help please

[heart129]

I have been looking through the list of post-baccs through the AAMC website and a lot of them require a 3.0 and applications are due soon so I can't really wait for my last quarter grades to send the application. I have a 2.93 as of now and afraid that I won't get into the ones I have already applied for..

Are there any other legit sites that have more post-bacc options? How does an informal post-bacc program work (do I just sign up for classes or something)? Any other suggestions of how to improve an undergrad GPA (after getting BS degree)? Thanks!

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[johnnyscans]

I have been looking through the list of post-baccs through the AAMC website and a lot of them require a 3.0 and applications are due soon so I can't really wait for my last quarter grades to send the application. I have a 2.93 as of now and afraid that I won't get into the ones I have already applied for..

Are there any other legit sites that have more post-bacc options? How does an informal post-bacc program work (do I just sign up for classes or something)? Any other suggestions of how to improve an undergrad GPA (after getting BS degree)? Thanks!

The stickies at the top of this forum are your best resource for the list of post-baccs.
Informal, DIY post-bacc work at your local university usually just entails registering for classes. Keep in mind, you'll be at the bottom of the barrel in terms of registration priority, so getting good lab or lecture times may be difficult.

Your best bet for GPA repair is taking everything as post-bacc work. Do not start it as a 5th year senior. If you take work as a 5th year senior it will get lumped into your senior year GPA, and may not stick out as much as you want it to.

What was your major? How many science classes have you taken? Is that your AMCAS GPA or your university provided GPA? Have you taken your MCAT yet? Given your GPA, you may be looking at GPA-repair followed by a SMP. You're about to start down a very long and difficult road. Make sure you're ready for it.

 

[heart129]

Thanks for your response, I will be graduating with BS in General Biology so I have taken all of the requirements for medical school and more science classes but I just didn't do so well in those classes. That is my cum GPA given by my school, not by AMCAS.

And, no I haven't taken the MCAT yet will be taking it soon..

 

[johnnyscans]

Thanks for your response, I will be graduating with BS in General Biology so I have taken all of the requirements for medical school and more science classes but I just didn't do so well in those classes. That is my cum GPA given by my school, not by AMCAS.

And, no I haven't taken the MCAT yet will be taking it soon..

A few pieces of advice.
-First, calculate your GPA according to AMCAS. It's the only GPA number that matters. Google "AMCAS calculator" and plug in both your cGPA and sGPA.

-Second, consider postponing your MCAT. The fact that you didn't do so well in your pre-req classes leads me to believe you're not ready to succeed on your MCAT. My bet is that retaking the MCAT sucks, just way too much pressure, especially when you're going through a GPA comeback.

-Third, find out why you did so poorly in your classes and work on fixing it ASAP. Most people cook up excuses like ADD, ADHD, depression, etc. If you have something serious get it taken care of. If you're lazy, fix it. Every grade below an A- from this point forward is a huge step backwards.

-Finally, make sure your ECs are diverse and strong. The last thing you want is a below average GPA with run-of-the-mill ECs.

 

[fbradley99]

I did post bac on my own for a year. I didn't have last pick for classes, it was based on how many credits I had, so that might depend on your school. If you are really going to do postbac just do it on your own, the only problem is you have to pay out of pocket. Another thing is I agree with the person above you have to calculate your GPA based on that spreadsheet that's posted on here. You'll find out what your GPA "could be" based on how many credits you take and best case you get As. You'll find out that one year of post bac might not help out your GPA that much with MD schools since they take every grade into your GPA. I only recommend post bac if you are going DO BC it will take your best grade. I did it for a year and replaced a couple C's I had along with upperlevel Bio classes. It raised my GPA .3 points.

 

[Chilaquiles]

I'm in the same boat, my gpa is around a 2.94. I'm going to apply to some programs anyway and see how it goes, if not I'll do it on my own.

 

[johnnyscans]

I did post bac on my own for a year. I didn't have last pick for classes, it was based on how many credits I had, so that might depend on your school. If you are really going to do postbac just do it on your own, the only problem is you have to pay out of pocket. Another thing is I agree with the person above you have to calculate your GPA based on that spreadsheet that's posted on here. You'll find out what your GPA "could be" based on how many credits you take and best case you get As. You'll find out that one year of post bac might not help out your GPA that much with MD schools since they take every grade into your GPA. I only recommend post bac if you are going DO BC it will take your best grade. I did it for a year and replaced a couple C's I had along with upperlevel Bio classes. It raised my GPA .3 points.

What would you recommend for someone who has their heart set on MD? There have been numerous anecdotes posted where individuals kicked ass in 45+ credits of post-bacc work and gained admission to a US MD program.

 

[fbradley99]

..

 

[johnnyscans]

It shouldn't matter. DO or MD they both are doctors. I feel that whenever someone says no to do and they want MD I'm sorry but I feel that you just care about the title. I've workedwith both and they do the same thing. If your heart is set on being a doctor, it wont matter if you have a MD or DO after your name.

I agree with you in regards to clinical medicine, but both research and certain specialties are much easier to "do" as an MD. Also, not everyone is pursuing a career in medicine for the same reasons; some may be better off MD, while some may be better off DO.

That said, I feel that 2 years of solid post-bacc work is a huge step in the right direction for both MD and DO admittance. Sometimes MD will require the extra step of an SMP (although this varies based on MCAT score, ECs, recommendations).

 

[deleted248403]

It shouldn't matter. DO or MD they both are doctors. I feel that whenever someone says no to do and they want MD I'm sorry but I feel that you just care about the title. I've workedwith both and they do the same thing. If your heart is set on being a doctor, it wont matter if you have a MD or DO after your name.

