Need Help in choosing a program!!

[DRANTWAN]

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Hi I will be graduating soon with a 3.0 GPA and 24 MCAT. I have fulfilled all my pre-req's and I will have a B.S. in Biology. I did horrible in my chem labs but retook them over. I sucked at chem but made good grades in Biology. What do you recommend? What post bacc or masters programs would be good for me? I am from chicago and I am considered disadvantaged. So financial aid is a big concern for me. I cant do a post bacc or masters program if they dont offer financial aid. write back. any advice will be well appreciated.

 

[DRANTWAN]

anyone? 😳

 

[scooter31]

I thikn your best bet is to retake the MCAT. It will open up a lot more doors if you improve on your score. The 3.0 will get you into a lot of post-bac programs, but if you could get the MCAT up to like a 27+, places like GTown SMP and the Drexel IMP programs will be more of a reality. I know those two require at least a 27 for the MCAT for their schools, and they should be able to give financial assistance. As far as Chicago, the only places I can think of that you could look into are Finch/Rosalind Franklin and Loyola. They both have one year masters, if I remember correctly. Finch's is VERY expensive, so that may not be an option. Of course, you can always go back and take classes a la carte at Chicago State, or somewhere cheap like that, rock the MCAT, while taking a couple of upper division classes (immuno, physiology, something like that), and possibly get some research/volunteer hours in there while you're at it.

Good luck!

 

[samenewme]

The other thing I would suggest is that you go back over your exams or notes for chemistry and find out why you sucked at it. Did you not understand the concepts? Did you not practice the problems enough? Did you not memorize what you needed to memorize? Look back through the textbooks or talk to the professor, or whatever you need to do to figure that out.

I found that general chemistry required me to simply do the homework problems OVER AND OVER. Doing that made the process of solving the problems automatic and gave me enough speed that on exams I would have time to go back over and find my little mistakes.

Organic chemistry was a lot more work, because I had to do problems, AND memorize reagents. I didn't have to use models much to understand the 3-dimensional aspects (chirality and chair conformations and Fischer projections) but lots of people do. Actually, I should be studying o-chem right now. My second semester ends in just over a week!

Then as you study for the MCATs, you'll be better able to pull up your score and make yourself more competitive. If you decide you need to retake the chemistry to nail it this time, go ahead.

It's important when you're a little off-course from where you want to be, to stop and figure out where you are and how to get back. Don't just start paddling.

 

[AlphaKi]

I'm pretty sure your best bet would be Loyola, Georgetown or some other special masters. I don't know special masters too well since I am not applying for one. If you go to google.com and type in ' syracuse postbaccalaureate' they have links for all types of postbacs. It's best to go to their websites and see what the programs have to offer and to look for financial aid packages. A big plus is to call them, if the person is friendly and receptive that's always a good sign ( I didn't feel this way with Miami for example even though Miami has a solid rep for science ).

Since you had a degree in bio that should help with class choices. I think it's best to converse with the people of the programs and tell them your situation. It's never a bad thing to explain things, the worst thing that can happen is they say no but you'll never know. Forums like this are great but they are only opinions, these people have opinions for their program while we have opinions in general.

I agree, it is always best to retake chem. IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT because O Chem 1 is definitely the most important pre-med class there is and without a good background in inorganic you will struggle there and eventually in medical where they only teach you biochem and expect you to have a working knowledge of organic coming in the door.

Good luck

 

[Phil Anthropist]

If I remember correctly, you need at least a 25 for the Loyola MAMS program. I don't think there is a minimum score for some of the more established SMP-type programs, but successful applicants to Georgetown/Drexel/Boston U usually have at least upper 20s. Your GPA isn't too bad for most of these programs. My brother was accepted to the G-town and Boston programs with a 3.1 cume and a less than 3.0 bcpm. However, he did get a 30 on his MCAT. You do have a shot at the Barry program in Florida though. The minimum score for the 1-year master of biomedical sciences program is a 3.0 and a 24...which is exactly your stats, right? I don't think Barry's known for US allopathic placement, but it's supposed to be a feeder for osteopathic schools (some of the profs are Nova teachers if I remember correctly). Like the others mentioned, raising your MCAT will open a lot of doors...I'm considering post-bacc masters programs too, but I might not start until next year because I missed some of the financial aid consideration deadlines and I don't have an MCAT score yet...But anyway, good luck!

 

[DRANTWAN]

what is the loyola MAMS program? would it help to get into Loyola med school?

 

[Phil Anthropist]

what is the loyola MAMS program? would it help to get into Loyola med school?

