This year did not go well at all. Do I still have hope?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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Long story short, I transferred to a harder college (top 20), and this year has not been kind to me.

I got a 4.0 in all of my premed classes in my previous school. When I came here, though, I get C’s in Bio and Math and B- in Orgo.

I know I still have hope if I show an upward trend, but how much of an upward trend will be enough to save me? I’m doing MUCH better in Bio this semester (as in, I have a shot at getting a solid A), but Orgo’s not much better. At this point, I can pull off a B at best. So, yes, it’s an upward trend, but not a drastic one for Orgo.

I also just calculated by science GPA should I get an A in Bio and a B in Orgo this semester, and it doesn’t look good: 3.39. I’m just shocked at how my GPA took a nosedive in the span of one semester. The highest my science GPA can get is about a 3.5, and that’s being optimistic.

Granted, my school is known to be difficult, so I guess there might be some leeway, but not enough to save me.

Things just took a turn for the worst. I can still prove an upward trend, I guess, and at this point I’m just trying to get into ANY MD program.

I honestly don’t know what to do. Everything just went crashing down in one semester, and now I can’t even get research positions because I’m competing against others with higher GPAs.

EDIT: FWIW, my overall GPA would be 3.65 assuming these grades, and unlike my science GPA, it has the potential to break 3.7.

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Adcomms will want to see lots of As in tough upper level elective bio and chem classes for them to be convinced of a “strong upward trend”. I strongly suggest you plan on delaying any applications to med schools until AFTER graduation to give yourself more time to raise your GPA.

A sGPA < 3.5 is going to a hard sell for allopathic schools, esp if are a member of a ORM (Asian, white) group.

Your MCAT score is going to have been strong to get a look from many schools.

What is home state? (You don’t have to answer!) You need to look at the typical MCAT/GPA for all the public med schools in your home state. That’s where you best chance of admission will usually lie. Be honest with yourself–will you be a good candidate for one of those schools? If not you’ll need to expand your net of possibilities.

Are interested in mission-based schools? These are schools which have as their main purpose providing primary care doctors for rural and medically underserved areas or populations. Many of these school also have slightly lower than average GPAs. But in order to convince these programs of your sincerity, you need to have hands on volunteering with rural/ medically underserved populations. Start looking for volunteering opportunities NOW.

And one more option-- osteopathic medical schools.

Osteopathic med schools are still an option for you. The median accepted GPA is slightly lower than allopathic schools. (Last year was around a 3.5, I think.) DO schools also include different courses when calculating science GPAs (math classes aren’t included). Don’t know if that helps or hurts you–but regardless, take a look at ACOMAS.

For this upcoming summer, find a DO to shadow since many DO programs require or strongly recommend a LOR from osteopathic physician.

http://www.osteopathic.org/Pages/default.aspx

has search function to find a local DO and then you can start working on getting a shadowing gig.

Remember a doctor is a doctor regardless of the initials after her name,

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@WayOutWestMom Texas.
About D.O. schools, I’m concerned that specialties will favor the M.D. students.

Is 3.5 the general rule of thumb for sGPA?

I was hoping I wouldn’t delay applications until after graduation, considering I’d be paying off loans (not a crippling amount by any means, thank goodness).

Sadly, yes I am Asian. I don’t know if they’re gonna look at what specific type of Asian, since I’m not the traditional Chinese/Korean/Japanese etc., but I’m not counting on it.

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I remember saw a Columbia student with 3.0 GPA did not get in to ANY school in the USA, perhaps he will try Carribian in the next round. The GPA damage is done, you may have to repeat those required courses with a C. and include DO schools in your application. 3.65 probably will be the lowest for traditional applicants for allopathic schools.

OTOH, if you can get nothing but A’s from now on, there is a chance for you.

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Currently, DOs graduating in the top third of their programs are matching into competitive specialties at DO programs and some at MD programs. (DOs applying to MD residencies need to take the USMLE as well as the COMLEX.)

With the upcoming MD-DO residency merger—I have no idea how residency matching is going shake out. No one does.

I would like to interject a word of counsel here–do NOT go into medicine unless you would be happy to match into a less competitive specialty, esp. into primary care fields. If you can only see yourself as an orthopedist, radiation oncologist, pediatric gastroenterologist, cardiologist, thoracic surgeon, or , please seriously consider an alternate career. Why? Competitive specialties are …. competitive and the likelihood of you matching into one is small. (Not a knock on you, just a statement of fact.)

In general, your sGPA should be close to your GPA. (And according to AMCAS, the average accepted GPA is 3.65+ for the last cycle. So figure the average accepted sGPA is close to that.)

With the dip in your GPA, you have no choice but to delay applying. Your GPA/sGPA has taken a big hit. You need time to repair that. Additionally, you have no research, no shadowing and only a limited amount clinical experience. You need time to remedy those deficits too.

Applying with a weak app will only hurt you in the long run. Re-applicants have a higher bar to jump than first time applicants. Also a cycle of med school applications is expensive and stressful. You really, really don’t want to have to apply more than once. Do it once and do it right.

As for your loans, plan on finding a post-graduation job. Since you know ahead of time you will not be going straight to med school, you should go talk to the career center at your college now about what types of jobs individuals with your degree get. You should think about–and ask the career center-- the types of skills you need to acquire to make you more employable.

Or if you’re willing to, you can look at some “typical” gap year pre-med job–CNA, EMT, phlebotomist, medical scribe. These don’t pay especially well, but they do pay and you’ll be gaining clinical experience.

After graduation, you can apply for income-based repayment for your loans–which will reduce your monthly payments. You might consider living at home post-graduation to reduce your living costs.

Each medical school makes it own determination of ORM/URM. Certain Asian groups may be designated URMs if there is a significant medically underserved community within a med school’s area of service. As an example, my state has a significant Vietnamese population, many of whom originally were settled here as refugees after the fall of Saigon. Our state med school considers Vietnamese as URMs for admission purposes.

At many med schools, Cambodians, Hmong and Vietnamese are considered URMs.

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I know. I understand that. I keep an open mind. But if I decide that I do want to be a cardiologist down the road, I’d like to optimize my chances. Luckily, I’m curious about a less competitive specialty (psychiatry), but like we both said, I shouldn’t plan on limiting my choices.

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I guess it all boils down to one question: do you want to be a physician or not?

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AMMC FACT table for GPA/MCAT Asian applicants and matriculants to allopathic medical schools:

https://www.aamc.org/download/321516/data/factstable25-3.pdf

Assume that sGPA equals GPA on the table.