How to mitigate CC prereqs/low BCPM GPA?

[yopperpo]

Hi, here's a summary of my situation:

• Studied 1 year at a cal state
• Transferred to a community college, completed an A.S in Biology
• Transferred to a UC, completing a B.S in Data Science in June.

I will be starting a job as a software engineer after graduation, but want to keep my options open to apply to MD/DO schools in case I decide I don't want to stay in the field. I already did a good amount of clinical volunteering and shadowing earlier in undergrad.

However, I am worried about my cumulative and BCPM GPA which are on the lower side of MD matriculants. The fact that I did a good amount of prereqs at a CC is also not preferable. Here's a rough summary of my prereq courses and how many of them I did at CC.

1 Year Gen Chem/Lab	CSU, A average
1 Year Calc	CSU, A- average
1 Year Ochem	CC, B+ Average
1 Year Bio/Lab	CC, A- Average
1 Biochem Class 1 Statistics Class	CC, B CC, A
1 Year Physics/Lab	CC, A Average
2 Years Statistics	UC, B+ average
Average BCPM GPA:	3.645
Cumulative GPA:	3.67

The ideal thing I should've done was to complete some upper div bio courses at my UC to compensate for my CC prereqs, but I didn't have enough time to fit them in along with my stats/CS classes.

Here are my questions:

• A CSU near me offers upper div biology courses during summer session for open enrollment. By what heuristics should I choose these classes keeping in mind my goal is to increase my BCPM gpa with courses from a 4 year university?
  • For example, I've found biology courses at a nearby CSU titled "Human Sexuality" or "Biology of Cancer" that are upper division bio courses at the school. Are these fine, or is it better to go with the more standard upper divs like Cell Biology, Genetics, etc.
• Or should I not even worry about doing this and just focus on doing well on the mcat?
• Any other recommendations or plans of action you've recommended to applicants in similar situations like mine.

Thanks so much for reading!

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[yopperpo]

the standard courses such as genetics will be useful for MCAT

Thanks for the advice. I think I will try to register for standard upper div bio courses like genetics, but if those are not available and only a bio upper div such as "Biology of Cancer" is available, is it still beneficial to take to pad my BCPM GPA? I'm worried adcoms might not look favorably on these types of courses vs standard bio upper divs.

Is this a genuine concern or do they not care which courses as long as they are BCPM? Theoretically I could just take any course (even lower divs) that are classified as BCPM to increase my GPA, right?

 

[deleted555445]

Thanks for the advice. I think I will try to register for standard upper div bio courses like genetics, but if those are not available and only a bio upper div such as "Biology of Cancer" is available, is it still beneficial to take to pad my BCPM GPA? I'm worried adcoms might not look favorably on these types of courses vs standard bio upper divs. Is this a genuine concern or do they not care which courses as long as they are BCPM?

I would be wary about taking Biology of Cancer without having taken Cell Biology and Genetics. Those classes are foundations for understanding cell growth and replication. If you can take those. Cancer Biology is definitely a good class to take and if you do well it shows you can combine your understanding of various aspects of biology, but genetics, cell biology, and developmental biology are foundation courses that anyone interested in medical school should have taken IMO. Don't know if Adcoms necessarily feel the same way, but without those courses Cancer Biology is going to be more of a struggle.

 

[harvard_of_the_west]

Thanks for the advice. I think I will try to register for standard upper div bio courses like genetics, but if those are not available and only a bio upper div such as "Biology of Cancer" is available, is it still beneficial to take to pad my BCPM GPA? I'm worried adcoms might not look favorably on these types of courses vs standard bio upper divs. Is this a genuine concern or do they not care which courses as long as they are BCPM?

I took a semester of upper division Bio's at my CSU to raise my science GPA after graduation (a DIY Post Bac). I took Micro (for majors), Health and Lifestyle Diseases (formerly Bio of Cancer), Cell Biology, and Advanced Cell Physiology. I also considered Medical Micro, Hematology, Immunology, and Molecular Bio. All the ones I took were good courses, and as you can expect, some were more difficult than others. Adcoms will definitely recognize that courses like Cell Bio, Molec, Immuno, and Genetics are more difficult and more indicative of your future academic potential. However, any Bio course will raise that GPA so it's kinda your call. I'd strongly recommend Cellular, Molecular, and Genetics if you haven't taken those. They really create a foundation for yourself come first year and will be very helpful on the MCAT. Immuno isn't useful for MCAT but is very important come med school. But an easier upper div over the summer simply as a grade booster wouldn't be a bad idea either. Hope this helps!

