“Minimum credits for postbacc or grad work to be considered”

[flyon_littlewing9587]

What does this mean exactly? Does that mean:

1) if you are below this minimum, we will acknowledge it but put more emphasis on the overall. But if your are above it we will put more emphasis on the postbacc or grad gpa

Or

2) if you are below this minimum, we will just base your app on the overall gpa completely ignoring any postbac work. But if you are above it, we will take it into consideration but still be looking at the overall?

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[candbgirl]

Frequently the purpose of a DIY post bacc is for grade enhancement. You are trying to show ADCOMS that you are up to the rigors of med school. If you only take 1 or 2 classes a semester you might do very well but you aren’t proving anything to anybody. You need to take a full load for a few semesters to prove that you can handle med school.
I assume that the the school has given you a number of hours that if you are below that number your grades will be rolled into your cGPA but it’s not impressive and it’s not like taking a true post bacc program( several semesters of full time work).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Agreeing. It is an acknowledgement that reinvention really requires you to put in the work as a postbac student. Applicants often forget that not only do admissions professionals and committees see your GPA's, we also see the hours that contributed to it. A grade trend is meaningful as long as the GPA's report comparable hours since you can report a 4.0 GPA with just one postbac class (3 hours) on the application. Committees really want to see that you have a significant courseload for a good assessment of your preparation.

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

Frequently the purpose of a DIY post bacc is for grade enhancement. You are trying to show ADCOMS that you are up to the rigors of med school. If you only take 1 or 2 classes a semester you might do very well but you aren’t proving anything to anybody. You need to take a full load for a few semesters to prove that you can handle med school.
I assume that the the school has given you a number of hours that if you are below that number your grades will be rolled into your cGPA but it’s not impressive and it’s not like taking a true post bacc program( several semesters of full time work).

That makes sense. I took 2 classes a quarter( so not completely a full load) but I was doing so while working and volunteering full time essentially. Did this for about a year, would that be looked on “negatively”?

 

[candbgirl]

How many hours each quarter? But I wouldn’t think 2 classes a quarter is a full load. But I really don’t know much about the quarter system.
What are your GPAs? If you really need grade repair/enhancement, at some point you are going to have to make decisions about what steps you need to take to get you to medical school. ADCOMS have hundreds, if not thousands, of applications to go through each cycle. They don’t have to cut you some slack for anything. They have lots of stellar candidates to fill the seats. It’s up to you to build a competitive application that says” pick me for an interview”.

If you want specific help start a WAMC thread and use the grid to describe your current application. (See link below)

*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*

Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum. The purpose of this forum is to Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN Determine how to strengthen your current application General...

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[KnightDoc]

How many hours each quarter? But I wouldn’t think 2 classes a quarter is a full load. But I really don’t know much about the quarter system.
What are your GPAs? If you really need grade repair/enhancement, at some point you are going to have to make decisions about what steps you need to take to get you to medical school. ADCOMS have hundreds, if not thousands, of applications to go through each cycle. They don’t have to cut you some slack for anything. They have lots of stellar candidates to fill the seats. It’s up to you to build a competitive application that says” pick me for an interview”.

If you want specific help start a WAMC thread and use the grid to describe your current application. (See link below)

*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*

Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum. The purpose of this forum is to Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN Determine how to strengthen your current application General...

forums.studentdoctor.net

THIS^^^^^^. Anyone asking about minimums to get by is going to find the going very rough as they find themselves competing with a ton of people doing the maximum possible to make themselves competitive. 60%+ fail to receive any acceptances every cycle.

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

THIS^^^^^^. Anyone asking about minimums to get by is going to find the going very rough as they find themselves competing with a ton of people doing the maximum possible to make themselves competitive. 60%+ fail to receive any acceptances every cycle.

