Looking for advice - 6 years later

[tennisgirl503]

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Hi all,

Long story short, I have decided to pursue a medical school education. I graduated in 2014 and have worked in finance since. I understand my GPA needs help to make me competitive for a in-state school (NJ). I plan on returning to my alma mater to repair my GPA. A few questions:
- What courses should I re-take? I am still working full time and not sure if it is worth re-taking courses scored C
- What/how many upper level courses should I take to bump my GPA?
- Does admission look disfavorable on retaking courses after 6 years out of school?

Thanks for your help. I plan to work full time and hopefully take my MCAT in the next 1.5 years or so (if that's realistic)

 

[IsleyOfTheNorth]

You've got a tough road ahead. You'll want to follow Goro's guide: Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

There are some red flags on here, but nothing insurmountable if you're very dedicated. For example, failing prerequisites like Physics then retaking to get a C. Anything you retake from here on out should end in an 'A'.

Retakes aren't worth doing generally because the AAMC tallies every grade. So an 'F' that is retaken to get an 'A' results in a 'C' in terms of GPA. Also note that only undergrad classes count towards your AAMC GPA, so keep that in mind when choosing classes.

Basically you need to prove that you can handle the rigors of medical school - 1.5 years may not be realistic for the MCAT. Also, I can see that some of your classes are transfers; you should calculate your GPA based on every class you have ever taken, as that is how AAMC will do it. DO (Osteopathic) schools are more forgiving about this from what I understand.

Not to be a downer, but realize that you're going to have to work really hard to make this happen. 60% of applicants don't make it and, from what I understand, applications are up 17% this year.

 

[bngli]

I am a 2014 grad too! Just got my A this month. We had very similar GPAs.

- What courses should I re-take? I am still working full time and not sure if it is worth re-taking courses scored C

I don't think retaking any class is worth it unless you got a C-.

- What/how many upper level courses should I take to bump my GPA?

As many as it takes to get your GPA up. Use a GPA calculator. I would think at least 30 credits worth.

- Does admission look disfavorable on retaking courses after 6 years out of school?

I don't think so. No one mentioned when my classes were taken during the interview trail.

Have you considered a SMP? I did something similar to you where I went to an undergrad institution just to take upper level classes and get my grades up. I still consider it the biggest mistake of my life. Total waste of time and money. I couldn't even get into DO schools by doing that. Two years later I did an SMP, and on the interview trail that is all they cared about. Got into MD. Something to consider...

 

[GreenDuck12]

I highly recommend you remove your transcript to preserve your anonymity.