Are Master programs the only way to raise s/cGPA?

[danaruiz]

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Or are there any other options that aren't as costly? I graduated this year from my university with a 3.3sGPA and knowing this is below average for an MD school I wanted to see what opportunities I have to improve it without indebting myself further before MD.

 

[gyngyn]

Master's grades have no effect on undergraduate gpa. They are not held to be comparable to undergraduate classes (at MD schools).
Master's grades are not averaged into undergrad gpa and appear on a separate line.

DO schools see things differently.

 

[efle]

DIY post-bacc at a state school is the most cost effective way to raise a GPA from low 3.x to mid 3.x !

Basically you just take some more undergrad credits there, doing your best to ace everything until you're happy with your GPA

 

[danaruiz]

DIY post-bacc at a state school is the most cost effective way to raise a GPA from low 3.x to mid 3.x !

Basically you just take some more undergrad credits there, doing your best to ace everything until you're happy with your GPA

Master's grades have no effect on undergraduate gpa. They are not held to be comparable to undergraduate classes (at MD schools).
They are not averaged into those grades and appear on a separate line.

DO schools see things differently.

pardon my ignorance, but do people usually do this? after graduation, they take like 3-4 science-related classes during their gap year to increase their sGPA and MD schools accept that? Is a masters preferred?

 

[Goro]

Or are there any other options that aren't as costly? I graduated this year from my university with a 3.3sGPA and knowing this is below average for an MD school I wanted to see what opportunities I have to improve it without indebting myself further before MD.

DIY post-bac.

 

[Goro]

pardon my ignorance, but do people usually do this? after graduation, they take like 3-4 science-related classes during their gap year to increase their sGPA and MD schools accept that? Is a masters preferred?

I've seen people do both for MD and DO. I've written previously about the pluses and minuses of Post-bac vs SMP. I lean to the SMP because if it's given at an MD school, then the faculty get to know you and you have a back door into the school.

For a post-bac, it's not just 3-4 courses, more like 8 courses (four in fall four in spring). GPA should be 3.7+, and there should be a strong MCAT (513+) to go with it.

For your state schools and DO, say a 3.5 and a 508-510+.

If money is an issue, work a few years.

 

[danaruiz]

I've seen people do both for MD and DO. I've written previously about the pluses and minuses of Post-bac vs SMP. I lean to the SMP because if it's given at an MD school, then the faculty get to know you and you have a back door into the school.

For a post-bac, it's not just 3-4 courses, more like 8 courses (four in fall four in spring). GPA should be 3.7+, and there should be a strong MCAT (513+) to go with it.

For your state schools and DO, say a 3.5 and a 508-510+.

If money is an issue, work a few years.

Sorry this might be a dumb question but would these DIY post-bac courses I'll be taking as a non-degree student be undergraduate level or graduate level? And if I understood correctly technically, I would be choosing the classes myself, 4 science classes a semester, right?
Thank you for all your help by the way, it means a lot!

 

[gyngyn]

pardon my ignorance, but do people usually do this? after graduation, they take like 3-4 science-related classes during their gap year to increase their sGPA and MD schools accept that? Is a masters preferred?

Yes, undergraduate classes taken after graduation are considered an accurate gauge of academic strength. These grades are included in the undergraduate gpa.
Master's grades are generally believed to be inflated and are not comparable to undergraduate classes.
SMP's are an exception to this, to some degree. They purport to challenge the candidate on a scale similar to medical school classes. The degree to which they are considered adequate for remediation of a weak undergraduate performance varies by program.

 

[efle]

Sorry this might be a dumb question but would these DIY post-bac courses I'll be taking as a non-degree student be undergraduate level or graduate level? And if I understood correctly technically, I would be choosing the classes myself, 4 science classes a semester, right?
Thank you for all your help by the way, it means a lot!

You want undergrad classes, so that they will be factored into your GPA and raise it. You are correct that you pretty much just choose whatever upper-level BCPM classes you want to take.

 

[danaruiz]

Yes, undergraduate classes taken after graduation are considered an accurate gauge of academic strength. These grades are included in the undergraduate gpa.
Master's grades are generally believed to be inflated and are not comparable to undergraduate classes.
SMP's are an exception to this, to some degree. They purport to challenge the candidate on a scale similar to medical school classes. The degree to which they are considered adequate for remediation of a weak undergraduate performance varies by program.

