Gap years with TFA *or* spend time boosting 3.1sGPA?

[awlookitsacat]

I'm a senior at an Ivy League school, URM, first generation college student and molecular biology major. I have a low sGPA (cGPA 3.2) partly thanks to a D in chemistry freshman year. Steep upward GPA trend throughout college. Research experience: check.

I am planning on taking at least 2 gap years, but I'm not sure what to do.

I've always wanted to teach and I was admitted to Teach for America. But I also want to boost my chances of entering medical school, because medicine is ultimately what I want to do.

GPA: I haven't applied to postbac or SMP programs, but I am able to take this year off to take upper level science classes at a 4-year university and gain more clinical experience (along with more work experience). 2 years off.

TFA: I do have an alright amount of clinical experience to begin with though. And everyone around me is telling me TFA is prestigious and was good too talk about during interviews and in the application. In some cases, it dominated the interview process. *BUT* if I do a one-year teaching/tutoring job in my second gap year that may give me the same benefits. At least 3 years off.

tldr: 3.1 sGPA. TFA...or boost GPA? *I haven't taken the MCAT yet and if I did TFA, I would have to take 3 years off.

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

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[I Love Cats]

Congrats on being a first gen. and making it to an ivy. You should be very proud. While TFA is a very respectable reason and, in my opinion, good way to spend a gap year or two, I'd be afraid that it probably wouldn't be enough to mask the 3.1 no matter how good of an "EC" it might be, especially for MD. I'm all for TFA in general, but if you are dead set on med school, you may have to do something else, potentially more academic, in order to attenuate that ugpa's impact. I love programs like TFA, so it is hard for me to speak against it. This is my train of thought, and ultimately, do what is best for you as a person and what makes you happiest and will get you where you want to be. Good luck.

 

[syoung]

I'm a senior at an Ivy League school, URM, first generation college student and molecular biology major. I have a low sGPA (cGPA 3.2) partly thanks to a D in chemistry freshman year. Steep upward GPA trend throughout college.Good trend, that may account for somethings, especially in a secondary essay you can talk about grades and how you've matured, etc. Research experience: check. pubs? or just exp?

I am planning on taking at least 2 gap years, but I'm not sure what to do. Most important: do what you're passionate about, that will show in what you write for your PS.

I've always wanted to teach and I was admitted to Teach for America. But I also want to boost my chances of entering medical school, because medicine is ultimately what I want to do.

GPA: I haven't applied to postbac or SMP programs, but I am able to take this year off to take upper level science classes at a 4-year university and gain more clinical experience (along with more work experience). 2 years off. Look into this. GPA is incredibly important

TFA: I do have an alright amount of clinical experience to begin with though. And everyone around me is telling me TFA is prestigious and was good too talk about during interviews and in the application. In some cases, it dominated the interview process. *BUT* if I do a one-year teaching/tutoring job in my second gap year that may give me the same benefits. At least 3 years off. TFA> some teaching/tutoring job

tldr: 3.1 sGPA. TFA...or boost GPA? *I haven't taken the MCAT yet and if I did TFA, I would have to take 3 years off. Depends on if you REALLY want medicine and if you're just doing TFA to get in. You may end up hating the fact that you're "wasting" 3 years of your life to get into medicine...

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

See bold

 

[freshbagels]

You could try doing an SMP in gap year 1 and then City Year (or another AmeriCorps service) year 2 - City Year in particular is similar to TFA. You do less direct, head-of-class teaching but you're serving in schools full-time. You definitely need to do some sort of GPA repair (post-bacc, SMP, whatever) before you're competitive for MD, though.

 

[mcloaf]

A one year teaching or tutoring job is unlikely to be anything like TFA.

But you should be much more focused on your GPA anyway.

 

[Goro]

It shouldn't take you one extra year to prepare for MCAT. We do expect students to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Keep in mind that with that steep upward trend, and a 3.2 GPA, you're fine for DO programs; even more if you re-take the D class, thanks to AACOMAS grade replacement.

I'm a senior at an Ivy League school, URM, first generation college student and molecular biology major. I have a low sGPA (cGPA 3.2) partly thanks to a D in chemistry freshman year. Steep upward GPA trend throughout college. Research experience: check.

I am planning on taking at least 2 gap years, but I'm not sure what to do.

I've always wanted to teach and I was admitted to Teach for America. But I also want to boost my chances of entering medical school, because medicine is ultimately what I want to do.

