Second Undergrad to boost gpa? help chances of DO or MD?

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shmicky

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I graduated in 2013 with a sports medicine degree at a college in Oklahoma. I finished with a 3.2 overall gpa, but a 2.8ish science gpa. I have been a non-degree/post-bac student at a state university back home for a year now, and I was told by an adviser today that I have a chance of getting a bio degree next spring because all of the classes that I have taken (incidentally) fit in with a biology-biomedical sciences degree. This also includes transferring in classes I have taken previously.

Stats:
1st undergrad GPA: Overall 3.2/science 2.8
As a post-bac (overall gpa with the classes I have taken at home):3.1

If I were to graduate with a second degree (as of now): Overall GPA at the new school (the gpa that my 2nd degree will say) 3.8/Science 3.75 (20 hours overall;17 hours of upper division bio/chem) All I basically need is to take calc, biostats, & 18ish hours of biology classes.

The adviser said that if I did good this upcoming year, there is a good chance of me graduating magna cum laude. I am taking the MCAT on August 15th, and am going to start an MPH in Fall 15' (I got accepted for this fall, but deferred a year for family reasons).



Good idea, bad idea? I was planning on taking undergrad classes this year anyway, but a second degree and some great academic prestige sound awfully tempting. Do you think it would help my chances with med/do school (assuming I get a reasonable MCAT score)?

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I'm not sure what that MPH is really going to get you in the long run. What is your intent with it; Application padding or a sincere interest in public health policy? Your new stats are pretty good and should improve with the additional classes you plan to take. You can get accepted with a 3.1 and a good MCAT score to an MD school. This is going to show a pretty clear difference between post-bacc/undergrad. If I were you, I would work my ass off for an excellent MCAT score and plan on applying MD/DO this coming cycle, and getting accepted and forgoing the MPH. To me, it's a money sink and a time drain away from med school.
 
First things first, take your MCAT.

You can't assume you will get a 'reasonable' MCAT score.
 
You don't need an entirely new UG degree, just do a post-bac or SMP.



I graduated in 2013 with a sports medicine degree at a college in Oklahoma. I finished with a 3.2 overall gpa, but a 2.8ish science gpa. I have been a non-degree/post-bac student at a state university back home for a year now, and I was told by an adviser today that I have a chance of getting a bio degree next spring because all of the classes that I have taken (incidentally) fit in with a biology-biomedical sciences degree. This also includes transferring in classes I have taken previously.

Stats:
1st undergrad GPA: Overall 3.2/science 2.8
As a post-bac (overall gpa with the classes I have taken at home):3.1

If I were to graduate with a second degree (as of now): Overall GPA at the new school (the gpa that my 2nd degree will say) 3.8/Science 3.75 (20 hours overall;17 hours of upper division bio/chem) All I basically need is to take calc, biostats, & 18ish hours of biology classes.

The adviser said that if I did good this upcoming year, there is a good chance of me graduating magna cum laude. I am taking the MCAT on August 15th, and am going to start an MPH in Fall 15' (I got accepted for this fall, but deferred a year for family reasons).



Good idea, bad idea? I was planning on taking undergrad classes this year anyway, but a second degree and some great academic prestige sound awfully tempting. Do you think it would help my chances with med/do school (assuming I get a reasonable MCAT score)?
 
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