And they have to be taken 4 classes per semester to gauge academic strength, or could I take less? Wondering because I might be scribing part time during my gap year too while I take the classes.
Also, I realize I haven't asked this question yet but would you say a DIY post-bacc is needed in my case (for MD) with a sGPA of 3.3 and cGPA of 3.5 having an MCAT of 510+?

 

[efle]

And they have to be taken 4 classes per semester to gauge academic strength, or could I take less? Wondering because I might be scribing part time during my gap year too while I take the classes.
Also, I realize I haven't asked this question yet but would you say a DIY post-bacc is needed in my case (for MD) with a sGPA of 3.3 and cGPA of 3.5 having an MCAT of 510+?

It is normal to take less than a full course load if you are also working a job. It just slows down the repairs a lot.

What state are you from? Are you ORM (white or Asian)? 510+ is a very broad range of scores, what is your actual score?

 

[danaruiz]

It is normal to take less than a full course load if you are also working a job. It just slows down the repairs a lot.

What state are you from? Are you ORM (white or Asian)? 510+ is a very broad range of scores, what is your actual score?

I'm Colombian, primary language Spanish and first generation immigrant (I'm not sure if that qualifies as URM though).
State of residency is MA and I'm retaking it in September but currently getting 510-515 on practice tests. Thank you for all your helpful responses!

 

[Goro]

And they have to be taken 4 classes per semester to gauge academic strength, or could I take less? Wondering because I might be scribing part time during my gap year too while I take the classes.
Also, I realize I haven't asked this question yet but would you say a DIY post-bacc is needed in my case (for MD) with a sGPA of 3.3 and cGPA of 3.5 having an MCAT of 510+?

You should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Remember, the goal of your GPA salvage now is to demonstrate that the you of now is not the you of then, and that you can handle a med school curriculum. Med school will be tons harder than anything you have taken as an UG student. How can you prove yourself to us if you're only taking part time coursework? How can you prove it to yourself????

Your sGPA is well below the median of most MD schools; in fact, it's below the 10th%ile, unles syou live in a lucky state OR you have a massive rising GPA trend. The cGPA is below median and won't get you into Yale, but will do for Drexel/Albany class schools and your state school. A 510 MCAT is pretty much median for MD acceptees.

Your stats right now are fine for any DO school, including mine.

 

[Goro]

I'm Colombian, primary language Spanish and first generation immigrant (I'm not sure if that qualifies as URM though).
State of residency is MA and I'm retaking it in September but currently getting 510-515 on practice tests. Thank you for all your helpful responses!

Retaking the MCAT? What was your first score??

Colombians are not considered URM. But Spanish language skills are appreciated.

FYI, a Sept retake will be too late for this year's MD cycle. Still fine for DO.

 

[efle]

I'm Colombian, primary language Spanish and first generation immigrant (I'm not sure if that qualifies as URM though).
State of residency is MA and I'm retaking it in September but currently getting 510-515 on practice tests. Thank you for all your helpful responses!

I believe at most places that is not considered URM.

MA is a tough state to be from since the public school has median at 512/3.8. You would probably be looking at low (like 1 in 3) overall odds of MD admit if you applied without grade repair.

Are those 510-515 scores on AAMC official exams, or on a prep company like Next Step? What was your first score?

 

[danaruiz]

You should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Remember, the goal of your GPA salvage now is to demonstrate that the you of now is not the you of then, and that you can handle a med school curriculum. Med school will be tons harder than anything you have taken as an UG student. How can you prove yourself to us if you're only taking part time coursework? How can you prove it to yourself????

Your sGPA is well below the median of most MD schools; in fact, it's below the 10th%ile, unles syou live in a lucky state OR you have a massive rising GPA trend. The cGPA is below median and won't get you into Yale, but will do for Drexel/Albany class schools and your state school. A 510 MCAT is pretty much median for MD acceptees.

Your stats right now are fine for any DO school, including mine.

No, I completely understand and agree. I'm just wondering what I should focus on. Scribing will increase my clinical hours (which so far are mostly gained from shadowing) so I think that would be good to focus on during my gap year. But then maybe my GPA should be a priority and in order to make sure I get 3.7+ in both semesters I should dedicate myself mostly on that. My GPA my freshman year was a 3.7, but then I had a rough spring semester sophomore year (3.0), since then it has only increased.

