I'm taking 3 years off. What can I do during this time?

[mr chievous]

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I'll make this short.

Graduated in May 2011 with a Kinesiology degree, but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. Worked at some hospitals and decided medicine is definitely right for me. I'm applying next cycle and will be taking the MCAT in January (this will be a retake due to a low verbal score; I'm strong in the sciences, though).

GPA is around a 3.62. Not great, but I don't think it's low enough for a post-bac. I have 800 healthcare related hours, plenty of community service, and 8 months of research (not published). What can I do this upcoming year to strengthen my application? Should I take some classes at a community college to raise my GPA, or take them at a university, or not take any at all?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Jepstein30]

I'll make this short.

Graduated in May 2011 with a Kinesiology degree, but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. Worked at some hospitals and decided medicine is definitely right for me. I'm applying next cycle and will be taking the MCAT in January (this will be a retake due to a low verbal score; I'm strong in the sciences, though).

GPA is around a 3.62. Not great, but I don't think it's low enough for a post-bac. I have 800 healthcare related hours, plenty of community service, and 8 months of research (not published). What can I do this upcoming year to strengthen my application? Should I take some classes at a community college to raise my GPA, or take them at a university, or not take any at all?

Thanks for the help.

If you're applying next cycle, you're only taking two years off (as in, 2012 + 2013) before matriculating to medical school.

Figure out where your weaknesses are application wise. If it is indeed your GPA, then a few classes can't hurt to get it closer to 3.7.

 

[DAPI]

Find a two year job and volunteer a little. Other than that you look good if you get the MCAT score up.

 

[davidbm95]

I'll make this short.

Graduated in May 2011 with a Kinesiology degree, but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. Worked at some hospitals and decided medicine is definitely right for me. I'm applying next cycle and will be taking the MCAT in January (this will be a retake due to a low verbal score; I'm strong in the sciences, though).

GPA is around a 3.62. Not great, but I don't think it's low enough for a post-bac. I have 800 healthcare related hours, plenty of community service, and 8 months of research (not published). What can I do this upcoming year to strengthen my application? Should I take some classes at a community college to raise my GPA, or take them at a university, or not take any at all?

Thanks for the help.

1) Search function.
2) More research.
3) You can take community college classes but try to stay away from retaking previous classes at this CC. CC's have proven to have grade inflation. Obviously I would advise you to take any class at at a university instead.
4) Get a job (phlebotomy, technician, EMT).
5) Raise your GPA.

 

[Fivo]

1) Search function.
2) More research.
3) You can take community college classes but try to stay away from retaking previous classes at this CC. CC's have proven to have grade inflation. Obviously I would advise you to take any class at at a university instead.
4) Get a job (phlebotomy, technician, EMT).
5) Raise your GPA.

What grade are you in?

 

[Lexicon0]

What grade are you in?

Senior in high school 🙄

 

[mr chievous]

If you're applying next cycle, you're only taking two years off (as in, 2012 + 2013) before matriculating to medical school.

Figure out where your weaknesses are application wise. If it is indeed your GPA, then a few classes can't hurt to get it closer to 3.7.

If I applied next cycle (2013) for 2014, that would be 3 years off. This past year, this upcoming year, and the year after I apply 😀

I'm thinking about taking 8 hours this semester (Anatomy/Physiology 1 and 2) so I don't forget too much of the BS. Does it matter if I take it at a community college as opposed to a real university?

 

[Jepstein30]

If I applied next cycle (2013) for 2014, that would be 3 years off. This past year, this upcoming year, and the year after I apply 😀

I'm thinking about taking 8 hours this semester (Anatomy/Physiology 1 and 2) so I don't forget too much of the BS. Does it matter if I take it at a community college as opposed to a real university?

Not sure how this thread can give you any advice on what you should have done during the past year haha..

real university probably preferable but if funds are an issue, CC prob fine..

 

[listentoadvice]

I'll make this short.

Graduated in May 2011 with a Kinesiology degree, but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. Worked at some hospitals and decided medicine is definitely right for me. I'm applying next cycle and will be taking the MCAT in January (this will be a retake due to a low verbal score; I'm strong in the sciences, though).

GPA is around a 3.62. Not great, but I don't think it's low enough for a post-bac. I have 800 healthcare related hours, plenty of community service, and 8 months of research (not published). What can I do this upcoming year to strengthen my application? Should I take some classes at a community college to raise my GPA, or take them at a university, or not take any at all?

Thanks for the help.

Just remember to make sure they're not the exact same ones that you took before. Don't want that happening now, do we?

 

[davidbm95]

What grade are you in?

If I give valid advice why does it matter?

 

[davidbm95]

Senior in high school 🙄

Why the sarcastic eyes?

 

[listentoadvice]

...

