Low Post-Bac GPA

[Jayson135]

I graduated 2011 in the college of natural sciences with a degree in Human Development and Family Sciences and did not have a competitive gpa for medical school or even most professional schools. So, I found a job back in my hometown as a Case Manager for patients with developmental disorders, mainly mental ******ation. I overviewed the patient's overall health and intervened when health was not progressing. I communicated with doctors, nurses, family, state reviews. I loved my job in the healthcare field, but I felt that I did not want my life to end with a bachelors degree. I ended up quitting my full time job in 2012 to continue my original dream of being a doctor and focus on an informal post-bac program at a nearby university. I have been doing part-time school and a part-time job as a behavioral therapist for children with developmental disorders.

* I am now 27 and it is three years later. I have completed my pre-med reqs, but my post-bac gpa is 2.4 (upward trend) and I have not yet taken an MCAT due to my grades. My real concern and reason why I am typing this thread is to figure out the next step. My family is extremely supportive, but I feel their patience is starting to wear thin as my dream to be a doctor seems to be a bit of a struggle. My one responsibility is taking my son to school in the mornings and then often putting him to bed and checking his school work (he is in third grade). Even if M.D. school is completely out of the question for me, what are the steps just to even make me a stronger candidate, even for graduate school? Should I continue my post-bac until my gpa is decent? Full-Time or Part-Time? Go for a biology degree or 2nd science major? I am afraid that if I stop going to school in attempts to advance my education, I will never return. I have been calling a handful of medical school admissions for advice, but most of them just said I basically do not have a chance.

I really want to be a doctor and I am slowly opening up to new routes, but there has to be a way to advance my education and I am not getting much help. This is what I want as my success and I feel I have gone insane and sacrificed so much, but it won't be sacrifice once I achieve success. This is what I think about every day and I'm sorry this is so lengthy, but I am asking for whatever help I can find. As in help, I currently am not talking about finding alternatives... I am talking about being assertive into my path.

I appreciated any honesty and assertive criticism you have to offer.

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[ehwhatsupdoc]

If I were you I would find alternatives to medicine and find something you are good at. That 2.4 post bacc gpa says that you either didn't try hard enough to ace your classes or that the coursework was too difficult for you. It's not the end of the world if you don't realize your dream to become a MD or DO. and ro be honest it's probably the worst time to enter medical school, salaries are bound to go down, tuition is sky high, more competition to match into residences, more busy work and phone calls, less patient interaction, and less demand for doctors as technology and software make things more efficient. If you want a medical career that's easier to break into consider getting a second bachelors as a Medical Laboratory Scientist (aka Medical Technologist), they have great job prospects and good income avg 57k (I pull about 80k working 48 hrs a wk in NYC).

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

Again being a doctor is not as great as you think. Go shadow some and see what they say to you. Its not worth it.

 

[PlasticBag]

I can't give advice on getting into med school because I myself am struggling but have you thought of doing a master's in social work? As a case manager, I'm sure you know exactly what LCSWs do. It seems like you'd be able to do all the things you enjoyed doing as a case manager, plus you'd have an advanced degree and more potential for climbing up the ranks. The only thing is that salary prospects are perhaps not that great.

 

[Goro]

The fact that you did poorly in your post-bac is a blessing, really. It shows that you would not survive medical school, which is a lot harder than anything you've faced so far.
* I am now 27 and it is three years later. I have completed my pre-med reqs, but my post-bac gpa is 2.4 (upward trend)

The only thing that might help you is to retake all F/D/C science coursework and apply to DO schools. Look up "AACOMAS grade replacement".
Even if M.D. school is completely out of the question for me, what are the steps just to even make me a stronger candidate, even for graduate school? Should I continue my post-bac until my gpa is decent? Full-Time or Part-Time? Go for a biology degree or 2nd science major? I am afraid that if I stop going to school in attempts to advance my education, I will never return. I have been calling a handful of medical school admissions for advice, but most of them just said I basically do not have a chance.

 

[apothec.ary]

Again being a doctor is not as great as you think. Go shadow some and see what they say to you. Its not worth it.

Ehwhatsupdoc, are you even in med school? If not, you should stop acting like you know what it's like to be a doctor. This sounds like something you might say to yourself if you didn't get in since it makes no sense to apply or be on this forum if "it's not worth it". It's not right to put down the entire medical profession and the aspirations of others in the wake of your discomfort.

 

[Quik]

Well, the post-bacc is typically the last opportunity one has to dis-prove the trend of a poor undergrad GPA. It's recommended that one get no lower than an A-/B+ toward that resolve and to keep even those marks to a minimum.

