Career changer post-bac forced online - Will med schools discount my grades?

[harino45]

Hello all,

I'm sure many are in my shoes, but I was planning to start a post bac program this Fall for a 1 year post bac for career changers. However, it seems that Fall 2020 classes will now be all online, and who knows what will happen for Spring 2020. My question summed up is: Would MD adcoms think that this post bac does not prove that I can handle a rigorous courseload? I understand that they will ACCEPT online classes due to the circumstances, but how will they perceive it?

My undergrad GPA was ok, not great, so I really need this post bac to help boost my GPA. However, I'm curious if med schools, even if I were to achieve a 4.0 in the post bac, would discount my achievement and place less weight on it if they know that the classes were online,. My ugrad was from a top 10 school in an engineering degree, but as I mentioned, it was around a 3.5, so I was hoping to use the post bac to bring it up 0.1-2. Should I wait another year before starting my post bac?

I've also seen a post on here saying that med schools can and will find out if classes were online even if it wasn't written so on the transcript, so I think that's out of the question.

I'd appreciate any opinions and insights.

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[lumya]

It's hard to know what the situation will be next year. It's possible that there's remote learning for awhile. I think it's just up to you. There are going to be people who take online courses but still can't master the material, so if you get a great GPA, it will really make you stand out. However, I think if you can match your post-bacc grades with a stellar MCAT, it will help reduce any sort of discount med schools might put on your online courses. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Goro]

Hello all,

I'm sure many are in my shoes, but I was planning to start a post bac program this Fall for a 1 year post bac for career changers. However, it seems that Fall 2020 classes will now be all online, and who knows what will happen for Spring 2020. My question summed up is: Would MD adcoms think that this post bac does not prove that I can handle a rigorous courseload? I understand that they will ACCEPT online classes due to the circumstances, but how will they perceive it?

My undergrad GPA was ok, not great, so I really need this post bac to help boost my GPA. However, I'm curious if med schools, even if I were to achieve a 4.0 in the post bac, would discount my achievement and place less weight on it if they know that the classes were online,. My ugrad was from a top 10 school in an engineering degree, but as I mentioned, it was around a 3.5, so I was hoping to use the post bac to bring it up 0.1-2. Should I wait another year before starting my post bac?

I've also seen a post on here saying that med schools can and will find out if classes were online even if it wasn't written so on the transcript, so I think that's out of the question.

I'd appreciate any opinions and insights.

This is a special cycle due to COVID. They'll cut you slack

 

[GreenDuck12]

This is an unprecedented time. The prohibition on accepting online classes will likely be ignored while the pandemic is active. If I were in your shoes I would not delay taking classes unless you weren’t confident you would be able to do well with an online format. If you think you can be successful academically then you should move forward.

 

[pharoah7]

Hello all,

I'm sure many are in my shoes, but I was planning to start a post bac program this Fall for a 1 year post bac for career changers. However, it seems that Fall 2020 classes will now be all online, and who knows what will happen for Spring 2020. My question summed up is: Would MD adcoms think that this post bac does not prove that I can handle a rigorous courseload? I understand that they will ACCEPT online classes due to the circumstances, but how will they perceive it?

My undergrad GPA was ok, not great, so I really need this post bac to help boost my GPA. However, I'm curious if med schools, even if I were to achieve a 4.0 in the post bac, would discount my achievement and place less weight on it if they know that the classes were online,. My ugrad was from a top 10 school in an engineering degree, but as I mentioned, it was around a 3.5, so I was hoping to use the post bac to bring it up 0.1-2. Should I wait another year before starting my post bac?

I've also seen a post on here saying that med schools can and will find out if classes were online even if it wasn't written so on the transcript, so I think that's out of the question.

I'd appreciate any opinions and insights.

Hi OP, I'm in your shoes too and still unsure. Which post bac did you settle on?

 

[harino45]

Thanks for the inputs. I'm not worried about my performance or learning the materials (if anything, it would be easier to do well online). But when I apply in a year or two, I may be competing against people who did traditional classes, and the pandemic may not be as fresh on adcom's minds.

As for where I'm attending, I have the option to enroll in a program that starts in August.

On one hand, I can work another year and save up more money. And it's not like it's easy to get quality volunteering experiences right now. If classes are online, I could also potentially save on rent by living at home.

On the other hand, I'm not getting any younger. And if classes are still online/hybrid next year, I'd have waited for nothing.

My original plan was to start this year, and the central factor for me is whether my grades would be discounted due to them being online. The general sentiment so far seems to be that due to COVID adcoms may be more forgiving. But given the financial and opportunity costs of this decision, I am seeking more info to better weigh the risks.

 

[Fidelio17]

Given that a lot of med schools will probably be at least partially remote (online) for fall... I think they'll understand why your post bacc is online.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Thanks for the inputs. I'm not worried about my performance or learning the materials (if anything, it would be easier to do well online). But when I apply in a year or two, I may be competing against people who did traditional classes, and the pandemic may not be as fresh on adcom's minds.

As for where I'm attending, I have the option to enroll in a program that starts in August.

On one hand, I can work another year and save up more money. And it's not like it's easy to get quality volunteering experiences right now. If classes are online, I could also potentially save on rent by living at home.

On the other hand, I'm not getting any younger. And if classes are still online/hybrid next year, I'd have waited for nothing.

My original plan was to start this year, and the central factor for me is whether my grades would be discounted due to them being online. The general sentiment so far seems to be that due to COVID adcoms may be more forgiving. But given the financial and opportunity costs of this decision, I am seeking more info to better weigh the risks.

I’m not an adcom but I have a strong feeling that adcoms will not forget what occurred during the pandemic. Every college and university in my state has announced some form of online /distance learning for the fall. It is unlikely that there will be many applicants applying in the next 1-5 years without some online courses. If you are concerned, you can add a short write up regarding your classes being moved online due to covid. Simply put, it wouldn’t be reasonable for adcoms to expect every premed to delay coursework until in person classes resume at some unknown future date. As for the benefits of working an additional year vs hopefully starting medical school a year earlier, that one is on you to decide based on your current earning potential vs future earning potential.