MD with bad undergrad gpa

[xxarv39]

Hello all, I would like to get some advice on what I should do. Hopefully by people who have been in the same boat as I am and have made it!..

Ever since I was a child I knew helping others was something I had a really strong passion for. Though it wasn’t until I became hospitalized at 18 with an eating disorder that I realized how much I was intrigued by the human body. Being lectured on the importance of eating and how my brain needs all the energy it can gets, really intrigued me (my doctor was a science fanatic who always went Into depth in regards to anatomy, abnormal labs, how glucose/bilirubin etc function). I was then hospitalized 9 more times and developed a relationship with the doctors who took care of me. I was able to shadow them, do some volunteering at the hospital and even a research Internship on the effects of drug abuse.

During my hospitalizations i was attending a community college and later on transferred to a university - my doc advised me to withdraw to focus on my health but me being stubborn, I refused. I wish I had listened but unfortunately, we can’t go back in time.

Long story short, I am now 23 and want to know if I still have a chance. I left the cc with a 2.74 gpa and the university 0.017 gpa (i know horrible!). To earn my bachelors I still need about 60 credits. Would It look better if I completed the rest of my degree with good grades and then apply or finish my bachelors and then do a post bacc?

sorry for kind of rambling. typing on the iPad is a bit of a challenge

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[sloop]

If you can go back to school and show a really remarkable turnaround, then it might be worth a shot applying but I still think it‘s unlikely that you’ll get in. If you’re rejected but still really set on medicine, doing well in a postbac might help.

Realistically, though, with that kind of school performance, you need to confront the very real possibility that you will never be able to get into medical school. Whatever you do, you should have a plan for what you’ll do if medical school does not work out. You should also seriously evaluate whether you’re sure you’ll be able to turn your performance around before investing a bunch more money into the dream of becoming a doctor.

 

[Dr. Trafalgar Law]

If you:
- get literally straight A's for the rest of your degree
- get a very strong MCAT (~85%+ percentile)
- continue and expand your ECs

then yes you'd have a respectable application, demonstrating that you faced adversity but were able to bounce back. If you apply broadly you should have a strong shot at getting accepted to a school.

Just make sure that when you re-enroll into college you are mentally prepared to perform at a high-level consistently, because anymore blips of poor performance in your transcript could permanently sink your application.

 

[DokterMom]

Looking at your numbers, I don't think the math is possible to get your GPA > 3.0, which is the absolute minimum you'll need for a shot at medical school - DO, not MD - even with your turnaround story. There's also the whole mental health angle to consider, which really is too important to be ignored. It's mental health issues, not academic struggles, that is the number one cause of medical school failures and/or drop-outs.

For that reason, I'd advise a slight shift in direction. There are still SO MANY ways you can use your knowledge, experiences, education and passion to help others. You could get a psychology, social work or nutrition degree and counsel others struggling with eating disorders. You could become an occupational or physical therapist or an addiction counselor. There's nursing or PA careers, optometry, podiatry, speech therapy, audiology, a whole galaxy of "med tech" positions...

But the bottom line is that with the GPA you have now, I don't believe medical school is a realistic aim. You can do the math, figuring in all of the post high-school coursework you have done to date plus everything you've got left to do. If straight A's from here on out can get you over a 3.0 then you've got a shot. As I said, I didn't run the numbers and would be happy to be wrong...

But don't get so fixated on becoming a physician that you ignore the many other wonderful possibilities.

 

[NITRAS]

I’d still focus on your health. You still have an uphill battle with your health. Medical school isn’t the place for people with severe medical and mential aliments.

 

[Goro]

Hello all, I would like to get some advice on what I should do. Hopefully by people who have been in the same boat as I am and have made it!..

Ever since I was a child I knew helping others was something I had a really strong passion for. Though it wasn’t until I became hospitalized at 18 with an eating disorder that I realized how much I was intrigued by the human body. Being lectured on the importance of eating and how my brain needs all the energy it can gets, really intrigued me (my doctor was a science fanatic who always went Into depth in regards to anatomy, abnormal labs, how glucose/bilirubin etc function). I was then hospitalized 9 more times and developed a relationship with the doctors who took care of me. I was able to shadow them, do some volunteering at the hospital and even a research Internship on the effects of drug abuse.

During my hospitalizations i was attending a community college and later on transferred to a university - my doc advised me to withdraw to focus on my health but me being stubborn, I refused. I wish I had listened but unfortunately, we can’t go back in time.

Long story short, I am now 23 and want to know if I still have a chance. I left the cc with a 2.74 gpa and the university 0.017 gpa (i know horrible!). To earn my bachelors I still need about 60 credits. Would It look better if I completed the rest of my degree with good grades and then apply or finish my bachelors and then do a post bacc?

sorry for kind of rambling. typing on the iPad is a bit of a challenge

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[xxarv39]

Read this:

• Easter Bunny's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Thank you, that was insightful.

 

[xxarv39]

Hello all,

My post was moved to this forum. I’m not sure I quite understand the Easter basket, eggs, treat etc lingo.

Also I’m not sure if it makes a difference but at the university that I was enrolled in, I only attended a semester (all f’s, one D).

 

[YCAGA]

Can you give us a breakdown of how many credit hours you have for cumulative and science GP@ and your GP@ for both? The math seems impossible to go to medical school but it would be good to be sure.

 

[PipetteDreams]

Hello all,

My post was moved to this forum. I’m not sure I quite understand the Easter basket, eggs, treat etc lingo.

Also I’m not sure if it makes a difference but at the university that I was enrolled in, I only attended a semester (all f’s, one D).

In case no one told you yet, this is just a website-wide prank for 4/1. Cute at first, but wish we could turn it off...

I'd also encourage you to check out the NonTrad thread as well.

 

[viralhiker]

This is the first thing I've read on SDN today, and I was so confused after reading OPs post.

"This sounds serious, why are they talking about treats and easter baskets??"

 

[ThatSerb]

This is the first thing I've read on SDN today, and I was so confused after reading OPs post.

"This sounds serious, why are they talking about treats and easter baskets??"

OP has bad bunny training treats. it is indeed a pretty dire situation