need advice on what steps to take!

[dmndangel]

Hi everyone. So due to my mounting anxiety I decided to stop reading dozens upon dozens of posts and write one of my own. I'm going to talk to an advisor later this week and plan on contacting some med schools in my area next week about my situation but I figured it would be a good idea to get a variety of opinions.

Stats: (figured I would throw them all out there so you guys could get a good picture)

-Senior at an Ivy
- taken most of the prereqs (need physics)
- did awful my freshman year and in most of the prereqs (simply was not prepared for the challenges I would face and had some seriously debilitating anxiety)
- failed a class, a few c's and 2 d's in the sciences
- upward trend beginning sophomore year, A's in all upper level science courses, dean's list these last 3 semesters and hopefully this one as well
- looks like I will be graduating with a 3.4cgpa and about a 2.8sgpa
- pretty standard EC's: volunteering here and abroad, shadowing, a few leadership positions, research in a human development lab since freshman year (now completing honors thesis)

I'm going to do a postbac next year to help boost my gpa and plan on taking the mcat at the end of the postbac next year (already got into American and waiting for replies from Hunter, Harvard, and UPenn).

My question is, do I need to be doing more? Assuming I do well in the postbac and get above a 30 on the mcat, will this be enough to get schools to look at me? Should I do an SMP after the postbac? I dont really want to but should I retake my prereqs? My ideal situation is that one more year proving that I can do well in the sciences and a good mcat score will get me in for fall 2012, but now I'm worried that maybe that isnt realistic.

Any and all advise would be MUCH appreciated!!!

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[The Poet Sings]

Hi everyone. So due to my mounting anxiety I decided to stop reading dozens upon dozens of posts and write one of my own. I'm going to talk to an advisor later this week and plan on contacting some med schools in my area next week about my situation but I figured it would be a good idea to get a variety of opinions.

Stats: (figured I would throw them all out there so you guys could get a good picture)

-Senior at an Ivy
- taken most of the prereqs (need physics)
- did awful my freshman year and in most of the prereqs (simply was not prepared for the challenges I would face and had some seriously debilitating anxiety)
- failed a class, a few c's and 2 d's in the sciences
- upward trend beginning sophomore year, A's in all upper level science courses, dean's list these last 3 semesters and hopefully this one as well
- looks like I will be graduating with a 3.4cgpa and about a 2.8sgpa
- pretty standard EC's: volunteering here and abroad, shadowing, a few leadership positions, research in a human development lab since freshman year (now completing honors thesis)

I'm going to do a postbac next year to help boost my gpa and plan on taking the mcat at the end of the postbac next year (already got into American and waiting for replies from Hunter, Harvard, and UPenn).

My question is, do I need to be doing more? Assuming I do well in the postbac and get above a 30 on the mcat, will this be enough to get schools to look at me? Should I do an SMP after the postbac? I dont really want to but should I retake my prereqs? My ideal situation is that one more year proving that I can do well in the sciences and a good mcat score will get me in for fall 2012, but now I'm worried that maybe that isnt realistic.

Any and all advise would be MUCH appreciated!!!

i've never heard of anyone doing a postbacc and an smp. i thought it was either one or the other. i'm guessing the postbacc faculty would be able to help prepare you and figure out what else needs to be done (not saying anything else needs to be done necessarily, but i honestly don't know and they would).

 

[njbmd]

i've never heard of anyone doing a postbacc and an smp. i thought it was either one or the other. i'm guessing the postbacc faculty would be able to help prepare you and figure out what else needs to be done (not saying anything else needs to be done necessarily, but i honestly don't know and they would).

If the OP is doing a formal postbacc and does well, they likely do not need to do an SMP. The whole idea of a formal postbacc is to get credentials enhancement. If enhancemnt doesn't happen with the post bacc, it was a total waste of tuition money and an SMP isn't going to be of much help.

 

[KickStart]

Is there a link that compares/contrasts Masters, Postbacs, and SMPs?

 

[njbmd]

Is there a link that compares/contrasts Masters, Postbacs, and SMPs?

The AAMC website has the link to postbac programs. It is easily found by Google.

 

[faith2]

I did a post bac and a SMP.

 

[The Poet Sings]

I did a post bac and a SMP.

why, and in what order?

 

[faith2]

I did it because I was a Bio major in UG, and had already taken the prereq for med school, but the grades ranged from disgustiong to good. When I did the classes over the lowest grade I got was a A- but my science GPA was low. I felt that those A's meant nothing because it should be expected when you are taking classes over. That is why i did the SMP to prove 1) I can get A's in classes that I never took before 2) Increase my GPA cut off 3) be better prepared for medical school.

I am not saying that everyone should do this, but this was my plan of attack to get me my seat and it worked for me.

I forgot to add i wanted my apps to be competitive for DO and MD

why, and in what order?

 

[The Poet Sings]

I did it because I was a Bio major in UG, and had already taken the prereq for med school, but the grades ranged from disgustiong to good. When I did the classes over the lowest grade I got was a A- but my science GPA was low. I felt that those A's meant nothing because it should be expected when you are taking classes over. That is why i did the SMP to prove 1) I can get A's in classes that I never took before 2) Increase my GPA cut off 3) be better prepared for medical school.

I am not saying that everyone should do this, but this was my plan of attack to get me my seat and it worked for me.

I forgot to add i wanted my apps to be competitive for DO and MD

thanks for being willing to share. i figured it would help the op if they heard of a personal situation where someone decided to do both.

 

[faith2]

thanks for being willing to share. i figured it would help the op if they heard of a personal situation where someone decided to do both.

always willing 2 help.

 

[dmndangel]

Thanks a lot faith2! Your story was really helpful since this is something I'm considering doing. One more question, did you apply to med school after you finished the smp or did you do it while you were taking the smp? Thanks again!

 

[VOP]

work harder than you have ever worked..especially for the MCAT.

 

[faith2]

i graduated from smp in june 07 but due to my baby being born june 07, and leaving my husband aug 07 I had to get a job and wait until things were better situated in my life. I applied june 09. got my first acceptance oct 09. During the 2 years I taught science, volunteered with juveniles, shadowed doctors, assisted with gay straight alliance at the high school that I work at anything that could be put on my application.

A suggestion to anyone that has to go this route...become a science teacher...you can use it under leadership, it is considered community work, the hours are great for study time or other ec's you want to do, and it helps you study for your MCAT by understanding the basics of science.

just an opinion

Thanks a lot faith2! Your story was really helpful since this is something I'm considering doing. One more question, did you apply to med school after you finished the smp or did you do it while you were taking the smp? Thanks again!

 

[faith2]

This is so true people do not realize when you are doing damage control for your application it will take a lot more work than a typical applicant. Every interview I had focused on the bad grades that I got as a UG, but they also focused on the 3 years of all A's ( one B which to to this day makes me throw up) While you are working on that GPA increase you MUST work on everything else that goes in the application as well. DO schools are much easier to get in, and they are more forgiving than MD schools. However, you can still get in both. You will also realize once you know what you want to do everything is actually easy.

work harder than you have ever worked..especially for the MCAT.

 

[FriendlyFace]

what's done is done. don't try to pad your gpa. finish your prereqs then study really hard for the mcat. score 35-40 range and apply broadly. explain the grades at your interviews like a mature adult and you'll get accepted somewhere.