<p>hello.</p>
<p>i just wrapped up my sophomore year at NYU and basically, i'm looking at my grades and credentials, and wondering if i already blew my chances of ever getting into med school. my overall GPA to date is a miserable 2.79. i've gotten a B in gen chem I and II, a C- in physics (which i'll be re-taking), a C+ in calculus I, and a D in orgo I (which i'll also be re-taking). i'll be taking bio next semester. i don't know why i let myself slip so much or really have an excuse for the bad grades. my work ethic has just been crap since i got to college to the point where i'll be seeing a psychologist soon to see if i have ADD or some other problem because the way i work is just so terrible and inconsistent.</p>
<p>as for my credentials, i have none so far basically. i'm going to start volunteering at a hospital for the first time this summer (in a few weeks actually) and that'll be it for ECs. so i guess my question here is if there's any way i can redeem myself and that if i work my butt off from here on out to really raise my GPA and get more experience, do i still have a shot at a med school? or even DO schools or caribbean schools? or should i just quit now and save myself the time, and look into something else?
thank you.</p>
<p>Well GPA matters a lot, but its not the only factor. If you get an A in every class from now on you should be able to get a 3.39. However, this is very unlikely, and still is not high enough. A psychologist cant change that. If you really want to go to med, I would suggest taking a whole year over (calc, org, physics; dont worry about genchem B is good enough). You will graduate in 5 years instead of 4 however. But I’m not sure if even that would work even with a high MCAT. Look into DO schools before you go to the Caribbean by the way.
Personally, I dont think you should continue on the path. Med school is hard, much harder than calc I and physics, and if an A doesn’t come accomplishable in there, than med school will be impossible. Being a doctor is not for everyone. Most, who start on the path of becoming one, usually quit on the way or never get into a med school. What are you passionate about? Have you taken any classes that interest you? I know, when applying for classes you come across a class you would really like to take, but is probably off course with premed. Try taking it. If you like it, consider a career in it.</p>
<p>^ Your name is marijuana, I think that says it all. But as it stands you do have a chance, its just that you don’t have a good chance. Im not saying to quit I just replied to the op as he asked, and truthfully told him that it is unlikely he will get in (which is true for many applicants) and he should consider other career paths. Whether GPA makes a good doctor or not is not the concern. The concern is whether he can get into medical school. Being realistic pays wonders. I can try my hardest to beat lebron in a game of 21 and really believe in myself. Heck I won’t stop as long as my body is generating ATP. But Will I Beat Him? No</p>
<p>OP,
Some people call “quits” what is actually should be called “facts of life”. When one asks for advice, it is very helpful to recieve one based on experience with “facts of life”. Imaginary scenarios will definitely work…in your imagination.
After saying honestly what I think, first I do not see if there are hooks (like URM status). Second, yes, considering DO might be an option (I do not know anything about it, except, that DO’s are respectable members of medical community). Caribbean might be another. However, I heard of people who have successfully gone to Med. School in Ireland (again, do not know details, stats needed, requirements…). Apparently, good number of American students who cannot get accepted in the USA, go there and get residencies back here. You still need to bring your GPA up. So, try harder and also do not hesitate seeking for help, if you feel it is needed. Do everything. Best wishes.</p>
<p>^^Marijuana I only use statistics, look at this table and you will understand what I mean. I would be happy if the op continued, I even calculated his GPA if he gets all As…(which is only a speculation) I gave him genuine advice ( look into DO before Carb) and gave them my personal opinion based on their last sentence in their post
v This is a table you should look at v
<a href=“https://www.aamc.org/download/157594/data/table25-b-mcatgpa-grid-black-0810.pdf.pdf[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/download/157594/data/table25-b-mcatgpa-grid-black-0810.pdf.pdf</a></p>
<p>The whole plan needs to be turned around 180. First, working harder, no, have to start working inhumanly ridiculously harder. You did not list any difficult classes. So, I asume that more difficult ones are still ahead. EC’s are lacking a lot. Pre-meds start doing them first semester at school, some in a summer before. they do many concurrently, both medically related and non-medical. In regard to MCAT, you estimate for real score is commonly 2 point below your best practice score. Many take prep. class during junior year and take MCAT at the end of junior year after spring finals while material is very fresh at least from some classes. This is all I know. I also know very well married couple, both MD’s who originally went to Caribbean, one of them is pediatric, another world re-known cardilogist who goes on Europian conferences all the time. Apparently, this route has worked for them.</p>
<p>Phillipines is also an English-speaking option for med school.</p>
