low GPA, good MCAT, go with post-bacc or smp?

[v petrichor]

Hello SDN community,

Long-time lurker and first-time poster here. I will have a low BCPM GPA (3.2), and a below-average cGPA (3.48-ish) GPA by the time I graduate. I scored a 36 on my MCAT.

I'm wondering if I should take a post-bacc or do an SMP. It seems I have a chance of bumping up by BCPM GPA by 0.1~0.2 if I take the post-bacc, which will make me competitive for some low-tier med schools. (I'm not sure I quite believe the LizzyM metric). SMP may suit me as an all-in option, but it seems more risky because there are only a limited pool of programs with guaranteed linkages.

Any thoughts?

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[deleted248403]

Hello SDN community,

Long-time lurker and first-time poster here. I will have a low BCPM GPA (3.2), and a below-average cGPA (3.48-ish) GPA by the time I graduate. I scored a 36 on my MCAT.

I'm wondering if I should take a post-bacc or do an SMP. It seems I have a chance of bumping up by BCPM GPA by 0.1~0.2 if I take the post-bacc, which will make me competitive for some low-tier med schools. (I'm not sure I quite believe the LizzyM metric). SMP may suit me as an all-in option, but it seems more risky because there are only a limited pool of programs with guaranteed linkages.

Any thoughts?

Apparently, a long time lurker who hasn't read anything Midlife or I have posted in the last 4 or so years. This question has been beaten to death about every 2 weeks or so. Your situation is not unique and has been discussed over and over again. Please at least try to do some more reading before posting - more research and more information is always your friend.

Bottom line - an academic enhancer program (Penn SSP for example) would be a good fit for you.

 

[v petrichor]

Apparently, a long time lurker who hasn't read anything Midlife or I have posted in the last 4 or so years. This question has been beaten to death about every 2 weeks or so. Your situation is not unique and has been discussed over and over again. Please at least try to do some more reading before posting - more research and more information is always your friend.

Bottom line - an academic enhancer program (Penn SSP for example) would be a good fit for you.

Hello robflanker,

Yes, it's odd because I don't seem to have found many posts concerning my GPA range. Most of my searches tended to dig up below 3.0 BCPM GPA cases or above 3.3 GPAs which can be redeemed quicker in a post-bacc. I used the AAMC site, too, to narrow it down to "academic enhancement programs" and found 133 options that were both a blend of SMPs and post-baccs. Thankfully I've found more help separating those programs through websites such as Syracuse's list.

I also know Midlife's post here which lumps SMPs and post-baccs under the same category. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ms-smps-postbacs-et-al-june-2009-list.640302/ So I'm not quite sure how "academic enhancement like Penn SSP" helps me decide between an SMP and post-bacc. You meant a post-bacc, right?

Thank you for showing a first-time poster the light Next time I will explain more of my situation and the searching I've done, to lessen the frustration of people such as you. I guess the ambiguity in my searches lies in this "grey area" of a 3.0-3.3 BCPM gpa that's not easily redeemable, as found in this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/post-bac-vs-smp-my-own-thoughts.418528/

One recommendation there seems to suggests a 3.5 bcpm GPA as a cut-off. Even if I get all A's for 24 semester units, I will reach a 3.408 bcpm GPA. Hence my doubts. A 4.0 average for 30 semester units (yikes!) will raise me to a 3.43-3.44 BCPM GPA. I may not have the time to do two years of post-baccs, as I took the 2014 MCAT and many schools won't accept it in their 2017 cycles. Also, since I've already taken a lot of units, any post-bacc of over two years might be a matter of diminishing returns. So I'm borderline, and I'm not sure if I should go for an SMP in lieu of a post-bacc.

 

[Hailstorm]

Can you do a post-bacc at in-state prices? What is the competition like for your state school(s)? Can you get a year and a half in by doing spring + summer semesters still this year? What are your finances like?

I'd send out applications to several places and weigh your options, Temple ACMS/UCinn etc.

 

[v petrichor]

Can you do a post-bacc at in-state prices? What is the competition like for your state school(s)? Can you get a year and a half in by doing spring + summer semesters still this year? What are your finances like?

I'd send out applications to several places and weigh your options, Temple ACMS/UCinn etc.

My state is CA, so I'm looking at a lot of out-of-state options. I am willing to sacrifice money for a more formal/recognized program with some weight.

For now it seems like I will be casting the net broadly to both post-baccs and SMPs, and seeing what acceptances I receive.

 

[Cawolf]

@robflanker listed Penn as an option for you.

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/postbacc/pre-health/specialized

In CA, SFSU offers an academic enhancer post-bac that is pretty solid.

http://online.sfsu.edu/brothman/formalindex.html

For someone who wants a more prestigious academic enhancer program http://postbacpremed.ucsd.edu/ is a good option.

 

[deleted248403]

As I said you need an academic enhancer program, not an SMP.