 

[efle]

No, I completely understand and agree. I'm just wondering what I should focus on. Scribing will increase my clinical hours (which so far are mostly gained from shadowing) so I think that would be good to focus on during my gap year. But then maybe my GPA should be a priority and in order to make sure I get 3.7+ in both semesters I should dedicate myself mostly on that. My GPA my freshman year was a 3.7, but then I had a rough spring semester sophomore year (3.0), since then it has only increased.

This math doesn't add up, how did one rough 3.0 semester bring your cGPA down to a 3.3?

 

[danaruiz]

I believe at most places that is not considered URM.

MA is a tough state to be from since the public school has median at 512/3.8. You would probably be looking at low (like 1 in 3) overall odds of MD admit if you applied without grade repair.

Are those 510-515 scores on AAMC official exams, or on a prep company like Next Step? What was your first score?

Retaking the MCAT? What was your first score??

Colombians are not considered URM. But Spanish language skills are appreciated.

FYI, a Sept retake will be too late for this year's MD cycle. Still fine for DO.

First MCAT score was a 505, and those scores are from AAMC official exams. I'm planning on applying next cycle, entering (hopefully) Fall 2019. I am currently deciding what would better my application the most (and hence focus on) for this upcoming 2017-2018 first gap year so that I can add it to my application, since I believe the 2018-2019 year won't count towards my application, unless stated during interviews or unless I update my app.

 

[efle]

Did you not use the AAMC official materials the first time you took the MCAT, or are these 510-515 scores coming from re-using the official practice tests?

I would prioritize GPA. A 3.3 is not a hurdle that extra hours around patients will be very helpful for overcoming. You are correct that if you plan to apply in Summer 2018 the only chance you have to improve your GPA is in the next ~10-12 months!

 

[danaruiz]

This math doesn't add up, how did one rough 3.0 semester bring your cGPA down to a 3.3?

I'm looking at my transcript and by the time Spring semester sophomore year was over (with a 3.0 semester), it brought down my cGPA to a low 3.4. Next semester had a 3.3, 3.5, 3.8, 3.7, but it didn't do much to increase it.

 

[efle]

I'm looking at my transcript and by the time Spring semester sophomore year was over (with a 3.0 semester), it brought down my cGPA to a low 3.4. Next semester had a 3.3, 3.5, 3.8, 3.7, but it didn't do much to increase it.

Huh interesting, when I average 3.7/3.7/3.0/3.3/3.5/3.8/3.7 I get 3.53! Are you sure when you calculate GPA along AMCAS guidelines it comes out to 3.3? That shouldn't be possible if you only had one semester below 3.3 and many semesters far above 3.3

 

[danaruiz]

Huh interesting, when I average 3.7/3.7/3.0/3.3/3.5/3.8/3.7 I get 3.53! Are you sure when you calculate GPA along AMCAS guidelines it comes out to 3.3? That shouldn't be possible if you only had one semester below 3.3 and many semesters far above 3.3

My cGPA is 3.5 but sGPA is 3.3. So the upward trend was cGPA, unless the upward trend only matters if it's sGPA related?

 

[efle]

My cGPA is 3.5 but sGPA is 3.3. So the upward trend was cGPA, unless the upward trend only matters if it's sGPA related?

Oh I gotcha. It is good at least the cGPA is already up at 3.5, that means if you do some post-bacc work of science classes you should be able to get to something like 3.6 cGPA / 3.5 sGPA. Together with an MCAT of ~512 you'd be in decent shape.

 

[danaruiz]

Oh I gotcha. It is good at least the cGPA is already up at 3.5, that means if you do some post-bacc work of science classes you should be able to get to something like 3.6 cGPA / 3.5 sGPA. Together with an MCAT of ~512 you'd be in decent shape.

That's good to hear! Now I have to figure out a way to afford 8 courses at my private institution or state school. I was hoping I didn't have to take more classes until medical school and I could focus instead on scribing or taking up romance studies research with my professor, but my GPA seems to be a priority with my current stats to be competitive for next year's cycle.

 

[Goro]

I'm looking at my transcript and by the time Spring semester sophomore year was over (with a 3.0 semester), it brought down my cGPA to a low 3.4. Next semester had a 3.3, 3.5, 3.8, 3.7, but it didn't do much to increase it.

The strong SR year performance is a good sign, but I agree 100% with efle in that you need to concentrate on proving your academic chops. Forget scribing and find some other clinical volunteering venue that will allow you to focus on your GPA.

 

[Goro]

Also, this is a marathon now, not a sprint . Med schools aren't going anywhere, and more are opening their doors.