<p>I would suggest starting to look at ancillary health professions, like optometry school or nursing, including nurse practitioner. There are many ways to skin a cat. If you want to go to medical school to take care of people, think about some of the other professions, including these and podiatry. DO school is not a bad thought, though still very competitive.</p>
<p>But with these grades, getting in is just the half of it; you need to be seriously motivated and competitive academically to pass in medical school. If things aren’t working out now–I’d rethink what you want to accomplish and then restrategize how best to get there.</p>
<p>Another warning - do not go to SDN unless you can filter out valuable information from all kind of garbage, stereotype and plain psychosis there. Most threads are just unhealthy. However, I have digged up some info there, in particular when my D. was applying. Her opinion about SDN is exactly the same as mine. I also heard from one Optometrist (do not know how true) that optometry school is harder to get then Med. School because there are fewer number of them.</p>
<p>Unless you have some sort of spiritual awakening apart from getting prescriptions for adderall, I’d quit and look elsewhere. You’re look at at best a 3.4 gpa overall and that’s if you work your ass off for the rest of undergrad. Even then you will likely not make the grade cut offs when you apply and be disregarded completely even though you have been busting your butt for the previous 2 years. Then you’ll wonder if you should have directed your efforts elsewhere from the beginning. </p>
<p>I’m not saying that that will all happen for sure, but I’ve seen it happen to many of the people I go to school with and it’s a ****ty position to be in. Basically, think hard about what you want to do right now.</p>
<p>thanks for the feedback guys. anyone else?</p>
<p>First off, without a LOT more A’s, the ECs won’t matter. Thus, you would be foolish to even involve yourself in them right now. Repeat the C’s and lower. Earn As. Make DO a possibility. Take a longer view, 5/6 year plan. Become a non-traditional. Get counseling. Get real with yourself – are you just making excuses for your work ethic, or is just too hard to compete? (Nothing wrong in the latter; by definition, 49% of the students at your college did very well in HS, but are guaranteed to end up in the bottom half of your college class.)</p>
<p>You can do medical EC’s once you graduate. (Yes, it is better to do them now, but you cannot afford to if it will keep you from earning A’s.)</p>
<p>Check back in a year.</p>
<p>??? What is the "marijuana’ in reference to??? </p>
<p>Anyway…back to the OP.</p>
<p>I think you should ask NYU for a year off. Get yourself better. Find yourself. Do something interesting during that year.</p>
<p>Put some space between the bad grades and your future good grades.</p>
<p>@mom2-there was a poster named Mar1juana, but they was deleted. They gave a lot of nonsense advice and criticism.</p>
<p>@OP, Unless you are African American the chart DWalker posted in #5 makes your chances actually look a lot better than they really are. That table contains results only for African American applicants to U.S. medical schools. The reality is that if you are White you have almost zero chance of acceptance at any U.S. medical school if your GPA is less than 3.4 and your total MCAT score is less than 27. If you are Asian you need a GPA of 3.5 and an MCAT score of 30 or better to have any chance at all of medical school acceptance.</p>
<p>^Lemaitre is correct about one thing, I am not sure what was wrong with my phone lol I didn’t copy that link…OP you do have a chance (its not 0), but its not great… here is the correct table VVVV</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/download/157450/data/table24-mcatgpagridall2008-10.pdf.pdf[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/download/157450/data/table24-mcatgpagridall2008-10.pdf.pdf</a></p>
<p>As you can see, only 9% of applicants were accepted into a med school with your gpa. This was probably under extreme circumstances, such as someone with a master degree and good grades in grad school, with tons of ECs and such.</p>
<p>is filipino considered asian? and why are the standards set so high for asians??</p>
<p>Filipino is consider Asian. The standards are so high because there is a very large number of high achieving (GPA, MCAT scores) Asian students in CA who apply to medical school.</p>
<p>@ Otsoxotso; Asian Americans already account for a far greater percentage of medical students than the percentage of Asian Americans in the general population. The AMA and AAMCAS fear that if standards were not set so high for Asians their representation in medical schools could climb much higher. The AMA strictly limits the number of accredited medical schools. class sizes and MD degrees granted in the U.S. so that the racial make up of medical students in the this country is essentially a zero sum game.</p>
<p>In this context, the AMA and AAMCAS have made increasing the number of African American and Hispanic doctors a top priority and believe that can only be accomplished through policies designed to increase admissions to medical schools of these “under represented” groups which neccessarily means restricting the number of medical school admissions for “over represented” groups, the most conspicuous of which is Asian Americans.</p>
<p>What MCAT score an Asian with 3.37 GPA must have to have a shot at medical schools? How can a college graduate improve GPA?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>