Advice: SMP vs Post Bacc

[plzacceptme]

Hi guys. I know this has been asked many many times, but I suppose I'm still quite confused, and I do appreciate anyone who considers looking at this thread.

That being said, I just graduated with an undergraduate cumulative GPA of a 3.2 with a BCPOM gpa of a 3.25. I'm a biosci major and in the upper division med school related-ish classes (Microbio, Neuroscience, Molecular Bio etc) I did pretty well with a gpa of a 3.65 but I took stupid classes like Insect Ecology and Population Genetics which took my gpa down to around the same 3.2 area ><.
I'm now doing a 1 year Coursework only masters (which starts today) but i'm still a little hesistant about doing it because its not a so called "Special Masters Program". It's just a MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
I know that the GPA's are calculated separately and a high graduate gpa doesnt really mean much, so what am I supposed to do to get into med school?
I got a 27 on the MCAT and I am planning on retaking it in January (terrible timing on the Bio section led to my downfall).

So I guess the question would be is a postbacc or SMP a better route for me?
And would I even be considered for any SMP's with my GPA/MCAT if I get say a 30 or so on the retake?

I have 2 years of Hospital volunteering experience, experience shadowing doctors, worked at an car repair shop, some cancer research, and 2.5 years of research experience.

Thanks,
Any help / advice is appreciated.

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[njbmd]

Hi guys. I know this has been asked many many times, but I suppose I'm still quite confused, and I do appreciate anyone who considers looking at this thread.

That being said, I just graduated with an undergraduate cumulative GPA of a 3.2 with a BCPOM gpa of a 3.25. I'm a biosci major and in the upper division med school related-ish classes (Microbio, Neuroscience, Molecular Bio etc) I did pretty well with a gpa of a 3.65 but I took stupid classes like Insect Ecology and Population Genetics which took my gpa down to around the same 3.2 area ><.
I'm now doing a 1 year Coursework only masters (which starts today) but i'm still a little hesistant about doing it because its not a so called "Special Masters Program". It's just a MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
I know that the GPA's are calculated separately and a high graduate gpa doesnt really mean much, so what am I supposed to do to get into med school?
I got a 27 on the MCAT and I am planning on retaking it in January (terrible timing on the Bio section led to my downfall).

So I guess the question would be is a postbacc or SMP a better route for me?
And would I even be considered for any SMP's with my GPA/MCAT if I get say a 30 or so on the retake?

I have 2 years of Hospital volunteering experience, experience shadowing doctors, worked at an car repair shop, some cancer research, and 2.5 years of research experience.

Thanks,
Any help / advice is appreciated.

You are a "bioscience" major which likely means that you have taken the pre-med coursework and then some upper division work in the sciences. With that being said, if you can get into an SMP, and do well, you can get the poor uGPA "monkey" off of you back. If you do well enough in the right program, you won't have to retake the MCAT.

Postbacc work isn't going raise your uGPA very much unless you take a significant number of hours and earn A grades. You are also going to run out of science course to take (unless you are retaking the ones you did poorly in) before you see any significant changes in your uGPA (using the allopathic system). Yes, your uGPA will rise faster under the osteopathic system if you retake the courses that you did poorly in but you are still talking about minimally a couple of years of full-time academics and all As (3.2 is down there).

My recommendation would be to search for an SMP that has a good track record of graduates getting into medical school (Georgetown, U of Cinnci, VCU to name a few) and work like you have never worked before so that you can convince an admissions committee that you can get through the curriculum in medical school. Go to the AAMC site and do some research so that you can find a program that meets your needs. Yes, an SMP is expensive but the amount of uGPA "damage-control" that you need means that you get where you want to go faster if you can do well in an SMP.

Make no mistake, both routes are tough but if you want this, you do what you have to do with your eyes squarely on your goals. Good luck!

 

[plzacceptme]

Hi!

