HELP! Advice needed

[doctry23]

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Hi everyone,

I am a junior and I was about to finish my junior spring with a 3.5 cGPA, 3.3 sGPA because I currently have all As in my courses. However, my college just decided a mandatory pass/fail grading and I can no longer uncover my grades, so my GPA of last semester stands (a 3.3 cGPA, 3.1 sGPA). Now, in senior year, I can possibly bring up my grades to a cGPA of 3.5 and 3.4 sGPA, but this is a lot lower than I was expecting when I had my amazing grades from this semester.

I have 3 questions about this:

I was already encouraged to do a post bac year but my parents didn't like the idea of wasting time so it really wasn't an option and I was going to apply summer after senior year with my original projected grades (cGPA 3.6, sGPA 3.5)...
The reason I was applying anyways is because sophomore year I got a C+ in a chem course and D in the 2nd part of a chem course. I was repeating the course that I got a D in right now and had an A in currently and I was also about to show an upward trend of having 4.0s both semesters of junior year and a really high GPA senior year too.
1- Now that my chem repeat course grade is going to stay covered, do I have to take it again (a 3rd time) to make up for the D?
2- Should I still apply to MD schools with a 3.6 cGPA at the end of senior year (with a MCAT of hopefully 517)? or should I do a post bac program? (I am not going to do a DIY post-bac)
3- How many post bac programs is one supposed to apply to? (I have already completed all my pre-med recs so this would be just GPA boosters)

Thanks!

 

[doctry23]

I'd really appreciate some help about this!

 

[GreenDuck12]

1. You’ll need to have chemistry graded. While med schools are making exceptions for schools that switch to pass/fail, you really need a grade in that course to show improvement. Does your university have an option to petition for a grade?

2. Do you have a 517 MCAT score? I would spend some time with the AAMC data for matriculates applicants based off of GPA and mcat scores. With a high MCAT, I would not pursue a postbac and instead would apply MD assuming your application is well rounded.

3. I’m not sure how many postbac programs you will qualify for since you’ve already completed the prerequisite classes. Which programs are you looking at?

 

[doctry23]

1. You’ll need to have chemistry graded. While med schools are making exceptions for schools that switch to pass/fail, you really need a grade in that course to show improvement. Does your university have an option to petition for a grade?

2. Do you have a 517 MCAT score? I would spend some time with the AAMC data for matriculates applicants based off of GPA and mcat scores. With a high MCAT, I would not pursue a postbac and instead would apply MD assuming your application is well rounded.

3. I’m not sure how many postbac programs you will qualify for since you’ve already completed the prerequisite classes. Which programs are you looking at?

1- uni wont let me :// should I take it online for the 3rd time this summer? It's gonna be online because of quarantine so will they even accept that?
2- My practice scores are 517 but i havent been able to take the MCAT yet
3- I'm looking at DIY post bacs (taking 4-8 classes) plus Drexel's Intensive Medical Sciences

My advisor wants me to apply after taking more classes since my upward trend is disrupted by my uni's pass/fail policy and I was against it but it sounds like if I apply with a 3.5 cGPA, I really have no chance (I'm ORM) so would a year of post-bac help?

 

[ihoop24]

1- uni wont let me :// should I take it online for the 3rd time this summer? It's gonna be online because of quarantine so will they even accept that?
2- My practice scores are 517 but i havent been able to take the MCAT yet
3- I'm looking at DIY post bacs (taking 4-8 classes) plus Drexel's Intensive Medical Sciences

My advisor wants me to apply after taking more classes since my upward trend is disrupted by my uni's pass/fail policy and I was against it but it sounds like if I apply with a 3.5 cGPA, I really have no chance (I'm ORM) so would a year of post-bac help?

Not true. You definitely have a chance with a presumed 3.5 and 517. Don't count yourself out.

 

[doctry23]

Not true. You definitely have a chance with a presumed 3.5 and 517. Don't count yourself out.

Thanks! Well, the other part of my advisor telling me I don't have a chance is her writing the committee letter and not endorsing me as much as she could, which is why I was thinking of listening to her. Would doing a DIY post-bac at least help me get into better medical schools?

 

[GreenDuck12]

Thanks! Well, the other part of my advisor telling me I don't have a chance is her writing the committee letter and not endorsing me as much as she could, which is why I was thinking of listening to her. Would doing a DIY post-bac at least help me get into better medical schools?

A postbac would add additional classes with higher grades but it would take many semesters to meaningfully increase your GPA and your chances at higher tier programs. A 517 mcat will open doors but you will need to target schools where your mcat is above the median and your gpa is within the 10% or 25% bands to have your best shot at an II.

In terms of your chemistry class, Im not quite sure what to do here. Usually all prereqs need to be taken for a grade. However medical schools have said they will accept P/NP classes from universities that don’t give a graded option, which yours does not. But to complicate matters you took the course once and didn’t earn the C or higher required for it to count. You might want to call mes schools you’re interested in to ask them whether or not they would accept it.

your committee letter isn’t solid you can go with individual letters of recommendation instead.

So I guess in summation: Would postbac classes help? Sure, more classes will usually help provided you do well in them. Will postbac classes help a lot? Meh, probably not.