I wasn’t trying to find the minimums :/ I legit ran out of savings and so I couldn’t afford anymore classes so I’m just wondering what that meant on the MSAR so I can make a school list

 

[KnightDoc]

I wasn’t trying to find the minimums :/ I legit ran out of savings and so I couldn’t afford anymore classes so I’m just wondering what that meant on the MSAR so I can make a school list

Okay, now I'm confused. Where in MSAR does any school list any requirement at all for post-bacc work?

Post-baccs, either DIY or formal SMPs, are only done by people needing grade repair, and the amount they need to be competitive is wholly determined by just how bad their GPA is, not by how much savings they have or how many other things they have going on in their lives.

Plenty of people are successful with 0 hours of post-bacc work, and others are unsuccessful with literally dozens of hours.

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

Okay, now I'm confused. Where in MSAR does any school list any requirement at all for post-bacc work?

Post-baccs, either DIY or formal SMPs, are only done by people needing grade repair, and the amount they need to be competitive is wholly determined by just how bad their GPA is, not by how much savings they have or how many other things they have going on in their lives.

Plenty of people are successful with 0 hours of post-bacc work, and others are unsuccessful with literally dozens of hours.

Under the “application policies” where it states any minimums for gpa / mcat

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

How many hours each quarter? But I wouldn’t think 2 classes a quarter is a full load. But I really don’t know much about the quarter system.
What are your GPAs? If you really need grade repair/enhancement, at some point you are going to have to make decisions about what steps you need to take to get you to medical school. ADCOMS have hundreds, if not thousands, of applications to go through each cycle. They don’t have to cut you some slack for anything. They have lots of stellar candidates to fill the seats. It’s up to you to build a competitive application that says” pick me for an interview”.

If you want specific help start a WAMC thread and use the grid to describe your current application. (See link below)

*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*

Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum. The purpose of this forum is to Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN Determine how to strengthen your current application General...

forums.studentdoctor.net

8 hours. That was also a soft limit for the school as a visiting student , also money was the main limiting factor.

So broken down by year:

Fr: 2.97 32
So: 3.12 30.5
Ju: 3.53 30.4
Sr: 2.77 61.4
Postbac: 3.96 21

(Senior year I lost three family members including father, as well as other extenuating circumstances. Just didn’t prioritize school and it showed)

 

[KnightDoc]

Under the “application policies” where it states any minimums for gpa / mcat

Okay. That's literally just a minimum to get past a secondary screen (if one exists) and be permitted to submit a secondary.

If the school doesn't screen for secondaries, they are telling you that's the minimum to avoid having your application tossed without ever being considered for an II. Given how competitive the process is, most people need to be well above the minimums to have a realistic shot at both an II and then an A, so unless you have some truly amazing X-Factor, just looking at minimums is likely to be a total waste of your time. I think this is the answer you were initially looking for.

As for you in particular, 21 hours at 3.96 post-bacc is great, but 61 hours at 2.77 to end your college career certainly is not. You need a reinvention expert like @Goro to weigh in on just how much more, if any, will be necessary to be competitive, given the fact that you had a major drop for your last 61 credits, and your GPA wasn't in great shape to start with (3.20 over the first 93 credits). I'm no expert, but I don't think 21 credits at 3.96 is going to fix 154 credits at 3.03. Especially not if you are doing it 2 classes at a time. Good luck!

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

Okay. That's literally just a minimum to get past a secondary screen (if one exists) and be permitted to submit a secondary.

If the school doesn't screen for secondaries, they are telling you that's the minimum to avoid having your application tossed without ever being considered for an II. Given how competitive the process is, most people need to be well above the minimums to have a realistic shot at both an II and then an A, so unless you have some truly amazing X-Factor, just looking at minimums is likely to be a total waste of your time. I think this is the answer you were initially looking for.

As for you in particular, 21 hours at 3.96 post-bacc is great, but 61 hours at 2.77 to end your college career certainly is not. You need a reinvention expert like @Goro to weigh in on just how much more, if any, will be necessary to be competitive, given the fact that you had a major drop for your last 61 credits, and your GPA wasn't in great shape to start with (3.20 over the first 93 credits). I'm no expert, but I don't think 21 credits at 3.96 is going to fix 154 credits at 3.03. Especially not if you are doing it 2 classes at a time. Good luck!