 

[mr chievous]

Not sure how this thread can give you any advice on what you should have done during the past year haha..

real university probably preferable but if funds are an issue, CC prob fine..

Touche. But I just wanted to point out the fact that I had taken a year off already, you know?

And to the other poster, I definitely would not repeat a class. They would be classes that I had not previously taken.

 

[Camy99]

Why the sarcastic eyes?

Because that means you're a high schooler giving advice to someone who has graduated from college, even worse you're using a voice of authority. I'm guessing your advice came from all the info you've gathered off SDN?
I usually stay away from giving advice on something I haven't yet experienced, you should try it.



Anyways, why is everyone saying a 3.62 needs to be improved? If you're rejected anywhere, I doubt it's because of a 3.62--it could be much, much worse. Focus on other things...

 

[mr chievous]

Should I just drop the research/work and just take 10 hours + shadow and study? That would probably keep me busy, I suppose.

 

[drdoom12]

Continue with past volunteer experiences. Longevity is looked upon highly, from what I have been told. With that in mind, I would continue working, as well.

Depending upon your total amount of credit hours and GPA trend, I would consider taking a few courses. If you've went from a 4.0 to a 2.5 or 3.0 during your college career to end up where you are now, I may take some courses. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry.

The research decision is, of course, up to you. For the amount of time and energy you spend doing it, will it benefit you? Are you interested in what you are researching? Etc. Research will never hurt an application, especially if it is for an extended amount of time accompanied with a publication.

 

[Parklife]

Why the sarcastic eyes?

You can also close the computer and go to the gym.

 

[davidbm95]

You can also close the computer and go to the gym.

This is a forum for helping people. Those comments aren't necessary. If you have something to say personally to me you can PM me.

 

[impervious0ne]

This is a forum for helping people. Those comments aren't necessary. If you have something to say personally to me you can PM me.

If I recall, you took the initiative on making "sarcasm" as the issue. It's valid to point out other's credentials (or lack thereof) when information is provided. If anything, lexicon0 is doing OP a favor.

BOT -

Mr. Chevous, the advice may depend on the state you currently reside in. If it's anywhere but CA, I think its safe to say that you have better things to worry about than your GPA. MCAT's and other EC may be of more concern. Since you graduated (I assume neighborhood of 120 hours) there isn't whole much in terms of GPA that you can do. Your time is better invested in experiences (maturity, especially) and other activities that make you stand out from your peers.

I would also apply to DO schools as well. If medicine is your passion, then the degree won't matter as much (unless you are into super-competitive specialties like derm, plastics, ortho, etc.) The vibe that I get from you is that you are interested in practicing, not academia.

Academic Medicine requires you to have all the right backgrounds - ivy/comparable education, family background, etc (see Atul Gawande as an example: Stanford Undergrad, Campaigned for Clinton, Harvard Med, Harvard PH, BWH Residency)

You should accrue minimum of 50 hours shadowing, some research (publication is always a plus) and some other activities that you enjoy.

 

[grapepopsicle]

I second the advice to focus on ECs and studying for the MCAT. Your GPA won't keep you out of med school; you'd be much better off studying to get a 32+ on the MCAT. You're in a solid position now, though. 👍

 

[mr chievous]

If I recall, you took the initiative on making "sarcasm" as the issue. It's valid to point out other's credentials (or lack thereof) when information is provided. If anything, lexicon0 is doing OP a favor.

BOT -

Mr. Chevous, the advice may depend on the state you currently reside in. If it's anywhere but CA, I think its safe to say that you have better things to worry about than your GPA. MCAT's and other EC may be of more concern. Since you graduated (I assume neighborhood of 120 hours) there isn't whole much in terms of GPA that you can do. Your time is better invested in experiences (maturity, especially) and other activities that make you stand out from your peers.

I would also apply to DO schools as well. If medicine is your passion, then the degree won't matter as much (unless you are into super-competitive specialties like derm, plastics, ortho, etc.) The vibe that I get from you is that you are interested in practicing, not academia.

Academic Medicine requires you to have all the right backgrounds - ivy/comparable education, family background, etc (see Atul Gawande as an example: Stanford Undergrad, Campaigned for Clinton, Harvard Med, Harvard PH, BWH Residency)

You should accrue minimum of 50 hours shadowing, some research (publication is always a plus) and some other activities that you enjoy.

Thanks for all of your responses.

My state of residence is Texas, and my TMDSAS GPA is slightly hear than my AMCAS (3.65 vs. 3.62). However, I had a non-science major (Kinesiology) so I figured a few science classes could easily raise my sGPA.

It looks like my final decision is this - take about 8 hours per semester and do some shadowing and volunteer. Since I already have my degree, does it really matter where I take my science classes (CC vs. university)?

 

[tn4596]

Thanks for all of your responses.

