3.95 Postbac GPA, do I take more classes?

[nutellaicecream]

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I know others have posted similar questions, but I can't find them right now and my eyes are glazing over.

I'm seeking some advice on what to do. I graduated from a UC with a cGPA 3.17 (non-science 3.51, sGPA 2.9ish) without an upward trend, then did 2 semesters of an informal postbac and got a 3.95 GPA so far (all upper division science courses except one). That rounds out to ~3.2 sGPA or something. Another semester is coming up and I'm trying to decide what to do.

I have some plans in mind:
1. Keep taking (a couple) postbac classes, study for and take the MCAT, then apply in June. Throw in some more extracurriculars if I can since I basically took year off from them (besides shadowing) to make sure I excelled in classes. Each A will give me ~0.02-0.03 sGPA boost. Is it even worth it?

2. Find a job + extracurriculars, study for and take the MCAT, then apply in June.

3. Apply to SMPs and maybe MPH programs because I have a pretty strong interest in public health, and #2. With that said, would more postbac classes help or would an SMP program be looked at more favorably?

My concerns:
SMPs/MPH programs are expensive (in addition to applying to them--several hundred dollars on top of applying to med school in the future), and I would rather get some work experience in. I also already have a bajillion undergrad credits so I don't know how much more adoms would take into account my postbac classes.

I attribute my lower science grades due to my high involvement in numerous activities in college (lots of comm service, clinical experience, some research, other random activities), but of course it wasn't until after I graduated that I really realized that to get into any professional program, I needed better grades than what I had (lack of foresight? apathy in some courses?). At any rate, I've rediscovered my inner nerd and genuine interest in science and medicine. I'll spare you more details unless you're interested.

Any advice on the plans I have laid out? Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[Catalystik]

From my understanding, adcoms will want to see 1.5-2.0 years of recent excellent grades on your transcript. I suggest you continue to take classes unless your last year in college showed a strong upward trend.

Meanwhile start to study for the MCAT. You can't afford to have other than an excellent score, ideally, a 35+. If you get this, apply to MD schools in june/July 2010.

If your score is a 30+, I'd suggest you apply to SMPs. If you get a 3.5+ in the SMP after the first term, med schools you applied to before beginning the program may consider you in light of the other great recent grades and you may be able to drop out of the program and save the second term's cost. You might also consider applying to DO programs at the same time, in case your SMP performance is more meh.

Alternately, with a 30+ MCAT, you'd be a good candidate for DO schools without the SMP and could save some money. With an MCAT of less than 30, I'd probably apply to DO programs alone.

You really need to have current clinical experience/community service when you apply. I'd resume some kind of clinical volunteering for 4 hours a week now and continue through the application cycles so you have stuff to mention in update letters.

An MPH doesn't help much in the med school application process, so I wouldn't pursue one unless you're truly interested in the material, or you need an avenue to more research if you are weak in that area.

Having a low GPA means everything else needs to be golden on your application. Make it so, in order that adcomms can't NOT offer you an interview.

 

[J ROD]

From my understanding, adcoms will want to see 1.5-2.0 years of recent excellent grades on your transcript. I suggest you continue to take classes unless your last year in college showed a strong upward trend.

Meanwhile start to study for the MCAT. You can't afford to have other than an excellent score, ideally, a 35+. If you get this, apply to MD schools in june/July 2010.

If your score is a 30+, I'd suggest you apply to SMPs. If you get a 3.5+ in the SMP after the first term, med schools you applied to before beginning the program may consider you in light of the other great recent grades and you may be able to drop out of the program and save the second term's cost. You might also consider applying to DO programs at the same time, in case your SMP performance is more meh.

Alternately, with a 30+ MCAT, you'd be a good candidate for DO schools without the SMP and could save some money. With an MCAT of less than 30, I'd probably apply to DO programs alone.

You really need to have current clinical experience/community service when you apply. I'd resume some kind of clinical volunteering for 4 hours a week now and continue through the application cycles so you have stuff to mention in update letters.

