<p>Hey all, I'm worried that I messed up big time and possibly eliminated my chances for getting into medical school. Here are a few stats, then I'll explain.</p>
<p>Junior as of Fall 2008
Major: Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology
Concentration: Pre-Health (of course)
Current GPA (I havn't gotten grades back for all the classes this semester):
2.989
Total Credits:77 (came in with AP credit)
Current Major GPA:
Biology: 4.0, 1 credit hour
Biochemistry: 2.815, 9 credit hours
Microbiology: Not available, waiting on Intro to Microbiology grade.
Extra C's:
-Went to Reynosa, Mexico on a medical mission trip and opened a free clinic and served patients in the area.
-Went the second time as a group leader (me and a co-leader organized and lead the trip). Both these trips were known as Alternative Service/Spring Breaks
-I instructed an Intro to Computer Science Lab this semester, and I'm teaching it again in the fall, and probably every semester till I graduate.
-I'm going to be an Orientation Counselor, most likely lead Orientation Counselor this summer as well.
Planned Internship: Summer or Fall 2009
Planned MCAT: Spring 2009 </p>
<p>My situation:
I did poorly my freshman year due to the cliche "I was sheltered in highschool, and went crazy in college". I realized the mistake when i got a 2.5 at the end of Freshman year. I buckled down Sophomore year and I got a 3.313 with semester dean's list.
So this spring semester, I challenged my self by taking 20 hours, and 2 jobs. One of the classes was Organic Chemistry 1. I re-took it because I got a C the first time around, I didn't learn anything the first time around, and because my adviser said I should be able to get an A. Long story short, I bombed my final because I was way too stressed and busy from taking finals for 20 hours worth of classes and I ended up with another C. Now I know this is VERY BAD. I'm just wondering if this cost me a chance of getting into medical school.
I've learned my lesson, I'm keeping my course load to 15 hours with 1 job. And I'm beginning to hone down my concentration on school and doing better on exams. I'm even taking Organic Chemistry 2 during the summer. And even though I'm taking all 400 level science courses, I'm keeping my course load low, and going to work at a not so stressful lab instructor job. I'm sure that I can bring my GPA up by Summer 2009 to at least a 3.4 and maybe a 3.5 by the time I graduate (triple major, lots of classes, lot's of opportunities increase GPA).
BUT, is all of this going to go to waste because of this C in a class I retook and got a C before in? I know multiple majors won't help me, but I know a 3.5 and a good MCAT is good to pass the weed-out process. Please throw in any other advice you all have. I appreciate your thoughts.</p>
<p>though i'm sure the C in the retaken class looks spectacularly bad I think you're missing the bigger problem here which is that you are halfway through college already and you have yet to even break a 3.5 in a single semester (from what i gather) yet somehow you think that your overall gpa will be that high come graduation. This doesnt sound realistic. I think you should take a step back and have an honest look at you're record.</p>
<p>You say 3.5 by the time you graduate. You're half way through now. That means about a 4.0 the rest of your college career. I doubt you'll be able to do that considering your past performance (I definitely could be wrong, but I'm trying to be realistic). Let's say you can get it up to 3.2-3.3. If you are a URM then you would be fine. I will assume you are not however. With that GPA you would need a very high MCAT score to be competitive at lower tier MD schools (35+). But that is a lot to ask, bringing your GPA up and having a great MCAT score are not simple things to accomplish for anyone. It will not be impossible for you to gain admission to an allopathic school but you are looking at a major uphill battle. You may want to consider looking into DO schools. If you do well enough I would recommend applying to bother lower tier MD schools and DO schools and see what happens. I know it feels like you have messed things up but you are still young. Plus you can always do post-bac programs. Finishing your last 2 years strong + a post-bac program could allow you to improve your GPA into the 3.5 range. However, you would need to be nearly flawless from here on and even with a 3.5 you will be "weeded" out of many MD schools. Medical School is ridiculously competitive these days and that is probably an understatement. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>That's true I guess. It looks like I gotta have at least a 3.5 and ~35 on the MCAT to have a shot at low-tiers. Thanks for the reality check, let's hope that I can act on it. </p>
<p>Uvajack,
What are some post-bac programs that would be helpful to look into? What exactly are they? </p>
<p>Sorry guys, just two more questions I just thought of...</p>
<p>The ochem 2 course that I'm taking in the summer. If I get an A in that and my upcoming higher level science courses, will that somewhat improve in any minute amount a C two times in ochem 1? </p>
<p>My school as a +/- grading system. Do medical schools count that gpa, or do they re-calculate it?</p>
<p>Look under:
General Programs
Programs for students who need to improve their credentials as well as those who have little or no sciences:</p>
<p>University of Miama looks promising (2 years, junior + senior 3.3 gpa req which you should be able to meet).</p>
<p>Post-bac programs are either:</p>
<p>1) for students to complete pre-med reqs. (U.Va. has one of these)
2) "remedial" and allow you to take science classes to work on your GPA
3) a combo of the two.</p>
<p>Start with that site and see if you can find a program that fits your needs. However, that list is not comprehensive. Look around, these programs are all the rage these days. Best of luck :)</p>
<p>1.) Plusses and minuses matter to AMCAS, which will calculate your GPA for medical school applications.
2.) Yes, getting an A in Organic II will be a good thing.</p>
<p>They will add or subtract .3 for each + or -. If your school already does that, then even though it's a "recalculation," it will be identical. As Shraf mentioned, A+'s do not receive a bonus.</p>
<p>The academic violation, in my opinion, is worse than the 3.0 GPA or the two C's in Orgo 1. That is a killer even for someone with spectacular stats which you don't have.</p>