I am hoping someone will have some advice for me.
I did really bad my very first semester of college way back in 1998 but retook the course that I dropped out of so on my official GPA that F is not counted. I just found out that the AMCAS still counts the original course in your GPA even if it was retaken. I also just found out that the AMCAS application includes math in what I thought was just a science gpa calculation, done separately from your overall GPA. Both of these matters were terrible news for me as they dropped both my BCPM and my overall gpa.
As it stands my BCPM gpa is 3.4 because of that and my overall GPA is 3.688. Do I even stand a chance with those numbers?
I plan on going to school this fall and possibly spring to take a few biology classes (I got straight A’s through chem, org chem, & physics but biology and genetics were the two courses I got C’s in due to unfortunate work schedules during those two semesters). I figure a few bio classes will boost my gpa’s a bit (if I get A’s that is) and also help me prepare for the MCAT.
Another question I have is would it be better to RETAKE Biology and Genetics to show that I can get A’s in those classes, or is it better to take additional biology classes like Cell Biology or Microbiology to show exposure to more subjects and just deal with the two C’s that I received originally in Bio and Genetics.
I wish I could have enrolled in a Post-Bacc program to receive the benefit of their premedical advisors, research opportunities, letters of recommendation, and everything else, but I was not eligible because I already took most of my science courses (even though it was so long ago and I ended up graduating with an Accounting degree). Anyone else share this problem?
Thanks for any advice you guys have, this is my life’s passion and I am so afraid of not being accepted into medical school because of these issues.
You can pull up the BCPM pretty nicely with a couple more courses and your overall GPA is just fine. Many people would envy it. Genetics is a helpful class so you might want to re-take it, but Cell biology and micro would be more helpful to you in med school than retaking freshman bio and relearning all that plant stuff. (That being said, you will see all that plant stuff on the MCAT, so be sure to study it).
I think you do need some newer, sparkly bio grades to help your application, but you’re not exactly in a “save” situation, so relax. Take time to work on other parts of your application, like volunteering and getting to know your professors to get good letters of recommendation. I think you’re in pretty decent shape here.
Welcome to OPM!
Wow, thank you for your quick response and your encouraging words. I am so happy to have found this place - it is exactly the support I think I’ll need to get through this experience, as my husband is very down on the idea of me becoming a doctor and skeptical of the whole idea.
Thanks again.
I think my overall average squeaked up to a 3.5 by the time I applied. You didn’t ask for advice about this, but it would probably be good to sit down with your husband and really talk through his concerns. The ones relating to an incomplete understanding of the admissions process can be easily dealt with, but there may be others. You’ll need a lot of family support to get through this, and that means giving a serious ear to their concerns, as well. (If you’ve already done this, I apologize for intruding).
You aren’t intruding, I appreciate your thoughts!
I was actually going to post a new message to ask if other people were meeting similar resistance from their spouses. I think you are completely right in that I need to be open to his concerns, and I try my best to be. I take full responsibility for being the cause of this huge upset to our lives, but at the same time how can I not pursue my dream? It’s a rough situation. I am a big talker when we have problems so we’ve had many discussions - unfortunately we have yet to see eye to eye. I’m hoping that day will come.
Thanks for your advice 