GAP Year options with a low GPA

[doublefault]

Hi everybody
I was wondering if anybody could give some insight into DIY post bacc programs
Im a fourth year undergrad from a top 25 university graduating in spring 2016 with a 3.1 GPA and 2.9 sGPA
as long as i dont mess up
Im planning on doing a DIY post bacc at a local CUNY school in my gap year while studying for the MCAT
would this be the right way to go or should I try for an SMP or a Masters?

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[LuluLovesMe]

Go for an SMP if you want the MD and are confident you can ace it. Go for the Post Bacc if you're going for DO.

 

[Lawpy]

Go for an SMP if you want the MD and are confident you can ace it. Go for the Post Bach if you're going for DO.

I also recommend a Post Bach for anyone interested in music history

 

[LuluLovesMe]

I also recommend a Post Bach for anyone interested in music history

****in' Lawper. You had to quote me a few seconds before I fixed my mistake.

 

[Lawpy]

****in' Lawper. You had to quote me a few seconds before I fixed my mistake.

 

[BluMist]

why is @Lawper not banned yet? especially after *that* incident...

****in' Lawper. You had to quote me a few seconds before I fixed my mistake.

 

[doublefault]

I havent taken the MCAT yet wouldn't this defer me from most SMPs?
Also I don't think i could produce in an SMP as in I dont think I can get higher grades than 1st year med students.
would the DIY post bacc not help as much seeing that Ive already taken 199 credits?

 

[LuluLovesMe]

why is @Lawper not banned yet? especially after *that* incident...

Oh what was the incident

 

[LuluLovesMe]

I havent taken the MCAT yet wouldn't this defer me from most SMPs?
Also I don't think i could produce in an SMP as in I dont think I can get higher grades than 1st year med students.
would the DIY post bacc not help as much seeing that Ive already taken 199 credits?

Even if a post bacc doesn't make a huge impact on your GPA, it can provide an upward trend which will help adcoms to be more comfortable with your academics. But if you want to really prove your ability to succeed in med school, nothing beats an SMP. I think there are some SMPs that might not require an MCAT. You'll have to look into that. If you don't think you can succeed in an SMP what makes you think you can make it through med school?

 

[BluMist]

study, REALLY study for the MCAT and then apply to SMP
if you don't have confidence in getting through a SMP, how are you getting through medical school?
acing a SMP will (sometimes) prove to the adcom that you can handle the rigor and ignore older, lower GPA

perspective: you need 160 credits of 4.0 to raise your current GPA to 3.5

I havent taken the MCAT yet wouldn't this defer me from most SMPs?
Also I don't think i could produce in an SMP as in I dont think I can get higher grades than 1st year med students.
would the DIY post bacc not help as much seeing that Ive already taken 199 credits?

 

[Lawpy]

why is @Lawper not banned yet? especially after *that* incident...

but i'm loved... and there was no incident

Now on-topic....

I havent taken the MCAT yet wouldn't this defer me from most SMPs?
Also I don't think i could produce in an SMP as in I dont think I can get higher grades than 1st year med students.
would the DIY post bacc not help as much seeing that Ive already taken 199 credits?

Hm. An SMP isn't the best route because:

1. You need a good MCAT score to qualify for the good SMPs

2. Even in an SMP, you need to do well (think beating >80% class of MS1s). If you do poorly, your chances into med school drop to zero

Postbacc is a good route but with a low GPA with lots of credits, you should try to retake C/D/F grades and get A's and apply DO. MD is essentially very difficult and expensive route atm

 

[doublefault]

Will taking Other upperdiv science classses help in anyway
From the looks of things I need to kill the MCAT while either retaking classes or apply to a smp
thanks for the insight guys.

 

[Krupke]

Is a smp even a good idea? Even if OP gets a 4.0, the 2.9 undergrad sGPA would be tough for a med school to swallow.

I think OP should take the MCAT: If he scores over the 95th percentile, do a DIY post-bac and bring his sGPA up to at least a 3.3 and then apply MD. If he scores below the 95th percentile, retake courses and apply DO

 

[clippers50fan]

Is a smp even a good idea? Even if OP gets a 4.0, the 2.9 undergrad sGPA would be tough for a med school to swallow.

I think OP should take the MCAT: If he scores over the 95th percentile, do a DIY post-bac and bring his sGPA up to at least a 3.3 and then apply MD. If he scores below the 95th percentile, retake courses and apply DO

Yes. If you get a 4.0 in first year medical school classes you prove what the undergrad GPA is supposed to prove: you can handle the academics of medical school. That's the purpose of GPA.

 

[popopopop]

Are you up to move to another state?

https://www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/admissions/Requirements.aspx
"
The 32-Hour Policy
As part of the medical school application process, an applicant may be encouraged or required to take additional coursework after completion of his/her undergraduate studies. The reasons for additional coursework may include a non-competitive undergraduate grade point average (GPA), a need for continued expansion of an applicant's basic science knowledge base, or an excessive time lapse between previous science coursework and medical school application. For those applicants who may need significant improvement in their science GPA, the LSU-New Orleans Medical School Admissions Committee has what is commonly referred to as the 32-Hour Policy.

The 32-Hour Policy was a policy adopted by the LSU-New Orleans Admissions Committee many years ago. This policy allows for an applicant to obtain 32 or more post-baccalaureate hours of coursework in biology, chemistry, physics or mathematics. The admissions committee would then consider the GPA for those 32 or more hours to be that applicant’s GPA for the medical school application process. This policy allows for those applicants to distance themselves from a weaker undergraduate GPA which may otherwise hinder them from gaining acceptance into our medical school.

Post-baccalaureate studies in a degree program (Master’s, Ph.D, etc.) in biology, chemistry, physics or mathematics would satisfy the 32 Hour Policy “if” such programs allowed the applicant to attain the required 32 hours of coursework."

Also, strong4.5 level player here, sick 1 hander too.

 

[Krupke]

Yes. If you get a 4.0 in first year medical school classes you prove what the undergrad GPA is supposed to prove: you can handle the academics of medical school. That's the purpose of GPA.

I understand what the purpose of an SMP is.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/smp-with-gpa-less-than-3-0.910279
"Getting in is certainly possible, but being prepared to hit the ground running and do extremely well in the SMP itself is the bottom line. There is a common thread among folks who get into an SMP with a sub-3.0 GPA and then make it into medical school: they got one or two SMP acceptances, worked extremely hard and did very well in the SMP itself, and gained admission to the SMP school's medschool and no others. Of course, there are exceptions, but this is the case for the majority of sub-3.0 GPA applicants"

Then there was thread this week of someone who got a 3.7 in a SMP, but still couldn't apply to a lot of schools since their sGPA would get them automatically screened out. I know way too many people stuck with over $100K in debt because they thought that they would be one of the few to go from the SMP to the home institution, when in reality, no matter how well they did in the program they werent going to get in.

But, regardless, the OP admitted that he isn't prepared to work hard in a SMP, so it would definitely be a bad option for him