The morale factor is a huge thing in this non-trad game. Although the thought of giving up has never crossed my mind, the monotony, expensive, and apparent "stagnation" of doing an informal post-bacc can really bring a person down. One doesn't earn a degree, or achieve any guarantee that they'll get into med school in an informal post-bacc nor are we eligible for any type of financial aid.
Well the truth is, one needs money to pay for school, and live. Whether it be through loans or work, one needs to find funding sources. Going to work to pay for school is one thing, but can be outright insane at the post-bacc level. Minimal time is provided to get A's in multiple classes. Even if one gets ONLY A's 2 classes per semester may not be strong enough to win the hearts and minds of the adcoms. Having to work is no excuse, but merely a challenge to overcome in the eyes of the adcoms. I have known people to be rejected because the evidence of their grade rehabilitation was "weak" due to taking too few courses per semester/quarter despite their post-bacc GPA being 4.0. Therefore one has to make that decision...
...go all out to prove to the adcoms that you can get all A's, or throw in the towel.
Anyway pianoman511, I'm in relatively similar conditions that you were in. My GPA after graduating undergrad was 2.65. I did an informal post-bacc for 1.5 years while working for the US Army, and as a researcher for my school. It was hard to find time, or afford more than 3 classes per quarter. It was hard to find the motivation to keep going knowing that there's nothing really waiting at the end of this post-bacc program, like a degree, or instant admission. Well luckily, I thought about grad school, an option that is often times not encouraged by med schools since it may not boost your GPA. But I asked our med school's admission director about taking undergrad classes while in grad school. He said that would also count as post-bacc, and then the gears started to roll. Shortly following that encounter, a personal issue came up which required me to take a quarter off. Although the issue wasn't really a good thing, in retrospect, it turns out to be a blessing. I was able to rethink my study habits, and both my immediate and long term goals. I did one more quarter of post-bacc with great results, and jumped into a PhD program that fall. Since then I have not turned back taking med school, grad school, and undergrad courses through this program and maintaining a GPA of 4.0.
Anyway, sorry for the lengthy story, but we've been there at some point or another. You have to think hard. Essentially ask yourself, if it came down to it, are you willing to apply to med school at age 40? Although I hope for all of us that it doesn't reach that point, you never know, and your answer may point you in a better direction. Its a lot of time and effort to get into med school even with good grades. Its even more exhaustive when GPA/MCAT rehab is involved. But it is certainly NOT impossible to do. At most, I suggest you take a quarter/semester off to clear your mind. Taking a year off, in my opinion is too long and provides your mind enough time to make up excuses to quit. So yea.... take out loans if it means you can devote more time to school. A year of 4.0 full-time undergrad coursework can take you VERY far, especially when combined with a 30+ MCAT.
