Crappy GPA, and I couldn't hack the MCAT either... is this hopeless?

[jess84]

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[Scottish Chap]

I have a craptastic undergrad GPA(around 2.5), so I really put a lot of pressure on myself to do well on the MCAT. I studied like the devil was coming after me, day in and day out, for 7 months straight. I had an average AAMC CBT score of 32. I never scored below a 10 in any section on any practice test.

Then I got my scores back, and I got a 26T. I thought it was some kind of sick joke: 8 phy, 8 verbal, 10 bio. How I managed to score in the 99th percentile in the WS when I never wrote out a practice essay is beyond my comprehension.

Now I'm waitlisted for the BUMAMS program(but I won't get in this late), looking at another 5 months of MCAT studying, and seriously wondering what the hell I'm doing. I know everyone says not to give up on your dream, but at this point, I have to wonder if I'm just being silly and unrealistic. I'm almost 30 and I feel like such a ******* for sticking with it. I want to be a doctor more than anything, but I know some people just won't get into med school no matter how hard they try. Maybe I'm one of those people.

Can anyone give me some honest opinions? No need for any sugarcoating-- I get enough of that from my well-meaning friends in real life. I think I just need people to be honest with me, and where to draw the line between persistence and sheer stupidity. Thanks.

Two things. 1. Was your undergraduate GPA the result of your best effort, or did you slack or attend an insanely cut-throat school where it was hard for a bright, studious undergraduate to get As and Bs? 2. Realize that the MCAT is a VERY difficult test for some people to score well on and, while important, it is not always predictive of your performance in medical school (and, by the way, your score is higher than the average test taker....even though it's lower than the average matriculating allopathic medical student).

If your GPA was not a product of your best effort, your description sounds like somebody who will probably apply yourself in medical school and pass. medical school itself is really not intellectually or conceptually challenging; it's just the massive volume of information in a short period of time and multiple exams that make it stressful. For the very hard working, this is usually doable. If what you've posted it totally honest, I'm telling you that I think you can do this. If multiple choice tests intimidate you or if you know yourself to be mediocre at them, medical school and the life of a physician will be very stressful for you. This career likes multiple choice tests.

Now, all that said, getting accepted to a U.S. medical school will be challenging with your stats. As you know, it's a numbers game. Allopathic schools will likely not take an interest. Your MCAT is above the average or at the average for most (but not every) U.S. osteopathic medical school. it's just a question of whether they can look past your GPA. You could apply and see how you get on. It is not unheard of for people with your numbers to be accepted to D.O. school. I would strongly urge you to attend an osteopathic medical school before going overseas. You will probably be accepted to a foreign medical school if you apply, but it's not for the faint-hearted.

I've tried to be honest, and not sugar-coat anything--like you asked. I hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[gman33]

If your practice MCATs were around 32, I'd just say to do some more studying and then try again.

You know that you have a long road ahead to offset that GPA. It will be virtually impossible to get that gpa up to be competitive for MD schools. If you are interested in DO (and there is no real reason you shouldn't be), go back and retake all your classes with poor grades. Maybe 1-2 years and you should be good to apply.

It's up to you to determine if it's worth it. No one can answer that one for you.

 

[MDva]

Even with an improvement on the next MCAT, say a 32, allopathic schools are going to have a lot of trouble getting past the 2.5 gpa. have you thought about a postbac or graduate school?

 

[jess84]

Thanks guys, for your responses. I deleted my post because I felt stupid whining and telling my "sob story."

I went to an Ivy undergrad, majored in biomedical engineering. I should have changed my major freshman year, but I stuck with it, and hence the poor GPA. I couldn't handle the engineering part of biomedical engineering.

I have 1 year of postbac work from a state school, a 3.86 and 4.0 for 2 semesters.

I really thought my only option was a SMP, so I applied to BUMAMS, and I'm currently waitlisted. I probably won't get it, because orientation/classes start in less than 2 weeks.

Anyway, thanks for your responses. I really appreciate it.

 

[Scottish Chap]

I went to an Ivy undergrad, majored in biomedical engineering.

Ouch! Two GPA killers. I knew there would be a compelling reason, based on your post. Medical school Admissions Committees tend to only look at numbers, however, and it's the rare person that becomes an exception.

Again, if the undergraduate performance was not your absolute best effort, I think you can do medical school. The question that remains is how far are you willing to go?

D.O. schools (via their main application service) replace old grades with new ones if you do better. That will help significantly, and you'll probably be accepted if you take even more classes and do well. You may be accepted if you apply now, but I'm not too familiar with osteopathic schools and so I'll defer to those more knowledgeable.

 

[jess84]

There's a lot of pressure on me to go to an MD school if I pursue this med school thing. Both of my parents are MDs and they told me it would devastate them if I went to a DO school. They'd rather have me not go to a med school at all than to go the DO route or to the Carribean.

