offer some input please...

[Madonna1234]

I am starting a new thread to get some input on my situation bc everyone has always offered some great opinions:
I have 2.7 science gpa and hope to have a 3.0 by this fall. I'm taking the January MCAT. I have 2 bachelors degrees and finishing the post bac cert. I have over 800 hours of volunteering, clinical work, and shadowing. I speak Spanish and Italian.

Here are the options I am debating over: Let me know your opinion....
1. take this fall to finish the last class i need and prep for the Jan MCAT to apply to DO schools for the 2011 start date?
or
2. take this fall to finish the last class i need and apply to MS Biological science programs and/or post bac prep programs leading into MD or DO schools?
or
3. start a MPH degree this fall and apply to schools for 2012 start date?

Thanks all!

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[Cheshyre]

I am starting a new thread to get some input on my situation bc everyone has always offered some great opinions:
I have 2.7 science gpa and hope to have a 3.0 by this fall. I'm taking the January MCAT. I have 2 bachelors degrees and finishing the post bac cert. I have over 800 hours of volunteering, clinical work, and shadowing. I speak Spanish and Italian.

Here are the options I am debating over: Let me know your opinion....
1. take this fall to finish the last class i need and prep for the Jan MCAT to apply to DO schools for the 2011 start date?
or
2. take this fall to finish the last class i need and apply to MS Biological science programs and/or post bac prep programs leading into MD or DO schools?
or
3. start a MPH degree this fall and apply to schools for 2012 start date?

Thanks all!

I already forgot what was written in your previous post, so bear with me here.

What matters to me is not your actual GPA, but what your trend is. Have you been keeping your GPA high (3.5+) for the past couple semesters (not just one or two)? If so, and consistently so, that would show schools that you've matured.

Also, with such a GPA, you're going to have to crush the MCAT. Shoot for as high as you can, but I'd say that 30+ will be necessary for you to have a decent chance. There's a forum on SDN devoted to MCAT prep. If you want more advice on this, PM me.

If you've got the strong upward trend and the solid MCAT, I'd say just go for it and apply DO (apply MD only if you've been getting 3.5+ for many semesters and score over a 33 on the MCAT). If not, you may need to go for MPH or post-bacc programs. If you go to those, you have to dominate them. They aren't guaranteed ways to get into medical school. Plenty of kids who go there still don't make it in.

I don't know about you, but I'm taking a gap year off between college and (expected) entrance into medical school. It's driving me insane. I feel like I'm wasting so much time.

If possible, I wonder if you could study for the MCAT this summer and take it at the start of the fall semester? I personally think that's better than trying to juggle exams for school + the MCAT. Also, this would give you more lead time to decide your plans for the next school year, or, give you time to retake the test if you decide you want to try and apply for the 2011 cycle. I forget if I mentioned this to you, but maximizing your MCAT performance will likely take around 2 - 3 months of prep, minimum, depending on how much you need to brush up on. I studied almost every single day of May and June (while shadowing), finished prep in July, then did weekly tests in August as reviews (while working in lab for July and August) before my September test date. It sounds pretty daunting, but it really wasn't so bad. The MCAT.. well, there's essentially no upper-level stuff on it. It's mostly intro bio/physics with verbal/writing, a tiny bit of physical chem, and of course, orgo.

 

[illegallysmooth]

I am starting a new thread to get some input on my situation bc everyone has always offered some great opinions:
I have 2.7 science gpa and hope to have a 3.0 by this fall. I'm taking the January MCAT. I have 2 bachelors degrees and finishing the post bac cert. I have over 800 hours of volunteering, clinical work, and shadowing. I speak Spanish and Italian.

Here are the options I am debating over: Let me know your opinion....
1. take this fall to finish the last class i need and prep for the Jan MCAT to apply to DO schools for the 2011 start date?
or
2. take this fall to finish the last class i need and apply to MS Biological science programs and/or post bac prep programs leading into MD or DO schools?
or
3. start a MPH degree this fall and apply to schools for 2012 start date?

Thanks all!

What is your GPA in the post-bac program alone?