Thats true to a degree - how many DO neurosurgeons have you seen? how many DO derms have you seen? Very few I would imagine.

I dont want this to be an MD vs DO fight but the point is that whether you like it or not, some specialties are much more MD-driven than DO. Therefore, if one thinks they might have an interest in it, then one might need to push that extra little bit to get into an MD school to keep that door open.

I only recommend post bac if you are going DO BC it will take your best grade.

As johnny pointed out, this is just poor advice.

 

[DrMidlife]

how many DO neurosurgeons have you seen? how many DO derms have you seen? Very few I would imagine.

"have you seen" isn't a metric I have any enthusiasm for here. There are DO neurosurgeons and DO derms, there are residencies in each that are open only to DOs, and you could argue that there are advantages for DO students who want to go big. (You could also argue the opposite, since an OMS-IV who is competitive for an ACGME neuro residency [as common as being 8 feet tall, btw] would not want to even apply to DO residencies because the DO match comes first and is binding.) The DO neurosurgeons and derms tend to be found outside the prestigious urban medical complexes, in community practice, which is not where premeds tend to be collecting clinical exposure.

But I agree that it comes down to ego. There's nothing an MD can do that a DO can't do - this is a simple fact. DOs are on hospital staffs and in private practice all over the place...and are on faculty at US MD schools. What's missing with DO, if you want to be treated exactly like a US MD, is some convenience and some opportunity and some benefit of the doubt. If you are not motivated to figure out what that means for you, and overcome those obstacles or find the paths that have fewer obstacles, then you will not have the experience that a US MD grad has (and that US MD grad doesn't have to have that extra motivation or do that extra work).

Go to the best med school you can get into. A school that will let you in before you've maxed out your credibility, with cuGPA and MCAT and maybe an SMP, is not the best med school you can get into.

Best of luck to you.

 

[deleted248403]

"have you seen" isn't a metric I have any enthusiasm for here. There are DO neurosurgeons and DO derms, there are residencies in each that are open only to DOs, and you could argue that there are advantages for DO students who want to go big. (You could also argue the opposite, since an OMS-IV who is competitive for an ACGME neuro residency [as common as being 8 feet tall, btw] would not want to even apply to DO residencies because the DO match comes first and is binding.) The DO neurosurgeons and derms tend to be found outside the prestigious urban medical complexes, in community practice, which is not where premeds tend to be collecting clinical exposure.

Diasgree and the numbers disagree with you too.

http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddata2011.pdf Page 23
Of the 195 neurosurg positions offered for PGY-1, 175 (89%) were filled by US MD applicants. The remaining 20 positions were filled by DOs, IMGs, or applicants who had previously graduated from an allopathic school.
Then look at page 29, in the last 5 years, there have been 3 DOs who have matched into neurosurg residencies. To further illustrate the point, only 5 DOs have matched into derm allopathic residencies in the last 5 years.
The data just doesn't support your claim for allopathic residencies. *edit - there are 11 DO neurosurg residences, in what looks like less than 70 positions (tho admittedly, i didn't count them all, i got bored and should be studying)* so there are those options too

Can a DO go into any specialty? Yes
Is it a crap lot harder for certain specialties? Yes.

I apologise again for derailing this on an MD-DO discussion, but when one is deciding whether to take an extra year or not prior to med school to maybe boost an application for an MD school - its worth looking a little down the road if you have a slight inkling in what you want to go into

 

[johnnyscans]

Diasgree and the numbers disagree with you too.

http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddata2011.pdf Page 23
Of the 195 neurosurg positions offered for PGY-1, 175 (89%) were filled by US MD applicants. The remaining 20 positions were filled by DOs, IMGs, or applicants who had previously graduated from an allopathic school.
Then look at page 29, in the last 5 years, there have been 3 DOs who have matched into neurosurg residencies. To further illustrate the point, only 5 DOs have matched into derm allopathic residencies in the last 5 years.
The data just doesn't support your claim for allopathic residencies.

Can a DO go into any specialty? Yes
Is it a crap lot harder for certain specialties? Yes.

I apologise again for derailing this on an MD-DO discussion, but when one is deciding whether to take an extra year or not prior to med school to maybe boost an application for an MD school - its worth looking a little down the road if you have a slight inkling in what you want to do into

I apologize for stimulating the massive derail this thread took. All in all I hope that we can agree that recommending against post-bacc work is poor advice.

 

[cricket1234]

I am wanting opinions. I have a Bach. in Science for many years practicing in healthcare. I have always wanted to become a dentist but thinking I am too old "38" for the schooling and debt to open private practice. Any opinions on this. Just do not want to live my life with regrets. I am having a hard time getting pros and cons on this with concrete information such as expected income/debt. Is it worth all of that to pursue the dream.

 

[deleted248403]

I apologize for stimulating the massive derail this thread took. All in all I hope that we can agree that recommending against post-bacc work is poor advice.

+1, and the generalization that you should only do post-bac for DO admission purposes

 

[johnnyscans]

I am wanting opinions. I have a Bach. in Science for many years practicing in healthcare. I have always wanted to become a dentist but thinking I am too old "38" for the schooling and debt to open private practice. Any opinions on this. Just do not want to live my life with regrets. I am having a hard time getting pros and cons on this with concrete information such as expected income/debt. Is it worth all of that to pursue the dream.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=110

Start there. I know nothing about you, your motivations, your educational history. . . anything. There is no way I can give an opinion with so little information.

Research your butt off, then ask specific questions.