Your first thing to address is the reasons behind the mediocre grades. Can you realistically achieve consistent A's? Is it your motivation, or is it a struggle mastering the material? If it was the case that you're just be lazy and not giving it your all, then I'd say you have hope. Otherwise, unless there's something easily correctible in your approach to learning the material, then I have to be honest and say I don't see your odds improving much. If you choose to continue, this must be solved first, before you do anymore damage to your academic record.

There's also the MCAT in front of you, which is a mountain in itself and will require a good understand of Biochem, which as far as pre-req courses go, is one of if not the toughest.

The median accepted GPA to MD is 3.6-3.7, and I believe somewhere around 3.4-3.5 for DO. As far as options for your success, I think Goro laid out what is likely the only alternative, which is to repeat all classes you scored lower than a solid B in and do your absolute best, but even still, you have a long record of mediocre marks that need to be overcome with near perfection.

Best of luck to you!

Edit to add, you might have a shot at a Caribbean med school as is; though this is not a recommendation to pursue that route.

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

Ehwhatsupdoc, are you even in med school? If not, you should stop acting like you know what it's like to be a doctor. This sounds like something you might say to yourself if you didn't get in since it makes no sense to apply or be on this forum if "it's not worth it". It's not right to put down the entire medical profession and the aspirations of others in the wake of your discomfort.

I've done a lot of research. I won't list it all since it might scare you away from medicine. Look I'm disheartened by what hear from practicing physicians. Morale is really low. Healthcare needs to change in America. It's my opinion if you enter medical school in the current environment and expect to have >200k in debt then you are rolling the dice. What will the landscape be like in 10 years? What would someone relying only on loans do if Medicare stopped funding residencies (or only fund primary care), quite a few people in Congress already proposed this. Ask yourself, should taxpayers pay for residency training when hospitals make profits from their services. Hospitals can afford to pay a real salary for their residents, but this will definitely mean less residency positions. Do your own research.

 

[Labrat07]

Ehwhatsupdoc,
I'm also a medical technologist (8 years and counting). Let me give another perspective. Even though I love my job, I wasn't looking forward to go to work. Why??? because it present no challenge anymore. It's a non stress, decent money job but it's not for everyone. Some of us need to push our current limit, get better and be happy. Healthcare is changing and that's a fact. Our medical technologist also got affected by it. We're not safe either.

It sound like you want to go med school but you're consumed with fears. Fears of unknown, fears of failures... I see a lot of that in my med tech coworkers. They want to live in safe no risk life. That's fine but not for everyone. Life is too short man. don't make excuses just because you don't want to go through it. There's no certainty. If someone ask me 3 years ago " if you die today, will you have any regrets" . I'd say yes. But if you ask me again today the same questions, I'd say "No, i have no regret. I did all the things I want or current pursuing it. I can die today and be happy".

 

[Labrat07]

For OP,
You need to figure out what's the problem in your study first. Getting As are not easy. Each A require a lot of works. Most of us sacrifices hours of sleep, countless days of study, missed out a lot of social/family and even lose relationships. You have to ask yourself. Do you really want any of that? After about years of getting As, you have to take on MCAT which is a monster (i'm battling it right now, losing and regrouping). Even then your app might not be enough. You may fail. You'll have a lifetime of studying ahead of you. Be brutally honest with yourself here man. Only you can do that. We can give you advices but we won't able to hold your hands. You'll be the one who do the walk

 

[Apollo1]

I'm disheartened by what hear from practicing physicians.

Emphasis mine. Perspectives on the profession are relative to the individuals; there's always going to be some negative aspects to the job, as well as some positive aspects.

It's my opinion if you enter medical school in the current environment and expect to have >200k in debt then you are rolling the dice.

A lot of the major professions have experienced/will continue to experience this (ex. legal/engineering/investing). The environment is fluid, and at some point (for any profession) you have to make a choice that incorporates the present and the future.

OP, I agree with @Goro that you may need to reassess whether medicine is for you. A 2.4gpa that is the upward trend already puts you in a very deep hole, and without knowing how many credits you've already taken, it's difficult to determine how long it would take for you to get to a 3.0+.

 

[rmaindn]

hi i dropped to a 3.6 post bacc gpa this summer from a 3.7 due to 2 1 credit classes. Otherwise it was at a 3.67. Is there any chance for me?

 

[DOCOC15]

hi i dropped to a 3.6 post bacc gpa this summer from a 3.7 due to 2 1 credit classes. Otherwise it was at a 3.67. Is there any chance for me?

You should probably make a post on WAMC following the template if you want good advice

 

[chilly_md]

hi i dropped to a 3.6 post bacc gpa this summer from a 3.7 due to 2 1 credit classes. Otherwise it was at a 3.67. Is there any chance for me?

Please don’t bump 7+ year old threads. If you would like advice, post in the WAMC forums using the template as mentioned above.