<p>Hey guys,
I'm a to-be Junior pre-med student this coming semester. I didn't do so hot the last two semesters, Sophomore 1st semester was a 3.10 and second semester was a 2.83.
My first year I finished with a solid 3.5 after taking gen chem/gen bio/1 year of calc. As a sophomore I took Organic chem (I = B-; II = B). So basically right now I have a cumulative gpa of 3.22. I know that's pretty low and I was wondering what the usual route is for getting the higher gpa. Do I just plan on getting a 4.0 from here on out? Or should I plan on taking some extra courses outside the school year (maybe including a post-bac to raise it)? </p>
<p>Your current GPA is on the very low end for GPAs for med school applicants. Unless you have extraordinary other stuff to go with that GPA, you likely won’t be competitive for admission. </p>
<p>You should try to raise your GPA by getting better grades, but unless you can figure out why you’re not doing as well as you’d hoped, that isn’t likely.</p>
<p>You can look into post-bacc programs. And you should consider what other kinds of careers interest you.</p>
<p>Aren’t 'post-bacc" programs for those who weren’t pre-med and haven’t taken pre-med courses? This student has all or nearly all of his pre-med pre-reqs.</p>
<p>Yes, you need to strive for a 4.0 the next few semesters. You’ll probably have to wait til after you graduate to apply to med school. </p>
<p>What is your major? What science/math courses can you take to booster your sGPA?</p>
<p>There are some programs that are often called post-baccs but are actually master’s degree programs for students who need to raise their GPA. Most require a minimum college GPA of 3.0 for a student to be considered for admission.</p>
<p>AMCAS has a a listing of these under “academic record enhancer” programs</p>
<p>Like Tufts said–could be worse. Both cum and sGPAs area on the low side right now, but if your junior year grades are strong and you have have 31-32 MCAT, and you apply widely to well selected list of schools, you have a decent chance (better than 50-50) of getting 1 acceptance. And you only need one.</p>
<p>If, however, you don’t improve on your GPAs, strongly consider postponing your application until after graduation.</p>
<p>From recent experience, I’d say that’s about right. And if you have a 3.2 and approximately 60 units/hours/whatever your school calls them (averaging about 15 a semester, or a full courseload), 30 units/hours/whatever your school calls them at 4.0 (ie, getting a 4.0 both semesters junior year) would bring you up to 3.4+, which should be much more manageable. Some quick “GPA Calculator” math indicates that, should you get a 4.0 for your remaining 60 hours (which is a stretch, but theoretically possible), your GPA would be around 3.6. Not ideal, but much better than where you’re standing now!</p>
<p>Hope you have some killer ECs, a compelling hook, and wonderful recommendation letters!</p>
<p>Why is this exactly? I hope to go into osteopathic medicine, and while I am glad that have more lenient acceptance rates, I’m curious as to why?</p>