Need advice

[27LA]

Hi, I'm new to SDN and as I was reading some posts, I felt like I could get some good advice from the members here. Okay, I have applied to some post bac programs, I did poorly on the MCAT in the past. Currently, I have been placed on a waiting list for one post bac program and have yet to hear from the others. I am feeling kinda low and I feel that I should be doing something just in case I don't get accepted into a post bac program. So I was wondering should I just take the Kaplan course to boost my MCAT and forget about post bac or should I continue to wait for post bac and apply to some more programs? Do you think the kaplan course will be better choice than a post bac program. I really appreciate any input.

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[ntmed]

Hi, I'm new to SDN and as I was reading some posts, I felt like I could get some good advice from the members here. Okay, I have applied to some post bac programs, I did poorly on the MCAT in the past. Currently, I have been placed on a waiting list for one post bac program and have yet to hear from the others. I am feeling kinda low and I feel that I should be doing something just in case I don't get accepted into a post bac program. So I was wondering should I just take the Kaplan course to boost my MCAT and forget about post bac or should I continue to wait for post bac and apply to some more programs? Do you think the kaplan course will be better choice than a post bac program. I really appreciate any input.

It depends on what you need to accomplish. Why do you want to do a post-bacc?

1. If you have a low undergraduate GPA (maybe below 3.4, definitely below 3.2), then you want to do some post-bacc work. Enter a post-bacc program, if you get into one. Or just enroll as a non-degree-seeking student in any decent university with an active premedical program. Or if you feel confident in your premedical sciences, but still want to address a low GPA, you could consider a quick masters in biology.

2. If your GPA is fine (3.5 overall GPA and 3.5 science GPA), and just want to improve your MCAT score, then a Kaplan course might be helpful. IMHO, MCAT review courses are only good for teaching test-taking skills, and not for teaching you the test material. Also, IMHO, if you didn't get A's in your premed courses, it will be hard to do well on the MCAT.

Also, have someone review your situation to suggest ways to strengthen your application. If the premed advisor at your undergraduate school is helpful, talk to him/her. If not, maybe there's trusted professor, or the premed advisor at the schools you are considering.

Best of luck.

 

[27LA]

Thanks so much. My undergrad gpa is 3.2 and my grad gpa is 3.8 (i've completed my masters, thesis, publication, the whole nine). My main goal is to improve my MCAT score and if i get some exposure to medical school courses than thats an added bonus. I'm just trying to figure out the right path to choose. Again, thanks so much for your help.