GPA: I haven't applied to postbac or SMP programs, but I am able to take this year off to take upper level science classes at a 4-year university and gain more clinical experience (along with more work experience). 2 years off.

TFA: I do have an alright amount of clinical experience to begin with though. And everyone around me is telling me TFA is prestigious and was good too talk about during interviews and in the application. In some cases, it dominated the interview process. *BUT* if I do a one-year teaching/tutoring job in my second gap year that may give me the same benefits. At least 3 years off.

tldr: 3.1 sGPA. TFA...or boost GPA? *I haven't taken the MCAT yet and if I did TFA, I would have to take 3 years off.

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

[SixStringPsych]

It shouldn't take you one extra year to prepare for MCAT. We do expect students to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Keep in mind that with that steep upward trend, and a 3.2 GPA, you're fine for DO programs; even more if you re-take the D class, thanks to AACOMAS grade replacement.

Goro, what kind of MCAT would you say the OP needs to be competitive at DO and have a shot at MD programs respectively?

Considering he is a URM, surely a 30 at least should get him an acceptance at an MD program somewhere

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

Goro, what kind of MCAT would you say the OP needs to be competitive at DO and have a shot at MD programs respectively?

Considering he is a URM, surely a 30 at least should get him an acceptance at an MD program somewhere

My thoughts also... URM, 3.2, maybe 31-32 gets him an MD acceptance somewhere?

 

[syoung]

What's his cGPA? That will make a difference as well! Some schools use that vs. the sGPA.

The higher the MCAT the more competitive.

 

[awlookitsacat]

Thanks for all of the great replies!

My cumulative GPA is 3.26...not much higher than my science GPA. Looking at this table, https://www.aamc.org/download/321512/data/2012factstable25-1.pdf, anything over a 32 is best.

*Definitely thinking of turning down TFA to focus on my GPA for a year*

I'm looking into SMPs (but since most are rolling admissions and require an MCAT, I don't think this is a realistic option) and focusing on post-bacs in SoCal for URMs. I'm considering applying to CSULA post-bac, UC Riverside, and UCSF (UCR and CSULA I'm crossing my fingers for, because I'd have to relocate to go to UCSF). My other option is to take classes through a CSU or through UCLA Extension, but I'm reading the reviews here on this forum and they're kinda iffy. Definitely have to do more research. Thoughts?

Goro: The only reason I would doing TFA means taking 3 years off is because I haven't taken the MCAT yet. All the TFA corps members I've spoken to who are in my position (albeit with higher GPAs) have taken the entire summer after their first year of teaching to study for the MCAT, taken the MCAT late August/early September. Sent in their applications in June immediately after their second year of teaching. Interviewed during third year.

 

[NoControl1313]

If you are debating doing TFA, you probably shouldn't do TFA. I have seen many corps members come in wondering if they made the right decision joining and a majority of them are gone by the second year leaving students who need teachers with substitutes for the year. Also, if you are really dedicating yourself to the work in your school, you will have very little free time to pursue other more medically or academically related activities (especially if that is what you are most concerned about). The process is a lot more intense than recruitment makes it seem (at least in my and most of my fellow corps members opinions) but it's definitely a worthwhile experience if you are truly invested in the cause (I know the experiences has taught me a HUGE amount about both education and medicine in underserved/rural areas/ its impact on these communities). But if the larger issue is GPA, which it seems to be, and the ultimate question is what gives me a better chance at medical school, then I think it's a better idea to go with a post-bac/masters/sciences courses to recover that and using the rest of your time to focus on other meaningful activities/volunteering.

That's my 2 cents, and it sounds like you already know some people who have done or are doing TFA, but, feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the experience.

 

[SixStringPsych]

What's his cGPA? That will make a difference as well! Some schools use that vs. the sGPA.

The higher the MCAT the more competitive.

Syoung, do you happen to know which schools focus more on cGPA than sGPA? Especially if your sGPA has a steep upward trend due to a post bacc.

 

[awlookitsacat]

Thanks for the great responses! Just thought I'd update in case someone else in the future has this dilemma: I went for the post-bacc. Joining UC postbacc program this fall (it was a scramble getting those apps in on time because I started looking at programs late). I feel more comfortable taking this path (postbacc) than doing TFA.