You might say, "you're almost 30, grow up, who cares what your parents think"... but they have also agreed to pay for med school + living expenses if I get into a US allopathic med school. That is a huge factor for me, as I wouldn't have to accumulate more debt.

So really, I have nothing against DOs, it's just that I prefer to do allopathic. Please don't flame me. I just have screwed up parents with screwed up mentalities.

 

[Scottish Chap]

There's a lot of pressure on me to go to an MD school if I pursue this med school thing. Both of my parents are MDs and they told me it would devastate them if I went to a DO school. They'd rather have me not go to a med school at all than to go the DO route.

You sound like you are under enormous pressure. I'm glad you are posting and asking nontrads for help. Not sugar-coating things and being honest (like you asked), I'd have to say that if I were interviewing you, I'd question whether you care more about the letters after your name or whether you want to be a doctor....for the former is 'just a degree' while the latter is an enormous privilege.

You might say, "you're almost 30, grow up, who cares what your parents think"... but they have also agreed to pay for med school + living expenses if I get into a US allopathic med school. That is a huge factor for me, as I wouldn't have to accumulate more debt.

Not sugar-coating things and being honest (like you asked), I'd have to say if I were interviewing you, I'd question whether it's worth it for you to go to medical school. 90% of matriculating students in medical school accept the debt for the privilege of entering the profession but you can't expect to 'have your cake and eat it', can you?

Based on what you're now posting, think carefully before applying to medical school. That's my honest response.

Whatever you decide, good luck and I hope it works out.

 

[jess84]

Personally, I'd love to go to a DO school. MD or DO, it is the same to me.

If I was 21 years old and had more time to pay my loans off, I would take on the additional debt of med school. But I'm almost 30, about to have a family, and I have to think logically and realistically. If I do an SMP, that is an additional $50,000 that I will have to borrow before I even start med school or before I even know whether I can even get into a med school, which I don't mind doing, but to take on more than that, especially being around 33 or 34 years old by the time I matriculate into med school, is unfeasible for me. If it was just myself and I didn't have a family of my own, the debt thing would not be an issue.

But I have to think of my daughter and her welfare as well. My parents have agreed to pay for US allopathic med school + living expenses for my family while I'm in med school. That is tremendous, because I wouldn't have to worry about starving my daughter or wondering if we're going to end up on the streets somewhere.

I appreciate your advice, but I really have to dispel this notion that I care about the "initials after the name" because I really don't. If my post came across as such, I apologize. Like I said, the preference for an allopathic med school is forced upon me by extenuating circumstances.

 

[Scottish Chap]

Personally, I'd love to go to a DO school. MD or DO, it is the same to me.

If I was 21 years old and had more time to pay my loans off, I would take on the additional debt of med school. But I'm almost 30, about to have a family, and I have to think logically and realistically. If I do an SMP, that is an additional $50,000 that I will have to borrow before I even start med school or before I even know whether I can even get into a med school, which I don't mind doing, but to take on more than that, especially being around 33 or 34 years old by the time I matriculate into med school, is unfeasible for me. If it was just myself and I didn't have a family of my own, the debt thing would not be an issue.

But I have to think of my daughter and her welfare as well. My parents have agreed to pay for US allopathic med school + living expenses for my family while I'm in med school. That is tremendous, because I wouldn't have to worry about starving my daughter or wondering if we're going to end up on the streets somewhere.

I appreciate your advice, but I really have to dispel this notion that I care about the "initials after the name" because I really don't. If my post came across as such, I apologize. Like I said, the preference for an allopathic med school is forced upon me by extenuating circumstances.

I, too, am a parent and so are several people posting in this forum. You really do have my sympathies. Getting into medical school is hard (from personal experience). Getting into medical school with a less than perfect academic record is harder (from personal experience). Staying in medical school with a family and kids adds a whole other dimension (again, from personal experience).

If you have a family, the financial aid people in (a U.S.) medical school WILL see to it that your immediate needs are met. I wouldn't worry about that, but you will have to accept that you will be in debt for a long time.

I'll say it again: medical school comes at a cost. This should not be minimized but there are many creative ways you can handle this. Here are some: 1. live modestly in medical school. 2. learn to budget. 3. consider working in an under-served area after medical school in exchange for loan forgiveness (this will put a huge dent in your loan if not pay it off altogteher). 4. consider U.S. armed forces commitments (this will take care of all your loans). 5. consider the NIH loan forgiveness program if you are a researcher. 6. Yes, compensation for physicians is decreasing, but the last time I checked, they still do well enough to live comfortably and pay off loans. The list goes on.

For you, it's more critical that you are supported physically and emotionally in medical school because you have a little one to think of. That is far more important than the financial aspect. There are loans for that--even for medicals students with a family.