HELP ! =) Informal Post-Bac GPA Enhancement Question

[Stephen2009]

Hi all,

So I graduated a few years ago and for one reason or another I decided not to apply to Medical School (self-selected myself out).

Now after major introspection and life events I'm giving it 'another' shot. So the issue is my GPA is 3.35 and BCPM about 3.35 as well (could be better). I've decided to do a one year informal post-bac to get my GPA to 3.49 (I used the unofficial Excel AMCAS spreadsheet to calculate that (with hypo straight A's of course -- optimistically speaking I've done it before =) ).

(By the way I have considered SMP's but it's impossible for me to leave to another state until next Summer,... so I have a year to improve my app., though only where I'm living now.)

My MCAT was at the average for matriculating med. students but now it has expired...

I graduated with a double major in Biochemistry and Biology so I took a lot of science courses already. The issue is at the state university I'm taking the courses at now, there aren't that many 3000 to 4000 level Science courses that are 1.) offered ; 2.) haven't already taken ; 3.) related that much to Medical school courses (e.g. Advanced Biochem vs. Advanced Botany courses.)
[The private university close by is $35,000 a year for non-degree seeking students, though they have more courses offered... but due to the price... this isn't an option...]


So should I:

1) Take upper level Physics or Math courses (Got A's in Calc I and Calc II so I would have to take some really advanced Math courses from this point on... not too crazy about that -- I would rather take physics classes)... to boost my BCPM... or would Med. School prefer I do something else in terms of class choice...

2) Take upper level non-science courses like English and History courses (I actually enjoy writing papers...) to boost my overall GPA.

So to sum up... should I just take science courses (e.g. Anyscience course) -or- do a mixture of non-science and science courses for a year (because of the lack of pertinent Science courses offered)?

Any recommendations of what specific classes to take?

Thank you all so much! This has been weighing heavily on my mind for a while now...

(p.s. I tried looking for an answer prior to posting but didn't find anything specific enough.)

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[Isoprop]

A's in science courses (BCPM courses specifically) offer the best bang for buck because they raise both OA and BCPM GPA. Also, since med years 1 and 2 are just advanced science courses, 1 year of 4.0 GPA in a bunch of BCPM courses could ameliorate any doubt of your abilities handling the first two years of med school.

That being said, non-science classes would make you look more well-rounded.

In the end, I would advise taking BCPM courses to raise your GPA. But don't take a BCPM class that you will hate b/c it'll make it harder to raise your GPA.

Oh and AFAIK, there is no preference of which BCPM classes to take other then perhaps biochemistry and cell biology, which I presume you have already taken. Botany is fine if you think you could do well/enjoy it.

 

[drizzt3117]

I'd take science courses if you can. Retaking courses you didn't do well in (if you had any that you had Cs or worse in) might not be a bad idea either.

 

[Stephen2009]

Thanks for all the quick responses.

Any more advice from the community?

Thanks!

 

[DrMidlife]

You'll want to think about where you live and whether you have any advantage living there. If you're in Arkansas, and aside from that 3.5-ish GPA-to-be you have a strong app, then you're golden. If you're in CA or NY, you're fairly screwed with a 3.5.

What I'm trying to say here is that there are state schools that go WAY out of their way to support regional candidates with decent credentials, and a 3.5 is completely realistic. Then you have the HUGE benefit of paying instate tuition and not being a quarter million in debt when you start residency.

And if you're not in one of these states, then you're in the OOS/private pool, where the competition is most fierce, and the debt load is most painful.

Generally, if you can find a way to become a TX or FL or OH resident with decent numbers, that's pretty much the way to go.

Best of luck to you.