Graduated w/ LOW gpa... review my plan?

[etp123]

Hi all,

I'm 22/F, just graduated with a pretty low GPA (2.5) in molecular biology. Freshman/sophomore years I did very well (3.75). Unfortunately, my GPA tanked not too long after for a variety of familial/personal reasons... I was however able to pull off my last semester with 2 A's and a B+, but it wasn't enough.

I've done a fair bit of research on what I can do to bounce back from this setback and have outlined my current situation/plan below. Mainly, I plan to apply to a postbac program: this would probably be my best shot to "fix" my grades/show my capability to perform well academically. Getting into a postbac can be very competitive it seems, so I am not applying immediately and want to use this time off to better my application with the steps listed below. Would definitely appreciate any feedback!!

My situation/plan:

-Work for 1-2 years: I was fortunately able to land a job as a full-time research tech at a biomedical (immunology) research institute I think this will help show that I can function at a higher academic level since I'm participating in medical research and have a high opportunity to get published.

-Volunteer programs/gain clinical experience: Currently am volunteering at a hospital 4 hrs/week and am also applying to an internship that will provide some clinical bedside training/experience (bathing, ambulatory assistance, etc).

-Take classes via a university extension program: I think taking classes and doing well will help show that I am capable of completing a postbac [EDITED] and also up my GPA... but how do you know if an extension class is acceptable (it'll count for undergrad credit or something)?

-MCAT: Here's where I need a bit of advice. Should I take it before I apply to a postbac or after I complete one? It might help me get accepted to a postbac if I do well, right? I do not think I'm ready enough to take the 2014 version of the MCAT, but I'm anxious about the 2015 version. There's not many details out about it yet (exact format, prep materials, etc)... so I worry about having to take that version. Tips would be much appreciated!

How does this all sound? Any other suggestions would be VERY helpful!! Thank you so much for reading.

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[QofQuimica]

Are you going to apply DO? If so, you're the kind of applicant who could greatly benefit from the AACOMAS grade replacement policy. It would allow you to raise your GPA to a reasonable level fairly quickly by retaking the classes where you got Cs or below and replacing those low grades with (ideally) As. Especially with you being from Cali, it's well worth considering since most of your state schools are so competitive.

 

[desdes]

Hi all,

I'm 22/F, just graduated with a pretty low GPA (2.5) in molecular biology. Freshman/sophomore years I did very well (3.75). Unfortunately, my GPA tanked not too long after for a variety of familial/personal reasons... I was however able to pull off my last semester with 2 A's and a B+, but it wasn't enough.

I've done a fair bit of research on what I can do to bounce back from this setback and have outlined my current situation/plan below. Mainly, I plan to apply to a postbac program: this would probably be my best shot to "fix" my grades/show my capability to perform well academically. Getting into a postbac can be very competitive it seems, so I am not applying immediately and want to use this time off to better my application with the steps listed below. Would definitely appreciate any feedback!!

My situation/plan:

-Work for 1-2 years: I was fortunately able to land a job as a full-time research tech at a biomedical (immunology) research institute I think this will help show that I can function at a higher academic level since I'm participating in medical research and have a high opportunity to get published.

-Volunteer programs/gain clinical experience: Currently am volunteering at a hospital 4 hrs/week and am also applying to an internship that will provide some clinical bedside training/experience (bathing, ambulatory assistance, etc).

-Take classes via a university extension program: I think taking classes and doing well will help show that I am capable of completing a postbac. But what classes should I take? I am looking into classes at UCSD's extension, and they offer anatomy/physio, intro to molecular bio, intro to biochemistry, and stem cell biology... any of these sound good? I have taken biochemistry before though, but got a C... maybe it would be good to retake it through this extension?

-MCAT: Here's where I need a bit of advice. Should I take it before I apply to a postbac or after I complete one? It might help me get accepted to a postbac if I do well, right? I do not think I'm ready enough to take the 2014 version of the MCAT, but I'm anxious about the 2015 version. There's not many details out about it yet (exact format, prep materials, etc)... so I worry about having to take that version. Tips would be much appreciated!

How does this all sound? Any other suggestions would be VERY helpful!! Thank you so much for reading.

I would say if you feel you are not ready for the 2014 mcat wait to take it and have you thought about diy post bac option and I agree with the above post about retaking any C and below

 

[etp123]

Are you going to apply DO? If so, you're the kind of applicant who could greatly benefit from the AACOMAS grade replacement policy. It would allow you to raise your GPA to a reasonable level fairly quickly by retaking the classes where you got Cs or below and replacing those low grades with (ideally) As. Especially with you being from Cali, it's well worth considering since most of your state schools are so competitive.

