Medical School

[Anonymous]

Has she considered DPT or AT?

[Anonymous]

PA and NP are also great careers. If her heart is set on MD, there are programs she can look into for after she graduates, but they will cost quite a bit. They are basically designed for her to get her GPA up.

[Anonymous]

She could do a post-bacc to get her grades up...but it is a deep pit she is digging herself out of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PA and NP are also great careers. If her heart is set on MD, there are programs she can look into for after she graduates, but they will cost quite a bit. They are basically designed for her to get her GPA up.

+1
They are also very hard to get into.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you everyone. This has been very helpful. Gotta say I am tired already and it is not even my journey!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

A junior with 3.2 GPA is simply not enough for a med school. Even for DO schools, that's not enough. GPA is one of the most important factors med school Adcom will consider (along with a few other factors like MCAT).

It won't help that her degree is from Northwestern U? Anybody else want to confirm PP's statement?

I can confirm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, as a data point, my kid applied ~50 schools, got into 3-4, WL at a few more but mostly rejects. Overall GPA of 3.85/science GPA of 3.8... MCAT score of 96-97%tile... two gap years to work on research/clinical exp. had thousands of ours of volunteer hours, interviewed well... Finaly in med school. The entire process is really expensive and really tough.

So true. Med school is for rich families now. "more than three-quarters of American medical school students came from affluent households."

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/health/medical-school-cost-diversity.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

A junior with 3.2 GPA is simply not enough for a med school. Even for DO schools, that's not enough. GPA is one of the most important factors med school Adcom will consider (along with a few other factors like MCAT).

It won't help that her degree is from Northwestern U? Anybody else want to confirm PP's statement?

OP, the average Northwestern GPA is a 4.1. It's going to be lower for people who take a lot of science courses, but her GPA is in the "gray area" if it were just the science courses (undiluted), according to advice Northwestern gives to its own pre-med students. https://www.northwestern.edu/health-professions-advising/pre-health-tracks/pre-medicine/admission-factors/index.html

Advisers also want you to be aware of the factors that may weaken your application:

- The science GPA is below 3.0 (3.0 - 3.3. is still a gray area).
- The MCAT is below the national average (changes from year to year).
- They have not had a chance to test their decision with clinical experience.
- They are ambivalent about pursuing a career in medicine

If any of those apply to you, meet with an advisor about your decision to apply. We would love to talk with you about ways to strengthen your application, as well as other options and pathways to a career in the health professions!

And it's just the way the process is weighted:

GPA

When it comes to med school, your GPA is vital. You should be looking for colleges where you can score well, as a strong GPA is so important for medical school applications that it even supersedes class rank. The reason is that most medical schools use a mathematical formula that takes in the numerical value of GPA to assess students. For example, having a 3.5 GPA and being #18 in your class at one college is often worse than having a 3.9 and ranking #35 in your class at another for the purposes of medical school admission.

While GPA is often more important than rank, you should still aim to be amongst the strongest students on campus. Most college classes are graded on a curve, and being at the top of the curve translates to a high GPA. For example, you’d be much better off with a 3.95 at Bates College than a 3.35 at Princeton. Additionally, you want to avoid schools that have grade deflation (very difficult curves) and instead, look for the schools that have moderate to strong grade inflation (easier curves).

https://blog.collegevine.com/2018-best-pre-med-schools/

The problem is that for everyone applying to med school with a 3.2 from Northwestern, there are 4 with 3.85 and 2 with 4.9s. It's really hard. That doesn't mean your daughter isn't amazing.

Mine is in med school too and the dirty secret is to go to a very very easy undergrad.

[Anonymous]

My DS had a 4.0 applying into nursing school. The cutoff for gpa was 3.85. She needs to look at other medical options for getting admitted into health care in general. Also, keep in mind that she’ll need to perform grade wise in grad school itself. One PA school I know of only allows 2 C grades total on tests (not even final grade for the semester) before kicking you out. My pharmacy school professor friend says students only allowed to redo 2 modules before being kicked out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

A junior with 3.2 GPA is simply not enough for a med school. Even for DO schools, that's not enough. GPA is one of the most important factors med school Adcom will consider (along with a few other factors like MCAT).

It won't help that her degree is from Northwestern U? Anybody else want to confirm PP's statement?

