Your GPA at 2.3 is considered low, but you have an awesome MCAT score, don't waste it.

You need to show an upward trend on your GPA, if you don't have that right now, you would need to take a couple of quarter/semester of classes.

You also need to rewrite/revise your essay. I'm sure you can find many resources to help you with that. Make sure to have a professional editor edit yours. (A couple of school admins might have read your essay here, SO WHAT? Who doesn't like to see improvements?)

At the interview (and you will be interviewed), be confident, be prepared(they'll ask about your GPA), be honest.

With an upward trend on your grades (even if it's 2.5) and a kickass MCAT score like yours, you DO have a shot at AUC and Ross! I know because I had similar stats, but got accepted to both AUC and Ross (only applied to these two).

Good luck

They don't need to post, we students post. It would give some legitimacy to valuemd if the school started officially posting, and that can't be tolerated.
As for this thread, have you considered retaking the semester where you scored all the "D's"? Then you can say you had a hard semester, but went back and retook the classes and left on a strong note. Are you a french canadian, with English as a second language? That is always a good topic to add to a personal essay as how one overcame adversity of learning a new language. The MCAT score is awesome, you just have to show them why you are a strong cantidate. Remember to ask yourself, what makes me unique and different from all the other students applying?

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I definitely agree with DrDrwMD here - this is essentially what I was trying to say with my previous post.

Don't hesitate to apply to AUC just because of some OPINIONS posted on this board. You might actually get in - saving you the hassle of retaking all those courses. Just make sure you have an excellent personal statement and great letters.

We don't make the decisions, even if some of us post as if we are speaking ex cathedra .

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AUC May '08


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~Edmund Burke

Get Involved: PM me if interested
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http://www.ivdn-africa.org/medical_programs.asp

actually i think he posted that he got the "D"s in courses that he retook and previously had done well in- which is a thing that would give me pause...why did you choose to retake classes that you had already done well in? ANd the OP isn't showing an upward trend it seems- just the opposite- he did well earlier in his academic career and now, not so well...which is the other thing that would concern me if i was an adcom member.

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I'm with the Alchemist on this one- I too had a 2.5 and 37, took an additional year of classes with varying, but mostly high levels of success, bringing up my GPA to a 2.9 range- it's awful hard to bring up an average- Although seeing my improvement was not enough to get me accepted into a US medical school, applying late in the game did not help me either- part of the reason for late application: awfully difficult time trying to think of the right way to phrase why I got bad grades in college. Eventually I scrapped the plan trying to defend my bad grades and instead wrote an essay about what the medical schools really wanted to hear- Why I wanted to be a doctor. I did get accepted into all three of the Top Three Canadian Schools and chose one- not because it had the best reputation, but because it was convenient, affordable, and because I realized that more importantly than from what brand of Caribbean doctor I am are more practical things like whether I am committed enough to fully apply myself to studying medicine (in which case I'll be unstoppable!)

Sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down
When you're feeling down, just take a look around
You've got a body- good legs and fine feet,
GET YOUR HEAD IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND HEY! YOU'RE COMPLETE!

As for med school, well you can do more- even if you cannot drastically change your gpa, you sure have to take some more classes (that’s a difficult and financially challenging decision that you will have to make) to show the medical schools, that you are capable of pulling yourself back together and still studying like your old 4.0 Self that knew what he wanted, believed he could do it, and wouldn't let the naysayers get to him.

Besides that, I found that taking a year off to work in between in a healthcare setting was really great for me because it reminded me why I wanted to be a doctor. Delete that awful essay and forget you ever wrote it- reading it reminded me too much of all the same things that I hated about myself. Write a good essay about why you want to be a doctor, trust me when I say that you can't fudge this stuff- I had forgotten why I wanted to go into medicine and it took me over a year to get my groove back. You may not still find this answer inside yourself, but may have to look elsewhere like I did- (I volunteered my butt off to get a good job at a hospital and kept doing that until I got a really amazing job working in close contact with patients).

1) Get your head back in the studying game
2) Show that you can do it
3) Write why you want to


Then apply to med school. Apply to US schools again if you feel you have the time for it- you can do it. If not, reapply to a Caribbean school and never look back.

nshams = female

Thank you everybody! Your advice is totally appreciated & really helpful - I didn't realize the adcoms read these forums - my advisor said I should write an essay explaining my grades but given how long it takes me to make a good essay & the time-crunch under which I'm applying, I think it sounds like a better idea to wait it out & hope I get an interview & explain grades there ...

Just to clarify: I posted on here 'cus I know a lot of people applying carib have had issues in ugrad & I also wanted some advice on my writing ....

I have a proper personal statement talking about why I want to be a doctor & I've decided that I'm only going to submit that - if people wouldn't mind giving it a glance through, I'd really appreciate it. (please PM me)

From my point of view, the MCAT is absolutely worthless. Your GPA is worth more in my view as it reflects how you studied and progressed along with classes versus a test designed to weed or screen out people. GPA's here don't mean jack though - unless you make it count on the step 1

High MCAT score is indicative of your upper potential.
Low gpa is indicative of your poor work ethic
your med school performance will most likely be somewhere in between, and thats a large gap. the MCAT is not worthless and GPA does not mean jack poop

you're are so right
and you are so wrong

This is the Caribbean, AUC will take your MCAT score for bragging rights... Your 2.3 doesn't mean much because the MCAT will be the equalizer... I know people that failed 4 science classes in undergrad and still got in... Keep your head up... Oh, and a few other tips.... 1) Take more classes to increase your undergrad GPA (upper level science courses) 2) get a 4.0 in a special masters program and you will probably get into a state school (with research, excellent LOR's, etc...). Mabey try drexels early acceptance program and enroll there... If you don't feel like doing that just come to the Caribbean and go to one of the big 4...Hope this helps...

I agree take a Master program, to bring up your GPA. Also write from the heart. Good luck.