I am pre-med post-bac who returned to school after working 4 years at a job in which I didn't see much of a future for myself. I had always enjoyed biology courses as a college student, but only seriously thought about medical school later in life.
Last year, I completed my medical-school requirements with a 3.28 GPA. That's obviously not high enough to get into an allopathic medical school. So my academic counselor had recommended that I take more courses this year to boost up my GPA. I just finished the first half of biochemistry over the summer, but alas, I got another B+.
My upcoming course plans include: cell biology and molecular biology (recommended by many medical schools), genetics, introduction to human anatomy, second half of biochemistry, developmental biology, immunology. These courses are all taken, of course, with the goal of preparing me for the material that I'd encounter at an enormously fast pace at medical school.
Beyond telling me to take more classes, do research for a medical school as a full-time research assistant, and doing well on the MCAT, my academic counselor hasn't told me much else. She has faith that I can do well on the MCAT. (From my previous test scores, she believes that I am a good test taker, but I never felt that way before. I've always had to study really hard for standardized tests.). My sister who is a physician, on the other hand, has started telling me to take easy courses for the sake of boosting my GPA. And I just feel that I will never get into medical school with my pathetic 3.30 GPA. (I believe that I need at least a 3.50)
For those of you who are more experienced with the admission process, can you PLEASE tell me what I am supposed to be doing next? I've set up informational interviews with a few medical-school admission officers out in Virginia (I am a VA resident.) to gain further insights as to what I am supposed to do. But other than, I feel so lost, clueless, and a little bit hopeless right now.
Last year, I completed my medical-school requirements with a 3.28 GPA. That's obviously not high enough to get into an allopathic medical school. So my academic counselor had recommended that I take more courses this year to boost up my GPA. I just finished the first half of biochemistry over the summer, but alas, I got another B+.
My upcoming course plans include: cell biology and molecular biology (recommended by many medical schools), genetics, introduction to human anatomy, second half of biochemistry, developmental biology, immunology. These courses are all taken, of course, with the goal of preparing me for the material that I'd encounter at an enormously fast pace at medical school.
Beyond telling me to take more classes, do research for a medical school as a full-time research assistant, and doing well on the MCAT, my academic counselor hasn't told me much else. She has faith that I can do well on the MCAT. (From my previous test scores, she believes that I am a good test taker, but I never felt that way before. I've always had to study really hard for standardized tests.). My sister who is a physician, on the other hand, has started telling me to take easy courses for the sake of boosting my GPA. And I just feel that I will never get into medical school with my pathetic 3.30 GPA. (I believe that I need at least a 3.50)
For those of you who are more experienced with the admission process, can you PLEASE tell me what I am supposed to be doing next? I've set up informational interviews with a few medical-school admission officers out in Virginia (I am a VA resident.) to gain further insights as to what I am supposed to do. But other than, I feel so lost, clueless, and a little bit hopeless right now.