need advice. already in post-bac prog

[DTss]

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hey all,

So, if you are already in a postbac program, for people who are taking pre-reqs and haven't done so already at their undergrad schools, and you did poorly in these pre-req courses, what does it mean? poorly i mean C+ in both gen chems and B's in both intro bios... chem labs A's. cum postbac gpa 2.97; ugrad gpa 3.2

should they just give up on the dream of going to medical schools?

 

[Moon1234]

Dude to be honest it doesn't look too good for US medical schools at this point. Post Bacs are supposed to be that remedial time where you are showing med schools that you have what it takes, even if your ugad wasn't amazing. I would talk to an advisor about your options, and start looking at DO and Caribbean if you are open to it. take care.

 

[deleted248403]

SMP if you want MD is your only hope at this point, but yeah it looks bad.

Start looking at the Carib or DO

 

[DrMidlife]

should they just give up on the dream of going to medical schools?

For now, yes. Withdraw. Walk away. Come back when you can get A's in hard science. I speak from bad/crippling experience: don't keep taking classes if you're not getting A's.

You can't imagine it now, but after a few years working and paying rent you might be ready to be a better student. People start med school in their late 20's, 30's, even (gasp) 40's and 50's.

Best of luck to you.

 

[DTss]

SMP is an option though for people who's done Post-bac? for career changing post-bac, that is. No sci classes during ugrad.

also, thanks DrMidlife... That was one of the considerations. Question is then, when you are ready to return to school, should you reapply? To finish the remaining pre-reqs and take hard sciences? Or did you mean SMP too?

Thanks

PS. Also, if not MD, I would not consider medicine... and I don't know how I feel about Caribbean Schools... but if either SMP isn't an option or there is no way to take hard science courses after returning from work... that may be the only option...

 

[Enzyme1]

DT if you don't mind me asking were there any tutoring services at your school free of charge? Why did you not take advantage of that? What caused you to get a low postbac gpa; in other words, what issues do you attribute to your situation that made it so (lack of commitment, time management)? I hear of walk-in tutoring for postbac I'm not sure if it's all over though.

By the way, what school was this? A big Uni (UVA, NYU, Columbia, etc), or more of a privatized one (Bryn Mawr or the like), if you don't want to directly express the name of the school.

Regarding your Caribbean concern, many people I know and where I volunteer are hoping to go there. It is actually a really good school. Explore your options

 

[deleted248403]

Regarding your Caribbean concern, many people I know and where I volunteer are hoping to go there. It is actually a really good school. Explore your options

"It is a really good school"?? There are multiple Carib schools - are you referring to one in particular?

And no, it is not a really good school. They self-screen who can even sit for the boards (i.e. you have to mass many intenal tests before being allowed to even sit the USMLEs hence how they boast such high pass numbers because they only allow a select few to even sit for them).

Then you have the issue of coming back to the US and finding a residency program - which is only going to be getting harder over the next few years. They are opening more US MD schools every couple of years, but they are not increasing the number of residency slots. Therefore there will be competition for the residency slots amongst the US MD students, pushing the DOs and FMGs (foreign medical grads) out of the picture (unless you are top of your class, and even then....).

So no, Carib is not a really good school - any of them.

 

[DTss]

Sadly, i would have to agree with my direct previous poster regarding caribbean school. I think it may be wiser to take additional courses/SMP to get into a US school... or do something extraordinary to compensate for low grades. I know of people with low gpa's whos gotten in this round. low cum/sci gpa and sub-par mcat score.

Now, I think its good to know it can happen... but I am not the type to hope to be that lucky 1% of population with low scores getting in...

So, I ask again. SMP's still possible for people who's done post-bacs?

to answer your question, it is an ivy league institution. Yes. my time management was poor, and motivation, certainly... close to non-existent. Combination of that plus horrible teachers who don't know how to grade. Regardless, I don't think regretting over spilled milk is wise. Med school won't care about the quality of the teachers... I am hoping to some extent that the status of the institution has "some" weight, with consideration to the poor results.

I do plan on leaving premed for a brief period of time. my question is now, would I have to retake the courses upon my return?

 

[ScoobyDooo]

I do plan on leaving premed for a brief period of time. my question is now, would I have to retake the courses upon my return?

Yes and no. Since there are no grade replacements for allopathic schools, you won't benefit much from a GPA enhancement perspective. However, if there are large chunks of material you need clarification on (and cannot learn on your own), then you should retake those courses. Personally, I have retaken organic chemistry at a community college and have greatly benefited from it. Some of the concepts could potentially be on the MCAT and having a solid foundation of the pre-req. courses can be a great asset. I believe a strong MCAT score will help you immensely.

For now, take some time off and rest. Find your passion for medicine and the motivation and desire to suceed will come. And keep your mind sharp! Best of luck to you!