Applying to Master's Vs. Post-Bacc.

[holyravioli]

I just spoke with a physician who is a member of a local medical school admissions staff. I explained my poor basic science grades, and how I had retaken a few classes at community colle (for financial reasons).

Well, basically, she advised me to enroll in a master's program or post-bacc to account for my science gpa. She said it would be best to do a master's because if I did well, it'd show I can handle graduate science coursework.

The thing is, I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to apply for a post bacc or master's yet. So I'm not sure if I should study hard for the MCAT or GRE (saving grace?) which you need in order to apply to any program, or if I should retake classes or do an informal post-bacc first. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm looking into UMDNJ-SOM and Rutgers for Master's. I'd appreciate any help or suggestions.

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[hopeful22213]

I think it's hard to give well-founded advice without more information on where you stand as an applicant. What type of cGPA and sGPA do you have currently?

A masters can potentially help, but typically the most valuable for demonstrating you can handle med school rigors are the SMPs and those can be very expensive. Unfortunately though, even excellent grades from a more conventional masters discipline will not carry the same weight for ad-coms as undergrad grades.

If the number of science credits under your belt is limited enough that a handful of classes can make an appreciable difference in your gpa, then I would suggest an informal post-bacc as the most cost-effective and flexible way to improve your application, If you will struggle to put much dent in your grade point because of the number of hours, SMP makes some sense.

If you are considering D.O. schools, grade replacement could be the fastest way to improve your chances for admission to medical school depending on what your grade distribution looks like.

Just my 2 cents, but I'd avoid rushing to take the MCAT without a clearer sense of your timeline. The score is typically good for only 3 years, and if you are going to need a lengthy stretch of gpa repair you don't want to be forced to take the test again unnecessarily.

 

[holyravioli]

Thanks for responding with this advice, hopeful.

Hmm, I calculated my GPAs awhile ago when I graduated in 2011, but I think it was about a 3.0 for science and a 3.5 for cumulative. I have D's and C's for my general and organic chemistry classes, and a few C's for some biology classes I took (I was a biology major).

I know I'm in a tough spot now, and I need to prove I can handle and do well in medical school. I don't know if retaking the classes I performed poorly in would be too much, as you mentioned. I applied to a few post-bacc's when I was preparing to graduate and didn't get in, so I'm kind of cautious about reapplying. On the other hand, if that's the case, then how would I be appealing to a master's program? I think that's my best option, but I need to look into being a stronger applicant.

 

[alpinism]

Absolutely do a post bacc and retake any Cs and Ds you got in the science prereqs.

You don't have to do a formal pre-med post bacc program, just take classes through an extension program or as a non degree student.

 

[holyravioli]

Thanks, alpinism. I'll look into creating my own post bacc then.

 

[holyravioli]

I have one last question. I went to a 4 year university, and I retook a few pre-reqs at CC. Is that frowned upon? I went there for financial reasons, but I suppose if it would make a big difference I would try to go for a local 4 year school from now on. I plan to take upper level courses at the 4 year school eventually, but was hoping to save a little money in the meantime.