GPA is low what should I do?

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NYian

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Hello all,

I'm a 24 years old finishing my degree in Biology and public health from a private university in NY. My undergrad gpa is about 3.1 and premed reqs are:
General Biology 1: A
General Biology 2: b+
Gen chem 1 class B-
Gen chem 1 lab A
Gen chem 2 class B-
Gen chem 2 lab 2
Organic Chem 1: c+
Organic Chem 2: c
Physics 1: C
Physics 2: B
Biochemistry 1: B
--------------------------------------------------
Overall GPA is 3.1
With that said, should I do a post bac? or take another BS degree in Medical biotech which can be completed in 2 years, or do a post-bac and finish it in one year and then apply?
I have strong volunteering and shadowing activities and worked full time while in school and helped opened a family business. I came to the US 5 years ago and did not know the system very well and had to change many majors and courses. Will I have a chance for Ross or st georges? or even DO schools.

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See if you can get into one of the masters in biomedical science programs that guarantee med school admission if you meet certain criteria. Other than that doesn't matter so much what degree you get imo. What matters are the courses you take. Many people get MPH's / etc which are great but don't mirror what you will see in med school. I would take courses similar to med school to prove you can handle it.
 
Hello all,

I'm a 24 years old finishing my degree in Biology and public health from a private university in NY. My undergrad gpa is about 3.1 and premed reqs are:
General Biology 1: A
General Biology 2: b+
Gen chem 1 class B-
Gen chem 1 lab A
Gen chem 2 class B-
Gen chem 2 lab 2
Organic Chem 1: c+
Organic Chem 2: c
Physics 1: C
Physics 2: B
Biochemistry 1: B
--------------------------------------------------
Overall GPA is 3.1
With that said, should I do a post bac? or take another BS degree in Medical biotech which can be completed in 2 years, or do a post-bac and finish it in one year and then apply?
I have strong volunteering and shadowing activities and worked full time while in school and helped opened a family business. I came to the US 5 years ago and did not know the system very well and had to change many majors and courses. Will I have a chance for Ross or st georges? or even DO schools.

I don't recommend doing a post-bacc since it's fairly difficult to raise your GPA considering you have a Biology degree - unless your sGPA is below 3.0, then perhaps I would recommend it.

I would recommend doing a specialized master's program (SMP). It doesn't have to guarantee a spot into a medical school, but what's really important is that you can demonstrate your readiness and potential to succeed in medical school via these programs.

I cannot recommend going to Ross or St. George's - all that you really need for admissions is a wallet that can pay for tuition, which amounts to an expense that is nearly 150 to 200K greater than what it would cost to go to school in the US. Follow my advice from above and you'll have a shot at DO schools. Make sure you also invest a good amount of time into taking the MCAT and doing well in it - I recommend having taken your first by January or March of your application cycle so that you'll have up until May/June/July to retake your MCAT if need be.
 
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I don't recommend doing a post-bacc since it's fairly difficult to raise your GPA considering you have a Biology degree - unless your sGPA is below 3.0, then perhaps I would recommend it.

I would recommend doing a specialized master's program (SMP). It doesn't have to guarantee a spot into a medical school, but what's really important is that you can demonstrate your readiness and potential to succeed in medical school via these programs.

I cannot recommend going to Ross or St. George's - all that you really need for admissions is a wallet that can pay for tuition, which amounts to an expense that is nearly 150 to 200K greater than what it would cost to go to school in the US. Follow my advice from above and you'll have a shot at DO schools. Make sure you also invest a good amount of time into taking the MCAT and doing well in it - I recommend having taken your first by January or March of your application cycle so that you'll have up until May/June/July to retake your MCAT if need be.
While I agree people should try for DO/USMD for multiple cycles before considering the Caribbean schools, your claim about it being 150-200K more expensive to go to school at Ross/SGU vs US based schools is completely ridiculous. Here's a few examples.

NYIT COM
Tuition & Fees: 2017-18 Academic Year | College of Osteopathic Medicine | NYIT
total tuition/fees for 4 years comes to ~$235,000 (doesn't include room/board)

LECOM
Your Cost of Attending the College of Medicine in Erie - LECOM Education System
total tuition/fees for 4 years comes to ~$252,000 (includes room/board)

Ross
Tuition and Fees | Ross University School of Medicine
total tuition/fees for 4 years comes to ~$230,000 (doesn't include room/board)


Unless you're gonna argue traveling to and from the Caribbean costs $200,000, I'm not really sure what you're talking about.
 
Let's say I have the 3.1 undergrad, take a master and get like 3.4 to 3.5 GPA in most science classes, is there a chance for MD schools?
 
Let's say I have the 3.1 undergrad, take a master and get like 3.4 to 3.5 GPA in most science classes, is there a chance for MD schools?

Depends on the masters. If you do a MPH or a molecular bio which can be "easy" and classes not all that related to med school ... may not be as helpful although they offer alternative career options. Thats why the masters in biomed science are great because they are basically a mirror of 1st term med school. Essentially your goal should be to prove you can handle med school. Thats what admissions are looking to see imo.
 
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