Extra year of postbacc or SMP?

[MedSun]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hello!
I just finished the first year of my formal 2 year post bacc program and was planning to take ochem II and biochem this fall, while studying for the MCAT (which I was going to take in January).
I am doing linkage with Western University. This is why the MCAT has to be taken in January instead of May. However I just spoke to someone from Western admissions committee and she strongly recommended to take onr extra year of upper division bio classes ( cellular bio, physio, etc). She said I would struggle in med school without them. This is very frustrating since my post bacc program is supposed to prepare us well in 2 years.

My question is...should I still take orgo II and biochem together with January MCAT and apply to Western anyway or just stay another year at my school like I’m being advised?

My linkage policies are constantly changing and it's getting scary and frustrating. I just want to have some kind of certainty. This is why I'm thinking about SMPs since they are 1 year long too. Wouldn't be better to get masters from Touro (for example) and have a guaranteed acceptance after successfully completing their program?

 

[buffdentist]

Well you're leaving out critical info. What's your gpa? Age? Experience? Volunteer experience. How many degrees?

 

[MedSun]

Well you're leaving out critical info. What's your gpa? Age? Experience? Volunteer experience. How many degrees?

My cGPA is around 3.2, postbacc science 3.5. I’m 27, non trad, with a lot of clinical and not clinical volunteering.
3 years of volunteering at a state Psych hospital, 5 years working as a dental assistant, a year of internship in the internal medicine dept, Red Cross, 2 years working in a local shelter for domestic violence victims, shadowing psychiatrists, etc.

I have a BA in psychology and currently in a formal post bacc program, so I don’t have a lot of science classes.
Also, my transcript is not that great. I took a lot of random classes perviously and have some Fs and D. I already had a chance to retake them.
I’m an immigrant who had to learn English as an adult and I really had no idea which classes to take.
I’m doing well in my post bacc right now but I recieved in orgo I but it was due to some devastating events in my personal life.