<p>I am currently going into my fourth year of undergraduate at a prestigious non-ivy school. My two majors are biochemistry and cellular genetic biology with a minor in computer science. I have a 3.15GPA (likely to graduate with a 3.25 or so and have medical reasoning for such a low GPA caused by first year of college) and have yet to take the MCATs although see no issue scoring a 33-35 (have taken several practice, etc). I have been a researcher at Harvard Medical for the past 2 years, have second authored one paper in the J of Mol Bio and first authored two additional ones in other prestigious journals. I am a practicing EMT-B seeking my EMT-P license. I would like to attend a graduate school for molecular biology / virology, and then later proceed to medical school. My top choice would be HMS, JHU, or the like. </p>
<p>My question is, what are my chances of getting into a well respected graduate or medical school? Will my low GPA hold me back? What can I do to further my chances of obtaining a seat? Better chances of applying to medical school directly or applying to graduate school first and then attempt to get into med school off of that? Any advice or feedback you can supply would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Dont quote me but forget any top medical school…3.15 or 3.25 isn’t going to make it except may be u went to MIT? I think thats the only school that might count. PhD you might have a chance at top schools with ur research records…you cant tell until you apply</p>
<p>with a 3.2 and a 33 you are not getting into HMS/JHU or another top medical school. If you had a 40+ it might be worth trying. On the other hand, you could get into a top graduate school as they care less about GPA-- but you will probably have to take the GRE and GRE subject test, since most schools do not take the MCATs. Getting your phd however, will not help too much in getting into medical schools later, plus that’s a whole lot of years of schooling. You might want to think about something like an mph program? Or do an SMP in order to boost your GPA and then go to medical school?</p>
<p>Have you looked at MSTP options, or other MD/PhD joint programs? They’d be a great way to go if you want both degrees.</p>
<p>I think the others are being a bit harsh. You said you have medical reasons for the low GPA, so it’s a different case than just slacking off freshman year. No, your chances aren’t the best, but I strongly encourage you to keep the reach schools on the list. Worst case scenario is you apply and don’t get in, but it’s better than always wondering what could have been.</p>
<p>Also, you should contact programs you’re interested in. Talking to someone who is actually there can be a huge help in knowing how receptive they would be, or if it would be a waste of time.</p>
<p>I had checked into MD/Phd programs a little while ago and found that they are hyper competitive. The average GPAs are close to 4.0 (I also had terrific research experience, great test scores but a low GPA). Also, because the admissions for these programs are run by medical school admissions people, everything is very dependent upon numbers.</p>
<p>I would say you have a pretty good shot at getting into a good graduate program but a very poor shot at getting into a good medical school at this point in time. Your GPA is a bit low for either option but as others have pointed out, graduate admissions are run by people who are able to see past a score on a transcript and consider each applicant carefully.</p>
<p>I would suggest getting into a graduate program and taking a translational approach. You could take medical school courses as a graduate student (you may even get suckered into teaching them). You could also do a clerkship and attend grand rounds as a grad student. If you are interested in the MD for the work they do, you can do everything but see patients (which academic MDs only do for a short portion of their week anyway) and prescribe drugs as a grad student.</p>
<p>I don’t think im being harsh- a 33-35 isn’t that great of a MCAT score- its decent sure, but not above average for accepted applicants. If you have such a low GPA, you need a very high MCAT score to make up for it. If he were to score a 40 on the MCATs, with documented medical problems, then he might have a shot. With a 3.2/34 you might be able to get into SOME medical school, but not a top 20 one. MSTP programs are super competitive, and most run admissions through the medical school first, meaning you have to get into the medical school and then they will evaluate you for the MD/PhD. </p>
<p>As belevitt said, several PhD programs have a translational focus, but if you actually want to be a doctor then that won’t help you. Your best bet to getting into medical school is to do an SMP program. If you do very well there, you could probably get into a top school. Several top schools have research+medical school programs (not full phds), which might be more up your alley. There aren’t too many reasons to plan on getting your phd and THEN going to medical school, so what your best course of action is depends on your ultimate goals. </p>
<p>You should probably post this on the Pre=med board as well.</p>
<p>There’s also a sub-forum for MD/PhD programs, but the Pre-Allo sub-forum gets the heaviest traffic.</p>
<p>Firstly, it seems really silly to do PhD -> MD. That’s at least ten years. You can do an MD/PhD program in six.</p>
<p>You seem to have 4 choices: 1) Get a really, really high MCAT score, apply widely, and hope for the best; 2) Lower your standards and go for mid-/lower-tier MD/PhD programs; 3) Do an SMP program; or 4) Just do a PhD program.</p>
<p>Also, regardless of what you do, you’re probably not going to have a good chance at getting in at HMS and/or Hopkins. So I’d start finding some less-selective schools that you’re also interested in.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention this possibility. When I was in college and contemplating the clinical medicine route, I had thought a lot about osteopathic programs (DO). The schools that offer this degree tend to be less selective than allopathic programs (MD). The actual preparation doesn’t differ much from MD programs except that a single extra course is required.</p>
<p>Have you considered applying for a Masters in Physician’s Assistant? It’s a 2 to 3 year program… you can do most of what an actual physician would do, even run your own practice… the pay is also in the 6 figures.</p>
<p>Not all of them do. My best friend is graduating from her program w/o that requirement. Even if they do have a 2 year health care experience requirement you can achieve that without getting a nursing degree. I worked as a CNA as an undergrad which requires nothing more than a hs diploma.</p>
<p>If your passion is medicine, you’ll find a way to get there just stay confident!</p>