My state of residence is Texas, and my TMDSAS GPA is slightly hear than my AMCAS (3.65 vs. 3.62). However, I had a non-science major (Kinesiology) so I figured a few science classes could raise my GPA.

It looks like my final decision is this - take about 8 hours per semester and do some shadowing and volunteer. Since I already have my degree, does it really matter where I take my science classes (CC vs. university)?

what kind of classes are you planning on taking? few CCs have upper sciences courses available. 3.65 GPA is pretty good. I assume it is cumulative GPA? What is your Science GPA? if it is below 3.5 then you are right to take more classes to improve it. If it is 3.6+ then I would not take any more science classes because I think you would be taking unnecessary chances to ruin an already good stat. If you are just taking a lower level "easy" science courses such as botany or nutrition to boost GPA then taking them at a CC is fine but all prereq sciences "should" be done at a university.

 

[eeyoreish]

Thanks for all of your responses.

My state of residence is Texas, and my TMDSAS GPA is slightly hear than my AMCAS (3.65 vs. 3.62). However, I had a non-science major (Kinesiology) so I figured a few science classes could easily raise my sGPA.

It looks like my final decision is this - take about 8 hours per semester and do some shadowing and volunteer. Since I already have my degree, does it really matter where I take my science classes (CC vs. university)?

Main thing is just to rock the MCAT at this point. I know a lot of people have really intricate study plans, but personally I liked just doing question banks with explanations and then reading about the subject areas/questions I struggled with.

If you get a mediocre score on the MCAT apply to DO schools as well as MD.

 

[mr chievous]

what kind of classes are you planning on taking? few CCs have upper sciences courses available. 3.65 GPA is pretty good. I assume it is cumulative GPA? What is your Science GPA? if it is below 3.5 then you are right to take more classes to improve it. If it is 3.6+ then I would not take any more science classes because I think you would be taking unnecessary chances to ruin an already good stat. If you are just taking a lower level "easy" science courses such as botany or nutrition to boost GPA then taking them at a CC is fine but all prereq sciences "should" be done at a university.

I figured I would take Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 hours total). This would be killing 2 birds with 1 stone since I hear these classes are the most useful for the biological sciences section. My science GPA is probably a 3.6 but I slacked quite a bit in undergrad so I know I can raise it. What do you think?

 

[ILuvScience]

Oh wow we're in the exact same situation. But I have a couple of more pre-reqs to take. But I graduated May 2011 with a degree in Psychology AND just moved to Texas last year. How awesome! lol

 

[ILuvScience]

I figured I would take Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 hours total). This would be killing 2 birds with 1 stone since I hear these classes are the most useful for the biological sciences section. My science GPA is probably a 3.6 but I slacked quite a bit in undergrad so I know I can raise it. What do you think?

Here's what I'm taking this fall; Bio 2 and Gen Chem 2
Spring- Organic Chem 1 and retake Genetics (taking the MCAT in April or May)
Volunteering at a hospital and shadowing
I MAY get trained to be an EMT....I'm looking into it now.
But I would strongly recommend volunteering in a clinical and community setting from now until you apply because that shows dedication. Your gpa is good, I wouldn't necessarily take any more classes especially if you've already completed them. My science gpa is a 3.4 so I am retaking one class but also am finishing up pre-reqs at a University. I too would prefer to take my classes at a CC but I'm just scared since I already graduated from the University level.

 

[mr chievous]

Here's what I'm taking this fall; Bio 2 and Gen Chem 2
Spring- Organic Chem 1 and retake Genetics (taking the MCAT in April or May)
Volunteering at a hospital and shadowing
I MAY get trained to be an EMT....I'm looking into it now.
But I would strongly recommend volunteering in a clinical and community setting from now until you apply because that shows dedication. Your gpa is good, I wouldn't necessarily take any more classes especially if you've already completed them. My science gpa is a 3.4 so I am retaking one class but also am finishing up pre-reqs at a University. I too would prefer to take my classes at a CC but I'm just scared since I already graduated from the University level.

Yeah, I just graduated from a university as well, so I figured taking CC classes wouldn't look too great. It just sucks that university level classes are so much more expensive than CC, but oh well.

 

[ILuvScience]

Yeah, it is what it is : /. But good luck on the application process next year, hopefully we'll be class of 2018! : )

 

[tn4596]

I figured I would take Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 hours total). This would be killing 2 birds with 1 stone since I hear these classes are the most useful for the biological sciences section. My science GPA is probably a 3.6 but I slacked quite a bit in undergrad so I know I can raise it. What do you think?