 

[yopperpo]

I took a semester of upper division Bio's at my CSU to raise my science GPA after graduation (a DIY Post Bac). I took Micro (for majors), Health and Lifestyle Diseases (formerly Bio of Cancer), Cell Biology, and Advanced Cell Physiology. I also considered Medical Micro, Hematology, Immunology, and Molecular Bio. All the ones I took were good courses, and as you can expect, some were more difficult than others. Adcoms will definitely recognize that courses like Cell Bio, Molec, Immuno, and Genetics are more difficult and more indicative of your future academic potential. However, any Bio course will raise that GPA so it's kinda your call. I'd strongly recommend Cellular, Molecular, and Genetics if you haven't taken those. They really create a foundation for yourself come first year and will be very helpful on the MCAT. Immuno isn't useful for MCAT but is very important come med school. But an easier upper div over the summer simply as a grade booster wouldn't be a bad idea either. Hope this helps!

Thanks! What do you think about easier lower div grade boosters under the department of Biology as a grade booster? For example, schools offer fun lower bio divs like the Biology of Cooking or the Biology of Dinosaurs. I know these aren't useful for the mcat or for med school but I'm just trying to understand how to best play the game of strengthening my application/BCPM gpa. I've always thought that there's no way adcoms can realistically look at a course and tell right away whether it's lower or upper div since every school classifies them with different course numbers, and I'd be surprised if they actually work to do the research to tell.

 

[harvard_of_the_west]

Thanks! What do you think about easier lower div grade boosters under the department of Biology as a grade booster? For example, schools offer fun lower bio divs like the Biology of Cooking or the Biology of Dinosaurs. I know these aren't useful for the mcat or for med school but I'm just trying to understand how to best play the game of strengthening my application/BCPM gpa. I've always thought that there's no way adcoms can realistically look at a course and tell right away whether it's lower or upper div since every school classifies them with different course numbers, and I'd be surprised if they actually work to do the research to tell.

Ahh I miss this game haha. Trying to maximize the gain on your end with the least amount of work lol. Well, I'd say from my own experience that it's not a great plan. My DIY Post Bac definitely helped in my situation, but I'm sure that at least one committee member said "well he could've made it harder." I took the advice of a med school outreach advisor (she works at the med school) who said that one semester of 300's and 400's would be enough to show the committee I could hack it...only to end up completing a formal year long post-bac at the med school a year and a half later. My courses this year include: immuno, virology, medical biochemistry, metabolic regulation, neurobiology, etc. Basically, there's no way to get around proving that you have the academic horsepower to succeed in med school. Hard courses will accomplish this. Easier courses will only raise your gpa. I'd strongly recommend you avoid any 100's or 200's level bio courses as those will not make you look good, but lazy. Only take these if required by your major or minor. Human sexuality, any GE bio courses, nutrition courses, and psychology courses are generally not great ideas to take in your situation. Sorry man, just trying to save you the headaches and dollars I spent from trying to make things easier.

 

[deleted555445]

Thanks! What do you think about easier lower div grade boosters under the department of Biology as a grade booster? For example, schools offer fun lower bio divs like the Biology of Cooking or the Biology of Dinosaurs. I know these aren't useful for the mcat or for med school but I'm just trying to understand how to best play the game of strengthening my application/BCPM gpa. I've always thought that there's no way adcoms can realistically look at a course and tell right away whether it's lower or upper div since every school classifies them with different course numbers, and I'd be surprised if they actually work to do the research to tell.

Just my guess - Biology of Dinosaurs yes, Biology of Cooking no. When raising BCPM, remember that Adcoms look at the content of the class as well. While its fine to have an obvious padding class every now and then, the reason you're doing these classes is to show you can handle the workload. Also, you get the external benefit of MCAT prep from some of the more difficult ones - even immunology and cancer biology can help you better understand cell cycle, cell-to-cell signal, signal transduction, etc.

Also, your GPA is OK. I would be more worried that you haven't been taking as "rigorous" classes since they are at a community college. I think it would benefit you more to take more difficult classes and get A-'s than take joke classes and get A's.

 

[deleted947265]

Your science GPA isn't that bad.

Smack dat MCAT:

 

[yopperpo]

Thank you all for your incredibly helpful advice, I appreciate it! This is such a great forum.