OU-HCOM: cGPA repair

[K015h1k]

Hey guys I just recently discovered this awesome site. I've been reading forums on here for a few weeks now and have found them to be very helpful. After days and days of reading through forums on this site I decided that it was time to create an account and post my own story and start asking questions. Thx!!

So here we go...I an Ohio resident and I graduated from OSU back in summer 12 with a BA. For graduating with a degree in psychology and a 2.6 cGPA, I landed a pretty decent finance related job at a reputable firm. However, after a year here I know that I can't do this for the rest of my life... Like many of you, the only fulfilling thing that I can see myself doing for the rest of my life is servicing others… So what happened? I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do as an undergraduate. I kind of just kept my fingers crossed, hoping that things would just work themselves out. However, I did have the image of becoming a physician one day and so I took a few science classes. I didn't do so hott and I eventually gave up on the idea of becoming a physician (to be honest, I don't believe that I even thought I could actually do it back then)... After doing some research, reading through forums on here, and discovering that DO schools allow for grade replacement, the idea of becoming a physician has been rekindled and seems possible...

I went to my advisor who helped me create the following plan. While I have already taken 2 gen chem classes and 2 physics classes, she suggested that I start from scratch.

Spring 14
Chem 1, bio 1

Summer 14
Chem 2, bio 2

Autumn 14
Organic chem 1, physics 1, anatomy

Spring 15
Organic chem 2, physics 2, biochemistry

I know that I don't have the numbers to get into a MD schools like OSU, but with grade replacement I think I have a shot at OU-HCOM if I really step my game up, beast on the MCAT, and provide solid ECs/LORs. According to their site, the average cGPA for the current class of 2017 is 3.65 with a MCAT of 27.40. I did some number crunching and figured that if I repeat and get A's in a few non-science classes (calculus, 2 art classes, a history class), gen chem 1 & 2, physics 1 & 2 that I will hit a cGPA of 3.5. I brought this up with my advisor who suggested that I focus on the science classes and not attempt to retake some of those non-science classes as medical schools will be focusing on my sGPA at this point not my cGPA. What do you guys think about this? Anyone know if this is true? Anyone know if this is true specifically for OU-HCOM? I've got my eyes on OU-HCOM and I'm worried that if I don't repair my cGPA I won't stand a shot even with a great sGPA/MCAT. Also, does anyone know if they screen and have a cGPA/sGPA/MCAT cutoffs? All opinions and questions are welcome!!!

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[edgerock24]

Surely your sGPA will become the most important thing in the GPA portion of your application. However, if retaking a couple non-science courses will boost your cGPA significantly (and you have the $ to pay for extra courses), then there is no downside in doing it. A 3.3 cGPA does look a a lot better than a 3.0 cGPA, for instance regardless of sGPA.

Also, why are you planning on taking anatomy? Is it a required prereq for OU? If not, you don't need to take it and it would be easier for yourself to leave that one out.

 

[K015h1k]

Appreciate your thoughts and I'm on the same page as you regarding the repeats. For example, this upcoming semester I think that I can afford to repeat 2 art classes (easy A's) along with bio and chem. It almost silly not to take advantage of a schedule where all I'll be taking is chem and bio (I think maybe she was worried that I couldn't handle it)… My advisor suggested that I take anatomy since it's one of the major classes in med school. She suggested that if I do well, it'll show them that I will be able to do well in the med school version... Personally, I am thinking about taking physio instead of anatomy as I understand that there is a lot of physio on the MCAT. I also sent an email to a faculty staff at OU-HCOM. I plan on speaking with someone over there to find out if they require it or not.

 

[JDMcNugent]

I would start out with 1 or 2 of the easier science pre-reqs first to get your feet wet and maybe try to finish most of those before moving on to the re-takes. If you feel like you could handle the tedious but easy workload that those re-takes will be on top of the harder science pre-reqs, that may be an option. I would make sure to take the gen bio that is cell & molecular based and then I believe most schools are cool with taking an anatomy or physiology course in lieu of the organismal/population biology (generally referred to as gen bio). I think you are on the right track, especially starting with gen chem and gen bio. It will definitely get harder though and I am sure you already know that.

This is just my opinion and I am sure you will get it all figured out and find what works best for you. Good luck!

