I am currently a senior Kinesiology student at UMass Amherst, and this past year I've taken a completely new interest in medicine and science and have decided that, despite my poor uGPA, I am going to re-invest in my education and apply for medical school within the next 2-4 years. For the sake of brevity, I'll leave out the life story, "Why I want to be a doctor" details and assure the reader that this is the right decision for me.
Here's my current situation:
-Can choose to graduate this semester with a B.S. in Kinesiology and a sub 3.0 uGPA (~2.8)
-I essentially have half or less of a standard BCMP background. I've taken 0 Biology courses, 2 calc courses, and only 1 course each in Chem and Physics.
-My parents support my decision to go "back" to school, but we both agree I'm basically on my own when it comes to paying for it. They have offered to allow me to live/eat at home for free, but this is 2+ hours away from UMass Amherst. (But, it's close enough to Boston for UMB's post-bac)
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Here are my options:
OPTION 1: Stay at UMass Amherst, and do an unofficial post-bacc by taking the basic lower-level sciences and then getting into 500 level Bio/Biochem classes.
I'd have to find a way to live on/off campus, and I'm a bit torn on how I should plan on supporting myself. Should I graduate with the Kinesiology degree and pursue a professional career while being a full time student? Or is it a better idea to "stay" in school and just switch majors, while doing EMT/PCA jobs?
OPTION 2: Graduate from UMass, then move home and do UMass Boston's Post-Bac program. I don't quite understand how their program works, but like Amherst, I'd want to get my low level classes like Bio, Chem/Physics II, and Orgo out of the way, and then get into some upper-level BioChem and MicroBio.
Advantages:
-No housing/Food costs (can commute by train to Boston for pretty cheap)
-"Official" Post-Bac program that might offer me more guidance
-More employment opportunities close to home
Disadvantages:
-Less recognized; UMass Amherst is overall a more impressive school to come from.
If money weren't an issue, I'd want to stay in Amherst. There are some fantastic professors out here, and I am absolutely kicking myself every day for not realizing the incredible opportunity I've been wasting for most of my college career.
But, I also know that with my former GPA, my chances of ever becoming an MD are very slim, and if I have any hope of even getting an interview, I need to pull a 4.0 for the next 2 years and kill on MCATS. I don't know what my financial/work situation will be, and I think it's doubtful that I could perform the way I need to in 500 level science courses while working full time just to pay for housing out in Amherst. Additionally, the employment situation out here is pretty bad; there's just not a whole lot of good paying jobs.
What are everyone's thoughts?
Here's my current situation:
-Can choose to graduate this semester with a B.S. in Kinesiology and a sub 3.0 uGPA (~2.8)
-I essentially have half or less of a standard BCMP background. I've taken 0 Biology courses, 2 calc courses, and only 1 course each in Chem and Physics.
-My parents support my decision to go "back" to school, but we both agree I'm basically on my own when it comes to paying for it. They have offered to allow me to live/eat at home for free, but this is 2+ hours away from UMass Amherst. (But, it's close enough to Boston for UMB's post-bac)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are my options:
OPTION 1: Stay at UMass Amherst, and do an unofficial post-bacc by taking the basic lower-level sciences and then getting into 500 level Bio/Biochem classes.
I'd have to find a way to live on/off campus, and I'm a bit torn on how I should plan on supporting myself. Should I graduate with the Kinesiology degree and pursue a professional career while being a full time student? Or is it a better idea to "stay" in school and just switch majors, while doing EMT/PCA jobs?
OPTION 2: Graduate from UMass, then move home and do UMass Boston's Post-Bac program. I don't quite understand how their program works, but like Amherst, I'd want to get my low level classes like Bio, Chem/Physics II, and Orgo out of the way, and then get into some upper-level BioChem and MicroBio.
Advantages:
-No housing/Food costs (can commute by train to Boston for pretty cheap)
-"Official" Post-Bac program that might offer me more guidance
-More employment opportunities close to home
Disadvantages:
-Less recognized; UMass Amherst is overall a more impressive school to come from.
If money weren't an issue, I'd want to stay in Amherst. There are some fantastic professors out here, and I am absolutely kicking myself every day for not realizing the incredible opportunity I've been wasting for most of my college career.
But, I also know that with my former GPA, my chances of ever becoming an MD are very slim, and if I have any hope of even getting an interview, I need to pull a 4.0 for the next 2 years and kill on MCATS. I don't know what my financial/work situation will be, and I think it's doubtful that I could perform the way I need to in 500 level science courses while working full time just to pay for housing out in Amherst. Additionally, the employment situation out here is pretty bad; there's just not a whole lot of good paying jobs.
What are everyone's thoughts?
