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deleted736231
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It's doable. Only retake courses that you received a C- or lower in. You can definitely get into some post-bacs out there, but if you can't, then you can always take some classes a la carte to raise your GPA. I'd also consider applying to SMPs at the same time.
Next, you need to kill your MCAT with something like a 515+ if you want to consider MD. For DO, probably something like a 510+.
Your journey will be difficult, but doable.
Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
Next, you need to kill your MCAT with something like a 515+ if you want to consider MD. For DO, probably something like a 510+.
Your journey will be difficult, but doable.
Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
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To offer an opposing viewpoint: a downward trend during senior year is particularly detrimental to any application. For comparison, most accepted students with a low GPA have a strong upward trend. While obtaining a 4.0 for the next year with full time course load of 32 credits will theoretically get you to the 3.0 'cutoff', it's important to be realistic: <3.0 students do not suddenly become 4.0 students overnight. Financial issues were partly to blame for your current predicament, and this seemingly will remain a persistent issue moving forward as well. With this in mind, why will the next year be different?
More realistically, I suspect that you will need 2 years of solid post-bacc grades to get your GPA above 3.0, and even then, your GPA will be below average among AA D.O. applicants, and a full standard deviation below AA D.O. matriculants (bottom 15%). You will also need to do well on the MCAT, which remains an unknown. These are not odds that anyone should bank on. It would not be surprising if you ultimately required a SMP ($$$MP) in addition to this post-bacc work. So what we're looking at is essentially years of GPA repair for a shot at potentially starting medical school several years from now. A very real alternative outcome would be unsuccessful application(s) to medical school, and not having a career that can pay off this debt within a reasonable time frame.
While it's disappointing to be rejected from your school's post-bacc program, it's possible that they spared you from further debt and time investment pursuing a very uphill battle that will require almost perfect execution from this point forward. Before applying to other post-baccs, I strongly recommend that you realistically evaluate your ability to execute the above. Also, consider exploring other careers (including allied health professions) that can satisfy what drew you to medicine initially. It takes courage and wisdom to know when to refocus one's efforts (the same can also be said for when to continue the course). 'Not knowing when to quit' is not a positive quality.
My last comment is to approach this process rationally, especially when selecting a post-bacc program and/or SMP (if that is what you decide to do). If your goal is to get into any post-bacc program, you will definitely succeed in doing so as many programs are more than happy to take applicants' money despite knowing that they will do poorly. Currently in the pre-allo forum, there's also a thread talking about RFU's and VCU's SMP (spoiler: it ain't pretty).
My post isn't to encourage or dissuade you from pursuing MD/DO; rather, to offer a counterpoint to the advice that you've already received. Approach this process with an open mind and avoid making decisions driven by desperation and/or emotion ("becoming a physician is always what I wanted to do, and I just don't know when to quit"). Best of luck to you. Just my thoughts.
More realistically, I suspect that you will need 2 years of solid post-bacc grades to get your GPA above 3.0, and even then, your GPA will be below average among AA D.O. applicants, and a full standard deviation below AA D.O. matriculants (bottom 15%). You will also need to do well on the MCAT, which remains an unknown. These are not odds that anyone should bank on. It would not be surprising if you ultimately required a SMP ($$$MP) in addition to this post-bacc work. So what we're looking at is essentially years of GPA repair for a shot at potentially starting medical school several years from now. A very real alternative outcome would be unsuccessful application(s) to medical school, and not having a career that can pay off this debt within a reasonable time frame.
While it's disappointing to be rejected from your school's post-bacc program, it's possible that they spared you from further debt and time investment pursuing a very uphill battle that will require almost perfect execution from this point forward. Before applying to other post-baccs, I strongly recommend that you realistically evaluate your ability to execute the above. Also, consider exploring other careers (including allied health professions) that can satisfy what drew you to medicine initially. It takes courage and wisdom to know when to refocus one's efforts (the same can also be said for when to continue the course). 'Not knowing when to quit' is not a positive quality.
My last comment is to approach this process rationally, especially when selecting a post-bacc program and/or SMP (if that is what you decide to do). If your goal is to get into any post-bacc program, you will definitely succeed in doing so as many programs are more than happy to take applicants' money despite knowing that they will do poorly. Currently in the pre-allo forum, there's also a thread talking about RFU's and VCU's SMP (spoiler: it ain't pretty).
My post isn't to encourage or dissuade you from pursuing MD/DO; rather, to offer a counterpoint to the advice that you've already received. Approach this process with an open mind and avoid making decisions driven by desperation and/or emotion ("becoming a physician is always what I wanted to do, and I just don't know when to quit"). Best of luck to you. Just my thoughts.
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I agree that you'll almost certainly need an SMP in addition to doing well on the MCAT, unless you're really willing to apply to 60+ schools as you said (n=1, but I've heard of one person with a pretty low undergraduate GPA and a reasonably high MCAT getting in at one MD school after applying to almost 100 schools; that person was also in pharmacy school, I believe).
However, if you do an SMP, you HAVE to make sure that you will do well and can commit to it full time, otherwise it will be the same as Shoot-My-Pes (shooting yourself in the foot). To do most SMP's, you probably do want to aim for getting your GPA to a 3. I think you still might get into an SMP with community college credits, but maybe not the most competitive ones out there; do your research for that when you finally decide to apply to programs.