An MPH doesn't help much in the med school application process, so I wouldn't pursue one unless you're truly interested in the material, or you need an avenue to more research if you are weak in that area.

Having a low GPA means everything else needs to be golden on your application. Make it so, in order that adcomms can't NOT offer you an interview.

35+ is a bit much....33/34

 

[Howisbabbyformd]

From my understanding, adcoms will want to see 1.5-2.0 years of recent excellent grades on your transcript. I suggest you continue to take classes unless your last year in college showed a strong upward trend.

Meanwhile start to study for the MCAT. You can't afford to have other than an excellent score, ideally, a 35+. If you get this, apply to MD schools in june/July 2010.

If your score is a 30+, I'd suggest you apply to SMPs. If you get a 3.5+ in the SMP after the first term, med schools you applied to before beginning the program may consider you in light of the other great recent grades and you may be able to drop out of the program and save the second term's cost. You might also consider applying to DO programs at the same time, in case your SMP performance is more meh.

Alternately, with a 30+ MCAT, you'd be a good candidate for DO schools without the SMP and could save some money. With an MCAT of less than 30, I'd probably apply to DO programs alone.

You really need to have current clinical experience/community service when you apply. I'd resume some kind of clinical volunteering for 4 hours a week now and continue through the application cycles so you have stuff to mention in update letters.

An MPH doesn't help much in the med school application process, so I wouldn't pursue one unless you're truly interested in the material, or you need an avenue to more research if you are weak in that area.

Having a low GPA means everything else needs to be golden on your application. Make it so, in order that adcomms can't NOT offer you an interview.

That's absurd. Very few people score that high in the first place. Getting a balanced score of 31 or 32 will show an adcom the applicant has a good foundation in the sciences (and VR) and can perform at the level of the average MD matriculant (especially with the improvement he/she has shown getting a 3.95 in upper division science courses). Of course this person probably isn't aiming for Harvard or Hopkins, but I think a strong score in the low 30s would suffice at a state school. I agree with everything else you've written, however.

 

[J ROD]

That's absurd. Very few people score that high in the first place. Getting a balanced score of 31 or 32 will show an adcom the applicant has a good foundation in the sciences (and VR) and can perform at the level of the average MD matriculant (especially with the improvement he/she has shown getting a 3.95 in upper division science courses). Of course this person probably isn't aiming for Harvard or Hopkins, but I think a strong score in the low 30s would suffice at a state school. I agree with everything else you've written, however.

Def could be enough...I rather see a 33/34 though!! 😀

 

[Howisbabbyformd]

Def could be enough...I rather see a 33/34 though!! 😀

Of course you'd like to have as high a score as possible, but you also have to be realistic and adcoms realize this too (at least those members of adcoms at my state schools do 🙂).

 

[J ROD]

Of course you'd like to have as high a score as possible, but you also have to be realistic and adcoms realize this too (at least those members of adcoms at my state schools do 🙂).

are you from Cali? Cali is rough!! 🤣

 

[Howisbabbyformd]

are you from Cali? Cali is rough!! 🤣

No, Michigan. And I do know someone who scored less than a 28 and got into UMich and also someone with a slightly higher MCAT but a very low GPA that got in there as well. The point is, the numbers someone posts on here don't tell the whole story and telling people they don't stand a chance based on numbers and a few activities they've listed is just crazy.

 

[Catalystik]

I think a strong score in the low 30s would suffice at a state school.

California state schools are notoriously difficult to get into even with an excellent GPA and competitive MCAT score. In this instance, I think a higher MCAT score will be needed to encourage a complete evaluation of the application so that the recent upward grade trend will be appreciated.

 

[Howisbabbyformd]

California state schools are notoriously difficult to get into even with an excellent GPA and competitive MCAT score. In this instance, I think a higher MCAT score will be needed to encourage a complete evaluation of the application so that the recent upward grade trend will be appreciated.

Yeah, that's true. That's what I get for skimming the post 😀

 

[J ROD]

Yeah, that's true. That's what I get for skimming the post 😀

No problem...I agree with what you said...OP may have a shot better than we on here think....but I like to give advice on what you should aspire to so that you can be really competitive....

