is there hope for me or should I do post bacc or try the caribbeans??

[oreo333]

This is really embarrassing for me to say long story short due to my bad study habits and lack of motivation/ discipline my gpa suffered in college. I used to be a 4.0 AP student in highscool but now have around a 2.8 sci gpa and had to repeat a bunch of science classes (pitiful I know). I'm starting my senior year so even if I ace all my classes for the fall & winter semester my gpa won't increase much. But my mcat score is a 519 and I am working on getting my EC's, shadowing, and clinical hours in check. I am also thinking it might be a good idea to take upper division science classes at a community college in the summer of 2020 and update my grades after I apply in the spring...don't know if this will help much but worth a try!

If I don't get accepted my options are to either go the Caribbean route...I know i'll have to try harder to be respected but i'm willing to put in the time and effort however i'm not too excited about the high debt and match rate uncertainty that comes with it (I know there are success stories of people who attend the 4 "legit" schools there but those people are usually the outliers). Another option is post bacc or smp (not sure which one is better tbh) but that will mean i''ll essentially take 2 gap years (my parents are kind of against waiting this long) and i've heard it's harder to get accepted the more gap years you take since you need a lot to show for. Of course my plan would be to work my butt off to raise my gpa and find some research but what if that's still not enough to get accepted???

I know i haven't even applied yet but given my situation I feel like I need to figure out the next step fast.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Kirby Smart]

Wow, lots to unpack here. First of all, congrats on the 519! That's an awesome score and I don't think you need to be considering nuclear options but rather take the time to mend your GPA with a post-bacc or SMP. Here's some advice based on things I always see adcoms saying on here:

1.) Be careful taking classes at a community college because it's often frowned upon and sometimes I believe not even accepted.
2.) I think there is absolutely no reason you should go carribean (nor should anyone, really), especially with your MCAT. At the very least there has to be some DO school willing to accept you with that MCAT even with a low GPA, and I think if you take a year to prove you can handle a heavy science course load through a post-bacc or SMP, you'll likely be very competitive for some MD schools as well.
3.) You absolutely cannot let yourself make bad decisions that will ruin your future (such as going to the carribean) or severely hinder you just because your parents are pressuring you... Do some research about best options to achieve your goal given your low GPA, make a play, and go get it. These are huge decisions that need to be given thought and not rushed.

Otherwise, I think you could use some advice from the likes of @Goro (an awesome adcom on SDN). You obviously have potential with a 519 MCAT to be a successful applicant/physician, but you need to be smart about your decisions. I don't think rushing anything or going to the Caribbean is the way to go.

 

[Goro]

This is really embarrassing for me to say long story short due to my bad study habits and lack of motivation/ discipline my gpa suffered in college. I used to be a 4.0 AP student in highscool but now have around a 2.8 sci gpa and had to repeat a bunch of science classes (pitiful I know). I'm starting my senior year so even if I ace all my classes for the fall & winter semester my gpa won't increase much. But my mcat score is a 519 and I am working on getting my EC's, shadowing, and clinical hours in check. I am also thinking it might be a good idea to take upper division science classes at a community college in the summer of 2020 and update my grades after I apply in the spring...don't know if this will help much but worth a try!

If I don't get accepted my options are to either go the Caribbean route...I know i'll have to try harder to be respected but i'm willing to put in the time and effort however i'm not too excited about the high debt and match rate uncertainty that comes with it (I know there are success stories of people who attend the 4 "legit" schools there but those people are usually the outliers). Another option is post bacc or smp (not sure which one is better tbh) but that will mean i''ll essentially take 2 gap years (my parents are kind of against waiting this long) and i've heard it's harder to get accepted the more gap years you take since you need a lot to show for. Of course my plan would be to work my butt off to raise my gpa and find some research but what if that's still not enough to get accepted???

I know i haven't even applied yet but given my situation I feel like I need to figure out the next step fast.

don't even think about the Caribbean schools, because that smacking sound you hear off in the distance is the sound of them smacking their lips at the thought of victimizing you.

Do you have any Rising GPa trends??
If not, read my guide to Reinvention for premeds.

