Addressing low post-bacc GPA

[HopefulFuturePsych]

Hi! To everyone applying this cycle, good luck we can do this! I just wanted to ask a question to see if anyone can offer any insight:

My post-bacc science GPA is rather....unimpressive to say the least (<3.0). My cGPA is around a 3.2 as a result of the post-bacc. Doing a post-bacc was my first time being introduced to the sciences of this caliber (save for Astronomy in undergrad) which was almost like a culture shock to me. It was also the first time in my life I was having to work between 32-35 hours a week while doing school and I just don't think I learned how to properly achieve high grades (save for an A in Orgo 2 following a retake). I take full responsibility for my grades, but I was wondering how to go about addressing this in a personal statement? I don't want to draw too much attention, but I think it would be necessary to bring it up and address how it's not reflective of my capabilities and I'm hoping that my 520 MCAT score will help with this.

Do you think it's necessary to address this in a personal statement or would it be better to do in secondary applications? Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much and good luck again to everyone applying this cycle!

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[DocJanItor]

It was also the first time in my life I was having to work between 32-35 hours a week while doing school and I just don't think I learned how to properly achieve high grades (save for an A in Orgo 2 following a retake).

I can't stress how problematic this is for med school. If you're struggling with undergrad classes to the point where you actually brought down your cGPA and <3.0 sGPA, you might be DOA even for most DO schools. MD schools are essentially out of the question.

More to the point, med school is like undergrad on speed. The rate at which you have to learn, memorize, process, and apply information is much faster than undergrad. My conservative estimate would be 5x as much information in the same amount of time. Even strong students struggle with the transition in the beginning.

It's great that you were able to score so well on the MCAT, but that won't cover up your mediocre grades. Did your post-bacc improve as you went on? Did you change your habits and figure it out? Feel free to provide more info and stats, but for right now I'd advise waiting a year to apply to med school to get some better grades.

 

[Goro]

Hi! To everyone applying this cycle, good luck we can do this! I just wanted to ask a question to see if anyone can offer any insight:

My post-bacc science GPA is rather....unimpressive to say the least (<3.0). My cGPA is around a 3.2 as a result of the post-bacc. Doing a post-bacc was my first time being introduced to the sciences of this caliber (save for Astronomy in undergrad) which was almost like a culture shock to me. It was also the first time in my life I was having to work between 32-35 hours a week while doing school and I just don't think I learned how to properly achieve high grades (save for an A in Orgo 2 following a retake). I take full responsibility for my grades, but I was wondering how to go about addressing this in a personal statement? I don't want to draw too much attention, but I think it would be necessary to bring it up and address how it's not reflective of my capabilities and I'm hoping that my 520 MCAT score will help with this.

Do you think it's necessary to address this in a personal statement or would it be better to do in secondary applications? Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much and good luck again to everyone applying this cycle!

I can't sugarcoat this, your gpa's from the post bac will be lethal. You're supposed to be aceing everything at this point.

The high MCAT score will not remediate your week GPS. In fact, it will only highlight the discrepancy.

It's time for Plan B

 

[HopefulFuturePsych]

Appreciate the feedback thus far. I may look into SMP's as an alternative and really make sure to crush it!

 

[Goro]

Appreciate the feedback thus far. I may look into SMP's as an alternative and really make sure to crush it!

Honestly, if you applied to my SMP, I'd worry that we were simply going to steal your tuition money given that you haven't shown any evidence that you could do well (ie, 3.5+ GPA in our program. The MCAT is not proof of academic coursework chops.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[MedicallyEnthused]

Hi! To everyone applying this cycle, good luck we can do this! I just wanted to ask a question to see if anyone can offer any insight:

My post-bacc science GPA is rather....unimpressive to say the least (<3.0). My cGPA is around a 3.2 as a result of the post-bacc. Doing a post-bacc was my first time being introduced to the sciences of this caliber (save for Astronomy in undergrad) which was almost like a culture shock to me. It was also the first time in my life I was having to work between 32-35 hours a week while doing school and I just don't think I learned how to properly achieve high grades (save for an A in Orgo 2 following a retake). I take full responsibility for my grades, but I was wondering how to go about addressing this in a personal statement? I don't want to draw too much attention, but I think it would be necessary to bring it up and address how it's not reflective of my capabilities and I'm hoping that my 520 MCAT score will help with this.

Do you think it's necessary to address this in a personal statement or would it be better to do in secondary applications? Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much and good luck again to everyone applying this cycle!

The only way to be successful going forward is to do additional coursework via a DIY postbacc in the sciences (all BCPM) and do extremely well.
I would say you need around 30-60 credits at a 3.7+ GPA. Also, you should retake all pre-reqs or upper level bio courses that you got a C- or below in. From there, you may stand a chance for med school (probably DO only) or you could also do an SMP following a 2nd postbacc.

