At what point do you throw in the towel??

[NRAI2001]

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I m sure that most of the people here considering post baccs are probably just below the avgs for people accepted to US schools and some maybe considerably more lower. I m also sure that most of these people probably could go to a good carribean school like SGU or maybe even a DO school.

So at what point would you give up on post bacc (masters also) studies and just start med school (where ever it maybe)? You cant be a post bacc for 5 years, what would be your limit?

 

[junebuguf]

I would apply one time, and if I dont get in, go the overseas route.

As such, I'm thinking about waiting another year to apply, which would make it 29 when I started! I dont want to wait that long, but I defintely dont want to be a reapplicant, so I would rather wait until my application was as strong as it could be.

On the other hand, if I could start at the Caribbean now and that would save at least three years over the amount of time it would take to get into a US school, I would go overseas. Any less time saved is not worth it, in my opinion.

 

[NRAI2001]

I would apply one time, and if I dont get in, go the overseas route.

As such, I'm thinking about waiting another year to apply, which would make it 29 when I started! I dont want to wait that long, but I defintely dont want to be a reapplicant, so I would rather wait until my application was as strong as it could be.

On the other hand, if I could start at the Caribbean now and that would save at least three years over the amount of time it would take to get into a US school, I would go overseas. Any less time saved is not worth it, in my opinion.

Yea thats the thing you never know how many years it may end up taking being a postbaccer. "one more year.....one more year...." can end up being a long time.

 

[spo01]

I m sure that most of the people here considering post baccs are probably just below the avgs for people accepted to US schools and some maybe considerably more lower. I m also sure that most of these people probably could go to a good carribean school like SGU or maybe even a DO school.

So at what point would you give up on post bacc (masters also) studies and just start med school (where ever it maybe)? You cant be a post bacc for 5 years, what would be your limit?

I'm entering a post bac this fall. i was currently a nursing student but had enough for a liberal arts degree, so i'm taking it and leaving! i did decent with a 3.6 gpa. i plan on working my ass off at post bac program for 2 years to fulfill my pre med science requirements. i will determine that to be a true test. once doing that, i plan on studying all summer (6x a week, 6-8 hrs a day for 3 months) for the mcat and then take it in august. i guess if i get a 26 or above i will apply. not sure DO or MD, but i know i probably wouldn't get into the latter with that score so i would study more and retake it in that case. i'm not sure if i would apply to the caribbeans. i don't know too much about them, but i know the avg scores and mcat are much lower, and that would personally make me feel inadequate if i have to rely on that route to become a doctor. but thats not to say that great dr's dont come from them, i'm sure there are plenty.

only you can be the ultimate judge of your capabilities. assuming a person is somewhat above normal intellect, i believe nothing can prevent them from being a doctor as long as they have a will like no other and incredible work ethic. but i feel there is a time to be honest with yourself, if you are consistently getting very low mcat scores and can't get your gpa up, you may not be intellectually capable of being a doctor. but it's important to examine yourself and your capabilities in an honest fashion to determine when to give up and when to keep going.

 

[Cinnameg]

Yea thats the thing you never know how many years it may end up taking being a postbaccer. "one more year.....one more year...." can end up being a long time.

I did a year of the post-bac pre-med program at Mills College, taking physics, biology, and o-chemistry, all with lab, all concurrently. It was grueling, but doable. Right after classes ended I started studying for the MCAT and took it in August. During my application year (August 2005 to now) I had to work, so I finished up my last two premed requirements by taking general chemistry with lab as a nighttime community college course, and genetics (required for OHSU) as an online course through Berkeley Extension. So, in total, only TWO years, including my application year, as a post-bac. I don't think that's all that bad. And I got into my first choice school and a couple of others. So, go for it, if medicine is what you want!

 

[mshheaddoc]

Well since my first year of post-bacc do-it-yourself didn't work out too well I'm not quitting. I know I have the potential to make it to med school. Honestly I don't see myself quitting at least for 3-4 years. 🙂 Then I'll just be a stay at home mom!

 

[sidewalkman]

Well, let's see...

Non-science major with low GPA would require 2 years of undergrad coursework. One year would probably not be enough to boost that low GPA to a respectable number.

Then you apply. If you get no acceptances, you apply to SMPs around the country. Say you get into one, and attend. That's four years.

Now you apply a second time, with your SMP coursework. Now what if you don't get in anywhere? Here's I'd probably go DO - I'd pass on living in the islands for 4 years, and the DO stigma shrinks with each passing year - but would apply to the Carrib also. Given all the work that was done, you *should* be OK getting in somewhere. If not, I'd throw in the towel. So that's 5 years of work before giving up, 6 if your SMP took 2 years. Frankly, you'd have to be a pretty terrible applicant not to get in to *a* medical school after all that.

Of course, my plan only holds presuming an age of ~25. If I was 30, I'd aim for DO, rip through the prereqs in a year, then spend another year retaking the courses I did most poorly in to boost the DO GPA, and then apply. So the number of years for throwing in the towel for an older applicant would be less - probably 4 years.