Hi,
I am a pre-medical student at GMU and my current GPA is a 2.99. My science GPA is about a 3. 3 and my major GPA is a bit higher. My first year of college I did great, I had a 3.6GPA and took hard courses like Genetics, Calc 1 and 2, Cell Biology, and a few engineering ones in between. I haven’t taken any general education courses at my school yet, in fact.
My problem is that things went down hill fast. My sophomore and Junior year I did very poorly. I failed some classes, got C’s in others and just had a bad time all together.
Now, I am a senior. I have retaken 2 of the 4 failed classes, and made a B+ and an A-. I also took some classes in the summer and had a 3.5 for the summer. My last semester junior year I had a 3.6. This semester it looks like i should have a 3.8-4.0 and if i keep up this current work ethic i have i dont see why i cant maintain these grades.
Anyhow, the punch line. I did very poorly my Sophomore and Junior year. I should still be able to graduate with a ~3.5 and I do well with standardized test. Do I have a chance at getting into medical school with those failed classes?
If you didn’t fail any prerequisites and you get a good MCAT score, then I think it’s possible. But, it also depends on your extracurriculars and whether you are applying to MD or DO schools.
Why did things go downhill? Medical schools will be wary that they may go downhill again.
Adcoms will want to see proof that you’ve fixed whatever caused your grade decline. And they will want to see a period of sustained improvement, ideally while taking a full courseload of tough upper level bio & chem electives (and not retakes). Rule of thumb says your upward trend needs to exceed the length of your downward trend. (So 3 semesters of poor grades requires 4 or more semesters of excellent grades afterwards to remediate your academic reputation.)
Also remember that grade replacement is not allowed by allopathic (MD) medical programs so both your Fs and your retaken grades will both be included when computing your GPA/sGPA.
DO schools may work for you since they allow grade replacement
You’re going to have to knock the MCAT out of the park. You can do it. Study, Study, Study. And have good EC’s and essays! I’m rootin’ for you! I had the opposite, bad scores but great GPA. So many people told me I’d never make it, but they were wrong! Believe in yourself and pursue your dreams! Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good enough!
Score really high on the MCAT, get some good experience–volunteer, shadow, etc. and you may have a shot at a allopathic program. Osteopathic programs may be more welcoming. Your demographic and personal story can also play a role. Pursue a post-bacc program to really increase your chances…
Study hard for the MCAT and aim for DO schools. If your science GPA is 3.3+ and you overall GPA is 3.5+ you have a shot.