Cal State vs CC for Post-Bacc?

[joujou116]

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Hi!

I graduated from UCLA with a mediocre GPA. I've re-taken a couple of classes, but I was wondering whether it would be better to re-take the other classes/take some other science courses at a cal state or CC? I came out of UCLA with some debt, so I'd like to go to a CC and save money.

Oh, and I want to apply to DO schools. Thanks!

 

[Dreamstoo]

Hi!

I graduated from UCLA with a mediocre GPA. I've re-taken a couple of classes, but I was wondering whether it would be better to re-take the other classes/take some other science courses at a cal state or CC? I came out of UCLA with some debt, so I'd like to go to a CC and save money.

Oh, and I want to apply to DO schools. Thanks!

Do you mind posting your stats? Otherwise, I am not sure what to tell you.

 

[joujou116]

Do you mind posting your stats? Otherwise, I am not sure what to tell you.

Oh, sorry - yes, here you go!

MCAT: 38, sGPA: 2.2, cGPA: 2.6 (from undergrad) - I should have sGPA: 3.06 and cGPA: 3.07 by December
- volunteered for 4 years at hospital
- shadowing two DOs
- work experience, research experience

anything else? :/

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Oh, sorry - yes, here you go!

MCAT: 38, sGPA: 2.2, cGPA: 2.6 (from undergrad) - I should have sGPA: 3.06 and cGPA: 3.07 by December
- volunteered for 4 years at hospital
- shadowing two DOs
- work experience, research experience

anything else? :/

Wow. Great MCAT.

Go to CC and save money. A good friend of mine just graduated from UCSF med school and had his entire premed courses taken at a CC.

Try to raise that GPA to 3.25 by June 2014 and you will get an interview invite from every DO program you apply to.

Good luck!

 

[TriagePreMed]

Wow. Great MCAT.

Go to CC and save money. A good friend of mine just graduated from UCSF med school and had his entire premed courses taken at a CC.

Try to raise that GPA to 3.25 by June 2014 and you will get an interview invite from every DO program you apply to.

Good luck!

Agreed. CC is the way to go. I also knew a physician that went to UCSF with 100% CC units. I also agree he/she will get interviews at every DO programs if the GPA hits 3.25+. Even at 3.0 the result might be similar.

 

[joujou116]

Thanks you two!

So even though I came from a four-year university, there won't be any criticism for re-taking courses at a CC? That's what I'm afraid of :/

 

[Dreamstoo]

Oh, sorry - yes, here you go!

MCAT: 38, sGPA: 2.2, cGPA: 2.6 (from undergrad) - I should have sGPA: 3.06 and cGPA: 3.07 by December
- volunteered for 4 years at hospital
- shadowing two DOs
- work experience, research experience

anything else? :/

😱. If I saw that score on my computer screen, I would buy a 6 pack and watch the score smiling while drinking.

Retake your pre-reqs and try to get As. Try to get your gpa up to a 3.2-3.3.

A 3.07/3.06/38 IMO is a good chance at DOs but be expected to explain your low gpa.

Solid ECs.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Thanks you two!

So even though I came from a four-year university, there won't be any criticism for re-taking courses at a CC? That's what I'm afraid of :/

Nope, especially with the 38 on the "equalizer".

I agree with TriagePreMed that you are good with anything above 3.0, but I know there are schools that would autoscreen you if you have anything below 3.25.

So that you know, I applied to 12 schools and have 6 interview invites so far. My stats are 3.35/28.

 

[Dreamstoo]

nope, especially with the 38 on the "equalizer".

I agree with triagepremed that you are good with anything above 3.0, but i know there are schools that would autoscreen you if you have anything below 3.25.

so that you know, i applied to 12 schools and have 6 interview invites so far. My stats are 3.35/28.

urm?

 

[NontradCA]

You should do an SMP and apply MD only.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

urm?

You could say I'm an ORM 🙂

I have average number, but my biggest strengths are that I applied on day 1 and I took the time and effort in responding to the secondary prompts.

 

[Dreamstoo]

You could say I'm an ORM 🙂

I have average number, but my biggest strengths are that I applied on day 1 and I took the time and effort in responding to the secondary prompts.

This is why I'm taking a gap year. This year I'm focusing on bringing up my GPA/MCAT. Senior year when I'm taking science electives I like while taking easy liberal arts classes. 🙂 Congrats my friend, I can't wait to hear your first acceptance!

 

[Postictal Raiden]

This is why I'm taking a gap year. This year I'm focusing on bringing up my GPA/MCAT. Senior year when I'm taking science electives I like while taking easy liberal arts classes. 🙂 Congrats my friend, I can't wait to hear your first acceptance!

