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I graduated from a top public university in spring 2010. My overall gpa was in the high 2-point range and my science gpa was a 2.84. Since graduation I have taken 11 credits worth of science classes to improve my GPA summer and fall 2010, for a total of 21 additional science credits (I took 10 in my last undergraduate semester that I didnt need to graduate). I got a 4.0 for these credits. I have also volunteered at the hospital once a week for the past year. My work involved visiting with patients in Occupation/Physical Therapy and performing EKGS in the Pediatric Cardiology Department. I also took the MCAT in May this year and got a 32 (10P 10V 12B).
I currently have two options to consider on my track toward medical school. I could either take more classes through a basic medical sciences masters program at a nearby university beginning January 2012 while doing more volunteer work and shadowing, or I could take an Americorps position starting now (and do some volunteer work also), and then possibly consider a post bacc/masters program beginning Fall 2012. With Americorps, I would be working in a community health center, helping pregnant women learn more about their healthcare options, as well as doing community outreach/health education.
I would like thoughts/guidance on which of these two paths would be more beneficial to me. The school option might be helpful because I could further improve my academic standing and get more solid letters of recommendation (although I do have two from science faculty right now), while getting in some volunteer work. The work option might be helpful because I would be getting a lot of patient interaction and doing something a bit different. Im not sure whether Ive already done enough to improve my GPA (21 credits worth of science classes and getting a 4.0) or if that is still the main issue. What things might you consider doing if you were in this situation? Thanks a lot.
I currently have two options to consider on my track toward medical school. I could either take more classes through a basic medical sciences masters program at a nearby university beginning January 2012 while doing more volunteer work and shadowing, or I could take an Americorps position starting now (and do some volunteer work also), and then possibly consider a post bacc/masters program beginning Fall 2012. With Americorps, I would be working in a community health center, helping pregnant women learn more about their healthcare options, as well as doing community outreach/health education.
I would like thoughts/guidance on which of these two paths would be more beneficial to me. The school option might be helpful because I could further improve my academic standing and get more solid letters of recommendation (although I do have two from science faculty right now), while getting in some volunteer work. The work option might be helpful because I would be getting a lot of patient interaction and doing something a bit different. Im not sure whether Ive already done enough to improve my GPA (21 credits worth of science classes and getting a 4.0) or if that is still the main issue. What things might you consider doing if you were in this situation? Thanks a lot.
