Graduating science major needs advice

[kingmanmr1]

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Hello everyone,

I am a graduating marine science major. I have taken some of the pre-req courses for medical school, but not all of them. I was originally thinking I would like to find a post-bacc program that would allow me to finish the pre-reqs, add some advanced science courses, and provide all the extra opportunities and things that they generally do, but I spoke with a pre-health advisor at my university and she recommended that I just apply somewhere as a non-degree seeking student, finish the courses I need to, and then take the MCAT and apply to medical school. I guess I would just like to get the opinions of some people on here that have maybe faced a similar situation and what you did or what you would recommend. Is it worth doing a post-bacc program if I could get into one? Which ones accommodate someone in my situation? Any help people could provide would be appreciated, I'm not really sure where to go from here/what the best path is for me. Thanks!

 

[y123]

What is your science GPA and how many more courses do you need to take?

 

[bbbaaa]

I did an informal, do it yourself route, enjoyed it and successfully got into med school. It was a lot less expensive than the formal programs in my area, but it probably required more self-motivation since you have to seek out your own extracurriculars and letters of recommendation. If you have confidence you can and will do those things on your own, I would say just go informal especially since you only need some, not all, of the classes. But seriously, don't procrastinate on those other things outside of the classroom.

 

[Goro]

This is a perfectly reasonable approach!

On the flip side, while SMPs cost more, they at least provide a back door into med school if given at a med school. Many SMPs guarantee an interview if you excel in their program.

but I spoke with a pre-health advisor at my university and she recommended that I just apply somewhere as a non-degree seeking student, finish the courses I need to, and then take the MCAT and apply to medical school.

 

[kingmanmr1]

What is your science GPA and how many more courses do you need to take?

Here is a list of the pre-reqs and grades:
Chem 1 = C-, retake = A-
Chem 1 lab = A
Chem 2 = C- (haven't retaken)
Chem 2 lab = A
Bio 1 = B-
Bio 1 lab = A
Bio 2 = C
Bio 2 lab = B+
Physics 1 = C+
Physics 1 lab = A

Other potentially relevant courses:
College Algebra = A
Calculus 2 = C
General Psych = C+
Anatomy w/ lab = C
Physiology w/ lab = D+ (haven't retaken)
Stat 1 = A
Stat 2 = currently taking

I also have some other medically related courses but I don't know if they are relevant. In my opinion, I would assume most of these are terrible, but I do believe I can do a lot better, most of these were in my first two years and I was not focused enough or mature enough to do what I needed to in order to succeed in these classes. I have made Dean's List my last two semesters and expect to this semester as well. My cumulative GPA is currently a 3.19, and should be around 3.22-3.25 at the end of this semester.

Because of this I think it would be beneficial to do a post-bacc, but my advisor said to finish the pre-reqs as a non-degree student. I worry that even if I got A's in the rest of the courses I would not be nearly competitive enough. Does this change any opinions as far as what you would recommend bbbaaa and Goro? Hopefully this gives you guys a better perspective of my situation. Thanks for the responses so far!

 

[bbbaaa]

Well assuming you were content with those past science grades, all you would technically need is two semesters of organic chemistry and one semester of physics, right? In that case anything other than simply taking those three classes informally over two semesters or a summer or something seems silly to me. However, it looks like even making A's in those classes would leave your science GPA pretty low.

So are you considering retaking some of these classes as part of a post-bacc? As you may know, MD schools will factor in BOTH your original grade and the retake when computing GPA, whereas DO schools accept grade replacement. So basically that means it takes quite a bit more work to raise your GPA for MD school consideration, but you could fairly quickly make yourself competitive for DO schools.

Assuming you are in fact considering a post-bacc where you take the additional classes you need as well as retaking some of those classes with low grades, it still doesn't change my recommendation much since it's basically what I did. As a non-degree student I could only take 8 credit hours at a time, so just for example you could do something like...

Semester 1 - Physics 1, Bio 2
Semester 2 - Physics 2, Chem 2
Summer 1 - Org 1
Summer 2 - Org 2

If you made very high grades in all those classes I have no doubt your GPA would be competitive for DO schools, and you can do the math on where your GPA would land factoring in all your previous grades for MD schools.

Like Goro said there are still benefits to doing a formal program like an SMP, there are ones specifically designed as "grade enhancers", just do some research about what's available near you. Bottom line is that it's possible either way if you put in the work, which includes classes, EC's, and certainly the MCAT.

 

[kingmanmr1]

Thank you for your advice. I am looking to go the allopathic route if possible. I live in Florida and there are not too many formal programs in state. I have begun to look for schools that give priority for registration to non-degree seeking students thanks to your advice. I see that you took your pre-reqs at UNC and would like to know how your experience was if you don't mind. I have an opportunity to get a job through Duke's School of Medicine and may be able to take the pre-reqs there or at UNC. What would be your opinion on working while taking classes?

Well assuming you were content with those past science grades, all you would technically need is two semesters of organic chemistry and one semester of physics, right? In that case anything other than simply taking those three classes informally over two semesters or a summer or something seems silly to me. However, it looks like even making A's in those classes would leave your science GPA pretty low.

So are you considering retaking some of these classes as part of a post-bacc? As you may know, MD schools will factor in BOTH your original grade and the retake when computing GPA, whereas DO schools accept grade replacement. So basically that means it takes quite a bit more work to raise your GPA for MD school consideration, but you could fairly quickly make yourself competitive for DO schools.

Assuming you are in fact considering a post-bacc where you take the additional classes you need as well as retaking some of those classes with low grades, it still doesn't change my recommendation much since it's basically what I did. As a non-degree student I could only take 8 credit hours at a time, so just for example you could do something like...

Semester 1 - Physics 1, Bio 2
Semester 2 - Physics 2, Chem 2
Summer 1 - Org 1
Summer 2 - Org 2

If you made very high grades in all those classes I have no doubt your GPA would be competitive for DO schools, and you can do the math on where your GPA would land factoring in all your previous grades for MD schools.

Like Goro said there are still benefits to doing a formal program like an SMP, there are ones specifically designed as "grade enhancers", just do some research about what's available near you. Bottom line is that it's possible either way if you put in the work, which includes classes, EC's, and certainly the MCAT.

 

[bbbaaa]

UNC allows non-degree students with a bachelors degree to have registration priority, which is very helpful. NC State does not, I'm not sure what Duke's policy is. My experience at UNC was great, I would do it again the same way. I had the luxury of only having to work sporadically during my post-bacc, nothing close to full time. It allowed me to focus exclusively on classes, the MCAT, and extracurriculars. I can't really speak to what it would be like having to work full time, aside from the obvious fact that it would be more difficult.