You should be able to balance a full time undergrad science course load, while volunteering/working/shadowing part time, in addition to achieving mostly As in your courses.

The purpose of a post-bacc is to show GPA repair/improvement and you have done the opposite. You will need some serious repair, which will take a lot of hard work, time, and money. Don't make the mistake of going down the SMP route now, you will likely fail out and your path to med school will definitely be over. Take your time, put in the work, and it will eventually happen. Remember, medical school isn't going anywhere.

I hope this helps, good luck!

 

[HopefulFuturePsych]

Honestly, if you applied to my SMP, I'd worry that we were simply going to steal your tuition money given that you haven't shown any evidence that you could do well (ie, 3.5+ GPA in our program. The MCAT is not proof of academic coursework chops.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Okay again I really appreciate the input and not to sound ungrateful or disrespectful, but the only reason I did a post-bacc was to actually get the requirements, it wasn't to improve my GPA since it was rather solid. I understand I struggled, I get it, I admitted it and I'm well aware of the circumstances. I'm not using the fact that I worked full time as an excuse for poor grades, but that is a reality and at times where I wasn't having to worry about finances I did well which is the case when taking an SMP and/or in medical school (school serves as your "full time job" from my understanding). So to say that I wouldn't succeed is rather frustrating. But I totally understand the idea of reinvention and the guide you provided will serve as a valuable resource so thank you!

The only way to be successful going forward is to do additional coursework via a DIY postbacc in the sciences (all BCPM) and do extremely well.
I would say you need around 30-60 credits at a 3.7+ GPA. Also, you should retake all pre-reqs or upper level bio courses that you got a C- or below in. From there, you may stand a chance for med school (probably DO only) or you could also do an SMP following a 2nd postbacc.

You should be able to balance a full time undergrad science course load, while volunteering/working/shadowing part time, in addition to achieving mostly As in your courses.

The purpose of a post-bacc is to show GPA repair/improvement and you have done the opposite. You will need some serious repair, which will take a lot of hard work, time, and money. Don't make the mistake of going down the SMP route now, you will likely fail out and your path to med school will definitely be over. Take your time, put in the work, and it will eventually happen. Remember, medical school isn't going anywhere.

I hope this helps, good luck!

Thank you for the input. I'm aware that I dug myself a deeper hole I don't want this post-bacc to be the sole representation of my academic capabilities (which seems that's what this is turning into). I'm actually planning on retaking a course in the fall and taking some new courses in the Spring and plan on utilizing every resource to excel. Hopefully that will count for something. Really want to do whatever I can to make this dream into a reality so thank you for the feedback!

 

[Dave1980]

Okay again I really appreciate the input and not to sound ungrateful or disrespectful, but the only reason I did a post-bacc was to actually get the requirements, it wasn't to improve my GPA since it was rather solid. I understand I struggled, I get it, I admitted it and I'm well aware of the circumstances. I'm not using the fact that I worked full time as an excuse for poor grades, but that is a reality and at times where I wasn't having to worry about finances I did well which is the case when taking an SMP and/or in medical school (school serves as your "full time job" from my understanding). So to say that I wouldn't succeed is rather frustrating. But I totally understand the idea of reinvention and the guide you provided will serve as a valuable resource so thank you!


Thank you for the input. I'm aware that I dug myself a deeper hole I don't want this post-bacc to be the sole representation of my academic capabilities (which seems that's what this is turning into). I'm actually planning on retaking a course in the fall and taking some new courses in the Spring and plan on utilizing every resource to excel. Hopefully that will count for something. Really want to do whatever I can to make this dream into a reality so thank you for the feedback!

Damn, tough spot to be in. If I were you I would find another profession like nurse-->NP but if you want to pursue med school I don't see anyway except retaking the courses in a DIY post-bacc which will take years to finish. I'd set a target to apply the last year before your MCAT expires and start taking courses at a good university.

As you said you definitely dug yourself into a hole with that post-bacc. Hopefully you don't have too much undergrad debt because this is going to be a long and expensive process. Is it worth it? You may literally graduate med school with over half a million dollars in debt.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Please do not jump into an SMP. Any program worth its salt is going to throw you into a first year medical curriculum where stellar students who graduated with all the honors imaginable after 4+ years of a science heavy curriculum barely manage to hang on. Simply put, you do not currently have the study habits and strategies that lend themselves to being successful at that level. While you say that there are life events that held you back academically, there is no guarantee that life will not come up again. Take some time to be really deliberate about your next move. The rush to get things done quickly often results in digging oneself deeper in a hole. One does not go from hitting 0.05 in the minors to 0.300 in the majors overnight.