medschooleric Posted July 4, 2011 Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum, but have so far found it a useful tool, and would further appreciate anyone's feedback. I have been contemplating applying to a PA program or medical school for a while now, but have a few reservations. CASPA requires all educational institutions attended to be listed, regardless of whether or not I am transferring any credits. Regrettably, for a while I was unsure whether a career in medicine was what I truly wanted, and my previous academic performance was, well, not good. Since then I have done very well, but I'm wondering if seeing my past disappointing attempts will overshadow my current successes? Has anyone had this same concern, or any experience with this situation? If anyone can respond and enlighten me a bit, or lie to me and tell me it's not a big deal lol, I would appreciate it. Thanks everyone!
cinntsp Posted July 4, 2011 It is a big deal but can be overcome. Use the forum's search feature for things like "low gpa" or "overcoming a low gpa" to gain some insight on how to do so. Just so you are aware, it doesn't matter what type of graduate school you plan to pursue(whether PA, MD, DO, biology, psych); you will still have to send transcripts from every institution you ever attended. This is not specific to CASPA.
taotaox1 Posted July 4, 2011 So, what does "not good" look like, specifically? What does "very well" look like, specifically? I failed to finish (or even withdraw) my first 3 semesters of college. I have 20 hours of F on my transcript (including 5 hours of science F). However, I have a 3.98+ GPA from my sophmore year on, and a 4.0 science gpa from my sophmore year on. My CASPA GPA comes out to about 3.48 science 3.46 overall. I cover the issue adequately in my narrative (immaturity) and show how it became a learning/motivating experience for me. The one adcom I got the chance to talk to about my grades/experience thought it look really good and said it shouldn't hurt me and might even help if presented correctly. Schools look for trends and some pay most attention to your last 60 hours. However, you do have to meet the minimum grade reqs (2.5-3.0) and will face an uphill battle if your below the 3.0 mark. Be a little more specific for us.
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