And yes penn's SSP is a post-bac. You sound like you don't really understand the terms or the lingo around here which means going through this painful. You need to do more reading of this forum. Find the low GPA thread. Its got like a million views - and read the last 10 or so pages. If you still have questions after reading all the advice given there based on those people's situations (which at least 5 are pretty similar to you), then feel free to post them.

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

I think OP is at the point where they could do either SMP or postbacc. Depending on how old that MCAT is, they might end up needing to retake it, which would really suck. If you want to do the best possible cycle with your highest UG GPA, account for that in your course selection at a postbacc. Your stats are fine for any SMP, but you have to be 100% sure you can perform at the level necessary.

 

[deleted248403]

Anyone about 3.0 is at the point where they can do either SMP or postbac. Question is which is the better option.

a $50k SMP is an awfully expensive/risky way to do it

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Anyone about 3.0 is at the point where they can do either SMP or postbac. Question is which is the better option.

a $50k SMP is an awfully expensive/risky way to do it

Yeah- with an MCAT that good my mind goes to protecting that score. The traditional best option works best for people who don't have a lot of BCPM credits and haven't taken the MCAT (in my opinion). If your GPA won't budge, then you should hope that the upward trend you establish in the postbacc is looked upon favorably by schools you apply to- usually this would be state schools, but since OP is a CA resident even getting your foot in the door for consideration may be difficult. These are just things to consider. A person in OP's situation who has figured out study habits a bit too late for UG classes is totally different than someone who has been mediocre for 4 years and doesn't understand why. In the former case an SMP is more reasonable... in the latter case that person better go back to the drawing board and learn to be a good student.

 

[Hailstorm]

Yeah- with an MCAT that good my mind goes to protecting that score. The traditional best option works best for people who don't have a lot of BCPM credits and haven't taken the MCAT (in my opinion).

The other issue is that a lot of schools are shifting to preferring, and in many cases requiring the 2015 MCAT earlier so he might not get the full benefit of three years - but I don't think that any of us know to what extent this is really an issue. It also depends on how averse you are to rewriting the MCAT.

Essentially a SMP that offers admission into their school for the year immediately subsequent to the SMP year should be a consideration (though not necessarily a good one depending on your finances, as mentioned they're expensive and high risk). I wouldn't look at any "smp like" program that has a gap year.

If you can do a post-bacc, take a gap year, and get into a UC you're golden and that would likely be the best option, but I don't know that there's enough statistics to determine what your odds would be.

 

[v petrichor]

The other issue is that a lot of schools are shifting to preferring, and in many cases requiring the 2015 MCAT earlier so he might not get the full benefit of three years - but I don't think that any of us know to what extent this is really an issue. It also depends on how averse you are to rewriting the MCAT.

Essentially a SMP that offers admission into their school for the year immediately subsequent to the SMP year should be a consideration (though not necessarily a good one depending on your finances, as mentioned they're expensive and high risk). I wouldn't look at any "smp like" program that has a gap year.

If you can do a post-bacc, take a gap year, and get into a UC you're golden and that would likely be the best option, but I don't know that there's enough statistics to determine what your odds would be.

I am very averse to writing the MCAT, haha.

Well, it's good to know that I should ponder SMPs equally as much as post-baccs. I will try applying to:

1) post-baccs within my range (include CA)
2) SMPs with very strong linkages (which seem to be Temple U-- or is this a post-bacc with strong linkage?-- Gtown, Tufts MS in biomedical sciences, Rosy Franklin, UCinn.)

Yeah- with an MCAT that good my mind goes to protecting that score. The traditional best option works best for people who don't have a lot of BCPM credits and haven't taken the MCAT (in my opinion). If your GPA won't budge, then you should hope that the upward trend you establish in the postbacc is looked upon favorably by schools you apply to- usually this would be state schools, but since OP is a CA resident even getting your foot in the door for consideration may be difficult. These are just things to consider. A person in OP's situation who has figured out study habits a bit too late for UG classes is totally different than someone who has been mediocre for 4 years and doesn't understand why. In the former case an SMP is more reasonable... in the latter case that person better go back to the drawing board and learn to be a good student.

I hope I'm the former case!

 

[Thisisthelife]

Have you considered applying? Your MCAT is phenomenal and your GPA is not THAT bad. If you apply broadly (and the rest of your application is strong) I think you have a god shot of getting in somewhere.

Hello SDN community,

Long-time lurker and first-time poster here. I will have a low BCPM GPA (3.2), and a below-average cGPA (3.48-ish) GPA by the time I graduate. I scored a 36 on my MCAT.

I'm wondering if I should take a post-bacc or do an SMP. It seems I have a chance of bumping up by BCPM GPA by 0.1~0.2 if I take the post-bacc, which will make me competitive for some low-tier med schools. (I'm not sure I quite believe the LizzyM metric). SMP may suit me as an all-in option, but it seems more risky because there are only a limited pool of programs with guaranteed linkages.

Any thoughts?[/QUOT