Okay, so a little bit of a background about the situation I’m in. I started to go to school in 2012. At the time I was going for Business Administration. I honestly did not like the classes but my father was paying for my classes and it was what he wanted me to go for or he wouldn’t pay. From that time I had poor grades in my business classes (i still got 3.5 or better in my Englishes etc. But I got low Cs in the rest) I went to school for a year doing that. During my 3rd semester my mother had a massive stroke( I still have medical papers if I need to give proof) and I withdrew from my classes to go take care of her. I took care of her and worked full time for 2 years until her Government disability went through. I have since came back to college. My father is no longer paying so I’m going for what I love (I’m a Biological Science major now) I just finished my first semester back and I got three 4.0s (bio 1, chem 1, Philosophy of death and dying) , one 3.8(Physical elective) , and one 3.4( College Algebra) While I’m doing well now my GPA from when I was in school is following me. If I keep on this course of doing well my GPA will be a 3.1 when I finish my associates degree and move on to get my bachelors. I have read online that you need a 3.5 minimum to get into Med school. While I know my GPA “resets” when i move to a new school the med school will still see my 3.1 GPA. Its clear my grades have improved since I came back to school. I’m just worried that my early class work for a subject I didn’t even enjoy will stop me from going to med school. I volunteer at a hospital and plan on staying there for awhile. I study and work hard on my school work and enjoy all of it I’m sure i will keep doing well and I’m already looking at previous MCATs to make sure i do well on them. Do I have anything to worry about? Should I just give up? I don’t mind working hard to get what I want I just want to know I have a chance and its not just a pipe dream. Thank you again for your help and feedback.
IMO, if one doesn’t have an acceptance in hand, one has something to worry about
No, but…. you need to understand how med school GPAs are reported. Your GPA doesn’t get “reset.” When you apply you will be required to report every college course that you ever enrolled in even if taken in high school and whether you took it for a grade, P/F, whether you withdrew, took an Incomplete, etc,). Med schools will break down your GPAs by year and cumulatively. So for each year med schools will see 3 separate GPAs. One, all bio, chem, physics and math courses enrolled in will get a separately reported GPA (also called sGPA (s for science), or bcpm GPA)). Second, any non science courses you enrolled in for each year will get a separately reported GPA (also called AO GPA (all other). Third, there will also be a separately reported cumulative GPA for each year (or cGPA). In addition, there will be over all total sGPA, AO GPA and cGPA separately reported on your application. The sGPA and cGPAs are most important.
I am assuming your 3.1 GPA is cumulative. Med schools like to see upward trends. But even with a strong MCAT score you face a very big hill to climb GPA wise. Maybe to take some stress off you may want to consider DO option and applying broadly. The bar at some DO schools may be more attainable. Also a med school app will provide you an opportunity to tell your backstory. Finally, any med school hopeful should always have a plan B in mind. Good luck.
Thank you vary much. I meant reset in more the terms that my 3.1 will not follow me to my next school and I will start with a “fresh slate” in a way of speaking I know they will see my GPA from the college I am attending now.(at least that’s what iv been told i may have heard wrong.) I’m just really worried because all of my classes that would be required for my major now and med school are good (3.5 or higher) and that gives me hope but then I have 3 classes from my Business major that hurt my GPA. If it wasn’t for them I would have a much better GPA. From what your saying it sounds like I don’t have a chance even if I keep a semester GPA of 3.8 or higher for the rest of my school career. Like I said, I do not mind working hard and giving 110% if it means getting my dream job. I just want to know if a few classes won’t make it impossible for me to get into a med school or if I still have a shot? Is it a all hope is lost kind of thing?
Thank you again for the reply.
That’s the problem when responding to posts with incomplete facts, my bad. I feel like I’m missing something. Why not repost with all the grades you have actually earned.
O God, ha ha okay.
( 1st Semester as a Business Administration Major)
Speech Com - B
College Algebra - C
Into to Psychology - B
Principals of Sociology - A-
( 2nd Semester as a Business Administration Major)
Into to Computers - C+
English 1 - B-
Intro to Philosophy - B
Intro to Political Science - C+
( 3rd Semester as a Business Administration Major) I dropped out of 2 classes to help my mom but three classes I was able to finish. i know i should have just dropped them all now 
Art History Survey - B+
Principles of marketing - C-
Principles of Selling - D+
( 1st Semester as a Biological Science Major)
Bio 1 - A (97%)
Chem 1 - B+ (89%)
College Algebra - B (85%) I know I took it once but i was foggy on it and wanted to boost my grade a bit.
