3.17 GPA: M.S. in Nutrition or Postbac?

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[TriagePreMed]

You will need at least a post-bacc. If you're planning on MD, it's time to do a real SMP. There is very little forgiveness for a steep drop from 3.6 to 3.1.

 

[DrCaliBoy]

I think it would be preferred for a post bac but if you truly enjoy nutrition i dont see whats wrong with getting a masters in it if you do really well.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I think it would be preferred for a post bac but if you truly enjoy nutrition i dont see whats wrong with getting a masters in it if you do really well.

It's spending money over a degree that isn't worth anything. You can't become an RD with it, it doesn't have research rigor, and it won't help (much) to get into medical school.

 

[DrCaliBoy]

true, that makes sense. If money and time is a big factor then he should definitely do post bac at least but judging from his post it seems that he would truly enjoy getting a masters in nutrition and it would only help if he can do well in it. But I have to agree that it wouldnt help as much as the other two.

 

[alexrgross]

You should do both...It will take you about 1 year of postbacc credit before your GPA becomes competitive. If you apply at med schools, youll have a gap year...you might be able to squeeze a one year nutrition SMP.
Sp a[[ly now to post-baccs (try applying to the UC Post Bacc COnstorium, Columbia has one too) then next year apply for the SMP AND medical schools.

that way you do hat you love, and you give the med schools something to talk about.

 

[Catalystik]

Due to a series of financial and family/personal issues, my academics were extremely affected during my last two years at UCLA, which dragged my GPA from ~3.6 down to a 3.17 and an even worse science GPA.

Major: Physiological Science

I will be taking my MCATs in April.

At this point, I would definitely feel more comfortable pursuing further studies to prove that I am capable of handling medical school course work.

I always wanted to study nutrition and thought that the Columbia Master of Nutrition program sounded so ideal for the gap year before applying for medical school. However, considering my GPA, would a post-baccalaureate program be more conducive to my purpose?

If so, which post-bacc program would you recommend?

Thank you.

I'd suggest a year of informal postbac science classes to prove your potential with excellent grades, then an SMP. See the Postbaccalaureate Programs Forum, attn to Dr Midlife's sticky for a list.

 

[EvenIf]

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[FrkyBgStok]

Screw the masters and SMP at this point. You need a post bacc. You have a strong downward trend so you need to fix that first.maybe even one semester. A high mcat should help with an SMP, but the downward trend worries me. But you can't plan on a high mcat. Saying "what if I score in the 99th percentile?" is ridiculous. If you do, great, but the odds are overwhelmingly against you.

So do a post bacc for a year and then do the SMP.

 

[varsityblue]

You need to do a postbac.