Hi all,
I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet, and I apologize in advance if this question or variant of has been asked X amount of times. I've tried searching for the answers on here and elsewhere, but I guess situations can be different. So here's the gist; and thank you in advance for the support: Graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's in psychology, minor in philosophy. CUM GPA: 3.10, BCPM: 2.79, In-major GPA: 3.89 (even though this GPA is probably irrelevant). To make a long story short, I have not taken the MCAT yet, but want to, and so since I have been graduated for almost a decade, I was wondering if it were worth it to retake all the prerequisite courses found on the MCAT, even if I performed well on Biology 1 for instance a decade ago, and received an 'A'. I'd essentially be creating my own DIY post-bac; and I know I will see Bio 1 stuff again on the MCAT, hence why I was considering retaking it, but is it worth it to spend the 1K in dollars out of pocket for this class I got an 'A' in long ago, or can I reteach myself the Bio 1 stuff found on the MCAT with the MCAT prep books? What about Bio 2 stuff on the MCAT? I got a 'B' in Bio 2 stuff a decade ago as well, but could I reteach myself the Bio content for the MCAT? Or retake both Bio 1 and 2 at a CC?
I know it has been said to retake anything with a C or lower, and so I plan to do this with gen chem 1 and 2 since I have not seen that material in a decade and scored a B- and C respectively. However, I retook gen chem 1 a decade ago, so if I took it again 10 years later, it would be my third time taking it but this time with an emphasis on really knowing the material since I am mature now compared to when I was 19 or so, and it would be with the mindset of 'this is going to be on the MCAT and I want to get an 'A' in the class if I am taking it a third time' to make it worth retaking, since i know grade forgiveness really isn't a thing in MD schools. Also, for Bio 1 and 2, since my grades are about a decade old, would MD schools consider these grades too old to apply to MD programs? Lastly for now, I would retake gen chem 2 since I got a C in it the first time, but was also considering retaking gen chem 1 which I took twice already even though the second time I scored a 'B-' and my reason for retaking is that the material will be on the MCAT and I am not really savvy to reteach myself gen chem material found on the MCAT. Retaking would also be to score better and to show an upwards GPA trend on the prerequisite coursework I did not receive an 'A' in. Please advise, and I apologize for the mini essay! Thank you so, so much.
Edited: Forgot to add that I work about 70+ hours per week between 3 jobs (one EMS job, second job is counseling, third I work on-call for a church) and doing/pursuing ECs on the side, so I would only be doing 1 class or so per semester. Would that be okay? I kinda need to work that much because I need a place to live, have child support to pay, etc. I'm also pursuing a dual degree and studying for the other exam that is not the MCAT.
P.S. How many classes would I need to take for a DIY-postbac if I already have my bachelor's? I was just planning on retaking the prereqs for med school for DIY post-bac but I wasn't planning on any other classes due to finances since I am not eligible for financial aid anymore since I have a bachelors.
Blessings to anyone who can advise.
I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet, and I apologize in advance if this question or variant of has been asked X amount of times. I've tried searching for the answers on here and elsewhere, but I guess situations can be different. So here's the gist; and thank you in advance for the support: Graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's in psychology, minor in philosophy. CUM GPA: 3.10, BCPM: 2.79, In-major GPA: 3.89 (even though this GPA is probably irrelevant). To make a long story short, I have not taken the MCAT yet, but want to, and so since I have been graduated for almost a decade, I was wondering if it were worth it to retake all the prerequisite courses found on the MCAT, even if I performed well on Biology 1 for instance a decade ago, and received an 'A'. I'd essentially be creating my own DIY post-bac; and I know I will see Bio 1 stuff again on the MCAT, hence why I was considering retaking it, but is it worth it to spend the 1K in dollars out of pocket for this class I got an 'A' in long ago, or can I reteach myself the Bio 1 stuff found on the MCAT with the MCAT prep books? What about Bio 2 stuff on the MCAT? I got a 'B' in Bio 2 stuff a decade ago as well, but could I reteach myself the Bio content for the MCAT? Or retake both Bio 1 and 2 at a CC?
I know it has been said to retake anything with a C or lower, and so I plan to do this with gen chem 1 and 2 since I have not seen that material in a decade and scored a B- and C respectively. However, I retook gen chem 1 a decade ago, so if I took it again 10 years later, it would be my third time taking it but this time with an emphasis on really knowing the material since I am mature now compared to when I was 19 or so, and it would be with the mindset of 'this is going to be on the MCAT and I want to get an 'A' in the class if I am taking it a third time' to make it worth retaking, since i know grade forgiveness really isn't a thing in MD schools. Also, for Bio 1 and 2, since my grades are about a decade old, would MD schools consider these grades too old to apply to MD programs? Lastly for now, I would retake gen chem 2 since I got a C in it the first time, but was also considering retaking gen chem 1 which I took twice already even though the second time I scored a 'B-' and my reason for retaking is that the material will be on the MCAT and I am not really savvy to reteach myself gen chem material found on the MCAT. Retaking would also be to score better and to show an upwards GPA trend on the prerequisite coursework I did not receive an 'A' in. Please advise, and I apologize for the mini essay! Thank you so, so much.
Edited: Forgot to add that I work about 70+ hours per week between 3 jobs (one EMS job, second job is counseling, third I work on-call for a church) and doing/pursuing ECs on the side, so I would only be doing 1 class or so per semester. Would that be okay? I kinda need to work that much because I need a place to live, have child support to pay, etc. I'm also pursuing a dual degree and studying for the other exam that is not the MCAT.
P.S. How many classes would I need to take for a DIY-postbac if I already have my bachelor's? I was just planning on retaking the prereqs for med school for DIY post-bac but I wasn't planning on any other classes due to finances since I am not eligible for financial aid anymore since I have a bachelors.
Blessings to anyone who can advise.
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