My Situation, Please advise

[mmcinta]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello everyone, I am new on this site. I am seeking some advice on my current situation. Please help, if you can.

I am a senior at UCLA. I started off majoring in Biochemistry, changed to PsychoBio and currently Asian American Studies major. I changed to AAS major my Senior year because I was failing classes as a Science major. I was very close to being dismiss from school due to low GPA. I worked more than 20 hrs a week at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA as a clinical researcher& was way too involved in organizations both on campus and off campus. My priorities were all mixed up and school became the last on the list. However, since I changed my major, I worked a lot less & pulled myself out from all orgs & have been getting straight A’s. I made it to the Dean’s Honor List the past 2 quarters so I am very happy. I will be done with my BA in AAS Fall of my 5th year. This means, I have to take 4 classes this summer, and 3 classes in the Fall to finish. This is difficult because I am currently taking Kaplan’s MCAT prep class to take the MCAT in August.

I have to take summer school because I can’t stay at UCLA longer than Fall of my 5th year (I am out of units by then).

I cannot apply to med school this June because I have not finish my taking my science classes for med school & the ones that I have taken are unsatisfactory meaning 3 C’s, 4 D’s & 1 F’s.

I also feel unprepared for the MCAT. The reason why I’m taking the MCAT this Aug is because I already paid Kaplan last yr for the course & it has a 1 yr dead line to take the course. Also, this Aug is the last paper & pen MCAT & I want to take a paper & pen MCAT rather than thru the computer.

I have been looking at post bac & master programs after graduation and realizes a few things:
Master programs might lead me into a totally different direction. My goal is to get into medical school & I need to have a firm grasp in the sciences. Besides, I need to take pre-req sciences classes before applying anyway. Thus, I believe that post bac is the way to go for my situation (please correct me if I’m wrong). However, even post bac route, I have minimal choices.

Many post bac require a certain GPA. My current GPA is 2.55 overall. I think this probably excludes me about 75% of the post bac program since the min GPA is a 3.0. The other post bacs only take students who have never taken science classes or who have never taken the MCAT. I, for one have already taken some science classes, and I will be taking the MCAT this Aug.

I am basically done after this Fall, so I am very unsure of what to do or where to go from here. Please advise. I am so thankful for your help.

 

[doctorFred]

Hello everyone, I am new on this site. I am seeking some advice on my current situation. Please help, if you can.

I am a senior at UCLA. I started off majoring in Biochemistry, changed to PsychoBio and currently Asian American Studies major. I changed to AAS major my Senior year because I was failing classes as a Science major. I was very close to being dismiss from school due to low GPA. I worked more than 20 hrs a week at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA as a clinical researcher& was way too involved in organizations both on campus and off campus. My priorities were all mixed up and school became the last on the list. However, since I changed my major, I worked a lot less & pulled myself out from all orgs & have been getting straight A’s. I made it to the Dean’s Honor List the past 2 quarters so I am very happy. I will be done with my BA in AAS Fall of my 5th year. This means, I have to take 4 classes this summer, and 3 classes in the Fall to finish. This is difficult because I am currently taking Kaplan’s MCAT prep class to take the MCAT in August.

I have to take summer school because I can’t stay at UCLA longer than Fall of my 5th year (I am out of units by then).

I cannot apply to med school this June because I have not finish my taking my science classes for med school & the ones that I have taken are unsatisfactory meaning 3 C’s, 4 D’s & 1 F’s.

I also feel unprepared for the MCAT. The reason why I’m taking the MCAT this Aug is because I already paid Kaplan last yr for the course & it has a 1 yr dead line to take the course. Also, this Aug is the last paper & pen MCAT & I want to take a paper & pen MCAT rather than thru the computer.

I have been looking at post bac & master programs after graduation and realizes a few things:
Master programs might lead me into a totally different direction. My goal is to get into medical school & I need to have a firm grasp in the sciences. Besides, I need to take pre-req sciences classes before applying anyway. Thus, I believe that post bac is the way to go for my situation (please correct me if I’m wrong). However, even post bac route, I have minimal choices.

Many post bac require a certain GPA. My current GPA is 2.55 overall. I think this probably excludes me about 75% of the post bac program since the min GPA is a 3.0. The other post bacs only take students who have never taken science classes or who have never taken the MCAT. I, for one have already taken some science classes, and I will be taking the MCAT this Aug.

I am basically done after this Fall, so I am very unsure of what to do or where to go from here. Please advise. I am so thankful for your help.

that is a difficult situation, and you are correct in thinking that you will have a tough time being admitted to many post-bac programs with a 2.55 gpa (and i assume your science gpa is even a little lower.) however, it doesn't rule you out completely. there are many smaller programs that aren't discussed much on this site.. go to this page for a more comprehensive list. although i'm not positive, it's possible that smaller schools within your state of residency might be more receptive to your application.

