<p>Hello, I've just started my fifth year of college and I'm trying to decide what I need to do. I know for sure I want to do research in drug design/medicine in a way that can have the most positive impact on others. What I intend is to do research on current medicines with the aim of eliminating side-effects.</p>
<p>I'm thinking of staying another year/semester to bring up my g.p.a. and finish a major in mathematics and another in Biology. This would I would have completed major requirements in chemistry, Biology and mathematics.
If I stay for just this year I will have a degree in Biochemistry.</p>
<p>Here is my current status:
Bachelors of Biochemistry</p>
<p>cumulative g.p.a 2.4
Major g.p.a 2.7
(My gpa is being brought down by 7 classes which I received, at the lowest, a C- and, at the highest,a B-, also I believe there is an error in my gpa calculation due to me transfering in from a community college)</p>
<p>This will be my 3rd year of research (at least 5 hours a week, more during Summers, except last summer which I took off)
- One year of specializing in Atomic Force Microscopy for D.N.A. origami
- Two years specializing in D.N.A. origami</p>
<p>I am an active member of two clubs (both of which focus on outreach both on campus and off)
- The Differential Analyzer club
- Chemistry club
I have attended one international conference on D.N.A. origami and have presented my research several times on campus.</p>
<p>I really don't know what I should do here. Any advice into getting in to one of these programs would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>If you need more info; don't hesitate to ask.</p>
<p>I’m going to be up front: your GPA is not very good at all for MD/PhD programs. The median GPA for MD-only admits last year, IIRC, was about a 3.3, which jumped up to around 3.6 when you consider MD/PhD. No matter what, you will need to address that gap in any essays you write, otherwise your application will not make it very far. More important than the length of your research is the amount of independence you had over your project. Were you just a grad student’s extra set of hands or did you help to design your project with your mentor? Make sure this shows in your rec letters.</p>
<p>Also, this is just my personal opinion but given your GPA, I would not try to add another major in last-minute, especially two!</p>
<p>I was extremely independent in my research. I was given a LOT of freedom. For the most part I was working on my ideas and the ideas my, all undergraduate, research group came up with. The professor’s working with us were really only there to supervise. They probably gave us more autonomy than a P.I. would his/her grad student.</p>
<p>I have been taking classes for all three degrees, ever since I have transfered.(and have received B+'s and A-'s in most of them with one C-). I wouldn’t really be just adding in a major at the last-minute.
After this year I will have 90% of the classes done for a chemistry major and for a Biology major. I will be about 75-80% done with the mathematics major after this year as well. (or 100% done with one Biochem major). Basically, I would need to take one biology class, two chem classes, and four mathematics classes to get all three degrees, so a total of 7 classes in order to get all three degrees.
That would be about a years worth of classes and in that year I would be able to fit in a few of the classes, as retakes, that are keeping down my g.p.a. It would be especially easy if I took classes over the summer as well. If I did do that then I would have three degrees with an anticipated g.p.a of a 3.2 or higher (haven’t done the math yet on exactly how much it would raise my g.p.a)</p>
<p>So my dilemma is, do I graduate now, as a 5th year, save myself the 15K in student loans, go to graduate school and , hopefully, be able to go to med school after getting my PhD or would I stand a good chance at what I really want to do, md/phd, with the three degrees, a not bad g.p.a. and even more research (probably published by that point)? Do you think that extra year would give me a significant shot at getting in?</p>
<p>What is the reason for three majors? It’s not really going to make you more attractive to programs. The main thing is to do everything you can to bring up your GPA. I think that’s more important than collecting another major. The extra year might help if you bring up your GPA.</p>
<p>The point of the extra majors would be more instruction in those areas. From the chem degree I could still take instrumental analysis or quantitative chemistry, either of which I think would be useful tools to have under my belt.
For mathematics, I want more math and I am finding very obvious applications for the higher level math that I am learning. It makes certain things obvious and easy to calculate in my research that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do (or even see). The biology degree is just because I’m going to be only a class short of fulfilling it.
Taking those classes, and doing well in them of course, would also bring up my gpa.
Not to mention I think having three degrees would be good resume padding (but that really isn’t the point)</p>
<p>So mimk6 you think the extra year would only really be worth it if it would be to,mainly, bring up my gpa?</p>
<p>Well, if you want three majors for a good reason, fine. But you should be sure you can really raise your gpa significantly while doing that. Your chances will be better with a higher gpa.</p>