Non-traditional student, low GPA. Needs advice

[sarahz06]

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on my next plan of action. I am graduating this spring with a degree in chemistry and at this time I have an overall GPA of 2.96. This is unfortunate because I know it's not representative of what I know. When I went back to college at age 23 I had the I just need to pass attitude and nothing else mattered. My upper division courses have been significantly better than my lower division course however not straight A's. I was going to try to take the MCAT in August but I was working full time as I studied and I learned that working full time, research and adult life hindered my ability to study. I want to take it next winter that way I have more time to study for it without jeopardizing my professional responsibilities and I wont be stressed if something important comes up and I miss out on a study day. What is your advice for the low GPA? The classes that killed me were Gen Chem 1 and 2 and physics 1(actually did well in physics 2). Will a high MCAT score make up for poor grades on my application? I have plenty of research experience under my belt. I was thinking that doing some volunteer work, would it make a difference? I have also been an ER scribe for 4 years which only makes me want to be a physician more. Thanks!

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[njtrimed]

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on my next plan of action. I am graduating this spring with a degree in chemistry and at this time I have an overall GPA of 2.96. This is unfortunate because I know it's not representative of what I know. When I went back to college at age 23 I had the I just need to pass attitude and nothing else mattered. My upper division courses have been significantly better than my lower division course however not straight A's. I was going to try to take the MCAT in August but I was working full time as I studied and I learned that working full time, research and adult life hindered my ability to study. I want to take it next winter that way I have more time to study for it without jeopardizing my professional responsibilities and I wont be stressed if something important comes up and I miss out on a study day. What is your advice for the low GPA? The classes that killed me were Gen Chem 1 and 2 and physics 1(actually did well in physics 2). Will a high MCAT score make up for poor grades on my application? I have plenty of research experience under my belt. I was thinking that doing some volunteer work, would it make a difference? I have also been an ER scribe for 4 years which only makes me want to be a physician more. Thanks!

Grade replacement is apparently no longer an option as of this cycle, but you will definitely need to retake any prerequisites you bombed. That'll help you study for the MCAT and maybe get good letters of recommendation from professors. A high MCAT will help, especially once you get both your overall and science GPAs over 3.0 (seems to be the cutoff that automatically screens people out), but you may need to do some GPA "repair" by taking a bunch of upper level science classes or doing an SMP. Research experience and scribing will definitely help too- only volunteer if there's something meaningful to you. This can definitely be done! There are lots of schools that reward reinvention and understand people grow and change.

 

[Blanky]

Get the cGPA/sGPA above 3.0 (you are very close this will be easy) and study/do well on the MCAT. Also consider the strength of your ECs as you are already behind the ball in regards to GPA.

 

[aformerstudent]

Nobody can stop you from pursuing medical school but you won't get much love with that GPA.

I went to a Caribbean school and withdrew. My GPA was better than yours and I couldn't cut it. Why am I saying this? Medical school is academics on steroids. Wanting to become a doctor and making it through basic sciences are not related at all. If you got a chem degree with under a 3.0, it means you're not ready for academics on steroids.

How will you get a high MCAT score? What is your plan for that? I don't think MCAT prep courses can work magic.

My advice to you if you still want to continue is to take one year of additional coursework whether it's a post-bacc or a masters and get a 3.75 or better and then have a competitive MCAT score. If you can't do that, skip med school. You will not be happy there.

EC's will not help you when you don't have the appropriate GPA or MCAT.

 

[DocJanItor]

Ignore the previous poster, he thinks grades are the only things that matter and that people can't adapt. I had a 2.5 in undergrad and I did very well in my SMP. Always remember: "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."

Your cGPA isn't unrecoverable. I'd suggest retaking your pre-reqs (Gen Chem, O Chem, A&P, Biochem) at a local CC to see how you do. If you can apply good study habits and do well, you can easily boost your GPA to above a 3.0. Then you just need to do well on the MCAT and you'll probably be a great candidate for DO.

If you were to be absolutely set on going MD, you'd have to apply to some SMP programs and kill it. I would not recommend this without the aforementioned pre-reqs, study skills, and MCAT. If you aren't successful in the SMP, that's it, game over.

However, as others have said, your ECs are very good and would make you a strong candidate for a lot of DO schools. Good luck, and feel free to reach out to me.

 

[aformerstudent]

Ignore the previous poster, he thinks grades are the only things that matter and that people can't adapt. I had a 2.5 in undergrad and I did very well in my SMP. Always remember: "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."

Your cGPA isn't unrecoverable. I'd suggest retaking your pre-reqs (Gen Chem, O Chem, A&P, Biochem) at a local CC to see how you do. If you can apply good study habits and do well, you can easily boost your GPA to above a 3.0. Then you just need to do well on the MCAT and you'll probably be a great candidate for DO.

If you were to be absolutely set on going MD, you'd have to apply to some SMP programs and kill it. I would not recommend this without the aforementioned pre-reqs, study skills, and MCAT. If you aren't successful in the SMP, that's it, game over.

However, as others have said, your ECs are very good and would make you a strong candidate for a lot of DO schools. Good luck, and feel free to reach out to me.

Are you even in medical school?

 

[esob]

Discount your upper classes. Everyone who has taken them (including every adcom) will not look at your application and decide that even though you got a C in gen chem or orgo that you must in actuality be a chemistry wizard because you managed an A in ChemoNeuroFancyQuantumisitry. Those classes are typically taught by professors that grade easy and often inflate grades b/c they are send-off classes for seniors. I've taken a ton of advanced classes with fancy titles and none hold a candle to the basics such as physics and ochem. There are some exceptions to any rule but in general your gateway courses are your weed-out courses and speak more to your academic level than any 4000 level class does. So at this point, you need to prove you have mastered the basics which can either be done by retaking those courses or crushing those sections on the MCAT.

 

[sarahz06]

Discount your upper classes. Everyone who has taken them (including every adcom) will not look at your application and decide that even though you got a C in gen chem or orgo that you must in actuality be a chemistry wizard because you managed an A in ChemoNeuroFancyQuantumisitry. Those classes are typically taught by professors that grade easy and often inflate grades b/c they are send-off classes for seniors. I've taken a ton of advanced classes with fancy titles and none hold a candle to the basics such as physics and ochem. There are some exceptions to any rule but in general your gateway courses are your weed-out courses and speak more to your academic level than any 4000 level class does. So at this point, you need to prove you have mastered the basics which can either be done by retaking those courses or crushing those sections on the MCAT.

Are you even in medical school?

Thanks for the encouragement! Do you mind if I ask about your SMP? I have reviewed a few online but how did you make your decision to apply to the one you wanted?

 

[Blanky]

ChemoNeuroFancyQuantumisitry

I loved that class.

 

[DocJanItor]

Thanks for the encouragement! Do you mind if I ask about your SMP? I have reviewed a few online but how did you make your decision to apply to the one you wanted?

My decision was easy, because one of the best SMPs in the country was a few miles from my house. I looked at a few others as well, but only as backups.

For my decision, it was because I wanted a chance to go to a good MD school. My wife encouraged me to pursue it after I did really well on the MCAT. I probably could've gone DO without it, but none of the 4 I applied to gave me an interview this year. Perhaps if I had applied more broadly I'd have had better luck. I think one of them literally lost my application because I was never rejected and the portal still says processing.

Anyways, I still think you should take this year to work on your pre-reqs and get a killer MCAT. That's the only chance you'll have for med school, and it will tell you if you're ready for med school/SMP level courses.