Yeah I know it’s the bare minimum. I wish I could have taken more classes I really enjoyed it. I would have taken classes for the pass few years if finances permitted.

I do have an x-factor that I think will pull pretty hard. I’ve been in contact with individuals who have around my gpa, a similar X factor that is around (if any below) the caliber of mine and have had amazing cycles so I’m hoping to get some insight and feedback from them on things such as school list and what not.

Yeah I started off rough, had no idea what I wanted to do and it showed. Didn’t change my major or find something of interested until junior year and then had the **** storm happen for the few years as a senior.

So I guess we will find out if my short postbacc, decent mcat and x factor can pull through

 

[candbgirl]

8 hours. That was also a soft limit for the school as a visiting student , also money was the main limiting factor.

So broken down by year:

Fr: 2.97 32
So: 3.12 30.5
Ju: 3.53 30.4
Sr: 2.77 61.4
Postbac: 3.96 21

(Senior year I lost three family members including father, as well as other extenuating circumstances. Just didn’t prioritize school and it showed)

I’m sorry to hear about your losses but now you need to take some time for yourself and figure out what you really want to do. Your GPA seems to be very low. Probably too loo for MD and maybe okay for DO. You really don’t need a school list at this point. At best you seem to be 2-3 years away from applying. Your cGPA is roughly 3.2 or so. We have no idea what other things you have on your application. What are your activities, what is your MCAT score? As I said before, if you want real advice fill in the grid I linked above and tell us about yourself.

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

I’m sorry to hear about your losses but now you need to take some time for yourself and figure out what you really want to do. Your GPA seems to be very low. Probably too loo for MD and maybe okay for DO. You really don’t need a school list at this point. At best you seem to be 2-3 years away from applying. Your cGPA is roughly 3.2 or so. We have no idea what other things you have on your application. What are your activities, what is your MCAT score? As I said before, if you want real advice fill in the grid I linked above and tell us about yourself.

MCAT was 514 (130/125/130/129)

Yeah I can go post over there soon.

 

[KnightDoc]

I’m sorry to hear about your losses but now you need to take some time for yourself and figure out what you really want to do. Your GPA seems to be very low. Probably too loo for MD and maybe okay for DO. You really don’t need a school list at this point. At best you seem to be 2-3 years away from applying. Your cGPA is roughly 3.2 or so. We have no idea what other things you have on your application. What are your activities, what is your MCAT score? As I said before, if you want real advice fill in the grid I linked above and tell us about yourself.

Once again, THIS^^^^^. We aren't going to be able to help you with school lists or anything, because an off the charts X-Factor is going to make you an outlier and render any of the usual advice meaningless.

Just stick with what the people you have been in touch with have been telling you, and see what happens, OR, listen to people like @candbgirl and take the time to put yourself in a much stronger position to have a successful cycle.

Neither MSAR nor any of us are going to be able to help you here, because you are going to be below the 10%-ile GPA-wise for MD, pretty much everywhere. This does not mean you cannot be successful, especially with your MCAT, but it does mean you will be an exception to the rules. SDN's strength is helping people navigate the rules, not giving everyone false hope because every once in a while someone might break through. You very well might be that someone, but the odds are against it for any one applicant.

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

Once again, THIS^^^^^. We aren't going to be able to help you with school lists or anything, because an off the charts X-Factor is going to make you an outlier and render any of the usual advice meaningless.

Just stick with what the people you have been in touch with have been telling you, and see what happens, OR, listen to people like @candbgirl and take the time to put yourself in a much stronger position to have a successful cycle.