Thanks so much for the response. I was leaning somewhat towards a Special Masters Program. For the next couple of quarters I was planning on retaking some of the bio/ochem classes i didnt do too well in. Would that increase my GPA for consideration into SMP programs? I was thinking about retaking Bio5A (C+), Bio5B (C+) and Organic Chem 112A (C+) and possibly Physics 2B (C+).

Would that benefit me at all, if not directly for med school, for helping me get into a well known smp program?

thanks again for all the help.

 

[jslo85]

No, imho it would not.

In general, admission counselors/advisers at medical schools recommend against retaking pre-req courses that meet the minimum AMCAS/AACOMAS requirements, aka. C. There is little to demonstrate in doing so other than you retook the exact same class which tested the exact same material as before in which you should have gotten an A the first time but got a C+ and now the second time you finally get what you should have gotten the first time. Does this make sense? You're really not proving that much as compared to if you took a harder upper division science course in the same subject such as MCB instead of your Gen Bios or Biochem instead of retaking your Ochem. You can prove that you can excel in more difficult and intensive course in the same relative subject manner, shedding credibility to the fact that the first time can be attributed to bad study habits, immaturity or w/e.

With a 3.2, your GPA honestly isn't really the problem to me if you wish to enter an SMP, even competitive ones. Your MCAT however is. Right now, the SMPs off the top of my head (could be wrong) that you would have a shot with those current stats (and no blaring red flags like downard trend your senior year, DUIs, academic problems, etc) would most likely be RFU, Univ. of Toledo, and possibly VCU CERT for the higher linkage allopathic SMPs. It wouldn't hurt to give EVMS or BU MAMS a try either but I believe both do usually enjoy looking at higher MCAT scores.

 

[DrMidlife]

I don't know, that's a lot of C's in prereqs. Not retaking *a* C is fine, but leaving that streak alone doesn't inspire confidence. Regardless, more coursework in hard science is called for here, prereqs or not.

As for postbac vs. SMP, if you *can* improve your GPA then imho you *should*. Math required on this decision point.

Best of luck to you.

 

[plzacceptme]

Yeah, that totally makes a lot of sense. In the masters program im in I'm taking a 3 part Biochemistry Series, so I think I can pull all A's in that and that'll help me some. I'm also trying to add probably 3 more upper div bio classes during the next couple of quarters (3 total not 3 each).

I'm not sure, but do you think med schools count classes like Microbio/Molecularbio more than classes like ecology and entomology?

Thanks again, all responses are appreciated!

 

[DrMidlife]

Yeah, that totally makes a lot of sense. In the masters program im in I'm taking a 3 part Biochemistry Series, so I think I can pull all A's in that and that'll help me some. I'm also trying to add probably 3 more upper div bio classes during the next couple of quarters (3 total not 3 each).

Keep in mind that coursework done as part of a grad program is a separate GPA from undergrad. The work you're doing now won't touch your undergrad GPA, and for DO schools I don't think you can replace an undergrad grade with a grad grade. My recommendation would be to avoid retakes at this point and do them when your status is undergrad/postbac.

Not to say that grad level biochem is in any way a problem. A's in that series can only help your case.

Now, to address the premise that an SMP is the "only" grad work that can help a low undergrad GPA, that premise is not that an SMP will alter your undergrad GPA. What a strong SMP performance does is mitigate a low undergrad GPA, at some schools, if that low undergrad GPA gets you past autoscreens.

I'm not sure, but do you think med schools count classes like Microbio/Molecularbio more than classes like ecology and entomology?

Not in any numerical sense. If you're more interested in eco/ento than you are in micro, go for it. But micro/molbio will be substantially more helpful in med school.

Best of luck to you.

 

[plzacceptme]

Thanks again Dr. Midlife,

I do realize that graduate gpa is calculated separately from undergrad gpa. but does it matter if the biochemistry series is an undergraduate upper division course? or is it still looked at as a grad class as opposed to say, someone taking more upper div classes through an extension center or an informal post bacc program?

thanks again