Low GPA and/or Low MCAT score

[step2205]

Hello I wanted to know my chances of getting into med school with a 2.93 GPA and a score of 37 on the MCAT. My first couple of years of undergrad I did not perform at my optimal best given the burden of a family situation that was going on at the time, but my last 4 semester of undergrad I was able to pull of a 4.0 for all 4 semesters. I have two years of working in a research lab, a year of volunteer work teaching highschool students about STIs and lastly I have shadowed for the past year straight. Do I have a fighting chance, I have also consider applying to a SMP.

[mmkay007]

Hi,
I am from Florida, and I am currently a junior at Notre Dame; I will be taking the MCAT this spring. My cumulative GPA is 3.46, and my science GPA is currently 2.99. First semester sophomore year I received a C+ in Biology 1 and and a C- in Orgo 2, the lowest grades on my entire college transcript. Anyways, my poor academic grades were due to the fact that I was suffering from depression from my grandmother’s being euthanized involuntarily the previous summer. I received counseling at the school, and my grades have improved, but of course my science GPA and cumulative GPA have been hurt by those low grades. I have some service and clinical experience, but not as much as others because I must work to pay for school, and I also do not have transportation anyways. Because I had so many AP credits I will be graduating a semester early to save on transportation to school, plus my tuition loans. Do you think I have a shot at medical school? It has been my dream since middle school, and I worked really hard throughout high school to get into a good college so I could have a shot. No one in my family is a doctor, my family makes less than 300% of the poverty level for our family size, and my parents and younger siblings have had to sacrifice to give me this opportunity. Am I deluding myself into thinking that medical school is a possibility for me? Is everything that my parents have sacrificed been sacrificed in vain? Please be honest.
Thanks!

[YAGA]

I’m currently a junior in an ivy league school…I was a neuroscience major but recently switched to psychology because I realized I didn’t have enough time to finish the neuroscience requirements. My current gpa is a 3.36…I was thinking of taking a year or 2 off to solidify my music career whiles doing some research at the same time…How worried should I be???

[Notsew]

Hi there,
I am a pre-med student at UCM in missouri. I am a sophmore at 22 years of age and I have a weight that is heavy on my chest about medical school admission. I currently have a 2.6 GPA with a 3.0 science GPA. I started my first year at Washburn and worked full time at Frio-lay while trying to pursue a business degree and because the job would have paid for my school (when i received a full time position) i chose to let my grades suffer just to keep the job. I ended up fulfilling my 180 days as a temp without a fulltime position opening up and I had received a very low gpa of 1.11. It took me a while to regain my confidence and get back into school but I did it and I decided that i wanted to be an MD more than anything. Now I have been able to raise my gpa but I am soo worried that it just wont be enough. It is beginning to cause self doubt and I need some advice on what i should do. If anyone has solid/helpful advice on what I should do it would be greatly appreciated. I have a need to prove myself and a passion to help people. I will be volunteering this summer at the hospital and will even have opportunities to shadow. What I really would like to know is if I can raise my gpa enough in about 80 credit hours (i have 65 attempted so far) to even have a chance at a US med school? I will be attempting to take my MCAT after my junior year is completed as I still need to take a few classes to prepare for it. Also what should I strive to gain for a good application and how much weight is put upon recommendations?
Please I am at my breaking point, lost in the darkness and I need a light to guide me to my ultimate goal.
Sincerely at your mercy
WJU
Please Email me @ Weston.Urbaniak@hotmail.com

[anthrodev]

Hi. I recently graduated with a Bachelor’s in anthropology with an emphasis in health and have just been accepted to a Master’s program in public health. I am considering taking the MCAT and applying to medical schools subsequent to acquiring my Master’s, and I am wondering how important my undergraduate GPA will be to medical schools once I have my MPH. My undergrad GPA is a 3.6, but I didn’t do so well in a few core science classes. I suppose that because I wasn’t aspiring to become a physician at the time of taking these courses, I didn’t apply myself as I should have. My science GPA is a 3.0 but that is with class repeats. Can I make up for this with a high graduate school GPA and a good MCAT score? Or am I SOL?

Devin Petersen

[lihia]

Hi! I am new to this forum. I am current a College Graduate with a really low gpa of 2.5 and I am planning to take my MCAT in august. I am not going to bother applying to US Medical Schools because I know my chances are weak.

I have worked in an internship with a doctor who was the Director of Occupational Medicine in my school, where I did research to find possible causes of diseases and illnesses the patients suffered due to their job environment. Also, I have been working as a direct care counselor where I have direct patient care experience for over two years and counting.

I have taken practice MCATs but I know the real exam will be a lot harder since it is just hard to gauge from practice exams. However I have about 3 months left and from the 2 practice tests I have taken, both of them I obtained a 29 and 28.
I have at least 4 letters of recommendation right now including 2 from professors, one from my internship, and the other one from my employer.

My aim is to get above a 32 at least. Do I still have a chance to get into the Carribean Medical colleges such as Ross, St Georges, SABA, or AUA in my situation?