OP, the average Northwestern GPA is a 4.1. It's going to be lower for people who take a lot of science courses, but her GPA is in the "gray area" if it were just the science courses (undiluted), according to advice Northwestern gives to its own pre-med students. https://www.northwestern.edu/health-professions-advising/pre-health-tracks/pre-medicine/admission-factors/index.html

Advisers also want you to be aware of the factors that may weaken your application:

- The science GPA is below 3.0 (3.0 - 3.3. is still a gray area).
- The MCAT is below the national average (changes from year to year).
- They have not had a chance to test their decision with clinical experience.
- They are ambivalent about pursuing a career in medicine

If any of those apply to you, meet with an advisor about your decision to apply. We would love to talk with you about ways to strengthen your application, as well as other options and pathways to a career in the health professions!

And it's just the way the process is weighted:

GPA

When it comes to med school, your GPA is vital. You should be looking for colleges where you can score well, as a strong GPA is so important for medical school applications that it even supersedes class rank. The reason is that most medical schools use a mathematical formula that takes in the numerical value of GPA to assess students. For example, having a 3.5 GPA and being #18 in your class at one college is often worse than having a 3.9 and ranking #35 in your class at another for the purposes of medical school admission.

While GPA is often more important than rank, you should still aim to be amongst the strongest students on campus. Most college classes are graded on a curve, and being at the top of the curve translates to a high GPA. For example, you’d be much better off with a 3.95 at Bates College than a 3.35 at Princeton. Additionally, you want to avoid schools that have grade deflation (very difficult curves) and instead, look for the schools that have moderate to strong grade inflation (easier curves).

https://blog.collegevine.com/2018-best-pre-med-schools/

The problem is that for everyone applying to med school with a 3.2 from Northwestern, there are 4 with 3.85 and 2 with 4.9s. It's really hard. That doesn't mean your daughter isn't amazing.

Mine is in med school too and the dirty secret is to go to a very very easy undergrad.

Yes! Easy major at an easy undergrad. There is not boost for going to Northwestern if you are not going to do well.

If she has a 3.2, she's going to have to retake the core science classes and also get some sort of work/life experience. I've seen an undergraduate 3.2 or similar work if the applicant frames it in the context of "I was young and didn't do well. Now I went on and worked for 5 years as a teacher, re-took all the pre-rec classes and here I am applying again".

[Anonymous]

Getting into PA school with a 3.2? Bwahahahah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

A junior with 3.2 GPA is simply not enough for a med school. Even for DO schools, that's not enough. GPA is one of the most important factors med school Adcom will consider (along with a few other factors like MCAT).

It won't help that her degree is from Northwestern U? Anybody else want to confirm PP's statement?

OP, the average Northwestern GPA is a 4.1. It's going to be lower for people who take a lot of science courses, but her GPA is in the "gray area" if it were just the science courses (undiluted), according to advice Northwestern gives to its own pre-med students. https://www.northwestern.edu/health-professions-advising/pre-health-tracks/pre-medicine/admission-factors/index.html

Advisers also want you to be aware of the factors that may weaken your application:

- The science GPA is below 3.0 (3.0 - 3.3. is still a gray area).
- The MCAT is below the national average (changes from year to year).
- They have not had a chance to test their decision with clinical experience.
- They are ambivalent about pursuing a career in medicine

If any of those apply to you, meet with an advisor about your decision to apply. We would love to talk with you about ways to strengthen your application, as well as other options and pathways to a career in the health professions!

And it's just the way the process is weighted:

GPA

When it comes to med school, your GPA is vital. You should be looking for colleges where you can score well, as a strong GPA is so important for medical school applications that it even supersedes class rank. The reason is that most medical schools use a mathematical formula that takes in the numerical value of GPA to assess students. For example, having a 3.5 GPA and being #18 in your class at one college is often worse than having a 3.9 and ranking #35 in your class at another for the purposes of medical school admission.

While GPA is often more important than rank, you should still aim to be amongst the strongest students on campus. Most college classes are graded on a curve, and being at the top of the curve translates to a high GPA. For example, you’d be much better off with a 3.95 at Bates College than a 3.35 at Princeton. Additionally, you want to avoid schools that have grade deflation (very difficult curves) and instead, look for the schools that have moderate to strong grade inflation (easier curves).

https://blog.collegevine.com/2018-best-pre-med-schools/

The problem is that for everyone applying to med school with a 3.2 from Northwestern, there are 4 with 3.85 and 2 with 4.9s. It's really hard. That doesn't mean your daughter isn't amazing.

