This Low GPA Student Needs Help

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Highlight & Takeaways

Session 164

This student went to a top-20 school and struggled with the rigor of his classes, and transferred schools. How can he move forward from his low GPA?

Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A is brought to you by Blueprint MCAT. Listen to this podcast episode with the player above, or keep reading for the highlights and takeaway points.

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[00:24] Question of the Day

“As I’m setting up my application, I’m trying to make sure I’m ticking all the boxes that I need in order to show medical schools I have the ability to do well in medical school. But a big issue that I was dealing with in undergrad in general was I went to a really intense top 20 University.

I’ve always had my mindset on doing premed in some way, shape, or form. And at the time, I thought that I wanted to do an MD/Ph.D. and I still want to do that. I got into a research program at the end of my first semester during freshman year. That motivated me to try and stick it out, trying to get all the requirements that I needed.

I have an upward trend in my GPA, which I started off at below 3.3, around a 2.8. And then I got it up to a 3.2 in the second semester of my freshman year. In the second semester of my freshman year, that’s when the pandemic started, and cut it off.

My grades reflected how much the pandemic affected me, which was my sophomore year. Then at the beginning of my junior year, I ended up starting a semester off at the former university that I went to. I ended up withdrawing and coming to a university that was closer to my home.

How would admissions committees look at my transcript as I transferred to another university? I’m trying to finish up my requirements and let it reflect that I have the academic ability to be a productive medical student.

Also, how important is clinical experience as opposed to research experience? I’ve been doing research for the past three and two and a half years. I’m about two summers already, where I presented my research, and I’m currently scribing.”

[05:02] Transferring Universities

A lot of people transfer universities for whatever reasons they may have. And so, transferring to universities does not matter. If it comes up, you could just say you didn’t thrive in that school so you decided to move closer to home or whatever your reason is. Show that you’re academically capable, moving forward, and that’s it.

'Transferring universities is a very common thing.'Click To Tweet

[05:46] The Importance of Clinical Research

Clinical research is important when you’re applying for MD/Ph.D. You’re still applying to medical school. And so, the interest in patients still needs to be there.

The MD/Ph.D. route obviously needs that research interest as well, which sounds like this student has gotten taken care of as well. He is scribing and getting research. And so it seems he’s doing everything he needs to be doing to prove to himself first that he wants to go to medical school.

'Prove to yourself first and foremost that this is what you want, and then be able to prove to the medical schools that you understand what you're getting yourself into.'Click To Tweet

[06:29] Switching Majors

Our student is also asking how to be more academically capable. His plan is to finish the semester off and take one basic science course. He had to retake general chemistry, both year semesters, and general biology because he ended up getting C minuses.

He is finishing other requirements for his neuroscience major. And he’s thinking about going back to his former university out-of-state and changing his major.

He also mentions his plan of taking the MCAT this summer, but he may have an issue with that since the MCAT expires. Therefore, he has to make sure not to take the MCAT too early, depending on what your timeline looks like.

Again, don’t worry about switching schools or switching majors. Because there are medical schools that will understand and there are also other medical schools that will not accept it. And so, you just have to do what you need to do.

'Don't be worried way too much about the future. You just need to focus on right now and be the best version of yourself today.'Click To Tweet