Help please. Improving GPA. Post Bacc, CC, MS.

[Refreshed]

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I'm trying to figure out the best way to improve my undergrad GPA. I graduated in May (BA Biology, Theology minor) with a 2.88 overall GPA and have already applied to a few DO schools. My GPA was so low because I didn't really bother to study until my last two semesters. My DO application looked like this:

Overall GPA: 2.88
MCAT: 28 (10-8-10)
EC: Shadowed 1 MD, volunteered in a hospital throughout undergrad.

Although my GPA was really low, does the fact that it improved each semester matter at all? I think it went something like this.

Frosh Sem1: 1.44
Frosh Sem2: 2.00
Soph Sem1 - Junior Sem1: ~2.4
Junior Sem2 - Senior Sem2: 3.8

I know that I probably won't get into med school without improving my GPA somehow but I'm not sure if it's best to do a 1 year post-bacc program, a 2 year MS program, or just retake/take upper level science classes at a 4 year university.


What do you guys think?

Edit: Also, if I were to just take classes to improve my GPA would it matter where? What I mean is, would taking classes at a community college (because it's cheaper) be pointless?

 

[islabear]

I was in a similar situation. I graduated in 2005 with a 2.86. Applied to several DO schools in 2009, no interviews. Took 32 post-bacc credits (some new, some repeated) at the school I completed my undergrad work at and actually went to class this time around, which earned me a 3.94 post-bacc GPA. Thanks to AACOMAS grade replacement, this bumped my official undergrad GPA up to 3.1 and I have been accepted to KCUMB and Touro-CA thus far.

 

[Refreshed]

I was in a similar situation. I graduated in 2005 with a 2.86. Applied to several DO schools in 2009, no interviews. Took 32 post-bacc credits (some new, some repeated) at the school I completed my undergrad work at and actually went to class this time around, which earned me a 3.94 post-bacc GPA. Thanks to AACOMAS grade replacement, this bumped my official undergrad GPA up to 3.1 and I have been accepted to KCUMB and Touro-CA thus far.

Does that mean you applied and got accepted into a post-bacc program? Or did you simply register and take the classes on your own?

 

[islabear]

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear. There were no formal post-bacc programs in my area so I just enrolled at UW-Madison as a "special student" and took the classes I felt I needed to repeat (like organic chem and biochem) and some extra courses that were appealing to me. This was much cheaper than a formal post-bacc program, but the downside is that I wasn't able to register for classes until a few days before the semester started, since I wasn't in a degree-seeking program. If I had to do this again, I would have enrolled as a re-entry student and gotten a second bachelors degree - more financial aid would have been available to me, and I would have been able to register for classes a lot earlier.

 

[Refreshed]

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear. There were no formal post-bacc programs in my area so I just enrolled at UW-Madison as a "special student" and took the classes I felt I needed to repeat (like organic chem and biochem) and some extra courses that were appealing to me. This was much cheaper than a formal post-bacc program, but the downside is that I wasn't able to register for classes until a few days before the semester started, since I wasn't in a degree-seeking program. If I had to do this again, I would have enrolled as a re-entry student and gotten a second bachelors degree - more financial aid would have been available to me, and I would have been able to register for classes a lot earlier.

Ok thanks for clarifying. I've considered getting a second bachelors but I think my main problem is my grades from pre-med specific courses.

I think I either need to retake them or do a post-bacc or SMP program.

Came here looking for advice.

 

[swimchick]

It could take a lot of extra coursework to boost the GPA. The saving grace for you will be that AACOMAS does grade replacement, while AMCAS does not. If you did terribly in your pre-med courses, you can retake them and AACOMAS will replace the grade.

SMPs can be good, or they can screw you over. If you do well in an SMP, especially one with high med school linkage, you could be golden. If you do the SMP and mess up, you're screwed.

There are a lot of post-bacc/SMP programs out there. You should figure out what your big problems are, and search for a program that is geared to help someone like you out.

 

[Refreshed]

It could take a lot of extra coursework to boost the GPA. The saving grace for you will be that AACOMAS does grade replacement, while AMCAS does not. If you did terribly in your pre-med courses, you can retake them and AACOMAS will replace the grade.

SMPs can be good, or they can screw you over. If you do well in an SMP, especially one with high med school linkage, you could be golden. If you do the SMP and mess up, you're screwed.

There are a lot of post-bacc/SMP programs out there. You should figure out what your big problems are, and search for a program that is geared to help someone like you out.

Can the courses be retaken anywhere, such as a CC? Or do you have to retake them at your university or another 4 year university?

 

[CopToEM]

Can the courses be retaken anywhere, such as a CC? Or do you have to retake them at your university or another 4 year university?

You may retake them anywhere.

With that said, a word of caution: Be sure that the course you choose to take corresponds very, very closely to the course you originally took. As an example, if you took General Biology I at a University and you take Human Biology I at a community college you may run into some issues. The course titles and descriptions are going to differ greatly although the content may not differ so much.

Also, if the original course had a designation of BIO 1010, you will want to be sure that the new course you sign up for has a similar designation. If the course had, say, a designation of SCI 1010 you would also run into some issues.

Always err on the side of caution when it comes to retakes. You want as close a course as possible to the course you originally signed up for. It's generally only at a community college that you see a wide array of the same course (such as the human biology vs general biology example above) so just be on the lookout for potential issues.