IMO, I believe the Jan 2011 MCAT is too late for the application cycle leading to admission for 2011. You should take it sooner.

I don't understand your second option. You are in a post-bac. Are you thinking that you didn't do as well in the post-bac as you hoped, and you are now looking to do another one?

I don't really think an MPH is going to help you much. The schools need to see that you can survive the basic science curriculum.

I'm sorry this isn't a very positive response.

 

[beckhunter116]

An MPH won't help for admissions purposes. Plenty of people have them and graduate course are typically grade inflated unless we are talking about an SMP program.

There is a whole forum on here about SMP programs. Basically they are for people with a lower gpa and a higher MCAT (typically 28+, the competitive programs 30+). You take the same classes as M1 and typically if you maintain a certain gpa in the program you are guarenteed an interview at that school.

 

[Madonna1234]

Thanks for all the replies...
I would liek to take the MCAT earlier, however I am taking the final physics class in the fall while taking a MCAT prep course so I will not be prepared till Jan.
I see that many of you feel that an MPH would not be beneficial for my situation. I was considering the degree because I thought that it would perhaps steghen my GPA and offer some further science experince for my non trad currculum.
Any more input would be great!

 

[illegallysmooth]

Thanks for all the replies...
I would liek to take the MCAT earlier, however I am taking the final physics class in the fall while taking a MCAT prep course so I will not be prepared till Jan.
I see that many of you feel that an MPH would not be beneficial for my situation. I was considering the degree because I thought that it would perhaps steghen my GPA and offer some further science experince for my non trad currculum.
Any more input would be great!

An MPH is NOT a science-based program. I think doing an MPH would be a very bad decision and a waste of time.

What is your GPA in the post-bac alone?

 

[Madonna1234]

thanks for the advice illegallysmooth. So far 2.7, kind of low, but I hope to have close to a 2.9 by fall.

 

[illegallysmooth]

thanks for the advice illegallysmooth. So far 2.7, kind of low, but I hope to have close to a 2.9 by fall.

This doesn't look so good. Are there any particular reasons why your GPA is so low?

I considered post-bacs and special masters programs 2 years ago, and was told that I should do really well (3.7+) if I wanted hope at getting in somewhere. I specifically recall the phrase "if you do poorly in your post-bac, consider it the kiss of death."

Now, I have gotten into 3 DO schools with a 3.3 in my masters program, but I also have a 34 MCAT and I've worked a substantial amount for the last 6 years (including over 3 years of hospital work, with a lot of patient care, and mostly night shifts). I've done a lot of research, looking forward to a publication soon. I had a lot to talk about - experiences as a young child in a poor neighborhood, sick relatives, my work in a pediatric clinic, desire to work in underserved areas. My point here is that it's possible to get an acceptance without a high GPA, but much, much harder. Pretend you are a member of an adcom. What would you think of your application?

Moreover, if you have a 2.7 in a post-bac, have you thought about the possibility you might not be able to handle medical school? I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. But I think you need a little dose of reality here.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Moreover, if you have a 2.7 in a post-bac, have you thought about the possibility you might not be able to handle medical school? I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. But I think you need a little dose of reality here.

All hope isn't lost. That's why they created SMP's.

OP, at this point you best bet would be to do an SMP or MS program to prove that you are capable of being successful in medical school. Check out the post-bacc forum. I know PCOM has a good MS program, but I'm not sure if they offer any type of linkage.

 

[Dr Skeptismo]

I'd say take the MCAT and see how you do before you enroll any other programs.

SMP's, MPH's, and post bac's might be good options, but I'd really recommend considering all the debt you'll be in at the end. If you eventually get accepted, med school isn't cheap, and all this other student debt will just pile more onto the top of that already steep mountain.

A 2.7 is low, and so is a 3.0. Take a realistic look at your chances, you need to decide if you are suited for med school. You're the one who will have to pay everything back. After you finish all these programs geared towards med school, how will you pay them if you never get accepted? I'm not saying its hopeless, but just food for thought. I recently read a WSJ article about an MD struggling to pay off her $550,000 student loans, and she's a doctor.