How screwed am I?

[bobsmith22]

So, I am finished two years of college, with a cumulative GPA of a 2.14, with my science GPA probably being about the same, maybe even slightly lower.

Given that I'll have to pretty much swing a 3.7 or higher (in addition to a great MCAT score) to even have any hope of a shot at getting into med school, I ask that you be completely honest in telling me how badly I've shot myself in the foot here, and what I can do to help my case at getting into a med school. Do they pay much attention to things such as improving trends in grades, or do they just pay attention to your cumulative/science GPAs?

Thanks.

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[flodhi1]

So, I am finished two years of college, with a cumulative GPA of a 2.14, with my science GPA probably being about the same, maybe even slightly lower.

Given that I'll have to pretty much swing a 3.7 or higher (in addition to a great MCAT score) to even have any hope of a shot at getting into med school, I ask that you be completely honest in telling me how badly I've shot myself in the foot here, and what I can do to help my case at getting into a med school.

Thanks.

Let's say you get a 3.7 from this point on for the next 2 years then your GPA will be a 2.9 which will not get you into MD schools unless you have extenuating circumstance and a MCAT score in the top 10 percentile. You're going to have to maintain high grades till graduation and then enroll into a SMP program and continue to show academic excellence. The easier route is to take advantage of grade replacement for DO schools which will raise your GPA substantially since they only accept the final grade and ignore the initial grade. For DO schools you still have a chance as long as you get your act together and do moderately well on the MCAT (> 28)

 

[bobsmith22]

Let's say you get a 3.7 from this point on for the next 2 years then your GPA will be a 2.9 which will not get you into MD schools unless you have extenuating circumstance and a MCAT score in the top 10 percentile. You're going to have to maintain high grades till graduation and then enroll into a SMP program and continue to show academic excellence. The easier route is to take advantage of grade replacement for DO schools which will raise your GPA substantially since they only accept the final grade and ignore the initial grade. For DO schools you still have a chance as long as you get your act together and do moderately well on the MCAT (> 28)

Thanks for the reply. It was more or less what I was expecting to hear, unfortunately. Is there anything else I can do to make up for the less-than-stellar GPA?

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Not a gpa that bad. Doesn't matter if you cure cancer if you can't get into a non-autoreject range.

 

[bigloley]

2.14 is a really bad GPA but not irreparable. It's going to be an uphill battle but you've only finished 2 years so you are not sunk yet.

First...figure out why you got a 2.14. Was it because you didn't try, didn't know how to study, material too hard, etc. Once you figure out how to get A's you are going to have to go for it. You need to finish above a 3.0 for a legitimate shot.

Other parts of your application will have to be stellar in order to make up for your sub par GPA. MCAT above a 30 is a necessity (probably 32 or above is the best) and some solid EC's and LOR's.

Be prepared to spend at least 3 years in strengthening you application, maybe even more. It's not impossible but be prepared for a long, upward climb. Good luck!

 

[bobsmith22]

First...figure out why you got a 2.14. Was it because you didn't try, didn't know how to study, material too hard, etc. Once you figure out how to get A's you are going to have to go for it. You need to finish above a 3.0 for a legitimate shot.

It was/is mainly because I wasn't putting forth much effort, brought on by laziness and a general lack of motivation. I've always wanted to pursue being a doctor, but my parents have always discouraged the idea because they didn't think I would be happy with it, med school would be an awful pain in the ass, not to mention the costs of it, etc. Consequently, I more or less agreed with them while not having any other real direction to go in (in terms of a career after college, that is), so I kind of just did enough to get by.

While the material for courses like chemistry can be somewhat difficult at times, there's no reason I shouldn't have gotten at least a B in any of my courses so far. For example, I did nearly none of the homework in chem, which took at least 15% off of my final grade. It's kind of sickening, really, and makes me angry at myself just thinking about it, for a number of reasons. I've only taken two of the required science courses (one chem and one physics), though, but since the others (excluding the organic chemistry) are required for my major, I'll be taking those anyway.