 

[Catalystik]

No problem...I agree with what you said...OP may have a shot better than we on here think....but I like to give advice on what you should aspire to so that you can be really competitive....

👍

 

[J ROD]

👍

😎

 

[nutellaicecream]

Hey thanks for the advice! Yeah, it doesn't help that I'm an Asian from California.

Catalystik, is it common for people to leave SMP programs like that? I can see how it makes sense but I'm imagining the programs would want you to finish.

I think I will take a lighter load of classes so I can focus on the MCAT these following months.

Sometimes I feel like I wouldn't really stand out much as an applicant (other than my insane involvement in a community service organization), you know what I mean?? I haven't had this other life experience that made me want to go to medicine or amazing research or grades...sure, *everyone* has hospital internships, research, community service, good grades and scores, but what is it...that makes schools want you? (Sorry, small rant, although I know people who got into medical school with less)

Ok, well I dabbled a little bit into journalism a while back, but I realized I did not want to be in that environment. Worth mentioning anywhere?

 

[J ROD]

Hey thanks for the advice! Yeah, it doesn't help that I'm an Asian from California.

Catalystik, is it common for people to leave SMP programs like that? I can see how it makes sense but I'm imagining the programs would want you to finish.

I think I will take a lighter load of classes so I can focus on the MCAT these following months.

Sometimes I feel like I wouldn't really stand out much as an applicant (other than my insane involvement in a community service organization), you know what I mean?? I haven't had this other life experience that made me want to go to medicine or amazing research or grades...sure, *everyone* has hospital internships, research, community service, good grades and scores, but what is it...that makes schools want you? (Sorry, small rant, although I know people who got into medical school with less)

Ok, well I dabbled a little bit into journalism a while back, but I realized I did not want to be in that environment. Worth mentioning anywhere?

you really need a strong MCAT now....😱 😀

 

[Catalystik]

Catalystik, is it common for people to leave SMP programs like that? I can see how it makes sense but I'm imagining the programs would want you to finish.

Ok, well I dabbled a little bit into journalism a while back, but I realized I did not want to be in that environment. Worth mentioning anywhere?

I have to admit that the idea never crossed my mind until I read a post a few weeks back here on SDN by an SMP student/med school acceptee who did just that. I'd imagine you'd need to have the permission of the school accepting you and that the school accepting one would not be linked to the SMP. Why would they say yes and lose the big bucks tuition money?

When you dabbled in journalism, did you publish anything? This is worth mentioning. How long did you dabble?

 

[nutellaicecream]

I do have a few published articles for the Asian American Journalists Association/UNITY Minority Journalists, Inc. and an undergraduate health journal. I worked on the school paper for a year as one of the copy editors, designed newsletters for a different campus org for 2 years, and did graphic design work on the undergraduate health journal. I didn't try to go further into journalism because I knew I wanted to do something health-related. So I guess you can say...3 years, just not professionally.

At a point in time after graduating, I had the opportunity to go into a 2-year program at a newspaper but decided to focus on my goals for medicine instead. (Why spend 2 years doing something you know you don't want to solely be doing?) Heey well maybe I can be a future Dr. Sanjay Gupta 😎

About the personal statement--would/should you bring attention to grades or should it just be all about your strengths and why you want to go into medicine? Also, do any of you think it will be a good idea to include this journalism aspect of my life into the personal statement?

 

[Catalystik]

I think the journalism is a great EC, and you even have some health related activity with it. You can list your publications, or even a link if available.

The Personal Statement is not the place for negatives, rather you want to highlight your reasons for going into medicine. Only mention the journalism if it had a postive impetus on your choosing medicine, not because you didn't care for it. There are other places for you to bring up your low undergrad GPA, like Secondary essays on "A challenge you overcame," or "A stress and how you handled it," or "Discuss any blips in your academic road." Be sure to take responsibility and tell what you learned/what changes you instituted to avoid a recurring problem.