 

[JDMcNugent]

I just noticed your spring semester with orgo 2, physics 2, and biochem. Just FYI, that is extremely ambitious and it may be in your best interest to re-consider taking all of those within the same semester. Those are all extremely demanding courses and I would want to jump off of a tall building if that was on my schedule.

 

[NontradCA]

Would reply, but giant wall of text.

 

[kami333]

OUHCOM doesn't currently require anatomy/physiology/biochem/genetics, they just highly recommend some of them. The first 4weeks of the summer (they start in July), they have an anatomy immersion where a prior anatomy course could be useful from seeing how my classmates did but most of us passed just fine without it.

I was in a similar position as you ~7years ago, graduated with as a bio major with a c2.8/s2.6 GPA. I ended up retaking 2 semesters of chem/orgo/phys and cell bio, and added a couple higher level bio/genetics classes towards the end. I'll second JDMcNugent suggestion about starting out slow (you have to go in with the mindset that anything other than an A is unacceptable), and not taking biochem and orgo at the same time especially if you are also working. Also be careful with those "easy A" classes because they can turn into huge time sinks, especially in art. I wasn't in a position to retake my non-science since a lot of them were specific to my undergrad but I would have considered it if I had some time in my schedule.

OUHCOM's admission is very nice and responsive, I was able to talk with the dean on the phone before I applied and he answered a lot of my questions.

 

[K015h1k]

JDMcNuget, thanks for your feedback. I asked my advisor the same thing about her suggestions for Autumn 14 and Spring 15. According to her I need to have bio and gen chem done in order to take biochem. Idk how I feel about her suggestion though, especially b/c I'll really be focusing on the MCAT the last 2 semesters... Below are 2 alternative options that I am considering. Let me know what you guys think.
Alternative Option 1:
Spring 14: Gen chem 1, bio 1, 2 art classes (retakes)
Summer 14: Gen chem 2, bio 2, physics 1, and maybe a retake
Autumn 14: O chem 1, physics 2, and maybe a retake
Spring 15: O chem 2, biochem, and study for the MCAT
_________________________________________________________
Alternative Option 2:
Spring 14: Gen chem 1, bio 1, physics 1
Summer 14: Gen chem 2, bio 2, physics 2
Autumn 14: O chem 1, biochem
Spring 15: O chem 2 and study for the MCAT

 

[JDMcNugent]

I'll give you my two cents and just take it for what its worth. Like the poster above me, I did the informal post-bac but I also worked 45+ hours per week (still do) while taking the pre-med sciences and extra bio coursework. I am not sure what your situation is in regards to work, family, significant other, etc. So, if you think either of these schedules will work for you, pick a route that will be reasonable and do not rush it. Your grades are extremely important.

I personally think that your option #1 looks more desirable. It will still be hard but i'm sure you can handle it. People will debate if o chem 2 is necessary for the mcat and I think you can get by without it by supplementing with the book "organic chemistry as a second language". The 2nd semester of o chem tested on the mcat is about carbonyl chem and a lot of lab techniques. I would recommend only taking 1 course while prepping for the mcat. If I had the choice, I would do biochem + mcat study instead of o chem 2 + mcat prep. I definitely would not do both courses + mcat prep. You can then maybe do o chem 2 after the mcat and any additional coursework or re-takes.

JDMcNuget, thanks for your feedback. I asked my advisor the same thing about her suggestions for Autumn 14 and Spring 15. According to her I need to have bio and gen chem done in order to take biochem. Idk how I feel about her suggestion though, especially b/c I’ll really be focusing on the MCAT the last 2 semesters... Below are 2 alternative options that I am considering. Let me know what you guys think.
Alternative Option 1:
Spring 14: Gen chem 1, bio 1, 2 art classes (retakes)
Summer 14: Gen chem 2, bio 2, physics 1, and maybe a retake
Autumn 14: O chem 1, physics 2, and maybe a retake
Spring 15: O chem 2, biochem, and study for the MCAT
_________________________________________________________
Alternative Option 2:
Spring 14: Gen chem 1, bio 1, physics 1
Summer 14: Gen chem 2, bio 2, physics 2
Autumn 14: O chem 1, biochem
Spring 15: O chem 2 and study for the MCAT