[migarcia2]

I have a situation.I will have earned my BA in Business Mgmt by August this Year. I have been speaking to advisors from Premed at USf to Community College to my current university. I want to persue getting into med school. If I take my year of Physics, Chem,Chem Organic, and Calculus and score good on the MCAT do I have a good possibility in getting in? What about if I take all of these courses at a community college? Same courses just cheaper.Or do you recommend I get an associates and a second BA in Biomedical Science. I have heard different things from different advisors. Some saying just take those classes, mcat and volunteer and make an excellent application and I will have a good chance. Another one says dont do anything until you get a second BA. What do I do?

Misha

[mtet]

I am junior at the University of Michigan majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Biochemistry. My GPA currently is a 3.11 and I am taking my MCAT soon. I have done two years of cancer research and have a paper published as a second author. I have also volunteered for over 200 hours, and have been team captain of the Chemical Engineering car team for the past two years. I am expecting stellar letters of recommendations from all my professors.

Assuming that I can pull off something around a 32-34 on the MCAT, what are my chances of getting into a US medical school? I mean, I am not stupid but doing a major in Chemical engineering is very difficult and the teachers don’t really care about GPA’s at all. The average GPA in my class is right now is about a 2.8-9 at best.

Thanks

[UACAT]

Hi please tell me if I am competetive and what I can do to become more competitive:

3.20 GPA undergrad, 3.85 GPA graduate school-masters in public health (MPH-just graduated), 19 on MCAT (re-taking currently-what score would be advisable to make competitive?, 7 publications, volunteer over 5 years for clinic, volunteered at several underserved locations in arizona-with hispanic and native american populations and currently working in clinical setting.

Please advise if I am competitive, what could help and U.S. schools where I might have a chance.

thank you,
sarah c.

[cmo0306]

I graduated from a 4-year college in NC with BS in biochemistry and BS in Chemistry in 4 years with a 2.7-2.9 gpa on each (wasn’t very good). I worked in pharmaceuticals part time during my senior year. Once I graduated, I found a job @another pharmaceutical and that is where I’m currently working (almost a year now). I really still want to go to medical school, because what I’m doing now does not make me happy. For sure, I still have yet to take the mcat and get more experience in healthcare. I am debating over going back to school for another degree(nursing maybe) or an MS(chemistry) or can I just keep taking classes to raise my gpa. I really am kind of stuck. I don’t want to work forever and not already start getting my stuff together for med school applications. I do have a lot of other extracurricular activities and have volunteered in different events. I’m not really worried about that. Just the GPA part.

[3ps1l0n11]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently a senior in college majoring in biology with a focus on microbiology/immunology. During my first two years of undergraduate coursework I earned horrible grades due to anxiety and depression. I have since seen a counselor every week for about a year and am now at a place where I am able to focus on my work. I am getting good grades now but I’m afraid I won’t be able to pull my GPA much higher than a 2.8 before I graduate.

I’m considering medical school and pharmacy school but I’d like to have some idea of if it will even be possible to be accepted. What kind of PCAT and MCAT scores would make me competitive with such a low GPA?

Also, I’m a member of a pre-health profession frat that emphasizes volunteer work, and a member of several other clubs. I know that I need experience in a hospital setting but are there any other extracurriculars that will help me to stand out?

[SamanthaH3]

Hi. I am in the same boat as your sister was. Can you tell me what medical school she got into?

Thank you!

-Sam

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Originally posted by pinkhair21

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Originally posted by thymol_blue

…to DO (osteopathic) Schools, and to Carribean medical schools — you’ll get into both. You’d just waste your money applying to regular med schools through AMCAS — unless you happen to live in Alabama or Missisippi or a couple of other states where your numbers are actually close to “competitive” for the med schools there. For most other schools in most other states, you’re not even in the same ballpark as “competitive”. Sorry if it sounds harsh.

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I disagree with you. My sister had a low MCAT score (16) and a GPA of a 3.4 or 3.3 I think it was? And she still got into medical school in the USA. It depends on what medical school you are applying, and if you fit what they are looking for. Also, I’ve heard some people have a high GPA and MCAT score, and still didn’t get in. JJJD in my opinion, apply. If you want, you can re-take courses or take extra classes, that’s great, but I don’t think it’s necessary because your MCATS are great.

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[Anonymous]

I have a 3.84 GPA and a 29 MCAT score. I also have both research and volunteer experience.
However, my Verbal Reasoning score is only 8. How much does it affect my chances of getting into a Medical School in the US?
Mia

[lcostandy]

Hi,

I am a junior in college. I have a 3.2 GPA and I got a 34 on the MCAT. I have gotten my EMT-B certification and a CNA certification. I have also shadowed many types of doctors for two years. I spend a lot of time volunteering at a local community center. My sophmore year I had personal problems (illness) and my grades suffered because of that. This has brought my GPA down to a 3.2. I am considering taking a year off to retake these classes. Do I even have a chance of getting into a US med school? I do not want to consider DO or PA school.
Thanks

[ckayy89]

3.20 GPA, 30 MCAT from UCI

can i get into med school in california?

[Author]

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