<p>I'm considering med school for the first time and have MANY questions. I don't even really know where to begin so I apologize in advance if I ramble..</p>
<p>I currently attend a local 4 year state college, (a former community college), and my gpa is not good, a 3.2. Come spring, which will be my last semester before transferring to a ChemE program at a university, it will surely drop to a 3.0 due to work, living situation, etc BUT NO LOWER. By spring I will have finished everything through Calc3, DiffyQ, Physics2, Orgo2 with the plan to have no course work other than the ChemE load to fulfill at the university. When I transfer, my gpa essentially gets wiped. The credits and grades transfer but when I graduate, it will only reflect my gpa acheived at the university. So...</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Most importantly.. Due to my bad gpa at my 4year school, would a steller gpa (>3.8) at the university ChemE program make up for it? OR would admissions just look at the gpa from the university OR the combination of both schools.</p></li>
<li><p>IF they look at both schools GPAs combined and I finish with, let's say, a 3.5 combined gpa. Would a good MCAT score make up for it?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there any validity to them seeing a upward trending path? Meaning going from 3.0gpa at my 4year to a 3.8gpa at the university level?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there any validity to med schools acknowledging that a lower gpa from an engineer is equal to a higher gpa from say a biology major? I know a ChemE 3.0gpa won't compare to a Bio 3.8gpa, but what about a ChemE >3.5gpa as opposed to a Bio 3.8?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I have many more questions but will continue conducting my own research, I'm just mainly curious as to my specific situation with different schools and taking the unconditional path of ChemE rather than premed. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! </p>
<p>1) Both AMCAS (MD admissions) and AACOMAS (DO admissions) will calculate your GPA using ALL your undergrad grades. The GPA on your college transcript has nothing to do with this. So, yes, medical schools will only look at a combined GPA from all your undergrad work.</p>
<p>AACOMAS, however, allows for grade replacement. If you retake a course that is identical in credit and content to an earlier course, only the newest version of that class is included in your GPA calculations–though you still must report all iterations of the grade and the class on your application. AMCAS does not permit grade replacement so every class will count in your GPA.</p>
<p>2) A good MCAT score will never make up for a poor GPA ; however, a 3.5 GPA will meet minimum GPA cutoffs for consideration at most med schools. You won’t get rejected solely for having a 3.5. How you’ll fare will depend on what the rest of your application packet looks like and how well you match the school’s mission.</p>
<p>3) An upward trend is always a good thing, especially if those stronger grades are in challenging upper level **science<a href=“not%20engineering”>/b</a> classes. But an upward trend by itself may not be enough to completely overcome a low GPA. You have to get past a med school’s computerized screening before a human being actually looks at your transcript. </p>
<p>BTW, it’s doubtful med admissions will care about the distinction you’re making between your 4 year college and a university. Undergrad is undergrad for the most part and the name on your transcript doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>4) No, for the most part med schools don’t care what your major is and do not give bonus points for having a “tough” major. (And a “tough” major is in the eyes of the beholder. Some people find math & engineering classes much easier than say a foreign language or philosophy class.) </p>
<p>not what i was hoping to hear but thank you! </p>
<p>Ive heard of grade replacement, however, i live in florida and florida schools dont allow this. If you earn a grade of a C- or better, youre stuck with it. Can I take an online course from an out of state school or something? any thoughts?</p>
<p>Any pre-req with a grade of C- must be retaken. A C- is not considered a passing grade for med school admission purposes.</p>
<p>You do not have to retake a course at the same institution where you took the original course. What matters is the course content/description is identical and the credit weight is equal or greater than the original class.</p>
<p>Be cautious about online coursework. Not all med schools will accept online classes for pre-reqs. A number specifically disallow online lab-based science classes.</p>
<p>My son was a ChemE premed. The ChemE classes won’t help your BCMP GPA because they don’t fall into one of those categories. </p>
<p>I have never heard that med schools give a pass to E majors who have lower GPAs. </p>