I'm a senior at Cal this year with a 2.8 GPA. What can I do!?

[AcousticDoc]

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So I obviously haven't been doing so hott in my undergraduate time at Cal. I'm trying to find post-bac enchancement programs around the area but I'm just lost. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[Dabyachunv]

Is the GPA your graduating with the 2.8? b/c if it is not I suggest you do whatever you must do to get it up. You have fall, winter, and spring semester to raise that gpa (if thats not your final after all A's.) Also be aware that under a 3.0 might and can get you screened out of some programs. Do whatever you can to get it up, I'm on the east coast so I dont know many programs out there. Good Luck.

So I obviously haven't been doing so hott in my undergraduate time at Cal. I'm trying to find post-bac enchancement programs around the area but I'm just lost. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[Instatewaiter]

http://services.aamc.org/postbac/

 

[blindkutha]

it would help if we had a lot more information like major, mcats, extra currics, rec letters... feel free to PM me if you want, i just graduated last year and i was in a similar position...

 

[markboonya]

enroll yourself as a second baccalaureate student at sfsu. take as many upper division bio classses until your gpa hits 3.2. if your mcat is >30 at that point, apply into an smp program. profit

if u dont mind going DO, do as stated above but u can skip the smp.

if u dont mind going to the beautiful tropical islands for med school, u are fine with your 2.8 if u can get >33.

 

[Perrotfish]

enroll yourself as a second baccalaureate student at sfsu. take as many upper division bio classses until your gpa hits 3.2. if your mcat is >30 at that point, apply into an smp program. profit

if u dont mind going DO, do as stated above but u can skip the smp.

if u dont mind going to the beautiful tropical islands for med school, u are fine with your 2.8 if u can get >33.

Mostly terrible advice. One good point: you need a good MCAT score. A 2.8 and a 25 won't get you anywhere except maybe the lower end of Caribbean schools. You need to do very, very well on the MCAT (32 or better).

If you do very well on the MCAT you have a shot at an SMP program. SMP programs, especially high linkage programs, age generally like clean slates. If you are accepted your performance in the program trumps all other factors in terms of your potential acceptance to Medical school. Of course that's IF you get accepted, to get accepted you need that very good MCAT score I mentioned. Also SMPs are last chances: if you screw up you're done, and I mean forever.

Your other option is to get your GPA up. You don't need a formal program for this, and in fact I'm not aware of any formal post-bacs that exist for students who have already completed the premedical requirements. Get up to a 3.0 or no medical school will even look at your application (unless you've completed an SMP). Get to a 3.2 and you might be competitive without getting a 40 on the MCAT. My recommendation, if you want to try to boost your GPA, would be just to stay on an take more classes at your current undergraduate institution. Most schools are fine with this, just talk to the registrar.

Share your stats for better advice, and good luck

 

[markboonya]

u only get a clean slate at a high linkage program, and the only high linkage program is evms. so unless u go to evms, u are going to need somewhere around a 3.2 to be competitive when applying to US allo even with an smp. when u do an smp, u are competing with fellow smp classmates for spots at other schools. i went to gtown's smp. ppl who got interviews had around a 3.7 in the program. nymc interviewed 25 of us. with a bunch of >3.7 smpers students to choose from, they are going to look at mcat and gpa next. so to reiterate, smps do not wipe your past clean.

med schools do have cutoffs. they will not look at your app if u dont make them. going to an smp will not bypass those cutoffs for u. once u make the cutoff, then smp performance will go a long way in helping. the key is not getting your app tossed in the trash first. yeah, some smps will take u with a 35/2.8 but med schools might not, even if u rock an smp.

i dont know which piece of advice u thought was terrible perrotfish, we both seem to be saying the same thing.

If you do very well on the MCAT you have a shot at an SMP program. SMP programs, especially high linkage programs, age generally like clean slates. If you are accepted your performance in the program trumps all other factors in terms of your potential acceptance to Medical school. Of course that's IF you get accepted, to get accepted you need that very good MCAT score I mentioned. Also SMPs are last chances: if you screw up you're done, and I mean forever.

 

[Perrotfish]

i dont know which piece of advice u thought was terrible perrotfish, we both seem to be saying the same thing

.

Just that you were setting the bar too high. You don't need a 3.2 AND a 33 + MCAT to apply for an SMP, and you don't need a 33+ MCAT to get into the Caribbean with a 2.8. Also there are other high linkage SMPs than EVMS: Rosalind Franklin, Sorta VCU (they only accept the top 20% or so, but it is pretty much a clean slate), and I think Tufts new program is designed as high linkage. Also I believe the DO SMPs are high linkage to their schools. Sorry about the phrasing of my last post, though, it came off as way too harsh.