 

[relentless11]

Well a masters program won't neccessarily lead you in the wrong direction. It depends on what you do, and how flexible the class is. In fact Geffen School of Medicine recommends taking post-bacc OR graduate school for reapplicants. If a masters program is flexible, it may allow you to take undergrad (UG) courses to booster your UG GPA. Masters programs may also pay for your tuition and provide a monthly stipend, and you are eligible for financial aid. However the problem is your GPA may exclude you from a lot of graduate programs in general. I think UC standards require at least a 3.0. Some programs may require more, like engineering.

Post-bacc on the other hand is sometimes less strict on the GPA. UC post-bacc programs vary from 2.7-2.93 or something. With UCD on the low end, and UCSF on the high. Most of these programs require that students be from some disadvantaged background. There are a few post-bacc programs at the CSU's that do not have a disadvantaged background requirement. Off the top of my head, SJSU, and SFSU have such programs. However I don't know what the GPA requirement is. It is my impression that a 2.5 can get in, since the program appears to be similar to an open campus program.

So you have a choice, find a formal post-bacc program that accepts you GPA. I personally have not seen one that grants admission to someone with <2.7. You can check out those CSU's. You can do an informal post-bacc through an open campus program at a CSU, or UC Extension. Open campus is expensive, and quite a hassle though. There are a few threads about UCLA Extension classes which may be helpful. For the most part, its a GOOD alternative to nothing, but if you can get into an official program of somekind (another bachelor's program, grad school, or formal post-bacc), i'd do that. For example if you do open campus at UCLA. You pay a lot per unit, and are last priority to register. I did this at UCD, and never had a problem with getting my classes, but had to wait like 1-2 weeks before actually getting in.

So yea, you have choices. Now it just depends on how much money you want to spend, and where you want to go. I did UCD Extension after graduating from UCD. The cost and hassle got to me after 1.5 years so I just signed up for grad school at UCD. You can definately get your GPA up. The main question is, how will you change your habits (study, work, etc) to get all A's from here on out. Regardless good luck!

 

[sidewalkman]

There are schools out there that are open-enrollment, no matter what your GPA is. There's the open campus thing in CA. If you're willing to move, most large state schools have something where you can take classes a la carte. Northwestern, Harvard Extension, and WashU are open-enrollment. Don't forget the summer session - many schools relax their admission standards during the summer, so much so that the summer session at many places is practially first-come, first-serve in terms of seats.

So, one again, relentless11 is right - it depends on where you want to go, how much you want to spend, and how formal a program you are looking for.

 

[mmcinta]

Thank you so much for your responses zahque, rentless11 & sidewalkman. I am looking for a formal program in California. I come from a disadvantage background money is very tight with me. I cannot afford to go to private schools like USC or Scripps. I think ucsf or csula post bac would be the 2 that i would most likely apply. But I'm not sure about my chances of getting in.

Also I am torn about the MCAT this Aug. Do you think I should take the MCAT this Aug?

If I do take it & not do so well (lack in sciences) & continue on to do a post bac & then retake the MCAT - is that better than....


not take the MCAT this Aug - apply to a post bac & build up my science knowledge & then take the MCAT electronically next April.

What do you think?

thanks again!

 

[doctorFred]

i'm not sure how to advise you further, but you bring up a great point in passing. even as someone who has grown up around computers and has been online since i was about eleven or twelve years old, i would much rather take a paper mcat than the computer-based mcat that will be administered next april. i can't stand looking at a computer screen for more than an hour at a time; taking a full mcat on one seems like an awful prospect.

 

[relentless11]

Thank you so much for your responses zahque, rentless11 & sidewalkman. I am looking for a formal program in California. I come from a disadvantage background money is very tight with me. I cannot afford to go to private schools like USC or Scripps. I think ucsf or csula post bac would be the 2 that i would most likely apply. But I'm not sure about my chances of getting in.

Also I am torn about the MCAT this Aug. Do you think I should take the MCAT this Aug?

If I do take it & not do so well (lack in sciences) & continue on to do a post bac & then retake the MCAT - is that better than....


not take the MCAT this Aug - apply to a post bac & build up my science knowledge & then take the MCAT electronically next April.

What do you think?

thanks again!

Make sure your disadvantaged status corresponds with AMCAS. Thats usually the definition they go by. The UCSF program is quite competative though, however its essentially just taking classes at SFSU, and then having extra things provided through UCSF. So the main UG GPA boosting component is at SFSU rather than UCSF.

In regards to the MCAT, you take it when YOU are ready. You really don't want to take it more than once because its tiring, time consuming, expensive, and at times demoralizing. So endeavor to do it once, and do it well. Why take it when you're not 100% (if not 120%).

I too can sympathize with zahque. Although I'm not to shabby with computers, I would prefer to take the paper-based MCAT since I like to write next to the questions. However I haven't seen the test yet (it should be on the AAMC website now), so I don't have any opinions about the CBT version. But hey, numerous students have survived the GRE's which have been CBT for sometime, and they are also adaptive (unlike the new MCAT). So it shouldn't be too hard. I guess all those years of computer games will finally pay off😉.