Hope for Post-Bac's Everywhere!

[Tennessee_Tuxedo]

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Yeeeessssss! After 3 1/2 years of hard work, torment, and more than a little self-doubt, UT-Memphis finally came through with an offer of acceptance! I've been on a cloud for the last day (which doesn't bode well for my last exam tomorrow), so I don't have much perspective on this yet. However, as a 29 year-old returning student who attended a third tier public university, I'd like to give encouragement to all those in similar situations - don't even think about giving up, hard work DOES pay off.

BTW, if anyone else has gotten into UT-Memphis (or has interviewed there), please let me know, I'd love to hear from you.

 

[goldie]

I know the feeling. I started post-baccing at age 29, and have several offers at this point. I once thought being an old man would be a disadvantage, but it seems quite the opposite.
Congrats on your acceptances.

 

[Ciardeme]

For both posters, was there anything about your application that worried you? i.e. GPA or MCAT. I ask because i too am a post bacc, but my MCAT was horrible. (and i am not just saying it's low, it is considerably low!) It is the only thing that i have working against me.

 

[Zack90]

Ciardeme - I'm also a post-bacc (35 years old) and have a couple of acceptances this year.... Last year, I applied with a not-so-good MCAT score - and was not successful. So... I took Kaplan course, studied hard for MCAT - and scored pretty well.... I think you need good MCAT and GPA as a post-bacc.... I wish you the best of luck this year!

 

[goldie]

Ciar:

I sucked it up and did the Princeton Review thing and was in MCAT mode for five months and managed to score pretty well. While I have been at interviews with "mature students" with 26 MCATs, I would definitely try to take it again to get it into the high 20's or more.

 

[EarlGrey]

Hi there fellow "older" post-baccers,

I just wanted to add to this thread because I just received an offer of admission to UCSF and am so happy and wanted to share it with others who've gone through/are going through the whole post-bacc thing.

Echoing Tennesee's sentiments, hang in there, work hard, and it can pay off!

I'm 35, also went to a "third tier" public university for my post-bacc and many people warned me that the reputation of the school would drag down my chances for admission. But the teachers turned out to be great; I studied hard, got all As, a good score on the MCAT, and now it looks like I'll be a med student in the fall.

Congrats to others who've gotten in!

And those who haven't yet, hang in there, don't give up, and best of luck to you!!!

 

[Tennessee_Tuxedo]

Ciardeme,

MCAT was my biggest concern. My overall score was fairly competitive (29), but a low biology score is what likely kept me from getting an acceptance last year. However, instead of retaking the test, I took a full load of upper-level sciences courses, did well, and got in this year. Talk to the schools in which you're interested for their advice - in most cases they'll be more helpful than a typical undergrad pre-med advisor.

Finally, hats off to Earl Grey! Have a great time at SF and get ready to move over to the "Allopathic" side of this board.

 

[spanky]

Was your post-bacc gpa averaged in with your undergraduate gpa or were they evaluated seperately? Also, do you think there was one particular thing that stood out to the adcom when evaluating your application?

The rest of us non-traditional post-bacc's would love to know your secret for success!