Neither MSAR nor any of us are going to be able to help you here, because you are going to be below the 10%-ile GPA-wise for MD, pretty much everywhere. This does not mean you cannot be successful, especially with your MCAT, but it does mean you will be an exception to the rules. SDN's strength is helping people navigate the rules, not giving everyone false hope because every once in a while someone might break through. You very well might be that someone, but the odds are against it for any one applicant.

Okay yeah it’s tough to find exact advice being a “unique” situation. But I appreciate the honesty!! Thank you all for the advice/input! Hopefully I’ll be able to come back here and share my success

 

[KnightDoc]

Okay yeah it’s tough to find exact advice being a “unique” situation. But I appreciate the honesty!! Thank you all for the advice/input! Hopefully I’ll be able to come back here and share my success

I'm looking forward to that. TBH, the 514 MCAT, in addition to the 3.96 plus whatever your X-Factor is, probably will make a difference for you. It's just that it's so relatively rare (a 514 is amazing for anyone, especially for someone with a 3.0 cGPA), that there is no way for anyone here to predict success based on the small data set for applicants like you, and the fact that so many people fail, including more than you would expect with much better stats and very decent overall applications.

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

Okay. That's literally just a minimum to get past a secondary screen (if one exists) and be permitted to submit a secondary.

If the school doesn't screen for secondaries, they are telling you that's the minimum to avoid having your application tossed without ever being considered for an II. Given how competitive the process is, most people need to be well above the minimums to have a realistic shot at both an II and then an A, so unless you have some truly amazing X-Factor, just looking at minimums is likely to be a total waste of your time. I think this is the answer you were initially looking for.

As for you in particular, 21 hours at 3.96 post-bacc is great, but 61 hours at 2.77 to end your college career certainly is not. You need a reinvention expert like @Goro to weigh in on just how much more, if any, will be necessary to be competitive, given the fact that you had a major drop for your last 61 credits, and your GPA wasn't in great shape to start with (3.20 over the first 93 credits). I'm no expert, but I don't think 21 credits at 3.96 is going to fix 154 credits at 3.03. Especially not if you are doing it 2 classes at a time. Good luck!

I know this is a little late, but I just wanted for clarify something in case it comes up again! I’m not referring to the where it says the minimum gpas/mcat. I’m saying it’s just in that same section. But there’s literally a tab that says “minimum credits for postbacc grade/work to be considered”. So it’s not referring to minimum gpa like I think you were referring to

 

[Goro]

What does this mean exactly? Does that mean:

1) if you are below this minimum, we will acknowledge it but put more emphasis on the overall. But if your are above it we will put more emphasis on the postbacc or grad gpa

Or

2) if you are below this minimum, we will just base your app on the overall gpa completely ignoring any postbac work. But if you are above it, we will take it into consideration but still be looking at the overall?

#2 is the correct interpretation

 

[Goro]

I know this is a little late, but I just wanted for clarify something in case it comes up again! I’m not referring to the where it says the minimum gpas/mcat. I’m saying it’s just in that same section. But there’s literally a tab that says “minimum credits for postbacc grade/work to be considered”. So it’s not referring to minimum gpa like I think you were referring to

Flyon!!! What part of minimum do you not understand???

 

[flyon_littlewing9587]

I think knightdoc was talking about the minimum gpa. Like cutoffs for getting a secondary or not. But that’s not what I was referring to. Does that make sense?

 

[KnightDoc]

I think knightdoc was talking about the minimum gpa. Like cutoffs for getting a secondary or not. But that’s not what I was referring to. Does that make sense?

Yes. We are apparently talking past each other.

You asked about minimums, and specifically referenced GPA/MCAT. There is also apparently a minimum number of credits for post-bacc work to be given any consideration at all.

Same thing. A minimum is just a bare threshold to receive any consideration. More is always better. And, given where you are coming from, I don't think 21 credits gathered 6 at a time is going to accomplish what you need, even if it meets a minimum to be looked at.

 

[Goro]

I think knightdoc was talking about the minimum gpa. Like cutoffs for getting a secondary or not. But that’s not what I was referring to. Does that make sense?

Yup