Confused about post bacc programs/masters program

[rushcpr]

I am trying to figure out a route for me to get to medical school. It seems every option I have researched has been shut down. I really hope I am not the only student in the world with this predicament. Hence, why I am here.

A little background on myself and school.

I graduated from the University of Florida with a 3.6 GPA in Health Science. Realizing that I wanted to study medicine I started looking into Post-Bacc options. Unfortunately while at UF I did not take any prereqs except Bio 1 (Received a B+) and Bio 2 ( Received a D+ due to an unfortunate family situation). Most programs I am looking into require all prereqs to be completed and an MCAT score. Obviously, I cannot take the MCAT when I haven't even completed the prereqs.

I found a few that do not require the prereqs except they are pricey and I am willing to invest in my future. The few I found were for UF, USF, and UNF.

My initial plan was to apply into UFs postbacc however, coming onto studentdoc I am seeing that UF does not grant their post bacc students the classes even though they will be paying the $600+/per credit as its first come first serve for their traditional students despite having a structured postbacc plan. Does anyone have insight on the three programs and recommendations?

Should I even try to apply to med school with a D+ on my transcript?

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[DocJanItor]

Ok, so the good news is that your situation is not dire and, once you've adequately prepared, you should be an excellent applicant for medical school. That being said, you are a long way from being ready.

You're going to need to do some research on all the requirements and expectations you'll need to be a competitive applicant for medical school, and it's getting more competitive every year. You'll need volunteering hours, both clinical and non-clinical. You'll need to shadow a doctor or 2 (usually about 50-100 hours is fine). You'll need a good MCAT score (510+, although the higher the better). And you'll need well written essays for the personal statement and secondary questions you'll be asked on your applications.

Since you have a good GPA, you don't really need to do an official post-bacc. There is some debate about the use of community college credit for pre-reqs, but my feeling is that if you've already proven yourself academically (good GPA), then it's not an issue. If you were to be a poor student in undergrad and then only did well in CC courses then it might be more suspect. Almost all medical schools accept CC credit nowadays. If you don't want to do that route, you can probably re-enroll in one of your local unis as a non-degree seeking student. The only caveat is that I believe this makes you ineligible for student loans.

So realistically you're going to need to take Bio II again, then Chem 1/2 with labs, Ochem 1/2 with labs, Biochem, Psychology and Sociology. I'd also suggest Genetics and Cell Bio if you can swing it, although those aren't strictly necessary. Psych/Soc aren't necessarily pre-reqs, but they comprise an entire section of the MCAT. Unless you feel confident you can learn them on your own, I'd take the courses.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out.