i'm very much lost in life

[calistudent89]

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Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site and i've been doing some reading and thought i'd put up some of my info and get realistic advice/opinions.

In the fall i will start my 4th year undergrad at uci. Changed majors from Biomed Eng to Spanish. BME was completely wrong major for me so i received very low grades and now i'm suffering for it. My overall gps is 2.9 and science is about the same. i've complete about 90% of courses required for med school so i need to apply to a post bacc that is ok with that and is for gpa improvement. what school are ok with me having completed that many premed courses? is there still hope for me to be a physician? i really can't see myself doing anything else in life because i love helping people and medicine is very interesting to me. Thanks in advance and sorry if i posted on the wrong section

 

[theWUbear]

what school are ok with me having completed that many premed courses?

95% of schools will be OK with you signing up as a non-degree student to take the classes you choose (that are open for registration of course). I would recommend doing this for one year aiming as close to 4.0 as possible. Make sure you take all BCPM courses. I did this at the closest college to my house both because it allowed me to cut costs by living at home and because it didn't have the reputation of being very difficult.

is there still hope for me to be a physician?

Yes. As long as your other stats are great (MCAT>30, good clinical exposure/research), one year of post-bacc at a high GPA should get you into a good SMP. One year at a good SMP should get you into med school. Good luck

 

[calistudent89]

95% of schools will be OK with you signing up as a non-degree student to take the classes you choose (that are open for registration of course). I would recommend doing this for one year aiming as close to 4.0 as possible. Make sure you take all BCPM courses. I did this at the closest college to my house both because it allowed me to cut costs by living at home and because it didn't have the reputation of being very difficult.

By non degree do you mean post bacc program? should i retake classes that i got c- in before applying to postbacc?

 

[NewmansOwn]

I received your PM. I think you're a bit confused.

The term 'postbac,' as it is used on this site and in this forum, refers to 'career changer postbaccalaureate premedical programs.' That is to say, programs for those who have taken minimal or no med school prereqs. You are completely ineligible for 100% of these programs. Not a single one will take you with the majority of the prereqs under your belt.

The non-degree seeking option mentioned above is your best bet. This has nothing to do with a postbac. This is where you enroll at your local 4-year university and take courses for your own record -- not towards graduation or a degree from that school. You pay by the credit and take the classes you need. Which prereqs do you have left to take?

My advice would be to take a semester and a) take whatever prereq(s) you have left, and b) study for/take the MCAT. If you get a 42+, you may have a chance at med school admission without further coursework (though I'd try to get some volunteer/shadowing experience). If you get lower than that, you're looking at another couple years of coursework -- perhaps through a GPA-enhancing program known as an 'SMP' -- before you're ready to apply competitively.

 

[theWUbear]

newman's own: post-bac is a shortened version of the word "post-baccalaureate". this means after-baccalaureate, or, any undergraduate work you do after receiving your bachelors degree - regardless of whether it is a "formal postbaccalaureate program" or informal - which involves signing up as either a 2nd-degree or a non-degree student and taking whatever classes you choose. This is a matter of semantics and we may just have a fundamental disagreement on how the term is used here, but in my opinion its better to spell it all out like i did

 

[NewmansOwn]

newman's own: post-bac is a shortened version of the word "post-baccalaureate". this means after-baccalaureate, or, any undergraduate work you do after receiving your bachelors degree - regardless of whether it is a "formal postbaccalaureate program" or informal - which involves signing up as either a 2nd-degree or a non-degree student and taking whatever classes you choose. This is a matter of semantics and we may just have a fundamental disagreement on how the term is used here, but in my opinion its better to spell it all out like i did

Mr. Bear, there is no disagreement between us. I was unaware of even your named existence until your most recent post. As a former post-baccalaureate student myself, your defining of the term "post-baccalaureate" for me is unnecessary to the point of absolute lunacy.

The OP had PMed me regarding admission to formal postbac programs and my post was meant to show him which options were and were not viable to him at this juncture.

Additionally, the OP was clearly still confused after your post, as (s)he inquired, "by non-degree, do you mean postbac?" and then referenced applying to a postbac. The OP cannot apply to any postbac -- the OP can complete post-baccalaureate work, as you say, at a local university -- but this is not "a postbac" which requires any application.

 

[recycledpaper]

Mr. Bear, there is no disagreement between us. I was unaware of even your named existence until your most recent post. As a former post-baccalaureate student myself, your defining of the term "post-baccalaureate" for me is unnecessary to the point of absolute lunacy.

The OP had PMed me regarding admission to formal postbac programs and my post was meant to show him which options were and were not viable to him at this juncture.

Additionally, the OP was clearly still confused after your post, as (s)he inquired, "by non-degree, do you mean postbac?" and then referenced applying to a postbac. The OP cannot apply to any postbac -- the OP can complete post-baccalaureate work, as you say, at a local university -- but this is not "a postbac" which requires any application.

Hopefully you can answer this question for me... a friend of mine, who had finished pretty much all of her med school prereqs, applied to the "post-bac" program at Wash U in St. Louis... what kind of "post-bac" is offered at Wash U? Or is she just referring to it incorrectly as a "post-bac" when in fact it is an informal program that allows her to take extra UG courses?

 

[TriagePreMed]

There are AET (Academic Enhancer Track) post-bacc programs, but these are very rare.

Your best bet would be to apply for a second bachelors in biology or chemistry at 4-year university and pump your GPA with upper division courses exclusively. Since you'll be a 4th year, it would be best if you did NOT graduate and instead push a 5th year. Having a biology or chemistry minor doesn't hurt. If you keep a 4.0 those last 2 years, it is feasible to bring your GPA to a 3.3 or so and then apply to a special masters program.

And yes, re-take any pre-med science that you earned less than a B-.

 

[ModernAlchemist]

Take a 5th year. Do summer school too. Take a lot of classes to boost your bcpm. It depends which pre-req classes you got less than a B- in. At UCI, I really wouldn't bother trying to retake the labs since it's so subjective anyway and is a gamble. I would recommend taking summer school classes at uci for sciences. It's packed but you get a lot of individual attention from professors and usually better grades.

 

[calistudent89]

i get what you guys are saying but i see conflicting information. for example UC's offer post bacc programs like this one at ucsd and it's actually required of you to complete majority of premed courses:

https://meded.ucsd.edu/asa/dcp/postbac/eligibility-applicant_info/

 

[NewmansOwn]

i get what you guys are saying but i see conflicting information. for example UC's offer post bacc programs like this one at ucsd and it's actually required of you to complete majority of premed courses:

https://meded.ucsd.edu/asa/dcp/postbac/eligibility-applicant_info/

Are you educationally or economically disadvantaged?

 

[calistudent89]

Are you educationally or economically disadvantaged?

parents are low income and when i called they said: "if you aren't sure, then you should apply"

 

[Compass]

parents are low income and when i called they said: "if you aren't sure, then you should apply"

You should probably call admissions and ask them yourself, how well you fit into the requirements.