Well, I don't know how you study, and how hard those classes would be for you. But for A&P with lab, which is a pretty tough class, let's say there is a 50/50 chance between getting an A and B. I wouldn't take it because a B would bring your GPA down more than an A would improve it at 3.6 gpa. So, I would only take it if I am very certain in my ability to get that A. Try koofer/ratemyprof to check grade distribution and such. At my school, this is one of the hardest class due to the large amount of info that you will need to memorize
About the MCAT, you absolutely won't need to take A&P to do well on the BS. Knowledge of the subject is useful but you won't need to know every details (something that you will Need to do in the class)

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I wouldn't recommend taking more classes part-time to try to increase your GPA. If you need to get biochem or genetics or something else that med schools "highly recommend" then sure, go ahead. But if you're doing it just to try to increase your GPA I don't think it's going to do you much good as a college graduate. You've got at least 120 credit hours, right? With that many hours a few extra A's aren't really going to do very much. On top of that, you're risking minimal reward for double jeopardy with your GPA; if you get anything less than an A-, your GPA goes down. A 3.62 is good enough to get into med school. You probably won't be getting into John Hopkins or Harvard, but I don't see you needing to choose a new career either assuming you get a balanced 30+ MCAT.

With all the volunteer and clinical hours you've got I'd say the only thing that you could really improve would be your research background, but with 8 months already that's not worth taking time off for just for MD admissions.

 

[kduck]

I'm going to agree with previous posters that improving your GPA shouldn't be much of a concern right now - there's not a lot you can do with 120 credit hours, and assuming your sGPA is about the same as your cGPA you should be ok.

What I would do is focus on something I really enjoyed - research, a job, or something - hopefully something that can also make you money to pay for all the apps you are going to fill out. Pursuing a passion and having an interesting life to talk about at your interviews/on your PS is likely to serve you way better than taking a few CC classes.

Bottom line: Kill the MCAT. Do research or other work that you enjoy and find fulfilling. Enjoy life.

 

[mr chievous]

I wouldn't recommend taking more classes part-time to try to increase your GPA. If you need to get biochem or genetics or something else that med schools "highly recommend" then sure, go ahead. But if you're doing it just to try to increase your GPA I don't think it's going to do you much good as a college graduate. You've got at least 120 credit hours, right? With that many hours a few extra A's aren't really going to do very much. On top of that, you're risking minimal reward for double jeopardy with your GPA; if you get anything less than an A-, your GPA goes down. A 3.62 is good enough to get into med school. You probably won't be getting into John Hopkins or Harvard, but I don't see you needing to choose a new career either assuming you get a balanced 30+ MCAT.

With all the volunteer and clinical hours you've got I'd say the only thing that you could really improve would be your research background, but with 8 months already that's not worth taking time off for just for MD admissions.

I got As in both Genetics and Biochem, so I'm not too worried about the classes (especially since I studied my ass off for the MCAT so the systems are fresh in my head). My science GPA is low though (3.58) because of me slacking off in my earlier classes. I figured I'd raise it. Do you still think it's risky?

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I got As in both Genetics and Biochem, so I'm not too worried about the classes (especially since I studied my ass off for the MCAT so the systems are fresh in my head). My science GPA is low though (3.58) because of me slacking off in my earlier classes. I figured I'd raise it. Do you still think it's risky?

Your sGPA is about the same as your cGPA which isn't terrible. Yeah, it's low, but if it's only low because of your first year or two of college and after that you did great, adcoms are likely to note that and your low GPA won't be as bad.

As for how much more science classes will help your GPA, you can probably find that out with more certainty yourself. Make a spreadsheet to calculate your GPA and then play "what if" by inserting hypothetical grades from whatever number of classes you want to take.

If you do decide to take more classes though, do not take them at a CC unless you don't have any other choice. Med schools don't like seeing CC classes on transcripts. Instead, take your classes at a four year state college. There's likely to be one within driving distance of you. It may be bottom-of-the-barrel tier, but anything is better than CC.

 

[mr chievous]

Your sGPA is about the same as your cGPA which isn't terrible. Yeah, it's low, but if it's only low because of your first year or two of college and after that you did great, adcoms are likely to note that and your low GPA won't be as bad.

As for how much more science classes will help your GPA, you can probably find that out with more certainty yourself. Make a spreadsheet to calculate your GPA and then play "what if" by inserting hypothetical grades from whatever number of classes you want to take.

If you do decide to take more classes though, do not take them at a CC unless you don't have any other choice. Med schools don't like seeing CC classes on transcripts. Instead, take your classes at a four year state college. There's likely to be one within driving distance of you. It may be bottom-of-the-barrel tier, but anything is better than CC.

Good point. I'll definitely take them at a university.

I'm thinking about taking 8 hours. Which science classes would you guys recommend? The only ones I have taken are the basic pre-reqs (gen chem/bio/physics/ochem) + biochem and genetics.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

Just remember to make sure they're not the exact same ones that you took before. Don't want that happening now, do we?

And to the other poster, I definitely would not repeat a class. They would be classes that I had not previously taken.

*Whoosh*