How
To Get Into Medical School With A Low GPA
There is no sure way on how to get into
medical school with a low GPA. Even graduates of MIT with straight A grades
from freshman to senior year does not guarantee that you will be accepted to
med school. It is not to say that having low GPA is not a problem but there are
certain things you can do to get in. One of the most effective ways is to apply
to a foreign medical school first. Finishing a year or two is one of the many
ways on how to get into medical school with a low GPA. Not many people consider the benefits of attending a foreign medical school but there are many. First of all you will begin your medical training immediately which means you won't have to stop taking classes. In fact because foreign medical colleges use basically the same curriculum, when you do transfer to a US med college, you will not be behind the students who went directly after graduating from college. The other benefit is that it gives you an element of depth which will enhance your prospects at many top institutions. Living in a foreign country exposes you to other people's customs, traditions and culture and this is definitely something you can write about in your application to transfer.
Be aware that not all med colleges will be
“acknowledged” in the U.S. There is a good chance that the top 5 med colleges in
countries like India, Thailand, and several other European countries are
recognized in the U.S. but top 2 med colleges in certain countries are shunned
in the U.S. This limits your options a great deal but then again, there is not
easy way on how to get into medical school with a low GPA. The first step is to make a list of the countries you would like to study in. Then contact med institutions in these countries and ask them if they had any transfers to US schools. This will give you an idea if it's possible. You can also contact the US med colleges you're interested and ask them from what countries they have accepted transfers from in the past.
Scientific
Publications
The good quality of education in the U.S.
gives graduates here a competitive advantage when they study in foreign
countries especially when doing research. When you get into a foreign med college, you need to make sure you put out seven scientific publications.
Remember though that whatever you publish must impress even the admissions committees in the
U.S. The quality of the paper must meet the standards of the U.S. for this to
count when you apply back to a U.S. med college. The key here is to realize that you have advantage publishing in a foreign country because less people are publishing. You can even have your research translated before publishing to theses other language publications. The main point is you have to think about how to get into medical school with a low GPA in a creative way!
Shadow
Research of Doctors and Researchers
Assisting research when you get into a
foreign med college is one way on how to get into medical school with a low GPA.
Ideally, you will need seven years of assisting established doctors in their
research. This means that you should have started doing it on your freshman in
college. Continue working on this even when you are in a foreign medschool. Not only will this deepen your clinical experience, but will provide you with additional topics to discuss in your personal statement.
Getting
the Highest Possible GPA
This goes without saying that you need to
get the highest possible GPA. Whether or not you will apply back to U.S. med
school, you GPA will be an important factor when you start practicing.
If you finish med school in a foreign
country, remember that you will still be required to take the USMLE Exams 1-3
to be allowed to practice in the U.S. It might be altogether better to study
finish one or two years in a foreign med school first and then apply back to a
U.S. med school. It will be hard but there are ways on how to get into medical school with a low gpa.