Philosophy of Death and Dying - A- (94%)
That’s what i have done so far. Sorry I only put the % for the last semester I cant remember the percents for the others but the letter grades are online. As you can see the business classes kill me, and to be honest i didn’t like my classes back then. Now that I’m enjoying what I’m doing and going for what i want you can see a sharp improvement in my grades.
I know my grades are not the best, I’m just asking is there a decent chance I can get into a med school or should I just give up and go on a different path. I don’t mind working hard and I honestly think I can keep my GPA 3.5 and higher for the rest of my schooling but if my previous classes are going to stop me from getting into a school whats the point?
No one has a “decent chance” at getting into med school simply because med school admission is so competitive. 75% of those who say they want to go to med school as freshmen never even apply. Of the 25% who do apply, only 40% get an acceptance to med school. For everyone, the odds are stacked against you. Everyone–and I mean everyone–needs to have a Plan B career option in case you don’t get accepted to med school. (For the record, I insisted both my kiddos have a Plan B career option. And each did.)
Your GPA is going hurt you (doubly so since your math grades will be included in sGPA calculations and will lower it too) , but med school admission officers do like a good come-from-behind story. You’re in a bad place right now, stats-wise, but you’re not completely out of the game. If you can start earning all As/u, especially in your science and math classes, you may have a chance. No promises.
BTW, retaking a class (college algebra) and not acing it the second time looks really bad. Adcomms expect the second time you take the class you will earn an A because you’ve no had 2 chances to master the material. You really need to step up your game in the future.
Keeping a 3.5 GPA going forward isn’t going to be high enough–especially since you’re starting out in a GPA hole. You need to do better than that. The average GPA of admitted med school applicants is above 3.7.
Thank you for your honest feed back. What I’m getting from all the feedback is that while I should move forward and do my best I shouldn’t even expect to get into med school and that it’s an empty dream. I’m realistic I work 45 hours a week, I volunteer 10 hours a week, and I will be taking a full class load. I honestly don’t think I can keep a perfect 4.0 in all of my classes for the rest of my college time. Guess plan B will be Burger King? I really have no idea what to do if I finish my degree but can’t get into med school. Any ideas?
Thank you all again for helping me out and your honest feedback.
Alternatives to consider–
These are all professional degree programs (requiring BA/BS for admission consideration)
osteopathic medical school (DO)–all the same rights and privileges as allopathic medical school (MD). DO programs allow grade replacement and only use the newest of retaken class grades when calculating GPAs. DO program also do not include math grades in your sGPA. Both things are to your advantage.
physician assistant ¶-- a mid-level medical provider. requires almost as high a GPA as med school and admission is very competitive, but there is an emphasis on practical hands-on experiences via CNA, EMT, PTA, RN, etc
https://www.aapa.org
nurse practitioner (APRN). Another mid-level medical provider. Requires a BSRN degree but a DNP is faster and often less expensive route to clinical practice than med school.
https://www.discovernursing.com/explore-specialties#categories=advanced-practice
anesthesiologist assistant (AA) Another mid-level medical provider who works solely in anesthesia
http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/135/Anesthesiologist_Assistant
podiatry (DPM) – specialists dealing with foot, ankle and lower extremity care and surgery. Some overlap with orthopedic surgery. DPMs now are required to do a year of clinical hospital rotations to get licensed
http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Field/21/Podiatric_Medicine
optometry (OD) – a healthcare professional who concerned with the eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists are trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision
http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Field/8/Optometry
physical therapy (DPT) physical and rehabilitative medicine specialist who remediates impairments and promotes mobility, function, and quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis, and physical intervention (therapy using mechanical force and movements).
http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Field/12/Physical_Therapy
occupational therapy (OT) is the use of assessment and treatment to develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills of people with a physical, mental, or cognitive disorder. http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Field/7/Occupational_Therapy
medical or health physicist https://www.aapm.org/medical_physicist/
These are healthcare careers that don’t require a graduate or professional degree (but may require a specialized undergrad degree or a specialize training certificate program):
respiratory therapist https://www.aarc.org/careers/how-to-become-an-rt/
radiation therapist https://www.arrt.org/Certification/Radiation-Therapist
surgical technician http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/35/Surgical_Technologist
paramedic (EMT-P)
nurse
clinical research associate (health-care professional who performs many activities related to medical research, particularly clinical trials)
x-ray or ultrasound technician,
cardiovascular technician http://www.careerprofiles.info/fastest-growing-allied-health-careers.html
athletic trainer
dietitian/nutritionist
perfusionist http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/141/Perfusionist
nuclear medicine technologist http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/31/Nuclear_Medicine_Technologist
See: [10 Fastest Growing Allied Health Careers](10 Fastest Growing Allied Health Careers)
Other medically related jobs include: medical social worker, pharmaceutical or medical equipment sales, healthcare/hospital administration, clinical laboratory technology, medical infomatics, medical librarian, biomedical engineer, neural engineer
I’m sure there are more I can’t think of right now…
I didn’t say your situation is hopeless, just that there are no guarantees going forward, You’re going to have to work your behind off to get there. You need to improve your academics a lot; every B you earn moves you away from your goal of med school.
