As an undergrad, still, I have about 320 credits with a total GPA of about 3.17 or 3.19, depending on how you do the math. This isn’t moving, regardless of if I get anymore As or not, it just won’t budge at this point. Its kind of annoying because what brought it down was a 2 year stint of unwilling-to-pay for college parents, working 2 part time jobs, taking a full college load and suffering PTSD from witnessing a murder and being beaten, druged and raped shortly after being a witness but before testifying. So what if that’s confidential, NOW I don’t want to have to play up the part of the victim. What am I supposed to do? Should I try one of those masters that help with GPA boost? How do I not act like a victim in my personal statement?
It sucks that I had to go through that, but it even sucks more that because I was messed up in my mind because of that experience, it seems to be haunting me for the rest of my adult life. Any feedback is welcome to both questions or one about the GPA and how I don’t want to play the victim on the personal statement.
Hi, Miss KW.
I think its pretty amazing that you even maintained that GPA with your situation. You are clearly a survivor and I wish you the best of luck on this path.
My answer for how you could rememdy this would be by getting a killer MCAT score, taking some upper level bio in addition to the prerequistites, and showing your stuff in a couple of carefully picked ECs.
Other than that, you will want to address your situation in your personal statement. I would focus on how this experience made you into a survivor and how strong you are as a person. You don’t have to play the victim card to write a statement that tells your story. A well-written personal statement that shows how strong and capable you are should have the advantage of telling your story without getting sappy or asking for pity.
So, good luck, and I really wish you the best.
Wow, Miss_KW, what a sobering story. Not familiar with your situation but you may still be able to budge your overall science/math GPA. Trying taking some course to see if that can improve. Best of luck to you the future.
Do well on your sciences and get a 30+ on the MCAT and I think you have a chance at the DO schools.
I calculated out the GPA options, and clearly the best advice here is to do anything and everything EXCEPT taking more courses.
If you complete an additional non-duplicating >200 credits without a single B, your GPA will just touch 3.5 Assuming someone had unlimited time and money, how likely is it that a person could actually pull that off??
Of course, the more credit you earn, the harder to raise your GPA by even a hundredth. Completing 1000 new credit with solid “A’s” will bring you up to 3.8
I’m telling you this because I think calculating the numbers can help quantify the suggestion of taking more courses and focus your energies where they count the most.
(of course redoing a B if you can earn an A is still important)
P.S. You’re very tough, you can find a way!