Hi guys, I’m hoping to get some advice on what I should do, or if I am in big trouble when applying for medical school. I have gotten a B in both Gen chems and both Orgo classes as well. By the end of my degree (if I do well in everything else ), I will have a 3.84 GPA and 3.77 science GPA. To preface, I got to Georgia Tech and am an upcoming 3rd year Biomedical Engineering major with a double major and a minor. I am also working 2 jobs while studying to pay for my cost of living (both are medical related ) and I am very involved on campus and with leadership activities. Will this matter to medical schools or are my Bs going to bring my chances down? I feel discouraged because I have gotten 88+ in every class but that is not reflected as my schools grade scale is ABCDF. Should I consider doing a post-bac at this point?
You need to take your questions to the Med school advisor at Georgia Tech, not to a bunch of strangers on the internet.
The only thing remotely helpful that us strangers can help you with is that you do NOT need a double major and a minor. You need ONE major, you need to do well in it, and you need to excel in the other med school required courses. And if your two jobs are interfering with your ability to study and focus, you should discuss your plight with that same advisor who may have some suggestions for you. Good luck.
No idea the answer but I feel your frustration. My kid took Chemistry at GT when he entered as an ME and got an 89.8. Not rounded and he ended up with a B/3.0 in that class. He is still irritated about it, particularly now since he is IE and it is not needed for his major. Talk to the med school advisor. My expectation is it is very common at GT and GT kids do place well in in state med schools.
Also BME is probably the hardest major you can take at GT if you are med school bound as it has among the lowest GPAs. The best hack for med school admission is to get great grades in pre med classes and major in something easy - my physician sister chose her major based on what the football players were majoring in (psychology at her college).
Agree that the pre-med advisors will have the best (GT specific) advice.
My older daughter referred to organic chemistry as “the most difficult B- that I ever had in my life”. She had to work very hard to get that B- (along with either a B or B- in the other semester of OC). Today (years later) she is at work, and people call her “doctor”. She is admittedly a veterinarian, but the difficulty of getting into good DVM programs is very similar to the difficulty of getting into good MD and DO programs.
I am pretty sure that there are human doctors who also got B’s in organic chemistry, and maybe even a few with a C somewhere. Also, an overall 3.84 is very good, particularly considering how difficult premed and engineering classes are and how academically challenging Georgia Tech is.
You are going to need very good experience in a medical environment and very good references and a good MCAT score. However, given that your part time jobs are medical related, it sounds like the first two of these are likely. Given a pretty good GPA at a very tough school, with some preparation it would not surprise me if you can do well on the very tough MCAT exam.
I think that it is far too early to give up. I would however discuss this with the medical advisor at your university. You might also want to think about whether to take the MCAT while you are still an undergraduate student, or if you want to take one or two gap years after getting your bachelor’s degree, study for the MCAT and take it, and get additional medical experience before applying to medical schools.
I would be cautious about how much time and energy you spend on activities outside of school work.
But yes, discuss this with your advisors at GT.
I have a family member who did a post-bac, but he did this because he was an education major, taught for a few years, hated it, and decided to go to medical school.
Others would know better, but I don’t think a post-bac will make up for classes you already took during undergrad. I also agree that it’s too early to give up.
I think you should talk to your advisor.
I would suggest you drop the second major and the minor…and concentrate on your one major and the required courses for medical school admissions. I think you have too much on your plate.
Your B grades won’t keep you out of medical school…but when the time comes, I would suggest looking at D.O. Schools as well.
With a 3.77 sGPA you do not need a post bacc. (Unless you’re only aiming at stats-loving med schools like Penn, WashU or Vandy.)
See AMCAS FACTS Table A-23.
Students with a 3.60-3.79 GPA and an average MCAT 510 have a 60% chance of an acceptance into an MD program. Higher MCAT scores yield higher probabilities of success. A 3.77 GPA and 99th percentile MCAT has 75% chance gaining a med school acceptance.
So stop panicking.
In fact trying to raise an already very good 3.77 sGPA via a post-bacc may lead some adcomm members to worry about perfectionism/neuroticism–something that adcomms definitely don’t want in a future med student.
Remember your GPA is only one piece of the larger picture. Once you pass the minimum screening GPA for a school (which is lower than people typically think it is), your everything else become as important as your GPA
P.S. How’s your biochem grade?
EDIT:
Late P.P.S. Consider dropping the second major and the minor. Neither of those things will improve your chance for a med school acceptance. (Seriously, adcomms don’t care what you major in and are not impressed by you having additional majors/minors.) Dropping one or both will lighten your academic load so you can give your full attention to your required major and pre-med classes.