It's a program I'm considering, but I might take a year off before entering a special master's program. Here's the website:

Loyola University Master of Arts in Medical Sciences
http://www.luc.edu/depts/biology/mams.htm

According to the website, you get "a guaranteed admissions interview at the Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine when they [successful MAMS students] achieve a GPA in the program of 3.5 or better and an MCAT score of 28 or better." I think you also need a 3.0 undergraduate GPA too. Take a look at the website and contact Dr. Diane Suter if you have any questions...she seems to be helpful

Some points to note:

*Guaranteed interview doesn't mean guaranteed admission.
*The program is brand new, so no one knows how effective the program is.
*My understanding is that it is coursework only, which means no labs, no research.
*The classes are med school type-classes (e.g. neuro, anatomy, physio, genetics), but you don't take them at Loyola Stritch med school
*It a 1-year program and it's only 24 credit hours. The special masters Boston U and Georgetown programs are way more credit hours (really intense from what I hear) and I would think they would be more impressive (you're taking classes with med students and you have more research/lab experience). Of course, fewer credit hours may give you more time to study for the MCAT, volunteer, etc.
*It's in Chicago...which could be a plus seeing that you're from Chi-town...
*Judy Levine on the Examkrackers Forum, a former NYMC admissions committee member, says that special master's programs generally have the most clout at their own institutions (e.g. Boston U--> Boston U, Georgetown--> Georgetown, Loyola-->Stritch).
*Stritch is my dream school, but I almost think I'd be better off doing a masters at BU or G-Town...just 'cause the programs are more intense, you take classes with med students, and the programs are most established (but they're also obnoxiously expensive)

Anyway good luck Drantwan!

 

[MD Rapper]

Thanks for the insight phil... I have applied to all the programs you have talked about.

Hmm... since the Loyola one is less credit hours and I have a 3.5 cum gpa (3.2 science), do you think that would be sufficient for an allopathic medical school acceptance with an MCAT (waiting on my scores) in the high 20's? I would obviously be able to have a higher gpa if there are less credit hours... any thoughts?

 

[Phil Anthropist]

Thanks for the insight phil... I have applied to all the programs you have talked about.

Hmm... since the Loyola one is less credit hours and I have a 3.5 cum gpa (3.2 science), do you think that would be sufficient for an allopathic medical school acceptance with an MCAT (waiting on my scores) in the high 20's? I would obviously be able to have a higher gpa if there are less credit hours... any thoughts?

hmmm your numbers aren't that bad to begin with. i would think that you should at least have a shot as it is. most acceptees tend to say that upper 20s is borderline. It depends on where you're applying and your state residency. also, don't forget your extra curriculars. generally, I've heard that reapplicants and nontraditional students should usually have better MCATs than the typical matriculant.

As far as graduate GPA goes, I would think that a 3.9 at the Loyola program would look nicer than a 3.2 at Boston/Drexel/Georgetown, but again, the program is brand new for this fall, so that's purely speculation. Who knows, maybe some adcoms will think that the Loyola program is too easy to get a 4.0 in. I say that because the Boston spring semester is 16 credits with med students, Georgetown sping semester is 19 credit hours with med school students and the Loyola one is just 12 without med students...The point is to prove to the adcoms that you can succeed in med school. But then again maybe the Loyola MAMS program will turn out to be intense and highly respected by adcoms. You'd be taking a crapshoot by enrolling at the Loyola program, but then again so is the whole darn med school admissions process, right?

Going back to your undergrad numbers...Did you ever consider doing an undergrad post-bacc instead (formal or informal)? Let's say you did a 1-year post bacc with a glide year. I would think you could raise your cume to around a 3.6-3.7 and your science to around a 3.4-3.5 over the course of a year-year and a half if you took a full courseload. Of course how much you can up your gpa will depend on how many science credits you've completed thus far. If you did that at a state school, you'd probably save a lot of money, but keep in mind you're gonna have to pull close to 4.0s each semester to make those gpa increases.

Please remember that I haven't actually done an SMP yet and I haven't applied to med school. Those are just my thoughts from the research I've done, you might want to ask someone else who has actually done an SMP-type program...

Anyways, there's my $0.02 for ya

 

[MD Rapper]

hmmm your numbers aren't that bad to begin with. i would think that you should at least have a shot as it is. most acceptees tend to say that upper 20s is borderline. It depends on where you're applying and your state residency. also, don't forget your extra curriculars. generally, I've heard that reapplicants and nontraditional students should usually have better MCATs than the typical matriculant.

As far as graduate GPA goes, I would think that a 3.9 at the Loyola program would look nicer than a 3.2 at Boston/Drexel/Georgetown, but again, the program is brand new for this fall, so that's purely speculation. Who knows, maybe some adcoms will think that the Loyola program is too easy to get a 4.0 in. I say that because the Boston spring semester is 16 credits with med students, Georgetown sping semester is 19 credit hours with med school students and the Loyola one is just 12 without med students...The point is to prove to the adcoms that you can succeed in med school. But then again maybe the Loyola MAMS program will turn out to be intense and highly respected by adcoms. You'd be taking a crapshoot by enrolling at the Loyola program, but then again so is the whole darn med school admissions process, right?

Going back to your undergrad numbers...Did you ever consider doing an undergrad post-bacc instead (formal or informal)? Let's say you did a 1-year post bacc with a glide year. I would think you could raise your cume to around a 3.6-3.7 and your science to around a 3.4-3.5 over the course of a year-year and a half if you took a full courseload. Of course how much you can up your gpa will depend on how many science credits you've completed thus far. If you did that at a state school, you'd probably save a lot of money, but keep in mind you're gonna have to pull close to 4.0s each semester to make those gpa increases.

