Need help/advice regarding UG + Grad

[NonTrad1234]

Hello all,

First, let me say that I am new to this forum so please forgive me if this is covered elsewhere. I am 25, currently working as a CPA in the Dallas, TX area. I obtained 3 degrees (UG-Music, UG-Business, Masters-Accounting) in the 5 years that I was in college, graduating Aug 2009. My undergrad GPA was 3.8 but my grad GPA was lower (3.4) mostly because the school was on a +/- system for grad's where A- did not get you a 4.0, etc. Additionally, the graduate accounting program at my school is #1 and extremely difficult/competitive. My first question is, will this lower grad GPA hurt my chances of getting into medical school, given the factors mentioned above? Or will my UG GPA be what is primarily looked at?

My second question is about pre-reqs. Given that I am working full-time and would like to continue to do so in order to save money for school, etc., I am considering taking all of my science prerequisites (Bio I, Bio II, upper division Bio's, Gen Chems, Orgos, and physics) at Northlake college (community college which has a pretty reputable science program). I am not sure that taking the classes at a 4-year university would be an option for me given my work schedule. How much will this hurt me in the application process? I have many extra curricular/volunteer "feathers" in my hat, which I'm hoping, along with my UG GPA and *hopefully* a high MCAT score, will outweigh the fact that my science pre-reqs were at CC. Obviously, I will do whatever possible to make high marks in these pre-req classes.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback from some seasoned non-traditionals out there. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post

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[0919mmk]

Hello all,

First, let me say that I am new to this forum so please forgive me if this is covered elsewhere. I am 25, currently working as a CPA in the Dallas, TX area. I obtained 3 degrees (UG-Music, UG-Business, Masters-Accounting) in the 5 years that I was in college, graduating Aug 2009. My undergrad GPA was 3.8 but my grad GPA was lower (3.4) mostly because the school was on a +/- system for grad's where A- did not get you a 4.0, etc. Additionally, the graduate accounting program at my school is #1 and extremely difficult/competitive. My first question is, will this lower grad GPA hurt my chances of getting into medical school, given the factors mentioned above? Or will my UG GPA be what is primarily looked at?

My second question is about pre-reqs. Given that I am working full-time and would like to continue to do so in order to save money for school, etc., I am considering taking all of my science prerequisites (Bio I, Bio II, upper division Bio's, Gen Chems, Orgos, and physics) at Northlake college (community college which has a pretty reputable science program). I am not sure that taking the classes at a 4-year university would be an option for me given my work schedule. How much will this hurt me in the application process? I have many extra curricular/volunteer "feathers" in my hat, which I'm hoping, along with my UG GPA and *hopefully* a high MCAT score, will outweigh the fact that my science pre-reqs were at CC. Obviously, I will do whatever possible to make high marks in these pre-req classes.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback from some seasoned non-traditionals out there. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post

1) Yes, your UG GPA is much more important as far as med schools go, which is good for you. Having said that, a downwards trend (that is what it will be seen as regardless of the difficulty of your grad program unfortunately) is a pretty big red flag for adcoms.

2) Dont take your prereqs at a community college- it will hurt you. I am pretty sure that teh vast majority of med schools want your prereqs from a 4-year school.

3)Overall, what you need to do is figure out a way to do your prereqs at a 4-year school (how about working for a university and using free tuition credits?). Obviously you need to get a good MCAT score, which will take time and dedication. It seems that your work schedule is an issue that you need to figure out. You need something with enough flexibility to allow you to a)take prereqs, and b) study 4+ hours a day for 3+ months for the MCAT.

Good luck - if this is what you want to do, you'll do it, but you'll have to sacrifice along the way. Also, are you Canadian? If so, and you want to go to school in the US, you might want to think about getting residency or something- it's much harder to get in as an international student.