What should I do? post-bac or smp?

[dasanicc]

Hi all, i know there are tons of questions like this but I just want to get some more opinions.

I graduated with departmental honors (did a year of undergrad research but was not published) 2 years ago from university in NYC w/ cGPA of 3.2 and sGPA of 2.8. I was in premed for undergrad but I was young and foolish so I did not do as well as I hope. I also have a GRE score of 319 but I have NOT yet taken the MCAT because I want to be extremely confident about my science knowledge before I take it and just get a mediocre score. I have since gained lots of hands on experience working in a health clinic and also in the EMS field. I volunteer and currently work as 911 EMT and am also finishing up paramedic school, where I learned first hand what it means to be a healthcare provider and how to handle medical emergencies by myself with limited resources. It was an eye-opening experience and I am thankful to have this opportunity. I plan on continuing to work as paramedic while I attend school again not because of "just how good it will look on resume" but because I truly want to be able to provide medical care to those in need when I can.

Now I know the road down the line is going to be very long and difficult but I am ready to make the commitment. The question is, what should I do? Do a post-bac or do a SMP?
Thank you.

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[first_time_poster]

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[dasanicc]

Is this not a good place to ask?

 

[TexasMedic15]

I'm not sure that you would even be admitted to an SMP with your sGPA to be honest. Personally, if I were you I would retake some of the science courses that you got C's or lower in. After that, focus on nothing but the MCAT and kill it. If you're open to DO, which you probably should be with such a low GPA, then grade replacements will help you out a lot provided that you do well in your retakes. If you can get your sGPA above a 3.0, your cGPA close to a 3.4 or 3.5, and your MCAT close to a 507 then I feel like you have a pretty good shot at DO schools and can probably forget about the idea of attending an SMP.

 

[dasanicc]

If I were to retake these science courses, they would be counted twice, once with the low grade I got and once with the new grade I'll be getting right? Thanks!

 

[TexasMedic15]

I fortunately did not have to retake courses, but from what I understand only your most recent retake gets counted towards your GPA on the AACOMAS application. So let's say you got a C in gen. chem I. You retake it and are able to score an A. That A now gets counted towards your GPA whereas your C does not. Quick note on that though, the C will still show up on your application and the med schools you apply to should be able to see it, but I think their primary concern is first looking at your GPA. This is why so many students apply DO - because of the grade replacement policy. Here's another thread that discusses DO grade replacements: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/aacomas-grade-replacement-question.1064330/