How many credits of a Post-bacc should I pursue?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Voskei

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2020
Messages
30
Reaction score
7
.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
I think you would have to do the math on how those credits would change your gpa to determine if enough positive change has been made. Maintaining activities and renewed clinical exposure during gap years is what I did and it seemed to go well so far. I would advise checking Goro's guide to reinvention to see if there are any particulars you may want to emphasize in your planned gap years. Word of advice with tacking on additional credits, you do need to perform really well in your post-bacc and it can be hard with a heavy load.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I think you would have to do the math on how those credits would change your gpa to determine if enough positive change has been made. Maintaining activities and renewed clinical exposure during gap years is what I did and it seemed to go well so far. I would advise checking Goro's guide to reinvention to see if there are any particulars you may want to emphasize in your planned gap years. Word of advice with tacking on additional credits, you do need to perform really well in your post-bacc and it can be hard with a heavy load.
My GPA would be a 3.61 assuming a 4.0 and 36 credit hours over one academic year. If I got a 3.7, my gpa would be a 3.54 after one academic year. The reason I consult this forum for advice is because I know that the post-bacc grade itself - and not necessarily the resulting cGPA - is what matters for reinvention. Taking both matters into account, I don’t know whether 1 or 2 years of DIY postbacc is smarter.
 
As of summer 2023, most of my classes are done, save for a foreign language credit which I will complete in March 2024. That will make my graduation date 2024.

My cGPA will be a 3.5, with a 3.3 freshman year (2019), 3.7 sophomore (2020) and junior year (2021), and a 3.3 my senior year (2023). Given my inverse U trend and gap year, I have decided a DIY-Postbacc will be smart.

One year of a DIY Post-bacc would give me 36 credits worth of classes. Is that enough with my GPA and record, or should I try to fit extra units, either part time or full time, so that I can have ~72 credits before I apply in 2025? I also wonder if this combination of work (I will probably hop clinical jobs a couple times to accommodate studies), classes, and clinical+nonclinical volunteering and shadowing is a smart way to spend my two years before applying to medical school. I want to go for MD and maximize my chances in the cycle as much as possible.
Around 30ish.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top