Concerned about Post-Bacc Grades

[Reach The Stars]

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Hi, I am hoping someone can provide me some thoughts and guidance on my current situation.

I am presently enrolled in a post-bacc program (one of the most competitive). I am finishing year 2 out of 2 (so the program is coming to a close).

Due to some rather serious life challenges faced at the start of my program, my ability to focus dramatically dropped. I ended up with 4 B's over the course of my first post bac year (2 of which were B-'s). The rest of my grades were A's. I have been able to boost my concentration level with time and my grades are slowly but surely picking up this semester.

I am wondering how these post-bacc grades might affect my chances of getting into medical school?

My undergraduate history is very strong in terms of extracurricular experience , grades/GPA, and awards. I can provide those stats if it helps clarify the situation.

 

[Goucher2013]

This is a pretty straightforward question, so I'd hope that your program director can provide you with appropriate guidance. I mean, you're basically paying the big bucks in part to get such advising. Hands down, that's the best person to give you the advice you need.

In terms of GPA, it's not like everything is lost. You wrote that you have a decent overall GPA already. Plus you want to factor classes like math into your science GPA. I did a quick calculation of 2 Bs, 2 B-minuses, 6 As for the remainder of the regular premed classes, plus three more for math, biochem, etc, and got a reasonable 3.58. Combine the upward trend, life experience, MCAT scores, etc, and you have a decent package that should get you in somewhere good.

Obviously the MCAT will be a bigger factor for you. A high score might allow you to aim a big higher up the prestige chain, if that's what matters to you. You also want to figure out how to present those grades in a way that focus on your strength overcoming adversity, rather than your weakness in getting those grades.

But, unless you bomb the MCAT or turn people off during interviews with personality issues, you're definitely going to med school, even if things take a turn for the worse and you end up with a 3.3 sGPA. Unless you're upping your nose at DO school. If you have a problem with DOs I, frankly, have a problem with you, and so will a lot of future colleagues, whether DOs, MDs, RNs or PTs.

I sometimes worry whether I'll end up in a similar situation, and I don't feel anxious one bit, because there's always places like Hofstra, which would provide me with just as good of an education as places requiring a 3.8 sGPA. Your situation isn't as bad as you might think.

As for any plans you might have had about going to HMS...that's between you and your ego. In the long run, that will matter to nobody but yourself.