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? Concentrate on increasing your cGPA and sGPA to 3.0 during your senior year. Also 50 hours of physician shadowing and 200 hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact is needed. If your cGPA and sGPA are over 3.0 then you will be competitive for the majority of DO schools and possibly some MD schools.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I would plan on a SMP. I'm sorry if your parents don't agree, but as a responsible adult, you have to make that decision yourself and understand the consequences when it comes to your debt load prior to starting medical school. A sub 3.0 undergraduate GPA pretty much requires you to try to demonstrate your preparation for medical school with a rigorous science schedule of courses, and the SMP is the only way you can do that. (Postbac undergraduate coursework would take too long to get over the 3.25 barely tolerable GPA you might need to get noticed.)

You can clearly handle standardized exams (AP exams, MCAT), so you've set yourself up well for an SMP, strong mentoring/advising, and hopefully an extracurricular and shadowing portfolio to make a strong application. Don't blow that by making too rash of a decision for the sole purpose of getting into medical school as a desperate applicant.

 

[deleted314957]

2.8 science GPA and a 519 MCAT?!? Very strange(troll?)
The Caribbean, even the “big 4”, will be thrilled with your checks as you deposit them in the garbage.
I just don’t see this heading in the direction of a successful medical career. Just my opinion though.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

OP, you have a 2.8 GPA. Acing your next two semesters of classes could get you over the magic 3.0 limit. Do that, plus a DIY postbacc, and you'll be solid for DO schools and some MD schools. Don't go Caribbean. Unless you're willing to bet three hundred grand in student debt on a coin flip: heads, you're a primary care doctor. Tails, you're deep in debt and haven't secured a residency.

 

[oreo333]

Wow, lots to unpack here. First of all, congrats on the 519! That's an awesome score and I don't think you need to be considering nuclear options but rather take the time to mend your GPA with a post-bacc or SMP. Here's some advice based on things I always see adcoms saying on here:

1.) Be careful taking classes at a community college because it's often frowned upon and sometimes I believe not even accepted.
2.) I think there is absolutely no reason you should go carribean (nor should anyone, really), especially with your MCAT. At the very least there has to be some DO school willing to accept you with that MCAT even with a low GPA, and I think if you take a year to prove you can handle a heavy science course load through a post-bacc or SMP, you'll likely be very competitive for some MD schools as well.
3.) You absolutely cannot let yourself make bad decisions that will ruin your future (such as going to the carribean) or severely hinder you just because your parents are pressuring you... Do some research about best options to achieve your goal given your low GPA, make a play, and go get it. These are huge decisions that need to be given thought and not rushed.

Otherwise, I think you could use some advice from the likes of @Goro (an awesome adcom on SDN). You obviously have potential with a 519 MCAT to be a successful applicant/physician, but you need to be smart about your decisions. I don't think rushing anything or going to the Caribbean is the way to go.

thank you for the advice this was rlly helpful!! another quick question if you don't mind i'm thinking my chances of acceptance are rlly low for fall 2021 do you just think it's better to hold my app till the 2022 cycle do the post bacc/ smp and then try for next year when i'm a stronger candidate?? i'm worried if a school rejects you once they won't think too strongly about your applications a second time

 

[oreo333]

Where is your state of residence ? Concentrate on increasing your cGPA and sGPA to 3.0 during your senior year. Also 50 hours of physician shadowing and 200 hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact is needed. If your cGPA and sGPA are over 3.0 then you will be competitive for the majority of DO schools and possibly some MD schools.

it's Michigan...thanks for the advice i'm really going to try my best to raise it but I still don't know how competitive I can be

 

[Kirby Smart]

thank you for the advice this was rlly helpful!! another quick question if you don't mind i'm thinking my chances of acceptance are rlly low for fall 2021 do you just think it's better to hold my app till the 2022 cycle do the post bacc/ smp and then try for next year when i'm a stronger candidate?? i'm worried if a school rejects you once they won't think too strongly about your applications a second time

You probably shouldn't apply unless you have a 3.0 GPA and sGPA or have done a post-bacc or SMP. Otherwise you're just setting yourself up to have to reapply, and then you'll be at an added disadvantage. Don't stress about adding on these years. If you take the time to really focus on achieving your goal, you should be very competitive to be admitted into medical school. But, your chances are slim currently with a sub 3.0 GPA. Don't rush things and screw yourself over.