a non-traditional non-traditional

[Goobster20]

So it's been a couple of years since i've been on here and i'm looking for some help. i'm 26 years old now, majored in bio and biostats (ugpa: 3.1) and graduated in 2005. I then did a year of a graduate research program (gpa: 3.556) but stopped the program short of a full year due to general disenchantment with the program and family issues. since then i have been working as a paralegal, but now that i've hit my quarter life crisis i find my dream of becoming a doctor resurfacing.

i know my gpa is low for med school and that i need to work on it. am i correct in that allopathic schools take the average if i were to retake the basic courses over (bio, chem, physics, ochem)? i know that i could take a grad program but a lot of them stress research, which i want to stay away from as much as possible.

any help or insight would be much appreciated.

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[2008orbust]

More info ins needed. You said you quit the program just short of a year. Does that mean you dropped out of classes? Was it a formal withdrawal or did you just stop attending? Did quitting mean you failed any classes?

Schools do look at an upward trend (at least some schools) but won't see past a nose dive at the end of it.

Yes, allopathic takes each attempt into consideration, while osteopathic will only count the retake.

I think everyone would concur that you are a 'normal' non-trad.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

So it's been a couple of years since i've been on here and i'm looking for some help. i'm 26 years old now, majored in bio and biostats (ugpa: 3.1) and graduated in 2005. I then did a year of a graduate research program (gpa: 3.556) but stopped the program short of a full year due to general disenchantment with the program and family issues. since then i have been working as a paralegal, but now that i've hit my quarter life crisis i find my dream of becoming a doctor resurfacing.

i know my gpa is low for med school and that i need to work on it. am i correct in that allopathic schools take the average if i were to retake the basic courses over (bio, chem, physics, ochem)? i know that i could take a grad program but a lot of them stress research, which i want to stay away from as much as possible.

any help or insight would be much appreciated.

Yes, allopathic takes the average of the grades, but if your interested DO schools they only take the most recent grade versus averaging the two together.

 

[Goobster20]

thanks for the reply, 2008orbust.

actually, i withdrew at the end of a semester after most grades were posted but one class was still in session. the professor did not offer a failing grade since i formally withdrew from the program. therefore, my transcript reflects that no grade was issued and i finished my time there with a 3.556

can you or anyone else recommend any part-time programs that can help me boost my gpa and allow me to work at the same time?

nice to know i'm normal.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

thanks for the reply, 2008orbust.

actually, i withdrew at the end of a semester after most grades were posted but one class was still in session. the professor did not offer a failing grade since i formally withdrew from the program. therefore, my transcript reflects that no grade was issued and i finished my time there with a 3.556

can you or anyone else recommend any part-time programs that can help me boost my gpa and allow me to work at the same time?

nice to know i'm normal.

If your are just retaking courses you really don't need to do a formal post-bacc program just retake the courses at a four year college/university.

 

[Goobster20]

If your are just retaking courses you really don't need to do a formal post-bacc program just retake the courses at a four year college/university.

what would be looked upon by someone on the admission committee... to do a degree granting program or retake some prereqs?

I've already taken some grad work so my fear is that if i go back and take over my main prereqs that they will look at me and say i didn't challenge myself enough. but on the other hand, while it would be nice to earn a masters while boosting my gpa, i don't really want to go enter a research program, that was the main reason i dropped the 1st one.

do they have part-time masters programs for science with a non-research focus?

 

[PunkmedGirl]

what would be looked upon by someone on the admission committee... to do a degree granting program or retake some prereqs?

I've already taken some grad work so my fear is that if i go back and take over my main prereqs that they will look at me and say i didn't challenge myself enough. but on the other hand, while it would be nice to earn a masters while boosting my gpa, i don't really want to go enter a research program, that was the main reason i dropped the 1st one.

do they have part-time masters programs for science with a non-research focus?

Going through a master's program is not going to count in your GPA for undergrad. So if you want to boost your grades then retake the courses you didn't do well in. If you want to prove to the adcoms that you can handle medical school then take some upper division biology classes (Genetics, Molecular Bio, Cell Bio, Immo, Endo..etc). But there are some schools that do consider your graduate course work if they feel your GPA is questionable....or so I've heard. I also think you should get in contact with some of the schools that you are interested in and have them review your stats.

 

[J ROD]

I would take some post-bac classes at a 4 yr college and boost the GPA. More important, do well on the MCAT and it can help that 3.3-3.4 you probably will end up with after making As to raise that GPA.

In addition to the numbers and most times just as important, start doing some clinical volunteering somewhere a couple of hours a week. You need about 150hrs over 18 months for an average app. This is pure effort and shows commitment. No excuse not to have it if you are serious.

 

[Goobster20]

I would take some post-bac classes at a 4 yr college and boost the GPA. More important, do well on the MCAT and it can help that 3.3-3.4 you probably will end up with after making As to raise that GPA.

Are most in agreement with this opinion?

I graduated with a 3.11 cumulative gpa, 2.89 in science. Quickly crunching some numbers, I find that I would need roughly 60 more hours of science courses just to get my total science gpa to roughly a 3.2. Does it make sense to tackle more undergrad courses to bump up the gpa or to take a master's program (be it smp, m.s)?

 

[Freezer]

i think your greatest obstacle is going to be what happened in your masters program... dropping out of any professional program is going to seriously hinder your chances of getting back into one... from a med school perspective, they do not want to bring on a student that they are not confident will complete the program... who cares why you left your masters program, the point is you couldnt finish it and now you are applying to a program that is going to be much more difficult to complete... try convincing med admissions that what emotional and academic strain you will endure in medical school wont be harder than what you endured in your masters program... it wont be a walk in the park i assure you... in many fields, leaving a graduate program can be a career ending decision... not always the case, but typically the norm... still with that said... dont give up!

before you go back to school to build up a uGPA, you should make a list of med schools you are interested in going to, and talk to their admissions counselors... see what they would like to see you do in order to make your application shine... dont listen to anyone that tells you graduate gpa doesnt count in admissions... they are wrong... ask any admissions counselor and they will say that graduate work looks great on an application... as i was told by Wake Forest counselors, between 2 IS applications with identical GPA , MCAT scores and communication ability, they will pick the one with the graduate work over the bachelors any day... in some instances, graduate work can even keep you from being screened out early in the application process... still, many schools are picky on what they want in an applicant... that is why you need to be asking admissions counselors and stop building your med school application strategy based on the opinions of a bunch of premeds... because none of us, not even myself, knows what you should do to build a competitive application... all we know how to do is regurgitate the same conjecture spewed between premeds for the past 20 years...