is it better to retake classes or do a postback or masters?

[overallsk]

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I graduated in 2013. due to familial issues i got 10 C's in my undergraduate sciences courses. Will I be able to retake the courses to improve my gpa?

 

[efle]

DO schools do grade replacement (C -> A) while MD schools average grades (C + A -> B). Have you taken the MCAT? What's your sGPA, cGPA?

 

[Grace184]

Also, along with efle's questions (make sure to answer them) are your familial issues resolved? Because if you do embark on any grade improvement, whether through a program or on your own, this needs to be your main focus

 

[oOKawaiiOo]

DO schools do grade replacement (C -> A) while MD schools average grades (C + A -> B). Have you taken the MCAT? What's your sGPA, cGPA?

I agree with EFLE. Post-bacc > Masters

With your familial problems, be sure it doesnt affect your performance the 2nd time around. You need to put 110% effort in cleaning up your grades.

 

[DocWinter]

If you got 10 C's in your science coursework alone, you have some serious work to do, foremost is an analysis of yourself and your reasons for not performing better. While I'm not saying that medical school isn't for you, you should understand that succeeding in medical school is hinged on your work ethic and ability to understand large amounts of material.
You should retake most if not all of them, should you prepare a solid plan on how you intend to buck what was a disturbing trend.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I opted for the masters degree, against common SDN advice. My undergrad GPA is meh but I got straight As my senior year. It felt more "right" to me to pursue a new academic achievement then continuously take more undergrad classes and slowly inch up my GPA.

This may come back to bite me in the ass, but I am confident it won't. Then again, my GPA is low but not so low as to get auto-screened. If you are sub 3.0 its a different story.

 

[DocWinter]

I opted for the masters degree, against common SDN advice. My undergrad GPA is meh but I got straight As my senior year. It felt more "right" to me to pursue a new academic achievement then continuously take more undergrad classes and slowly inch up my GPA.

This may come back to bite me in the ass, but I am confident it won't. Then again, my GPA is low but not so low as to get auto-screened. If you are sub 3.0 its a different story.

A masters can only help, but it does not take the place of doing well in your science courses. You don't yet know if it will work for you and you very well may have wasted your time and money while you could have been doing something more productive. It's simply unproven and illogical to give advice at your stage.
Retaking science courses does magic for a DO application, not "inching up".

 

[ChrisMack390]

Also unique to my situation: my job pays ~75% of my tuition, but only if I am pursuing a degree.