Could I benefit from doing a DIY post-bacc this summer for this cycle?

[dinucleotidecarl]

Hi everyone. This is a long one, so there's a TL;DR below.

I graduated college in 2017 and have worked in both health care (scribe/scribe trainer, CMA) and elsewhere (Fulbright, teaching abroad) since graduation. Texas resident. I took all my prereqs in college and got a Pre-Health Professions Certificate from my university. My degree is in French and minor in Portuguese. I had one meeting with a pre-med advisor, and she was incredibly discouraging, so I then tried to take everything on myself which led to a lot of misinformed decisions on my part (for example, I actually excelled in my biology classes and my BCPM GPA would likely be higher if I took more bio classes, but instead my BCPM GPA is majority chem/physics/math and just a little bit of bio). I was affected by a lot of personal issues in my junior and senior year of college (severe, though temporary, injuries resulting in having to register as disabled, parent almost dying and in ICU for ~1 month) and have a bit of a downward trend. I worked 25-30 hrs/week throughout college to make ends meet. I qualify as URM (hispanic, indigenous) and disadvantaged (family got government assistance for my lunches, etc.). My last MCAT was 505 in September 2020 but I retook on 5/1 and felt much better leaving that exam. I believe my application is strong except for my GPA. My cGPA is 3.34 and BCPM GPA is probably somewhere around 3 (I'm going to calculate it today but it consists of mostly Bs and Cs, and one D+ in physics, so I'm anticipating that it's really much lower than I remembered). I have an incredibly strong letter of evaluation from the doctor I'be worked with over the past few years who served as an ADCOM at a T10 school. I also believe my other rec letters are strong, from both college professors and the PhD in charge of the lab I worked in in college.

I am currently applying for 2022 to TMDSAS, AMCAS, and AACOMAS, knowing that it's probably more likely given my GPA and MCAT scores that my best chances are with AACOMAS. The only reason I generally prefer MD over DO is that I would like to eventually work internationally, potentially with Doctors Without Borders, and I've read that DOs have more difficulty with that. I have a strong interest in TCOM, especially because they offer DO/MPH, and would be honored to go there. What I'm trying to figure out now is, as I was filling out TMDSAS (which hosts TCOM even though TCOM is DO), I came across the "Planned Enrollment" section and started wondering if there would be any benefit to me taking a few upper division bio classes this summer or in the fall at my local college. It was previously a community college but is not anymore. I would not have any grades in by the time I submit, but could it be seen as a positive thing or would it probably not have any effect? I'm pretty frustrated with myself because I wish I had done that sooner so I could have grades in by now, but I genuinely hadn't realized that was an option until very recently. Honestly, I had miscalculated/misremembered my GPA and didn't realize how low it was until I was inputting all of my classes in TMDSAS so I didn't realize how beneficial it really could have been. I knew of SMPs and post-baccs but when I searched for them, they were very expensive and there was no way I could make that work. My local college is much more affordable. I imagine the suggestion may be to wait to apply until next year after I've proven that I can do well in upper-division sciences, but I'm hoping to avoid that if at all possible.

If you made it through that novel, thank you for reading!

Here's a TL;DR for those of you who prefer a more concise explanation:

• 26, URM/disadvantaged, Texas resident, 3.34 GPA, ~3 sGPA, BA in French, minor in Portuguese, Health-Professions Certificate from 2017
• 505 MCAT in 2020, retook 5/1/21 and am expecting a higher score (maybe around 508/510)
• Years of clinical experience (scribe/CMA)
• Years of nonclinical experience (teaching abroad in multiple countries)
• Significant sustained shadowing & volunteering
• Strong LoRs, essays, activities, leadership and leadership awards, including executive board membership for student government & a Fulbright scholarship
• Worked 25-30 hr/week in college
• Downward trend junior/senior year, partially attributed to severe injury and one of my parents almost dying
• Sustained undergrad research experience but no posters/pubs

I'm applying TMDSAS, AMCAS, and AACOMAS. My question is, is there any way to salvage my weak GPA/sGPA so that I can apply this cycle? Could taking some upper-division bio classes this summer or even in the fall at my local college benefit me in any way?


Thanks in advance!

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[Goro]

A single summer is not going to remediate your week GPA for MD schools, even for Texas. You also need a much higher MCAT score.

You're fine for DO right now
Also unless you're a superstar, do not apply to out-of-state MD school's.

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

A single summer is not going to remediate your week GPA for MD schools, even for Texas. You also need a much higher MCAT score.

You're fine for DO right now
Also unless you're a superstar, do not apply to out-of-state MD school's.

Thanks for the quick response and the honesty. Could summer/fall or summer/fall/spring help if applying this cycle?

 

[Goro]

Thanks for the quick response and the honesty. Could summer/fall or summer/fall/spring help if applying this cycle?

You need a solid 30 hrs to show reinvention

 

[LizzyM]

Frankly, you'd be better off taking classes in 2021-22 and applying in May 2022. It isn't fun to be a reapplicant but you might end up being a third time applicant which would be really unfortunate.

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

You need a solid 30 hrs to show reinvention I think my plan moving forward will be to focus on TMDSAS for DO and AACOMAS this cycle and sign up for classes at my local college in the meantime in case this cycle doesn't work out for me. They don't offer enough classes that qualify in the course listings for BCPM to hit 30 hours, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.

