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Need of some advice for a new post bacc candidate
- Thread starter PopeJoja
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what kind of past-bacc are you considering. traditional ones are for students that haven't taken the pre-reqs yet. smp's are for students that have, but their grades are below the acceptable range (<3.45).
1-if you do the post-bacc/smp and apply the summer after completion (your best chance) then you will be applying for two autumns in the future... and might not be actually accepted until the following spring/summer. thus you will have about a year off. use this to expand your resume/application by working in a clinical/lab setting, or volunteering, or traveling and doing something unique and worth mentioning in interviews.
2-depends largely on what your stats are if you apply senior year. (seeing as you are considering applying i'm assuming you have all the pre-reqs done and you should be looking for an smp [depending on your numbers] ).
3-i thought you said you read through the FAQ, read the 'stickies' at the top of the post-bacc page and you will find what each type of program is for and which ones are in texas.
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Just looked over the stickies. Thanks, I have basically all I need.
PS. Are there people with that kind of game plan (apply senior year and use the post bacc to boost up resume if wait listed in hopes med schools will accept them)? Or is it a total waste of time? Thanks again
PS. Are there people with that kind of game plan (apply senior year and use the post bacc to boost up resume if wait listed in hopes med schools will accept them)? Or is it a total waste of time? Thanks again
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traditional post-baccs (where you take the pre-reqs) won't accept a student who has already done them, especially if they are reasonable. you can do an extra year of undergrad or graduate science courses to boost your bcmp if thats what it takes... but not a trad post-bacc. we can be a lot more help and more specific if you would be more specific about your position.
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I have about 3.5 cgpa and sub par 3.22 sgpa. My classification is sophomore about to be junior at a top tier undergrad. By the end of this semester I would have taken all my pre-reqs for med school. My ec's and clinical experience are amazing. I also work about 16-20 hours a week in a clinical setting with a lot of patient contact.
I am just worried about my numbers, which is what I am looking for in a post bacc. I also am concerned about time. If there is anything else you can add please do
Seeing as you have really a full year to improve your GPA, you have a good shot at acceptances if you get a decent MCAT score and do very well in that year. Your cGPA is fine, and your sGPA isn't terrible, but I would take as many bcmp-type courses next year as possible (within reason), and some 3.7/3.8 work could boost that to a 3.55/3.3 possibly which is competitive with a good MCAT (just an estimate, you should do the calculations yourself).
if you do improve and plan on applying in the summer between junior and senior year, apply early (get amcas in by early july at latest) and apply to a few smp's as well as a backup.
also, if you are not opposed to it, you are an excellent candidate for several DO schools, provided you don't bomb the MCAT. just know that to apply to many of these you need to shadow a DO and/or get a letter of recc from a DO.
Yeah I agree with Klmnop's analysis/advice.
I really wouldn't do anything else other than trying to achieve the best grades that you can since you have literally an entire year before you start your primary application and if you can increase that sGPA to a 3.5 and that cGPA a bit higher than what you have now, all you need is a solid MCAT score to have a shot at allopathic schools. Apply early and broadly and you should get a fair share of looks.
Medical schools look quite favorably at an upward trend so you have a year and probably more to demonstrate that. I would start the application in May and put down some predicted upper division science coursework for your senior year that you will complete fall/winter/spring quarter and update them throughout the year with your new grades as they come.
One tip I would have for you now is to do a bit of research on osteopathic medicine and browse some threads in the pre-osteopathic and osteopathic boards to gain a better view of others' experiences. It is very true that DO and MDs in today's society are virtually identical and I have no doubt that you hold a very open mind, but.. I am very hesistant on telling people to go down the osteopathic path unless they truly embrace what that means or they have no other options. Many in here may disagree but I see a common pattern from many SDN osteopathic students complaining about how taking classes in OMM is a waste of time and they're being force fed the "osteopathic koolaid bs" when they should be studying more for the core sciences in preperation for boards/USMLE etc. It's mainly the students who openly admit that they would rather have went to an allopathic school but were only accepted into an osteopathic one instead.