Yes, applying for an osteopathic school is definitely a plan. Do you have any suggestions how to go about retaking those classes (i.e. does the postbac sound good, or the extension classes, etc)?

 

[etp123]

I would say if you feel you are not ready for the 2014 mcat wait to take it and have you thought about diy post bac option and I agree with the above post about retaking any C and below

Yeah I've heard about the DIY postbac. It's basically just taking the classes at a university without being under any formal postbac program, right? I'm not too sure how to go about that though... would I have to apply again as an undergraduate student? Or just take classes through extensions?

 

[desdes]

Yeah I've heard about the DIY postbac. It's basically just taking the classes at a university without being under any formal postbac program, right? I'm not too sure how to go about that though... would I have to apply again as an undergraduate student? Or just take classes through extensions?

I would apply as a non degree seeking student and many people take them at a cc college I would call the schools you are interested in and see if they will accept cc classes, I took a class at UNE and was told it was fine. There are some great threads about gpa repair and like the other post retaking any C and below could really help, I am not trying to discourage you from applying now but I would try to get the sgpa to a 3.o at least or above to be a competitive applicant

 

[kraskadva]

Yeah I've heard about the DIY postbac. It's basically just taking the classes at a university without being under any formal postbac program, right? I'm not too sure how to go about that though... would I have to apply again as an undergraduate student? Or just take classes through extensions?

It depends on whether you want to go PT or FT. If you want to go PT and pay as you go, then you apply as a non-degree seeking student/continuing ed/do extension classes.
If you want to go FT, you can apply as a second bachelor's student (you don't have to complete a 2nd degree) which will get you fin.aid. and priority registration.
And yes, everything should be at the undergrad level.

 

[etp123]

It depends on whether you want to go PT or FT. If you want to go PT and pay as you go, then you apply as a non-degree seeking student/continuing ed/do extension classes.
If you want to go FT, you can apply as a second bachelor's student (you don't have to complete a 2nd degree) which will get you fin.aid. and priority registration.
And yes, everything should be at the undergrad level.

Do you know if it's OK to take extension classes to replace the grade? I'm looking at some online extension courses from a couple UCs and I'm not sure if those count as "undergrad" level. Here's an example of a class I'm looking at:

http://extension.berkeley.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=40421

Will it be OK to take that class to replace my previous grade, or is it wasted effort? How can I tell what extension classes are good to take (they count towards undergrad level)...?

 

[etp123]

I would apply as a non degree seeking student and many people take them at a cc college I would call the schools you are interested in and see if they will accept cc classes, I took a class at UNE and was told it was fine. There are some great threads about gpa repair and like the other post retaking any C and below could really help, I am not trying to discourage you from applying now but I would try to get the sgpa to a 3.o at least or above to be a competitive applicant

What about extension courses? I'm looking at UC extension classes and those are pretty favorable to me because several of them are at night/on weekends or online, which would fit with my work schedule. But I'm not sure if it will be OK to take them, as in do they count towards grade replacement?

 

[kraskadva]

If they're UG-level classes then they should. 2 ways to get more (reliable) info on this...
1) call the school. Ask if they are UG classes. Ask how they appear on the transcript.
2) call AACOMAS. Ask if they'll take those classes for replacements.

On something like this, best to get it from the horse's mouth, not the interwebz.

 

[desdes]

I agree about calling the schools to see if they accept the courses I know some will accept UNE I definitely would call since the classes are not cheap and you would not want to waste money.

 

[DrMidlife]

OP, you're thinking way too small in terms of the academic effort between you and med school. Of course it's attractive to look at nicely packaged formal programs, but these are not an option from a way-below-3.0. You have vast over-qualified hordes of competition for a med school seat.

Search SDN for "low gpa" and spend dozens of hours in this sub forum as well as reapp and postbac. Read. Read some more. Make a 3+ year plan. Anybody suggesting there's an easy or cheap or quick way out of your situation is giving you bad advice. Keep up a 4 hr/wk clinical volunteering gig but otherwise stop thinking about anything but getting a big new pile of A's. Don't let the details distract you from this. Many classes. Many A's.

The work you do now on your academics, discipline, work ethic and focus are a mandatory foundation. If you are not honestly ready to be the grown up in charge, then postpone med school and go be young and have fun. Don't blow your best years pretending to be serious. Real serious premeds have a fair bit of control over their exam scores. You might need some more time before you can be that. Or, maybe you're ready to go throw a bunch of A's for a really long time.

Best of luck to you.

 

[operaman]

Yeah, would definitely wait on the MCAT. GPA is your Achilles heal and will take years to repair. Even another 4 year degree with a 4.0 GPA would leave you with a 3.3 cGPA which is still on the low side. Even so, everyone loves a comeback story and it's not impossible, just a LOT of work.