Try NOT to take on a ton of EC's at this time, in my opinion, unless you want to first work on EC's and then work on academics rather than first work on academics. Your problem is that you took on way too much at once, and that hurt your GPA substantially. You can't afford a mistake like that again while you're recovering your GPA. If you want to do the path lab tech position, you may want to only work on that for a while before taking classes, because taking on a job at the same time as classes can be very challenging and detrimental to your grades as you've already found out. In truth, I think you may have to plan for way longer than just 1 year before applying to an SMP if you want to ascertain that you have the best chances for doing every single aspect of your life well as opposed to multi-tasking and diluting your effectiveness.
You will have to consider financials, because that was a large part of what drove your GPA down. SMPs are extremely expensive, and applying is also extremely expensive with all the app fees plus travelling if you get interviewed. It might be better to just work, get your financials stable, and then start taking credits while cutting back on work hours (if it's community college due to cost, then okay, do what you have to do to get to that 3 baseline; some programs will look down on it, but I guarantee you that many people have been in your shoes and have had to sacrifice taking some of their credits at a 4 year university for other supplemental options like community college, and some of those people still get in) to bring up your GPA.
Work on EC's, including way more clinical experiences, when you aren't sacrificing time for academics, as you never mentioned anything about clinicals. You want to get into medical school, not a PhD. I'm actually wondering if you would like a PhD better... so shadowing might be a good way to figure out if you like the day to day of a doctor's life as opposed to lab work. Research always helps, but it won't make up for low or non-existent clinical exposure. Also try to pinpoint who you can ask for recommendations since you will likely need recs for both SMP applications and med school applications.
Then, when you're ready financially, EC-wise, and grade-wise, apply for SMPs; if you get into one of those, you will almost certainly have to quit all of your jobs and extracurriculars. You must be ready to just focus on that for a year or two depending on how long it is. If all goes well from there, then you may have a chance to link up. You should do research on if your desired SMP prepares you to take the MCAT or if you should take the MCAT prior to getting into your SMP; if most students take it before, then you may have to sacrifice additional time and possibly resources for MCAT prep. This all adds up on the time burden and money burden, so make sure you're willing to do this.
tl;dr Don't take on a lot at the time; focus on one aspect of your life at a time and do it well, whether it's grades, work, or ECs, of which I recommend more clinical exposures. Consider how expensive and time-consuming it will all be to become a competitive applicant to medical school and determine if you will be willing to do it.
However, if you do an SMP, you HAVE to make sure that you will do well and can commit to it full time, otherwise it will be the same as Shoot-My-Pes (shooting yourself in the foot). To do most SMP's, you probably do want to aim for getting your GPA to a 3. I think you still might get into an SMP with community college credits, but maybe not the most competitive ones out there; do your research for that when you finally decide to apply to programs.
Try NOT to take on a ton of EC's at this time, in my opinion, unless you want to first work on EC's and then work on academics rather than first work on academics. Your problem is that you took on way too much at once, and that hurt your GPA substantially. You can't afford a mistake like that again while you're recovering your GPA. If you want to do the path lab tech position, you may want to only work on that for a while before taking classes, because taking on a job at the same time as classes can be very challenging and detrimental to your grades as you've already found out. In truth, I think you may have to plan for way longer than just 1 year before applying to an SMP if you want to ascertain that you have the best chances for doing every single aspect of your life well as opposed to multi-tasking and diluting your effectiveness.
You will have to consider financials, because that was a large part of what drove your GPA down. SMPs are extremely expensive, and applying is also extremely expensive with all the app fees plus travelling if you get interviewed. It might be better to just work, get your financials stable, and then start taking credits while cutting back on work hours (if it's community college due to cost, then okay, do what you have to do to get to that 3 baseline; some programs will look down on it, but I guarantee you that many people have been in your shoes and have had to sacrifice taking some of their credits at a 4 year university for other supplemental options like community college, and some of those people still get in) to bring up your GPA.
Work on EC's, including way more clinical experiences, when you aren't sacrificing time for academics, as you never mentioned anything about clinicals. You want to get into medical school, not a PhD. I'm actually wondering if you would like a PhD better... so shadowing might be a good way to figure out if you like the day to day of a doctor's life as opposed to lab work. Research always helps, but it won't make up for low or non-existent clinical exposure. Also try to pinpoint who you can ask for recommendations since you will likely need recs for both SMP applications and med school applications.
Then, when you're ready financially, EC-wise, and grade-wise, apply for SMPs; if you get into one of those, you will almost certainly have to quit all of your jobs and extracurriculars. You must be ready to just focus on that for a year or two depending on how long it is. If all goes well from there, then you may have a chance to link up. You should do research on if your desired SMP prepares you to take the MCAT or if you should take the MCAT prior to getting into your SMP; if most students take it before, then you may have to sacrifice additional time and possibly resources for MCAT prep. This all adds up on the time burden and money burden, so make sure you're willing to do this.
tl;dr Don't take on a lot at the time; focus on one aspect of your life at a time and do it well, whether it's grades, work, or ECs, of which I recommend more clinical exposures. Consider how expensive and time-consuming it will all be to become a competitive applicant to medical school and determine if you will be willing to do it.
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