MPH Grad next steps: CDC or Post-Bacc

[littlehealthcare_engine]

Hi everyone, I graduated with my MPH in Epi last year, and I'm trying to figure out which steps are realistic to take next for medical school. My undergrad science GPA was a little below a 3.0. I got all A's during my Masters (including a Virology course). I got accepted into a post-bacc that includes all the basic science courses and was offered a fellowship position at the CDC in Epidemiology. The fellowship is essentially a FT job, and the post-bacc will be 1 class/summer semester and 3 classes/semester (Spring/Semester). I'm trying to see if it's realistic to do both since I already have a science degree. I desperately need to fix my science GPA before applying for med school, but an experience with the CDC is rare and would develop my epi skills (especially if a career a medicine doesn't work out). Would it make more sense to get a Master's degree in upper level science courses, DIY retaking basic and advanced class, or should I continue with the post-bacc? Open to any advice or combination

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[zorcandpals]

I also think you should take the fellowship.

If possible try to take some courses on the side as a fellowship if you want to get started on grade repair ASAP.

 

[Bloobury]

Second what Zorc said. Anyone can take classes. Not everyone has the chance to work for the CDC.
How many (if any) undergrad science courses you have to take to boost your GPA will depend on your planned path (MD or DO) and the screening thresholds for those schools. Some schools are more forgiving of lower GPAs if you have exceptional experience in other areas of your application. Wake Forest, for example, will not send secondaries to folks who have lower than a 3.2 sGPA. A lot of DO schools require a 3.0 sGPA. A lot of med schools don't publish a lower threshold. Some will screen out applicants by MCAT score rather than GPA. Do your research and see if you think it's really necessary to do an entire postbac. I have a ~3.0 sGPA and have interviews at MD schools, probably because of my amazing career experiences.

 

[littlehealthcare_engine]

I also think you should take the fellowship.

If possible try to take some courses on the side as a fellowship if you want to get started on grade repair ASAP.

Thank you! Would it make sense to retake 1 basic science course a semester until my sGPA is decent or should I just take more upper level science courses?

 

[littlehealthcare_engine]

Second what Zorc said. Anyone can take classes. Not everyone has the chance to work for the CDC.
How many (if any) undergrad science courses you have to take to boost your GPA will depend on your planned path (MD or DO) and the screening thresholds for those schools. Some schools are more forgiving of lower GPAs if you have exceptional experience in other areas of your application. Wake Forest, for example, will not send secondaries to folks who have lower than a 3.2 sGPA. A lot of DO schools require a 3.0 sGPA. A lot of med schools don't publish a lower threshold. Some will screen out applicants by MCAT score rather than GPA. Do your research and see if you think it's really necessary to do an entire postbac. I have a ~3.0 sGPA and have interviews at MD schools, probably because of my amazing career experiences.

Congrats on the interviews! I considered DO, but MD makes more sense for me. I'll get to work on my DIY post-bacc. Thank you!

 

[zorcandpals]

Thank you! Would it make sense to retake 1 basic science course a semester until my sGPA is decent or should I just take more upper level science courses?

Mathematically for AMCAS retaking courses will be the same as taking upper levels since you have to report all classes but I think the general consensus is you're better off taking upper level science courses instead of retaking unless you got below a C.