 

[etp123]

OP, you're thinking way too small in terms of the academic effort between you and med school. Of course it's attractive to look at nicely packaged formal programs, but these are not an option from a way-below-3.0. You have vast over-qualified hordes of competition for a med school seat.

Search SDN for "low gpa" and spend dozens of hours in this sub forum as well as reapp and postbac. Read. Read some more. Make a 3+ year plan. Anybody suggesting there's an easy or cheap or quick way out of your situation is giving you bad advice. Keep up a 4 hr/wk clinical volunteering gig but otherwise stop thinking about anything but getting a big new pile of A's. Don't let the details distract you from this. Many classes. Many A's.

The work you do now on your academics, discipline, work ethic and focus are a mandatory foundation. If you are not honestly ready to be the grown up in charge, then postpone med school and go be young and have fun. Don't blow your best years pretending to be serious. Real serious premeds have a fair bit of control over their exam scores. You might need some more time before you can be that. Or, maybe you're ready to go throw a bunch of A's for a really long time.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I understand it's going to be a long, hard road to repair my GPA damage and I'm prepared to undertake it... but you're right in that the academics and discipline is a foundation I need to rebuild from the time I wasted during my undergrad.

I'm thinking of taking 1 or 2 classes just part time via extension programs every semester to help bring up my GPA and work me back up to the studying standard I need to be at. And then possibly, after 2-3 years of simultaneously working, volunteering, and taking classes (fingers crossed they're A's), maybe I can apply full time to a university again or a formal program. How do you think that sounds for my situation?

 

[TheUnderdogSupreme]

The only issue with attending as a non-degree undergrad student is that you register for classes after everyone else registers - you are last in line. If your school is like mine, by the time you are able to register, most of the classes you need, at the time you can take them with your work schedule, will be gone. If you are not going to apply to a post-bacc program, I suggest applying as a 2nd degree student. Obviously you are not going for a 2nd degree, but it helps with registration. Maybe others on here see differently though.

 

[mavric1298]

^ second this. At this point it's all about getting as many credits with high GPA points as you can, without having any blemishes. Also, create a spreadsheet of every class, every grade, and mess around with it and plan out a path forward. See what retaking certain classes does for you (DO wise), and how many credits you'll need to get your GPA up. There are several pre made sheets on here, or I have one that might be a bit overkill but is my dashboard, with a fair amount of calculations (it's part of what I do for a living, dashing board and data analysis, so of course I have a crazy spreadsheet ). For example, mine calculates separately DO vs MD cGPA,cSGPA, GPA by year, SGPA by year, has trendline data, adjustments for repeats, quarter and semester conversion, and the most fun of all, converting my lovely numerical GPA to letter back to numerical according to AMCAS rules.

 

[doit4humanity]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I understand it's going to be a long, hard road to repair my GPA damage and I'm prepared to undertake it... but you're right in that the academics and discipline is a foundation I need to rebuild from the time I wasted during my undergrad.

I'm thinking of taking 1 or 2 classes just part time via extension programs every semester to help bring up my GPA and work me back up to the studying standard I need to be at. And then possibly, after 2-3 years of simultaneously working, volunteering, and taking classes (fingers crossed they're A's), maybe I can apply full time to a university again or a formal program. How do you think that sounds for my situation?

I'm also in the same boat as you. I'm attempting to do pre-reqs and improve my GPA for med school. In regard to second bachelor in California; I'm also a resident of California and have contact many local state university and so far none of them accept second bachelor, so if you do find one please let me know too

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

I think you have a great plan. Definitely retake any prereq or science course you got less than a B- and any non-science course you got less than a C. Especially any Fs. After a year working you might want to consider doing a masters in a hard science or a SMP. A post bacc with linkage would also be a good alternative. The DIY post bacc is the best option the time being since you can easly tack on 30 credits of science courses onto your gpa in 2 years while still having time for work/research experience and volunteering. I would apply for med school once you get close to a 3.0 gpa and enroll in a masters program while waiting to hear word from med schools. If unsuccessful apply again after finishing the masters program, retake mcat if need be. Also if you are URM your golden ticket is a great MCAT score. If you look the acceptee data for URM what made a big difference in admission is MCAT. Anything above a 32 than the chance of URM with a 2.8-2.9 gpa getting in is like 70%!

 

[ehwhatsupdoc]

Also calculate how many credits of As you need to bring up you cgpa and sgpa to a 3.0. You can use this NYU site to put in all your courses and grades. http://prehealth.cas.nyu.edu/page/bcpmcalculator