I am interested in becoming a physician but I feel that I am too far behind. A little back story, I went into from freshman year of college with my A.A. 60 credits from high school via dual enrollment. This is something I regret because I came in with a 3.484 GPA as a result of goofing around and not putting in much effort at that time; my goal was to just obtain my A.A. degree not thinking of the consequences. I had a really rough first year, in the spring semester I ran into family problems which really distracted me from my studies and I passed three of the four classes I was enrolled in. Fortunately, my school offered a no credit option for the class I failed so it did not affect my GPA however, it is on my transcript and unfortunately I didn’t do as well as I wanted in the classes I passed and that dropped my GPA to a 3.404. Transitioning to summer, I took the class I failed in the spring and intro to chem. I was doing quite well in the beginning but my family issues started up again and things began to go south. At the end of the summer I became homeless and academically I passed the class I failed in the spring with a B but received no credit in intro to chem; my GPA dropped to a 3.383. This past Fall I tried to continue with school despite being homeless and without transportation, I took pre-calculus, biology II, general anthropology, and human species. In the beginning of the semester I had someone close to me pass and it was really hard to pick up where I left off. I had to drop biology II and I finished gen anthropology with a B+, human species with a C, and pre-calculus with a C. My GPA is now a 3.278. Currently, I am training to become a CNA, I have completed 75 hours of training and I take my test in a few weeks! I am in need of more than minimum wage and this is related to the field I would like to work in later. In the upcoming spring semester, I am enrolled in Chem I at my community college, Calculus I, and Culture, Disease, and Healing for my medical anthropology minor. I decided to take chem at my community college because of class size. That was one of my biggest problems at my University. My housing situation has improved, I’m now rotating between friends’ homes and hopefully I will be able to move into an apartment with some roommates by the end of the spring semester. My primary concern is that my GPA will be too low at the end of my undergrad career. I apologize for the long post and that’s it is a bit scattered but I need outside opinion. Is it possible to improve my GPA to be competitive when applying to medical school?
-
Yes, you can improve your GPA, but with each passing semester, as you accumulate more credits, it’s harder.
-
Your story if combined with an upward trend may be compelling once you get into an interview scenario. You haven’t given much detail here (and that’s okay), but depending on what they are, you may be able to share a unique story about overcoming obstacles and finding success. The problem will be if your GPA is below cutoffs and doesn’t get you to that step.
-
Without an MCAT score, your true range of competitiveness is unknown. Obviously everyone wants to do well on the exam, but if your grades aren’t as high, it becomes that much more important. With that in mind, if I were you, I would not attempt the MCAT unless you are in a stable position to do your best. Your story is rife with upheaval, and those situations are not the time to take such a hugely important exam. This process is not a race, so if you have another problematic situation one semester, sit it out. It’s clear that your non-academic life plays a role in your academic success, so you need to be able to manage that to make the other better.
-
Becoming a CNA may also open up some other doors for you. Once you have a job, take it as an opportunity to consider other options in healthcare. That’s sage advice for anyone, even those who have a 4.0. Make sure that being a physician is right for you.
Thank you very much! This helps a lot, I may sit out this spring in order to have some stability. I don’t want to get to the point of giving up.
I hate to be a downer when you’ve fought so hard to keep this dream alive, but keep in mind that even if you were to get into medical school (and that’s unlikely given your current grades), it’s four long grueling years with many exams that have to be passed (Step I and Step II in particular). If your personal situation is still unstable, you are unlikely to make it through and you will have accumulated a great deal of debt in the process. Every year, my S’s med school has a few students who fail out and it’s not because of innate ability, but because their personal lives have become chaotic and have negatively impacted their ability to put in the long hours of work and study that are needed.
A better strategy would be to stay focused on the CNA and go back for additional training incrementally as your life permits and your interests evolve. There are many careers in healthcare that might be a win for you but you need time and space to explore and that isn’t going to happen when you are rotating between friends’ apartments.
Even if that was my first year and the only class I’ve taken towards medical prerequisites is biology I? You don’t think there is room for improvement in three years?
P.s. I hope I don’t seem defensive. I’m genuinely curious.
Stabilize your home life, improve your GPA, and with an excellent MCAT score, I think you will be taken seriously. Med schools frequently seek a class of people with diverse experiences and compelling stories. But your GPA and MCAT will have to meet their thresholds, so you’ve got your work cut out for you. And don’t rule out D.O. school as an alternative.
RE: calculating your GPA for med school.
AMCAS requires that all grades be reported and all grades are counted when calculating your GPA–even if your college does not. Any classes where you’ve received a NC (No Credit) are included in your GPA and counted as a F. MD programs do not allow for grade replacement so any classes that you fail and re-take will both grades be counted. (DO programs, otoh, do allow for grade replacement and only the newest grade is counted.)
For med school admission, there are 2 GPAs that are looked at-- your overall GPA and your science GPA (sGPA).
sGPA includes all courses that are designated as math, biology, chemistry, and physics. This means that courses like pre-calc, human species (I’m assuming it’s bio-type class) will be included in your sGPA.
I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer; I just don’t want you have surprises later.
Agree with MidwestDad & BigRed--you have a compelling story and will add diversity to a med school class, provied you can improve your GPA. As a necessary first step, you need to get your life stabilized so you can concentrate on academics.
And I'm going to mention an option that you may want to consider--military enlistment. The service will give you a secure place to live, meals, clothing and a salary. The military will train you--you can ask for a medicine-related assignment: pharmacy tech, infirmary tech, paramedic, corpsman, etc. After you fulfill your obligation you will have educational benefits that will help you pay for college (maybe even med school). Ex-military service personnel (and police and firemen) are valued by med school adcomms for the maturity, leadership and discipline they bring.