Advice: apply now or wait?

[aeburke]

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Hello,
08/09 will be my senior year or undegrad.
Major: Psych
GPA to date: ~2.85/2.9

My issue: I've been planning to apply to start a postbaccalaureate premedical program (for students who have taken none of the premed courses) for the 2009/2010 school year. However, I've found that many programs will start accepting applications soon. Although I'll have plenty of time to pull my GPA up above a 3.0 over the course of the next year, I may not be able do so within the next few months.

My question:
(part I): If I ignore the 3.0/3.2 GPA cut off of many postbaccs, will my application be ignored?
(Part II): Do the major postbacc programs accept reapplicants?
(FINAL question): Considering my situation, will my chances of getting into higher ranking post baccs be significantly improved if I wait until next year to apply, with a beefed up GPA?

Thanks,Aimon

 

[DrMidlife]

I suggest that you think longer term. Consider what your overall GPA will be AFTER your postbac: this is what matters. Getting into a postbac doesn't help you very much if you're only at a 3.1 on the other side. Furthermore, I suggest that with a sub-3.0 GPA you may not be prepared to succeed in a postbac that consists almost entirely of GPA-killing rigorous science.

So I recommend that you not consider doing a premed postbac program until you have earned over a 3.7 for more than one term in a row. And you may want to consider earning a second bachelors degree in a scientific discipline instead of doing a postbac, because the second bachelors will give you more leverage to improve your GPA. Changing schools to get this 2nd bachelors is a reasonable option, if you need a change of scenery.

Best of luck to you.

 

[aeburke]

I want to clarify, I'm looking at doing a basic sciences postbacc, not an SMP.

On the subject of second bachelors in a scientific discipline: before I considered doing a postbacc, I planned to merely transfer to a different university and do the premed, but my biosci counselor informed me that - at least at UC's (I go to UC Irvine) - if you've already received a BA or BS from an academic institution, they don't let you get another one - especially not in bio, since the departments are so impacted. She seemed to think this was the case elsewhere throughout the States as well. Do different states allow students who've already earned a BA or BS to enroll as an undergrad? I'd imagine that pretty much most schools throughout the States have impacted biosci departments, right?

I suggest that you think longer term. Consider what your overall GPA will be AFTER your postbac: this is what matters. Getting into a postbac doesn't help you very much if you're only at a 3.1 on the other side. Furthermore, I suggest that with a sub-3.0 GPA you may not be prepared to succeed in a postbac that consists almost entirely of GPA-killing rigorous science.

So I recommend that you not consider doing a premed postbac program until you have earned over a 3.7 for more than one term in a row. And you may want to consider earning a second bachelors degree in a scientific discipline instead of doing a postbac, because the second bachelors will give you more leverage to improve your GPA. Changing schools to get this 2nd bachelors is a reasonable option, if you need a change of scenery.

Best of luck to you.

 

[hung]

look into cal state universities to do a 2nd degree.