You need a solid 30 hrs to show reinvention

Ok, I think my plan moving forward will be to focus on TMDSAS for DO and AACOMAS this cycle and sign up for classes at my local college in the meantime in case this cycle doesn't work out for me. They don't offer enough classes that qualify in the course listings for BCPM to hit 30 hours, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

Frankly, you'd be better off taking classes in 2021-22 and applying in May 2022. It isn't fun to be a reapplicant but you might end up being a third time applicant which would be really unfortunate.

Thank you, I appreciate the candor. It's hard to hear, but I don't want to set myself up for failure. I'm confused though about why I could end up being a third time applicant. Is that because a year of classes in 21/22 may not be enough to increase my GPA? And would you agree with Goro that I'm okay for DO as it stands, or do you think my overall chances are really low?

 

[LizzyM]

The grades you earn won't be on the application you submit this summer so you'll do all that work during the coming academic year but all that the adcom will see will be the grades you have now which may not be enough to open the door. That would set you up to be a third time applicant.

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

The grades you earn won't be on the application you submit this summer so you'll do all that work during the coming academic year but all that the adcom will see will be the grades you have now which may not be enough to open the door. That would set you up to be a third time applicant.

I'm sorry, I'm still confused. Wouldn't that set me up to be a second time applicant? This cycle would be my first if I decide to go ahead and apply (which I'm heavily considering not doing after the responses from the two of you).

 

[LizzyM]

Sorry. I thought that you had had an unsuccessful cycle and were preparing to reapply. That said, better to wait until your application is as good as can be and then apply than to apply now, make improvements that need to be made and be a reapplicant next year. Why not skip the application cycle this time around and just apply in 2022?

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

Sorry. I thought that you had had an unsuccessful cycle and were preparing to reapply. That said, better to wait until your application is as good as can be and then apply than to apply now, make improvements that need to be made and be a reapplicant next year. Why not skip the application cycle this time around and just apply in 2022?

No worries! Thank you for clarifying. Your question may have been rhetorical, but I have an answer. I'm worried about potentially not qualifying for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program again (my mom had to take out money from her retirement fund to make ends meet), but TMDSAS is not cost-prohibitive in that way, so I can shift my priorities to Texas. If a year of post-bacc can improve my application significantly, I'm willing to do that. I also don't want to apply this cycle if it's almost certain I'll end up having to reapply, which seems to have some of its own negative associations.

I went on a very long walk this evening and contemplated my situation. I'm sure in hindsight an extra year won't seem like the huge thing it seems to be at this current moment.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

You need a solid 30 hrs to show reinvention

Hi Goro, it's almost a year later - I've been working on that DIY postbacc and should have 26 hours by the time apps open this cycle (couldn't afford not to work full time so was working full time and also doing research with the doctor I work for while taking clases.) My classes have been divided up between my local college and UCSD extension. Do you think if I'm enrolled in 4 hours of summer classes in the summer I session when the app cycles open that I'll be okay from that standpoint? Summer I ends in the second week of July.

I have a 4.0 postbacc GPA so far (microbiology, genetics, biochem, physics II, environmental science, nutrition - I only took those last 2 because my local college was not offering anything else in the bio department that I hadn't already taken for >C) and expect to maintain that when this semester ends. I'm planning to apply mostly DO and just add in a few AMCAS schools with lower GPA/MCAT averages because I received fee assistance again for this year.

My second question is, would it be reasonable for me to take A&P I at my local college, where it's denoted as a sophomore level class (because they only just transitioned from community college to 4 year college and don't offer 4 year STEM degrees yet)? I can otherwise take it via UCSD extension, where it's considered upper divison but costs more than twice as much. Finances are a concern for me, but another thousand dollars in the grand scheme of things vs. another year and the cost of reapplying is far greater (though still always possible, of course.) Thanks!

 

[Goro]

Hi Goro, it's almost a year later - I've been working on that DIY postbacc and should have 26 hours by the time apps open this cycle (couldn't afford not to work full time so was working full time and also doing research with the doctor I work for while taking clases.) My classes have been divided up between my local college and UCSD extension.

Do you think if I'm enrolled in 4 hours of summer classes in the summer I session when the app cycles open that I'll be okay from that standpoint? Summer I ends in the second week of July.

All looks good!!!!

I have a 4.0 postbacc GPA so far (microbiology, genetics, biochem, physics II, environmental science, nutrition - I only took those last 2 because my local college was not offering anything else in the bio department that I hadn't already taken for >C) and expect to maintain that when this semester ends. I'm planning to apply mostly DO and just add in a few AMCAS schools with lower GPA/MCAT averages because I received fee assistance again for this year.

All good

My second question is, would it be reasonable for me to take A&P I at my local college, where it's denoted as a sophomore level class (because they only just transitioned from community college to 4 year college and don't offer 4 year STEM degrees yet)? I can otherwise take it via UCSD extension, where it's considered upper divison but costs more than twice as much. Finances are a concern for me, but another thousand dollars in the grand scheme of things vs. another year and the cost of reapplying is far greater (though still always possible, of course.) Thanks!

That's fine

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

All looks good!!!!

All good

That's fine

Much appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

All looks good!!!!

All good

That's fine

Another update for you: I received my first acceptance yesterday! Thank you for your candor and for your advice