Overcoming Old GPA-is it possible?

Hi there. I am a 35 year old who has been practicing chiropractic for 12 years. My classes are 12-15 y.o. I took a very heavy course load with about 34hrs per trimester so the grades weren’t super high and now there are so many credit hours(approx 400) it is hard to over ride them with my more recent grades which are 3.83 for the basic sciences I retook. It has been a problem getting around the 3.0 cumulative pre req for many schools. It is so frustrating that work from when I was 20 can keep me from reaching my goals now. Any advice or experience in a similar situation?

The DO application allows for grade replacement but likely won’t impact your cGPA as much as you’d probably like it to. I’m assuming that not all 400 hours are undergrad. The applications break out your GPA into science and cumulative undergrad, which are what I believe get looked at first. Post-bacc and masters/professional grades show up as a separate category I believe. If you get past the initial screening, your recent grades will show your capability and aptitude in science, numbers wise. It would be hard for them to look past your professional training and career as well. I’ve heard of some schools that screen offering “otherwise well qualified” applicants the chance to state their case to continue to the secondary level. Crushing the MCAT would strengthen your cause.


Past the prelim screen, you have to trust that the humans that review the apps have the sense to weigh past/present accomplishments, but you really need to sell yourself on the essays. Getting into med school isn’t ALL about the numbers perhaps like it used to be.


I’ve heard the TX app system will grant you a do-over and let you repeat all of undergrad to start fresh. That sounds terrible…

Just read the diaries and you will see that you are among kindred spirits.

Thanks kennymac.


What is the TX app system you refer to?






Thanks gabelerner


I saw some of your entries in the diaries regarding your 2.57 gpa. My husband(who is in the same situation as me) has old cumulative around 2.76 and that has prevented getting to the secondary portion of many MD and DO apps and even many masters programs that are theoretically for career changers and grade raisers. Can I get some more info on how you were able to do this? Is it on your blog? He has current 3.83 science and 29 MCAT.


Thank you!

Texas schools have a separate application service with some of its own unique rules.

Did your husband take any science classes his first time around? Are you saying 2.57 is his cGPA, with the new class included?

What medical schools want to see is that you are able to handle upper level science courses. Some of these career changer masters programs do not provide those types of classes. For example, public health.


yes, this gives you some insight into health related things but you spend most of the time learning statistics, human ecology, patterns, etc. What you do not get are the hard core sciences like biochemistry, physics, molecular biology, etc.


I did a masters in biology with a thesis and that showed the adcoms that I can handle the upper level sciences that would be needed to succeed. The best advice would be to discuss your particulars with your local medical school. If you or your husband go to the conference, I am sure there will be several of them there that will take the time to speak to you. And while I have nothing against the Caribbean schools since they have been great supporters of ours, I would focus on the talking to the American medical schools since those are the ones that will tell you the real meat and potatoes of what you need to get in.


Just remember that this whole process is a crap shoot. You can have the best looking numbers, receive 10 interviews, and yet have no admissions. On the other hand, you can have decent numbers, only a couple of interviews but get accepted. There is no magic formula and what works or worked for one person may not work for all.

Like it was said above, anything is possible!


If being a doctor is your dream then you optimize your application as best as you can and give it a shot.


Or two or three.


Hope to see you at this years conference as we will be talking about the application process in detail!

Hi olderguy. The 2.57gpa is from a different post. He has a 3.83 for the sciences he retook recently but only a 2.76 for cumulative overall because of all the grades from 20 years ago.

Everyone is so helpful. Thank you!

UPDATE to original post


“04-30-14 02:15 AM - Post#91719


Hi there. I am a 35 year old who has been practicing chiropractic for 12 years…”


I got accepted to LMU-DCOM today! So thankful and happy


Also my husband just got accepted to the Post Bac at LECOM


and the Master’s at KCUMB. At LECOM he needs a 3.0 and then is guaranteed to get in. At KCUMB he needs a 3.5 in the Masters and he will get in Does anyone have any input about these programs?

  • dorothyzbornak Said:
UPDATE to original post

"04-30-14 02:15 AM - Post#91719

Hi there. I am a 35 year old who has been practicing chiropractic for 12 years...."

I got accepted to LMU-DCOM today! So thankful and happy

Also my husband just got accepted to the Post Bac at LECOM

and the Master's at KCUMB. At LECOM he needs a 3.0 and then is guaranteed to get in. At KCUMB he needs a 3.5 in the Masters and he will get in Does anyone have any input about these programs?



I don't know anything about the LECOM PB program, but my fiancee is in the Pharm-D program. She does like it, but also feels that the culture is such that making the school money is not a secondary concern to producing competent medical professionals. There are apparently a number of people in her program who are terrible academically and there's no good reason they're still in the program aside from the fact that they're paying a lot of money to be in the program. Also, because Erie is physically isolated from other population centers, no one's really aware of LECOM outside of Erie. She meets people in the PA pharmacy community out of Harrisburg and Philadelphia that don't even know her school exists.

She has other complaints too, but more of the nature that there's some distinct BS no matter where you go. And let me emphasize that she's very happy with the program overall- I just find that the main detail worth noting.
  • dorothyzbornak Said:
Hi there. I am a 35 year old who has been practicing chiropractic for 12 years. My classes are 12-15 y.o. I took a very heavy course load with about 34hrs per trimester so the grades weren't super high and now there are so many credit hours(approx 400) it is hard to over ride them with my more recent grades which are 3.83 for the basic sciences I retook. It has been a problem getting around the 3.0 cumulative pre req for many schools. It is so frustrating that work from when I was 20 can keep me from reaching my goals now. Any advice or experience in a similar situation?



My AMCAS GPA is a 2.59, IIRC. I'm now in a position where I've been told I have a good shot at an acceptance. You can find out more about my path if you go through my post history, but it's basically MS --> PhD --> med school. I'm on the PhD step now.

Low GPAs can be overcome by putting a lot of time and accomplishment between your past and your present. There are multiple ways to present yourself. You can introduce yourself as a 35 year-old with a shitty undergraduate record 15 years ago. You can also introduce yourself as a medical professional who's been practicing for 12 years. [Just be careful with that, there're a lot of people who consider chiropractic a step up from homeopathy.] The choice is very largely yours.

Don't focus on your overall GPA, though if you can get the cumulative to read 3.XX it's obviously helpful. What you need to do is ask how you demonstrate your competency at this point in time
  • gabelerman Said:
What medical schools want to see is that you are able to handle upper level science courses. Some of these career changer masters programs do not provide those types of classes. For example, public health.

yes, this gives you some insight into health related things but you spend most of the time learning statistics, human ecology, patterns, etc. What you do not get are the hard core sciences like biochemistry, physics, molecular biology, etc.



I'd like to note that PH programs have a ton of diversity. It's not the most common, but my program is very heavily tilted toward clinical and bench science. For example, this semester's classes were Malaria, Tuberculosis & HIV, Medical Entomology, Advanced Medical Entomology, and Tropical Virology. I'll agree that a lot of PH programs aren't helpful in getting an ADCOM to say yes (eg, MPH in Biostatistics), but it's always valuable to cast a wide net and see what a PH program would get you once you have a foot in the door. What's under the hood matters quite a bit.