Mine is in med school too and the dirty secret is to go to a very very easy undergrad.

Yes! Easy major at an easy undergrad. There is not boost for going to Northwestern if you are not going to do well.

If she has a 3.2, she's going to have to retake the core science classes and also get some sort of work/life experience. I've seen an undergraduate 3.2 or similar work if the applicant frames it in the context of "I was young and didn't do well. Now I went on and worked for 5 years as a teacher, re-took all the pre-rec classes and here I am applying again".

OP, this is what you call a nontraditional applicant and while it can be done (in theory), not sure if your DD fits this pathway. This is why you see older students in professional schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

A junior with 3.2 GPA is simply not enough for a med school. Even for DO schools, that's not enough. GPA is one of the most important factors med school Adcom will consider (along with a few other factors like MCAT).

It won't help that her degree is from Northwestern U? Anybody else want to confirm PP's statement?

OP, the average Northwestern GPA is a 4.1. It's going to be lower for people who take a lot of science courses, but her GPA is in the "gray area" if it were just the science courses (undiluted), according to advice Northwestern gives to its own pre-med students. https://www.northwestern.edu/health-professions-advising/pre-health-tracks/pre-medicine/admission-factors/index.html

Advisers also want you to be aware of the factors that may weaken your application:

- The science GPA is below 3.0 (3.0 - 3.3. is still a gray area).
- The MCAT is below the national average (changes from year to year).
- They have not had a chance to test their decision with clinical experience.
- They are ambivalent about pursuing a career in medicine

If any of those apply to you, meet with an advisor about your decision to apply. We would love to talk with you about ways to strengthen your application, as well as other options and pathways to a career in the health professions!

And it's just the way the process is weighted:

GPA

When it comes to med school, your GPA is vital. You should be looking for colleges where you can score well, as a strong GPA is so important for medical school applications that it even supersedes class rank. The reason is that most medical schools use a mathematical formula that takes in the numerical value of GPA to assess students. For example, having a 3.5 GPA and being #18 in your class at one college is often worse than having a 3.9 and ranking #35 in your class at another for the purposes of medical school admission.

While GPA is often more important than rank, you should still aim to be amongst the strongest students on campus. Most college classes are graded on a curve, and being at the top of the curve translates to a high GPA. For example, you’d be much better off with a 3.95 at Bates College than a 3.35 at Princeton. Additionally, you want to avoid schools that have grade deflation (very difficult curves) and instead, look for the schools that have moderate to strong grade inflation (easier curves).

https://blog.collegevine.com/2018-best-pre-med-schools/

The problem is that for everyone applying to med school with a 3.2 from Northwestern, there are 4 with 3.85 and 2 with 4.9s. It's really hard. That doesn't mean your daughter isn't amazing.

Mine is in med school too and the dirty secret is to go to a very very easy undergrad.

Yes! Easy major at an easy undergrad. There is not boost for going to Northwestern if you are not going to do well.

If she has a 3.2, she's going to have to retake the core science classes and also get some sort of work/life experience. I've seen an undergraduate 3.2 or similar work if the applicant frames it in the context of "I was young and didn't do well. Now I went on and worked for 5 years as a teacher, re-took all the pre-rec classes and here I am applying again".

OP, this is what you call a nontraditional applicant and while it can be done (in theory), not sure if your DD fits this pathway. This is why you see older students in professional schools.

Well OP's daughter no longer fits the traditional pathway. That door has been closed. If she really wants to be a physician her remaining choice is the nontraditional route. I've seen it work for students who had low grades in undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

A junior with 3.2 GPA is simply not enough for a med school. Even for DO schools, that's not enough. GPA is one of the most important factors med school Adcom will consider (along with a few other factors like MCAT).

It won't help that her degree is from Northwestern U? Anybody else want to confirm PP's statement?

No it won't matter that undergrad is from Northwestern. Need the high GPA no matter where from.

[Anonymous]

My brother went to a top 20 liberal arts college. Ended up with about a 3.7.
Applied to medical schools and did not get in.
Got a master's degree in his field.
Re-took all the pre-med science classes at Northwestern (he was living in Chicago at the time) for a 4.0.
Applied to about 40 medical schools across the US, accepted to one (UIC).