Hello friends,
I’m new to this community and found out about it after meeting Dr. Ryan at the Davis Pre-health Conference this year. Like everyone else, I’m a non-traditional applicant coming to premed after a prior career (decade in software engineering). My undergrad transcript is a travesty (for reasons, but not excuses) and I graduated with a 2.67 cGPA. Last year, I started a DIY-postbacc and after this current semester will have 40 semester hours of A’s, bring myself to a 2.93 cGPA / 3.2 sGPA. Unfortunately, I just have too many units from my undergrad days for this to budge much. Anyway, my concern is what to do next semester.
The only way I can bring my cGPA above a 3.0 by June is to take 5 classes and get all A’s, which is possible, but I’ve fallen behind in my MCAT studies (scheduled for March 2018) and will be ramping up my clinical volunteering hours soon. I’m worried that by taking so many classes, either I’ll hurt my MCAT or finally drop the ball on classes and get poor grades. I realize that whether 2.98 or 3.01, my cGPA (in a vacuum) will be rubbish and either I’ll be judged for my recent body of work or I won’t and I was doomed to begin with. I could take summer classes to bring my cGPA above a 3.0, but then I’ll be submitting my primary late and would rather not. What should I do?
Thanks!
Jason
This is a tough choice, but if I was you, I would focus on the MCAT. My reasoning is that, if you’re able to get a really solid MCAT score, that may go a lot further toward illustrating your academic potential compared to a slightly higher (but still low for medical schools) cGPA. Also, if you get a really solid MCAT score, that score will stay valid for multiple years of applications if needed. So in the case that you don’t get an acceptance in your first try, then you’d at least have a solid MCAT score in place, and then you could do a full year of classes to raise your GPA as much as possible, and you’d be in a great position for year two.
I’ve heard Dr. Gray mention many times on the OPM podcast that many schools will look at your last 20 or so science credits over your overall gpa. But your application may get automatically filtered out. So he always suggests emailing the med school and letting them know that you’ve done much better recently and to request that they focus more on recent credits that the ones from long ago. It takes a little more work.
If I were you, I’d focus on MCAT and clinical hours. I mean, if you could pull off a good score, that might really help them overlook your past GPA.