Thank you Dreamstoo!

Yeah, I took a gap year too to improve my mcat and get my letters (ask for them in advance). I had all my ducks in row, so I was very ready to submit when time came. That has helped me staying on top of my game throughout the process.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Thank you Dreamstoo!

Yeah, I took a gap year too to improve my mcat and get my letters (ask for them in advance). I had all my ducks in row, so I was very ready to submit when time came. That has helped me staying on top of my game throughout the process.

Yep I have one letter from an EC and a letter from a MD

 

[TriagePreMed]

Thanks you two!

So even though I came from a four-year university, there won't be any criticism for re-taking courses at a CC? That's what I'm afraid of :/

You are correct that they say it is preferred if you do it at a 4-year. However, there are no osteopathic schools that reject CC units. In addition, Goro, an adcom that visits SDN, has said that schools know CC courses can be as rigorous as many 4-year courses. Besides, you have a 38 to show that you know your science. At this point it is more about you beating the cutoffs. If you're asked in an interview why you went CC and you did it for financial reasons, just be honest. If you're still in CA, they will know how hard it is for people to get classes and save money.

 

[Temperature101]

Wow. Great MCAT.

Go to CC and save money. A good friend of mine just graduated from UCSF med school and had his entire premed courses taken at a CC.

Try to raise that GPA to 3.25 by June 2014 and you will get an interview invite from every DO program you apply to.

Good luck!

So why people in SDN frown upon CC credits that much?... A lot people that I know who are in med school took some prereqs at CC and they told me that was never brought up during interviews...

 

[Postictal Raiden]

So why people in SDN frown upon CC credits that much?... A lot people that I know who are in med school took some prereqs at CC and they told me that was never brought up during interviews...

I, for one, took my general bio, physics, gchem, and ochem courses at a CC.

 

[TriagePreMed]

So why people in SDN frown upon CC credits that much?... A lot people that I know who are in med school took some prereqs at CC and they told me that was never brought up during interviews...

There is a select few MD schools that don't accept any CC units as well as SDN's overblown standards for med school. If you hang out here long enough, you'll feel that anything under a 3.9/37 is mediocre and you need at least 1 first author in science and 1 in nature to be accepted to a mid-tier.

 

[Dreamstoo]

There is a select few MD schools that don't accept any CC units as well as SDN's overblown standards for med school. If you hang out here long enough, you'll feel that anything under a 3.9/37 is mediocre and you need at least 1 first author in science and 1 in nature to be accepted to a mid-tier.[/QUOTE]

I once showed this to one of my friends who got into a top 20 med school 10 years ago. He started cracking up saying "wow, so many trolls"

And what you listed would give anyone a chance of admittance at any med school including Harvard.

 

[Temperature101]

I, for one, took my general bio, physics, gchem, and ochem courses at a CC.

Wow! Good to know since I took Biology and gen chem at a CC that is now a state college. I don't if there is a difference between the two though...

 

[TriagePreMed]

I once showed this to one of my friends who got into a top 20 med school 10 years ago. He started cracking up saying "wow, so many trolls"

And what you listed would give anyone a chance of admittance at any med school including Harvard.

Interesting enough I was talking to an MD/PhD that graduated from Dartmouth and did anesthesia at Stanford. She asked me if I'd apply MD/PhD and was surprised when I told her the MCAT average was around 35/36 for most programs. She said she got in with a 32 (12 years ago) and almost every MD/PhD she knew at Stanford had 30 to 32 MCAT scores and the only thing they cared about back then was research experience. Times have definitely changed, but SDN does like to pretend things are harder than they are.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Interesting enough I was talking to an MD/PhD that graduated from Dartmouth and did anesthesia at Stanford. She asked me if I'd apply MD/PhD and was surprised when I told her the MCAT average was around 35/36 for most programs. She said she got in with a 32 (12 years ago) and almost every MD/PhD she knew at Stanford had 30 to 32 MCAT scores and the only thing they cared about back then was research experience. Times have definitely changed, but SDN does like to pretend things are harder than they are.

Times have definitely changed. A doctor I shadowed got a 37 on the MCAT about 30 years ago. He ended up getting into a top 5 med school despite having only a 3.6-3.7 GPA. This was from like a decent state school out west. I know of a 3.7/38 from a top 10 university with an engineering degree in recent memory who got into a top 20 school but got rejected pre-interview at every top 10. Then again, I assume his resume was heavily engineering based, not many pre-med ECs. He was offered and engineering job and was contemplating whether he wanted to take the job or apply to med school.