<p>Hey guys/gals,
I'm looking for some objective advice here. I was enrolled in undergraduate studies a few years ago but I ended up being being placed on academic suspension. I received a number of failing grades during my time there. </p>
<p>What can I say? I had no interest in education. I had a comfortable means of living and had no reason to worry for my future. I basically did not see a point to it; you could say I was only there for the experience. Fast forward to now, and I realize now, with my accumulated wisdom that I want something more, something fulfilling to the soul. I've been volunteering in an ED and shadowing at a clinic for a few months now and right away, it felt like a puzzle piece fell into place.</p>
<p>I guess I'm just wondering if it is futile for me to get back into school with the hopes of getting into a med school. A couple classes have already been repeated during my brief stay at the university. What I need is to clear some of this fog that surrounds my future at this point. I realize that AMCAS calculates GPA by including all repeated attempts and credits that are dropped by institutional policy, and I think that is the damning thing for me. Is becoming an MD out of the question? Should I look at DO schools? I've been thought about pharm as well but I don't really see any appeal in that.</p>
<p>What’s your sGPA and cGPA when you count all your credits? What are your cGPA and sGPA calculated using only the final attempt at a course?</p>
<p>You’re correct the allopathic medical schools will include all your grades in their calculation of your GPA. Poor grades will follow you forever in AMCAS. Osteopathic schools have a policy of grade replacement (only the final attempt counts in your GPA). If your GPA under grade replacement looks like it may be reasonable, then osteopathic med schools might be a viable options for you.</p>
<p>Don’t get hung up on the osteopathic vs. allopathic thing. Graduates of both programs are doctors and both can end up with virtually identical opportunities to practice medicine. And practicing medicine is the important thing.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are not currently in college. If you return to school, do exceptional work, score well on the MCAT and have a a convincing personal statement about why you want to be pursue medicine, you may have a chance (assuming your GPA is not truly abysmal). But you do need to consider that there are a lot of IFs involved. </p>
<p>If you cannot raise your GPA into some sort of reasonable range by the time you complete your undergrad, there are programs–grade enhancing post bacc programs–for students like you who have sub-par academic records from undergrad. These post bacc programs are not guarantees, but do provide the opportunity for you to demonstrate your work ethic, academic ability and dedication to pursue medicine.</p>
<p>I actually am currently in college, I started two semesters ago. Counting all my credits I can’t fathom what the GPA’s are right now most likely in the 2’s or below, but using final attempts I would be looking somewhere between a 3.5-3.8, . I’ve looked into it elsewhere but I’ve been hearing of instances where D.O.'s are looked down upon by their M.D. peers in a professional setting. I realize that this bias is mainly attributed those that are pre-med or currently enrolled in a medical school, but this seems kind of off putting. I hear that foreign medical schools, primarily the big 4 in the caribbean, are a route that many people take. Any opinions on that? They do give an MD degree but apparently are meat grinders that spit out people every first semester.</p>
<p>D.O. is the way to go for you IMO (because of grade replacement). And as far as somebody looking down at you, just prove them wrong. Living well is the best revenge.</p>
<p>FMGs (foreign medical graduates) have a poor USMLE pass rate. Additionally, their placement chances for US residency programs are mediocre at best, assuming they pass the Step exams. </p>
<p>With about a dozen new US med school opening in the next 2-8 years, the chances of FMGs matching into a US residency are about to go even lower since any US med school grad gets priority over any FMG during residency match.</p>
<p>Caribbean schools have a high flunk out rate. You could pay the big bucks and be flunked out if you don’t pass their test to move on to the next year.</p>
<p>Here’s an article regarding Caribbean schools that was brought to my attention by a professor when a recruiter from Ross University came to my undergrad school . It is definitely one-sided, but I also gives a lot of good information.</p>
<p>US based Osteo and Allopathic medical schools have minimum MCAT /GPA scores as general Gatekeepers as to whether you would get through the program. US based schools need you to graduate to keep accreditation . So if you get into a US med school you have a 90+% chance of graduating. Caribbean schools let a wide variety of students in. They want your money, but aren’t as interested in if graduate or do clinicals or get a residency.
Yes, there are some people who make it through, but these are highly motivated individuals who probably could have gotten into a US medical school if they tried a couple of more times.</p>
<p>Like others have said, DO is the way to go for you. You can retake classes you got bad grades in and DO schools will look at the new grades.</p>
<p>MD>DO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Caribbean medical school.</p>