2.5 GPA From West Point...Want to leave Army

All I can say is that in your 20s...that's exactly when you can take some chances. It only gets harder as you get older, so find a dream now and chase it.

You are blessed with a degree from West Point and no debt - that's a great combination. Go to it.

(BTW, Absolute Americans, by Lipsky, is one of my favorite books - have you read it? If so, did it ring true to your experience there?)

I'm sure you can get in somewhere for grad school. Your career experience will offset your gpa, but you'll probably have to look at schools that are not picky (but who knows, so apply anywhere you like). Maybe a low key private school or less renowned state institution. If you struggle to get in, do a post bac and get a higher gpa you can use to apply. As for how good a graduate degree will be for you, I can't say for sure. I have friends who've greatly moved up in their careers with a masters and others who would have been better just stopping after undergrad as their jobs don't make a lick of difference whether they have a masters or not.

usmagradguy wrote:

Medical school is a number one interest(but it's going to take some major risk-taking with a post-bac program). Other types of grad schools interest me as well, but it feels pretty overwhelming to see all their minimum GPA requirements.

Honestly with my high cost of living area housing allowance, medical benefits, and base pay....the Army is pretty financially comfortable and lucrative as this point with guaranteed upward progression. I have zero debts and save a strong amount every month. How much of a fool I'm I to get out to try and convince some med schools/grad schools through post-bacc classes that my 2.5 undergrad GPA doesn't mean I'm destined to fail in their program?

Check out the message board linked below. It should be a good resource for you. You have a shot at med school, but it will be an uphill battle. D.O. is your best bet, but there are a few M.D. schools that might take a chance on you if you rock your post bacc and MCAT.

Is branch transfer a potential option for you? Army doctors can be kinda unsavory character, but if they'd pay for your education, plus by the time you got done and finished you commitment you'd be nearing twenty years, that might be a good deal. Plus you probably wouldn't be looking at that much of a pay cut, as Army doctors make a lot of money, above and beyond what an officer of the same grade would make.

Forget about your grades. Work on crafting and telling your story to a admissions officer in person. Go to a few open houses and get in front of people. That is your best chance at getting into a good school. Meet some alumni who have connections with your target schools. Most people applying to Grad school will not have an interesting background as you will have. Will help if you can ace the standardized test/s also.

If you can't do a branch transfer, directly to a med school path, can you get the army to pay for some type of medical/science Masters degree? If you rock that, maybe then they would pay for med school or at least you wouldn't have to leave the army until you got into med school.

Med schools and other grad schools will waive the minimum GPA requirement for people who graduate from the academies. I personally know someone who had a very similar experience and was accepted to a top med school even though his undergrad GPA was low. Go for it.

2 things:

1) thankyou for your service!

2) you are screwed on the grad school. Grades matter! The fact that you can fire a gun,kill someone, and boss people around in a military org structure means little to admission folks looking to fill slots at grad and med schools. Why is your 2.5 any better than someone else fromsay Notre Dame or other top 25 (non ivey) school?

Right now, with all the new med school opening up, it's easier than ever to become a doctor. A 24 MCAT with 3.3gpa gets you in DO schools nowadays. Have you taken the med school pre reqs? If you did poorly in them, you can retake them and new grade will replace the old (for DO apps not MD). You can go from 2.5 to 3.5- 4.0 science GPA if you retake. Med school only care about science gpa=biology, chemistry,math, and physics courses.

o[adnvo[ wrote:

If you can't do a branch transfer, directly to a med school path, can you get the army to pay for some type of medical/science Masters degree? If you rock that, maybe then they would pay for med school or at least you wouldn't have to leave the army until you got into med school.

That seems like an idea, advanced civilian schooling. I know GEN Odierno got a master's in nuclear engineering; God knows what that has to do with being a Field Artillery officer!

Cheer up, BRO! wrote:

That seems like an idea, advanced civilian schooling. I know GEN Odierno got a master's in nuclear engineering; God knows what that has to do with being a Field Artillery officer!

OP, keep in mind that only undergrad courses count toward your cGPA and sGPA. A master's will be seen as an interesting extracurricular, but it won't boost your 2.5. The post bacc will allow you to take undergrad level courses that will change your GPA for admissions purposes.

I graduated with worse and got into the top school in the world for my field. I had to apply twice, prove myself in the work world and have 10 years of experience before I was taken seriously. It can be done but its not easy. My undergrad school was higher ranked than West Point Fwiw.

You made the right choice. On the 4th day at Parris Island, the Marines shoved my head in the toilet and flushed it. I didn't drown, but they made sure my head was in the urine long enough to vomit. On the 17th day the Marines broke my lower right arm and left rear rib and I was dishonorably discharged. Since then I've had nightmares and suicidal tendencies. The Veterans Administration refuse to give me mental care. I go to the county shink and am on a dozen meds. If I forget to take them my parents have to force feed the meds.

Mistakes wrote:

Right now, with all the new med school opening up, it's easier than ever to become a doctor. A 24 MCAT with 3.3gpa gets you in DO schools nowadays. Have you taken the med school pre reqs? If you did poorly in them, you can retake them and new grade will replace the old (for DO apps not MD). You can go from 2.5 to 3.5- 4.0 science GPA if you retake. Med school only care about science gpa=biology, chemistry,math, and physics courses.

Last time I checked the average DO matriculant had a 27 MCAT so a 24 may get you in but you might have to have a monster GPA or something to compensate for the poor score.

On mdapps I saw an applicant that had taken the MCAT like four times and did crappy each time except for the last. Like 16, 18, 22, then 28. I can't believe a school accepted him/her since even their GPA wasn't great.

Forget about med school. Your life story doesn't matter. Don't waste your time. Medicine is a high stress business, just like the military, and a C+ student won't cut it.

Law and business school can overlook GPA, especially for vets.

Forget about med school. Your life story doesn't matter. Don't waste your time. Medicine is a high stress business, just like the military, and a C+ student won't cut it.

Law and business school can overlook GPA, especially for vets.

Take a look around at the medical field. You don't necessarily need an MD to have some job autonomy, do medical work, and make a good salary.

Nurse practitioners, Physician Assistants, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists all do well. NPs and PAs are getting more chances at independence in primary care facilities due to trying to keep health care costs down.

It will be easier, faster, and cheaper to finish any of these programs than med school.