 

[flodhi1]

Thanks for the reply. It was more or less what I was expecting to hear, unfortunately. Is there anything else I can do to make up for the less-than-stellar GPA?

Let's get this straight, are you open to DO or solely interested in MD? (if you're going the MD route even if you get a 4.0 the next 3 years, not an easy task by any means, you're looking at a 3.2 GPA). As I explained Thr only thing that can compensate for a GPA that low are extenuating g circumstances but obviously as you stated you have none. Therefore, for MD you're looking at a MCAT > 36 to even stand a chance at MD. My best friend has a 3.2/34 MCAT and this is going to be his 4th cycle applying!! He has extensive ECs. Unfortunately, the MD route is very unforgiving at times. I would beg you to look into DO schools for your own sake. The MD route is not impossible for you but will be a crap load of more work than getting into DO. I'm sure you're already stressed out so take advantage of DO schools because in the end of the day DO=MD matter of fact you learn more in Osteopathic medical schools!

 

[bobsmith22]

Let's get this straight, are you open to DO or solely interested in MD?

From what I understand, there's not much difference in the two in terms of schooling and training, so I don't see why not. Being able to retake courses and not count the first grade is certainly nice. Feel free to correct any of that if it's wrong.

 

[theseeker4]

From what I understand, there's not much difference in the two in terms of schooling and training, so I don't see why not. Being able to retake courses and not count the first grade is certainly nice. Feel free to correct any of that if it's wrong.

Yep, that is your best bet. Re-take any grades below a C, AFTER you have determined how you will get A's from now on (Don't take any classes until you are positive you can and will do what you need to get an A in every class you take from now on). In 2-3 years you should be ready to apply to DO schools with a competitive GPA. Good luck!

 

[flodhi1]

From what I understand, there's not much difference in the two in terms of schooling and training, so I don't see why not. Being able to retake courses and not count the first grade is certainly nice. Feel free to correct any of that if it's wrong.

That's right so you could have a borderline acceptable GPA for DO schools after a year and half if you work really hard!

 

[music2doc]

How screwed am I?

 

[bobsmith22]

I appreciate the bluntness.

 

[alexrgross]

You could click on my MDapps link (look to the left of this post under my handle), I had to do quite a bit of grade repair...and I still am for MD. That is possible though, and DO is much less work - at least to get accepted, after you begin is another process.

 

[imperfectluck]

Although DO may be the best option for you, getting into a MD school isn't impossible. However, you will have to completely reevaluate any commitments you have that will get in the way of you studying for a 4.0 every semester and a MCAT (35+). Otherwise you will get screened out at every school you apply to. Worry about the ECs later.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Honestly, don't waste your time thinking about medical school. Start thinking about how you can salvage your your GPA, period. There are many more consequences than just medical school at stake. With a 2.1, you can forget all forms of graduate programs, and in this economy, you can't allow for that stumbling block to happen. You need to seek out tremendous help and be able to build up your skills to become a good student.

Once being a good student is down, worry about medical school, which will be an arduous road if you're really going into that. You are looking into either doing a lot of retakes to get into an osteopathic program or 2-3 years of straight A's, an MCAT in at least the 85th percentile and an SMP with a 3.7+ GPA.

It's easy to say you'll turn things around, but another thing is to actually do it. Focus on the present.

 

[bobsmith22]

Honestly, don't waste your time thinking about medical school. Start thinking about how you can salvage your your GPA, period. There are many more consequences than just medical school at stake. With a 2.1, you can forget all forms of graduate programs, and in this economy, you can't allow for that stumbling block to happen. You need to seek out tremendous help and be able to build up your skills to become a good student.

Once being a good student is down, worry about medical school, which will be an arduous road if you're really going into that. You are looking into either doing a lot of retakes to get into an osteopathic program or 2-3 years of straight A's, an MCAT in at least the 85th percentile and an SMP with a 3.7+ GPA.

It's easy to say you'll turn things around, but another thing is to actually do it. Focus on the present.

You make a good point; med school or not, a crappy GPA isn't going to be doing me any favors. I almost wish the fall semester started now, while I'm actually enthusiastic about performing well in school.