DIY Post Bacc Update

[foreverlearner02]

Hello all,

I graduated a year ago and would like to get your thoughts on how what I've been doing since.

- Fall 2017: Worked 35 hrs/wk as a medical assistant and took BIO II (online but exams were in person), got a 3.6, volunteered at senior home where I taught tech classes
- Spring 2018: no classes, traveled, reflected..needed a break before taking more classes honestly, started volunteering at free health clinic, continued tech classes, got some physician shadowing hours
- Summer 2018:
Ochem I - 4.0
Ochem II - 3.6
Ochem lab - 3.7
- work as a scribe at a hospital in an underprivileged area
- work as a medical assistant at a GI office
- got more physician shadowing hours: PM&R and GI
- continued assisted living home volunteering
- continued free health clinic
- Developed good relationship with Ochem prof who offered to write me a LOR
- Director (who is a doc) at free clinic likes me and i think i'll be able to get LOR from him after some more time

starting biochem and upper level bio course in the fall and I plan on continuing with all the above activities.

*******Please critique, give me feed back, opinions etc!! ie i haven't done research since undergrad where i only did research my senior yr and it didnt result in publications or presentations- concerning?, will biochem and 1 other class be enough of a work load to show med schools i can handle the rigor? (I am also working ~30 hours weekly)


THANK YOU. apologize for length of post.

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[gensurghopeful]

What's your GPA altogether? That and MCAT will determine your ability, or lack thereof to gain an acceptance into an American med school.

On the other hand, EC's look really good and I would not worry about research for now. Save that for when you're in my position and trying to do surgery as a DO hehe.

 

[rdyotz]

Hopefully the rest of the classes you took were on campus. You might have to retake bio 2, many schools don't allow online prereqs.

Don't worry about research. Adcoms will see you worked full time while taking classes and understand so as long as you get good grades it seems like you should be fine.

 

[foreverlearner02]

What's your GPA altogether? That and MCAT will determine your ability, or lack thereof to gain an acceptance into an American med school.

On the other hand, EC's look really good and I would not worry about research for now. Save that for when you're in my position and trying to do surgery as a DO hehe.

Thanks for your response!
Undergrad gpa is a 2.9.
Bio + orgo I + orgo II + orgo lab gpa = 3.7
next up is biochem and another upper level science
MCAT will be in the spring after I complete biochem!

 

[foreverlearner02]

Hopefully the rest of the classes you took were on campus. You might have to retake bio 2, many schools don't allow online prereqs.

Don't worry about research. Adcoms will see you worked full time while taking classes and understand so as long as you get good grades it seems like you should be fine.

Thanks for your response! Man, I'd hate to have to retake bio 2. Our exams were all in person, doesn't that count for something?!

 

[Cardboard101]

5 classes doesn't make for a very strong post bacc.

Regardless, bump your GPAs over 3.0 and 505+ the MCAT and you should get in somewhere. Get a DO LOR and have everything ready to submit the day the application opens.

 

[rdyotz]

Thanks for your response! Man, I'd hate to have to retake bio 2. Our exams were all in person, doesn't that count for something?!

Doubt it. I took Gen chem I online with in person exams. I will be retaking it as some schools I called wouldn't accept it.

 

[gensurghopeful]

Thanks for your response!
Undergrad gpa is a 2.9.
Bio + orgo I + orgo II + orgo lab gpa = 3.7
next up is biochem and another upper level science
MCAT will be in the spring after I complete biochem!

I think you will need a post-bacc to be taken seriously by medical schools. That uGPA is far from competitive.

 

[workaholic181]

A lot of DO schools accept online courses. Honestly only nsu comes to mind as a school that doesn't. I was accepted to a couple original 5 do schools with online classes.
Apples and oranges but I had a 3.5 cgpa and a 2.9 science coming out of ug. Took 28 pre req DIY credits with 4.0 and had a top 10% mcat and was able to get into a couple of the "original 5" do and one mid tier allo. I think you're in good shape for DO schools if you apply broadly and are willing to go anywhere with a 505+mcat. Shoot for As the rest of the way thought everything in post bacc is magnified. Good luck OP.

 

[Magus5454]

There was a fair bit of online classwork in my undergrad however the classes were not listed as online in my transcript.

 

[foreverlearner02]

I think you will need a post-bacc to be taken seriously by medical schools. That uGPA is far from competitive.

I am doing a post-bacc lol

 

[foreverlearner02]

A lot of DO schools accept online courses. Honestly only nsu comes to mind as a school that doesn't. I was accepted to a couple original 5 do schools with online classes.
Apples and oranges but I had a 3.5 cgpa and a 2.9 science coming out of ug. Took 28 pre req DIY credits with 4.0 and had a top 10% mcat and was able to get into a couple of the "original 5" do and one mid tier allo. I think you're in good shape for DO schools if you apply broadly and are willing to go anywhere with a 505+mcat. Shoot for As the rest of the way thought everything in post bacc is magnified. Good luck OP.

Good to hear! Was your DIY post bac all new upper levels or did you have some repeats in there?

 

[foreverlearner02]

5 classes doesn't make for a very strong post bacc.

Regardless, bump your GPAs over 3.0 and 505+ the MCAT and you should get in somewhere. Get a DO LOR and have everything ready to submit the day the application opens.

I thought 5 classes wouldn't be enough either, but I've been told by MSUCOM that 16-20 credits is all they're looking for. My postbac advisor has also mentioned a few instate allo schools will look at the post bac gpa as a new gpa as long as your postbac is of atleast 24 credits (6 classes) with a >3.5gpa

 

[deleted807068]

I thought 5 classes wouldn't be enough either, but I've been told by MSUCOM that 16-20 credits is all they're looking for. My postbac advisor has also mentioned a few instate allo schools will look at the post bac gpa as a new gpa as long as your postbac is of atleast 24 credits (6 classes) with a >3.5gpa

Looking to apply to MSUCOM so I'm interested in what they said. 16-20 credits = a new GPA for MSUCOM? Thanks in advance

 

[workaholic181]

Good to hear! Was your DIY post bac all new upper levels or did you have some repeats in there?

A few repeats, but that was before do schools stopped doing replacement.

 

[foreverlearner02]

Looking to apply to MSUCOM so I'm interested in what they said. 16-20 credits = a new GPA for MSUCOM? Thanks in advance

Yes, that is what I was told last year.

 

[Byfellox]

3.65/504 so far 1 interview invite but remaining hopeful