Please remember that I haven't actually done an SMP yet and I haven't applied to med school. Those are just my thoughts from the research I've done, you might want to ask someone else who has actually done an SMP-type program...

Anyways, there's my $0.02 for ya

Thanks for the comments

Well, here is a little more in depth about me. I am a student at USC in Los Angeles, CA, so getting into medical school is a little bit more difficult for me- it's very competitive out here and Cali med schools are not too hospitable.

What you say is correct in a way... doing DIY postbac could probably up my gpa to the correct range. Around here, there is very few, if any at all, "academic enhancer" post-bac programs. I would have to do it on my own. What's great already is that I have an incredible upward trend. My junior and senior year gpa's are close to 3.7 while my freshman and sophomore years are like 3.2-3.3. I've gotten straight A's this year. Wouldn't doing post-bac after graduating be counted as a separate gpa though?

I want to at all costs avoid a glide year, so I figure doing a master's program is way more sure fire than post-bac. I'm doing AMCAS this summer anyway.

My EC's are very sufficient (mainly research, volunteer work, and shadowing). I guess I just have to wait to hear back from these programs... I'll keep you posted. What do you think?

Sorry.. didn't mean to take away from the initial poster.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

I am a student at USC in Los Angeles, CA, so getting into medical school is a little bit more difficult for me- it's very competitive out here and Cali med schools are not too hospitable.

The Trojans?! Ahhh you guys always beat my favorite teams! Somehow I had a feeling you were from Cali--heard it's hell out there trying to get into med school.

What you say is correct in a way... doing DIY postbac could probably up my gpa to the correct range. Around here, there is very few, if any at all, "academic enhancer" post-bac programs. I would have to do it on my own. What's great already is that I have an incredible upward trend. My junior and senior year gpa's are close to 3.7 while my freshman and sophomore years are like 3.2-3.3. I've gotten straight A's this year. Wouldn't doing post-bac after graduating be counted as a separate gpa though?

Okay forget about that whole take-classes-at-your-state-school thing I suggested. My understanding is that the whole darn UC system is very hard. Your upward trend is excellent. And I believe you're right about post-bac gpa being separate.

I want to at all costs avoid a glide year, so I figure doing a master's program is way more sure fire than post-bac. I'm doing AMCAS this summer anyway.

Avoid glide year at all costs? Out of all the programs I mentioned previously, the Georgetown SMP seems to be the most successful getting their students into medical school during the program. This is the best way to avoid the glide year. When I got in contact with Dr. Suter about the Loyola MAMS program she said that you could apply to medical school during the program, but that most students would probably want to go with the glide year. It's pretty evident that the Loyola MAMS program is not designed to get you into med school immediately after finishing the program. On the other hand, the G-Town program has a block schedule so you finish classes over the semester and not just at the very end of the semester. This will allow you to get some grades to send to the med schools you're applying to. In fact, I believe G-town specifically assigns you an advisor or something to keep in contact with the adcoms while you're in the program to give them updates on your success.

My EC's are very sufficient (mainly research, volunteer work, and shadowing). I guess I just have to wait to hear back from these programs... I'll keep you posted. What do you think?

Glad to see that you won't have to deal with this while you're in a masters program...

Also, as a Cali resident you should apply to a bunch of schools...you probably already know that. Anyway, there's my 2 additional cents...

 

[911Med]

Hey guys,
When considering post-bac programs, please ignore their "minimim GPA/MCAT scores." Let's just say that I applied to the whole realm of post-bacs this year and I was below the range. I averaged a 60% acceptance rate. Just FYI. Don't let the #'s discourage you.
HOWEVER - If you are planning on doing the post-bac and matriculating RIGHT into a linked program, the previous posters are correct - you must have at least a 27 (some prgrams even specify nothing less than a 9 in anything.)

 

[GBFKicks]

Hi I will be graduating soon with a 3.0 GPA and 24 MCAT. I have fulfilled all my pre-req's and I will have a B.S. in Biology. I did horrible in my chem labs but retook them over. I sucked at chem but made good grades in Biology. What do you recommend? What post bacc or masters programs would be good for me? I am from chicago and I am considered disadvantaged. So financial aid is a big concern for me. I cant do a post bacc or masters program if they dont offer financial aid. write back. any advice will be well appreciated.

You said you hated chemistry. I was just wondering if you improved your chem for the MCAT if it would significantly improve your MCAT score. What did you score on your physical sciences part of the MCAT?

 

[waitman192]

\ I cant do a post bacc or masters program if they dont offer financial aid. write back. any advice will be well appreciated.

One thing about the georgetown program - it does cost about $26000 with no assistance other than FAFSA... they said that is no chance to be awarded scholarships. And another thing to keep in mind is that it is in Georgetown, not exactly the cheapest place to live in DC (with DC not exactly being a cheap place to live - they have said an apartment will cost 800-1100ish/month not including utilities and not furnished, I saw one for $1300)... Just to keep that in mind since you say money may be an issue

not sure about other programs

-wa