 

[mcloaf]

Thanks for the great responses! Just thought I'd update in case someone else in the future has this dilemma: I went for the post-bacc. Joining UC postbacc program this fall (it was a scramble getting those apps in on time because I started looking at programs late). I feel more comfortable taking this path (postbacc) than doing TFA.

Good choice. I think you'll be better rested and happier than if you went into TFA being on the fence about it, and fixing up your GPA will give you higher returns as far as med school apps. Good luck!

 

[awlookitsacat]

Updating in case anyone finds themselves in a similar situation since I know I relied on studentdoc as a premed.

I did the postbacc, completed it and focused on increasing my GPA and once I had that down volunteered in local hospitals affiliated with the school I did my post bacc at, my gap year between the post bac and medical school (the year I spent applying to medical school) I got a job in the educational field, was successful in applying to medical school (got into schools like UW, UCLA, UCSF, with a couple Ivies sprinkled in etc).

The post bacc program definitely helped me. I wouldn't have been admitted to those top tier schools if I hadn't done it - although to be fair, there are students at my current medical school who didn't have stellar undergrad GPAs or stellar MCATs but they are rare and far between and they do not have both.

I spent the time before my post bacc program began preparing for the MCAT, which also helped.

Caveat is that I joined a UC post bacc program which is much better established than other post bacc programs, although I did run into one or two CSULA post bacc students on the med school interview trail but only for med schools in the Los Angeles area. It also helps a lot to do a structured program because they have built in support for medical school applications and interview advice. You have to choose wisely when you're applying to medical schools and their advice and connections can be very important.

I would suggest doing your research about UC post bacc programs, applying early, and being okay just reaching out for advice - you can even call the programs up themselves and ask for advice (shoutout to UCR - I called them up and just explained my situation, and they advised me to not to TFA and do a post bacc instead - it was a very quick and easy advisory thing over the phone).

Good luck everyone. Thanks for all your advice. I'm at the med school of my dreams.

 

[femmegoblue]

Updating in case anyone finds themselves in a similar situation since I know I relied on studentdoc as a premed.

I did the postbacc, completed it and focused on increasing my GPA and once I had that down volunteered in local hospitals affiliated with the school I did my post bacc at, my gap year between the post bac and medical school (the year I spent applying to medical school) I got a job in the educational field, was successful in applying to medical school (got into schools like UW, UCLA, UCSF, with a couple Ivies sprinkled in etc).

The post bacc program definitely helped me. I wouldn't have been admitted to those top tier schools if I hadn't done it - although to be fair, there are students at my current medical school who didn't have stellar undergrad GPAs or stellar MCATs but they are rare and far between and they do not have both.

I spent the time before my post bacc program began preparing for the MCAT, which also helped.

Caveat is that I joined a UC post bacc program which is much better established than other post bacc programs, although I did run into one or two CSULA post bacc students on the med school interview trail but only for med schools in the Los Angeles area. It also helps a lot to do a structured program because they have built in support for medical school applications and interview advice. You have to choose wisely when you're applying to medical schools and their advice and connections can be very important.

I would suggest doing your research about UC post bacc programs, applying early, and being okay just reaching out for advice - you can even call the programs up themselves and ask for advice (shoutout to UCR - I called them up and just explained my situation, and they advised me to not to TFA and do a post bacc instead - it was a very quick and easy advisory thing over the phone).

Good luck everyone. Thanks for all your advice. I'm at the med school of my dreams.

If you don't mind sharing, what did you end up with on the MCAT? Congratulations on your success, it's quite impressive!

 

[awlookitsacat]

I ended up with a 33 and took it once (old test). I have friends in medical school with much higher undergrad GPAs who got lower MCAT scores i.e. a 27. I was told I had to study my butt off more for the MCAT because I had to make up for my GPA. It was still below average for the medical school I ended up going to, but guess that just shows it's not the end all be all.

 

[ItsMeeMee]

Hi OP! Thanks so much for the updates. I was wondering what made you choose Post-Bac (1 of 2 years?) instead of SMP and if you don't mind, the GPA you ended up with when you applied. I'm in the same boat but also deciding on whether to do SMP or Post bacc for next year.

 

[awlookitsacat]

Honestly, I think it was because I missed the deadline for SMP programs in my area. I also heard more about the UC post bacc programs, and so I didn't know that much about SMP at that time. I had a 3.8 during post bacc year. It looked like my friends who got a 4.0 had earlier and more interview offers from similar schools though.