If you’re working a full time job, it may be best if you were a part-time student. It will take you longer to graduate, but it may be kinder to your GPA. (And admission committee members are human beings; they love a good come-from-behind story. Make yours a good one with excellent grades going forward and they’ll forgive your business grades.)
If you want to become a doctor and you think you can get your overall and prereq GPA in the 3.6+ range by the time you graduate, AND do well on your MCATs, then go for it. Ad coms will definitely take trends of your grades into consideration, especially since you completely changed focus after your hiatus. In fact, taking care of your mom, having to work full time, and now paying your way through college gives you a unique advantage over more “traditional” med school applicants (as long as you convey it through your personal statement and interviews.)
Many prospective med school applicants will do a post-bac program if they are not competitive by the time they graduate college, or do research. It is not a “pipe dream” if you really want to become an MD. If that’s what you truly want to do in life, then don’t give up. Work hard and smart, and build endurance for the long haul commitment. I highly suggest doing biomedical or clinical research while you are an undergraduate. Getting a job as a medical scribe will also give you insight into medicine and help your application chances.
Keep in mind that there are LOTS of ways to serve others through health professions. Do your best, it’ll serve you well. Retake psychology and sociology as those matter foe medical school, and/or take a more advanced version since you want to prove you can get A’s. Essentially aim for A’s in everything, which may mean cutting down on work hours or taking fewer credits per semester, but making sure you get a tutor to get that A (tutoring center) and go to office hours.
The thing you have to really worry about is making sure your GPA is high enough to pass the automated screen (which will also include an MCAT threshold). The GPA used for that will definitely include your early coursework. If you can’t clear that threshold, nothing else matters because literally not a single eyeball will see any part of your application.
If you get past that, an actual person looks at your application, and the obvious gap in your eduction, plus the fact that you will answer the open ended question asking you to explain any gaps means that someone will be able to at least somewhat draw a line in the sand between your first stint and your 2nd stint. AMCAS provides year by year GPA splits so it won’t take a rocket scientist to see the obvious difference. What they will of everything I can’t really say.
I agree with the UC911doc that a grade enhancing post-bacc or SMP could be quite beneficial to you. It would provide you with another year or 2 of good grades in courses that mean things to med school ad coms. Depending on your plan B, it could even help you there as well.
No one knows exactly where the schools set their screens, it is probably at least 3 standard deviations below the typical class average. MSAR will have stats on GPAs of each med school. I forget if they report Mean with SD or median with interquartile range. If they use median and IQR, you can get a rough sense of mean and SD by assuming median = mean and SD = IQR/1.35.
Thank you all so much for the advice. I think what I’m going to do is take psychology and sociology again to get As in them. Then at the end of my Bachelors if my GPA is high enough that I think i will pass the screening I’ll will go for it. If it is not. I will do some post-bacc work to boost it to the level I need to get in. I have always loved the idea of being a doctor since I was young, helping people get better and fixing them and honestly even if I would only make enough to pa for the basics I would still want to do it the money that come with it means nothing to me. I want to thank you all for your advice and support. I will give it my all and I will try my damnedest to get 4.0s across the broad. Thank you again everyone i really appreciate all the advice and in site. Just knowing it not 100% a lost cause helps. (and yes i know it will be hard but the best things in life always are.)
I would advise against this. Even if you were doing DO, we’re talking about raising A- and B to As. No matter what your undergrad does, the original grades will be on your AMCAS transcript and counted. Retaking a class is at best neutral and potentially a red flag. An A is expected, anything less is a bad sign. You would be much better off taking different pysch/soc classes (e.g. whatever the typical next course is after the intro level), and if you feel that you’ve forgotten too much, your school probably has a tutoring center where you can get help to bring you back up to speed or you can ask the professor for a recommendation of a tutor (e.g. a grad student he/she knows) or just make ample use of office hours. As in two new courses will be better than As in retakes, and A- or B+ in two new courses will be WAY better than A- or B+ in retakes.
you are never going to finish school if you keep taking things over again instead of moving on to other courses. There are a lot of great careers between Doctor and Burger King - you are being dramatic. Do well in your courses and finish college. Have you thought about nursing, PT, etc…? You have an uphill battle with med school - but as I said there MANY other options.