and extracurriculars. Drexel or Rutgers Newark? I will probably put in deposits for both for the time being, since I don't expect I will receive many answers to this question because another thread comparing Drexel and Rutgers Piscataway didn't receive any replies.

I believe the video lectures at Drexel could make things easier for me because I have had success in the past with recordings because I could pause and rewind whenever I lost focus. I am a NJ resident, but I just want to know which program will help me improve my application the most without concerning how my grades will be or the cost if it is not too big a difference.

 

[DeucesHigh3]

I appreciate you looking out for my best interests. I think the higher stakes will help me. I know it's no excuse, but I never had a lot of pressure from family or friends. In the past I had trouble going through practice exams in one sitting and could only go through them right before the exam when there wasn't enough time to go through all the questions, but I never had trouble staying focused and going through the questions when it was the real exam. I have improved on this issue by just doing it. Basically, I used to only be able to do things when it was an emergency. There has been a rise in diagnoses of developmental conditions such as autism and ADHD, but I don't think I have anything that severe that can't be managed or outgrown. Sometimes behavioral problems just disappear through maturity. I was planning to use the "just do it" approach, but I'll look into Cal Newport and maybe get an accountability buddy as backup, though I don't want dependent on others.

The questions still remains, which program is best for a student with a good MCAT score but weak GPA and extracurriculars. Drexel or Rutgers Newark? I will probably put in deposits for both for the time being, since I don't expect I will receive many answers to this question because another thread comparing Drexel and Rutgers Piscataway didn't receive any replies.

I believe the video lectures at Drexel could make things easier for me because I have had success in the past with recordings because I could pause and rewind whenever I lost focus. I am a NJ resident, but I just want to know which program will help me improve my application the most without concerning how my grades will be or the cost if it is not too big a difference.

I just wanted to chime in before you make an expensive mistake, because I’ve walked this exact path before (it's all in my post-history). I pulled out of college for exactly the reasons you discussed, and it sounds like I could have written this post verbatim a few years ago. Fortunately I pulled out of undergrad before I could do further damage, spent a few years working, and then knocked out three solid semesters to finish my bachelor degree before ultimately attending Drexel IMS and then DUCOM.

I’m telling you straight-out that you can ace either IMS or Rutgers, but it will still do nothing to get you into medical school. That science GPA will be dragging you down like a boat anchor, and I’m not even sure it will be compatible with attending a DO school without grade replacement. For reference, I had a BCPM of 2.92 (including the 3 semesters of straight-A science-heavy coursework right before matriculation), a 2.98 cumulative, recent/diverse/long-term extracurriculars and shadowing, and a 38 MCAT…. and I still barely landed a spot in Drexel Med with a 3.8 performance in the IMS program. No bites elsewhere. And it was within a week of needing to re-apply for the coming year’s cycle. And this was four years ago, when all else being equal, admissions were less competitive.

I’ve posted the same sort of threads as you have right here. I’ve followed DrMidlife’s posts over the years (7+, I believe?), and have never read anything I disagree with -- I think you would do well to step back and consider your path going forward. Absolutely don’t apply to a Caribbean school. Absolutely don’t attend a SMP right now, because a successful performance won’t help yet, and a middling-to-low performance will 100% destroy your aspirations for medicine forever.

Take more undergrad classes. Work for grade replacement for DO schools. Get that science GPA up by any means necessary. Never get another grade less than an A-, because the hardest undergrad science course will be a breeze compared to the average med school class (which you seem like you want to tackle right now). Retake your MCAT, because it will probably expire anyway, and you can probably do better. A 35+ will buy you a lot more goodwill from adcoms. Get going with extracurriculars, do some shadowing; it seems silly, but shows that you can perform well in school even with a busy schedule.

I believe you when you say you have more potential than is represented by your undergraduate GPA. The “higher stakes” of IMS helped me excel, but that was after I had a very solid foundation so that a good performance could actually do something for me.

 

[aCiDmAn]

What's wrong with a Caribbean school?

 

[doctorjunior]

I appreciate you looking out for my best interests. I think the higher stakes will help me. I know it's no excuse, but I never had a lot of pressure from family or friends. In the past I had trouble going through practice exams in one sitting and could only go through them right before the exam when there wasn't enough time to go through all the questions, but I never had trouble staying focused and going through the questions when it was the real exam. I have improved on this issue by just doing it. Basically, I used to only be able to do things when it was an emergency.

I really hate to say this, but I am the exact same way- you are lying to yourself by saying the higher stakes will help you. All that they do is decrease time and increase pressure. You really need to work on your undergrad science GPA before a medical school is going to take a chance on you.

You keep getting C's. Does your study style really work for you? I would constantly say "No, the last minute really is how it works for me!!" Until I really looked at my habits and my grades and realized, no, they don't work.

I think you really need to take an honest look at your grades and how you study. Listen to people further along on the path to medicine- many have been where you are. Don't try to shortcut it. Even applying to med schools gets expensive; show the ADCOMS you are dedicated and can do the work- you can say that all you want, but unfortunately they don't see much past academic performance.

 

[deleted248403]

What's wrong with a Caribbean school?

Match data is bad.

You can forget competitive specialties or high quality programs in relatively non competitive Specialties (no MGH or UCLA for medicine for example)

Not to mention approaching 50% fail out rate at places, with the accompanying $100k debt