Does this hurt or help me?

[ChandlerBing24]

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Hi all,

I submitted my DO secondaries early in August. While I have interviewed and been accepted into one school, the remaining 8 have been complete silence. Because my undergrad GPA is on the lower end, I am currently doing the post-bac program at LECOM. I finished my first semester with a 3.4, and I am wondering if this performance will help my application or hurt it, as I did not "crush" it. The post bac is similar to the first year of medical school here, and pretty challenging in my opinion.

All input is appreciated!

 

[drducky.]

Unless the adcom looking at your app knows how difficult your postbac is, I'd think a 3.4 in postbac is pretty low. Especially since most postbacs are just undergrad sciences whereas smps are more of first year med school material.

 

[Goro]

Hi all,

I submitted my DO secondaries early in August. While I have interviewed and been accepted into one school, the remaining 8 have been complete silence. Because my undergrad GPA is on the lower end, I am currently doing the post-bac program at LECOM. I finished my first semester with a 3.4, and I am wondering if this performance will help my application or hurt it, as I did not "crush" it. The post bac is similar to the first year of medical school here, and pretty challenging in my opinion.

All input is appreciated!

It would hurt you at my school. You're expected to ace post-bac programs. The schools you're awaiting to hear from are probably waiting (wisely) to see how you do this spring semester.

 

[ChandlerBing24]

Unless the adcom looking at your app knows how difficult your postbac is, I'd think a 3.4 in postbac is pretty low. Especially since most postbacs are just undergrad sciences whereas smps are more of first year med school material.

Makes sense. It is definitely much more difficult than undergrad, and on par with the first year here, but I can understand how it would be hard for an adcom to know the difference. I appreciate your response.

 

[ChandlerBing24]

It would hurt you at my school. You're expected to ace post-bac programs. The schools you're awaiting to hear from are probably waiting (wisely) to see how you do this spring semester.

Interesting. I get that the point of these programs for somebody in my shoes should be to ace it, but I am above their GPA requirement to matriculate (it is a 3.2). So based on the standards they have, my performance indicates that I am somebody they feel will likely succeed in medical school. Is the issue mostly that the GPA itself is sub-par? Regardless of the program? I earned the grades that I deserved, but do feel like a 3.4 in this program is the equivalent of acing the types of programs mentioned above.

I hope I am not coming off as entitled - I really appreciate your input. Thank you!

 

[Goro]

Interesting. I get that the point of these programs for somebody in my shoes should be to ace it, but I am above their GPA requirement to matriculate (it is a 3.2). So based on the standards they have, my performance indicates that I am somebody they feel will likely succeed in medical school. Is the issue mostly that the GPA itself is sub-par? Regardless of the program? I earned the grades that I deserved, but do feel like a 3.4 in this program is the equivalent of acing the types of programs mentioned above.

I hope I am not coming off as entitled - I really appreciate your input. Thank you!

You'll probably have luck in the end, but at my school, from our own experience with our SMP students, once you get below 3.5 GPAs, you see students struggle in our COM. Hence, we go with 3.5 and higher.

 

[ChandlerBing24]

You'll probably have luck in the end, but at my school, from our own experience with our SMP students, once you get below 3.5 GPAs, you see students struggle in our COM. Hence, we go with 3.5 and higher.

Understandable - you need to go with the students you feel most confident will succeed. Luckily, and surprisingly, I got accepted somewhere early last semester, so at this point I am just testing the waters to see if I might have luck elsewhere!