Poor grades in Bachelors Degree

This might be a repost, I think the first one I created was a private topic. Sorry I’m new here.


Hello. I’ve been out of college sometime. I wasn’t a very good student then, mostly because I was completely directionless. I want to begin taking some pre-reqs for med school now that I know I want to be a doctor. My GPA from my bachelor’s was a 2.9. I’ve seen online a lot that a 3.6 is basically the minimum to be accepted into med school. Is that rule absolute or do the med schools understand that sometimes students can change significantly their second time through school?


If I get all A’s in the pre-reqs and get a high score on the MCAT will that compensate for the poor grades in my BS?

You can come back from a low GPA. It’s a climb, but plenty here have done it. You’ll need a plan, you’ll need to make the A’s, do well on the MCAT and show an upward trajectory and you’ll need to be able to adequately explain your past performance. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to shine in other areas of your app, so rock solid letters of recommendation, volunteer hours (clinical and non) and shadowing are a must.


I’m not sure where you got the 3.6 from. Many schools will have a computer cut off, that is your app could be rejected for falling below a threshold automatically. But it’s not like people below a 3.6 never get into med school.


Check out the charts on this page to see where you might fall in: https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantm atricula… Every GPA point you can muster means a better chance.


If you got poor grades in science courses, research osteopathic schools’ grade replacement policy especially.


In the meantime, welcome to the forum – use the search tool to see how other people have overcome their low GPAs so you can start getting your plan together.

I can attest to how you feel and what you are facing right now!


A little about myself. I attended a private liberal arts school in Atlanta, GA for my first full year of college and did HORRIBLY! Since then, I have almost fully matriculated at another four year university and will graduate with a BS in Health Science with a Community Health Concentration. Although, I did have some hiccups in my education at my current university I have been able to get my GPA up to above a 3.0. I graduate in December and ideally I will be enrolling at the University of Texas in Austin to begin my pre-requisites for medical school in the spring (probably going the non-degree seeking route opposed to second bachelors). I am really nervous about how my entire undergrad experience will play into the journey of preparing to go to medical school. Ive only taken 3 science classes for undergraduate requirements and will be starting from scratch basically. Ive been interested in becoming a physician since I was a child. My first job as a teenager was a Family Practice Physician’s office, Ive worked at a hospital, and my current job is at my university’s student health clinic. I love the field, BUT I know starting to prepare for medical school now is going to be tough. Hopefully this forum will help me keep my motivation and help to increase my self-efficacy by engaging vicariously in the experiences of other individuals who are currently on or considering the same path as myself.