I want move on from my low gpa and become a doctor

So I am 28 yr and I want to be a doctor. I always wanted to be a doctor but when I went to undergrad I did not do well, I graduated in 2015 with a 2.4 overall gpa. I actually studied a lot but my anxiety did overwhelm me and I had some other personal family issues but its hard to explain what contributed to such a low gpa. Its been about 5 years since I have retaken and taken additional courses at a community college( 3.2gpa), research experience, volunteered at a hospital weekly, and work as an intake coordinator at a cancer center for about 4 years. I am studying for the MCAT now but I am worried about my gpa and no one will believe in my ability. Originally did not do a post bacc because there is a gpa requirement to apply to most schools however it’s been 5 years and I am a different person, also I process information more efficiently than I did in undergrad. I am not sure what to do because I do want to be a doctor. I have been trying to plan next steps to reach my goal, I have thought about re-taking my prereqs courses at an online university(UNE) or do I need to do a SMP/post bacc program to get in? what are some tips to getting in with such a low gpa?
also, what are my chances of getting into a US school or would Caribbean school be my only option? Is anyone in a similar situation? I just need some direction

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Hey!

You and I are in a similar situation. I am currently doing classes at a community college to retake and take additional courses like a DIY post-bacc.

The advice I received that community college is ok, but the person did suggest I try to do classes at a 4 year school. Ultimately, I decided to stick with classes at the cc I’m enrolled at currently, mostly because it has a rather well-known and positive reputation for their bio/health sciences program where I’m from.

Realistically, I know that low GPA can lower your chances, but the fact that you’ve improved your GPA shows a compelling reason why you would do well in medical school. You’ve learned to overcome the challenges that affected you in undergrad. Perhaps the robustness of the coursework will come into question, but medical school is still absolutely a possibility. For myself, I’m trying to do the best I can in my cc classes and also focusing my efforts towards improving MCAT scores (I’m not the best standardized test taker).

Also, you have AMAZING experience from your volunteer work to job in a clinical setting and research. You are clearing showing interest and drive and these all factor into your app.

I was also considering what happens if the only schools I can get into are in the Caribbean, but I just decided that I’m going to do my best to get into a school stateside. For myself, focusing on the MCAT and getting clinical experience is what I’m trying to keep as strengths in my app, to balance any issues with GPA and the like. And if I truly cannot get into any program because of all these factors I view as weaknesses in my application, then I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Maybe I’m being overly confident or positive, but I’m trying to remember that though being a nontrad student makes things difficult, it doesn’t mean med school is an impossible reach.

Not sure if this was at all helpful, but just wanted to share my thoughts, as we seem to be in very similar situations!

Best of luck to you!

edited: see this comment on med schools & cc credit