I'm really not trying to dissaude/persuade you into one way or another, I'm rather save you some anguish based off of the experiences of others and hoping that you can find if that is something that you feel is right for you. You really have a solid shot at allopathic schools if you follow Klmnop's route and doing the best that you can from here on out.
I really wouldn't do anything else other than trying to achieve the best grades that you can since you have literally an entire year before you start your primary application and if you can increase that sGPA to a 3.5 and that cGPA a bit higher than what you have now, all you need is a solid MCAT score to have a shot at allopathic schools. Apply early and broadly and you should get a fair share of looks.
Medical schools look quite favorably at an upward trend so you have a year and probably more to demonstrate that. I would start the application in May and put down some predicted upper division science coursework for your senior year that you will complete fall/winter/spring quarter and update them throughout the year with your new grades as they come.
One tip I would have for you now is to do a bit of research on osteopathic medicine and browse some threads in the pre-osteopathic and osteopathic boards to gain a better view of others' experiences. It is very true that DO and MDs in today's society are virtually identical and I have no doubt that you hold a very open mind, but.. I am very hesistant on telling people to go down the osteopathic path unless they truly embrace what that means or they have no other options. Many in here may disagree but I see a common pattern from many SDN osteopathic students complaining about how taking classes in OMM is a waste of time and they're being force fed the "osteopathic koolaid bs" when they should be studying more for the core sciences in preperation for boards/USMLE etc. It's mainly the students who openly admit that they would rather have went to an allopathic school but were only accepted into an osteopathic one instead.
I'm really not trying to dissaude/persuade you into one way or another, I'm rather save you some anguish based off of the experiences of others and hoping that you can find if that is something that you feel is right for you. You really have a solid shot at allopathic schools if you follow Klmnop's route and doing the best that you can from here on out.
Hi,
I think my question fits in with this thread--
I'll be a senior in the fall and am considering a post-bacc program, but I have some questions that I was hoping someone here might be able to help me with
I started as a biology major, took Gen Chem I and II (C+/C), Bio I and II (B-/B+) and molecular bio (B). I suppose I should mention my W from OChem I as well...
As a sophomore I switched my major to psych and am now in the honors program (doing a thesis/original research) and set to graduate in spring 2011 with a 3.66 (unless I make some poor life choices, that is).
So it seems to me that I would still need to complete OChem I and II, Physics I and II, and Calc I. Do post-bacc programs accept people like me -- I'm worried I've completed too many pre-reqs to be eligible (specifically I'm thinking of Bryn Mawr's website: it's ok to have 1 or maybe 2 done). Of course, I'd love to retake those chemistry and biology courses, but I don't think that's an option? I'm thinking about taking a gap year to work as a research assistant in the psych lab I'm in (i.e., make some money!) while also applying to programs. Would I be better off trying to finish up the pre-reqs at my undergrad school and just live with the grades I already have? It's a good school, but really big: my OChem I attempt had 600 kids in the lecture (spread across two sections) and a smaller program seems more ideal for me
I think my question fits in with this thread--
I'll be a senior in the fall and am considering a post-bacc program, but I have some questions that I was hoping someone here might be able to help me with
I started as a biology major, took Gen Chem I and II (C+/C), Bio I and II (B-/B+) and molecular bio (B). I suppose I should mention my W from OChem I as well...
As a sophomore I switched my major to psych and am now in the honors program (doing a thesis/original research) and set to graduate in spring 2011 with a 3.66 (unless I make some poor life choices, that is).
So it seems to me that I would still need to complete OChem I and II, Physics I and II, and Calc I. Do post-bacc programs accept people like me -- I'm worried I've completed too many pre-reqs to be eligible (specifically I'm thinking of Bryn Mawr's website: it's ok to have 1 or maybe 2 done). Of course, I'd love to retake those chemistry and biology courses, but I don't think that's an option? I'm thinking about taking a gap year to work as a research assistant in the psych lab I'm in (i.e., make some money!) while also applying to programs. Would I be better off trying to finish up the pre-reqs at my undergrad school and just live with the grades I already have? It's a good school, but really big: my OChem I attempt had 600 kids in the lecture (spread across two sections) and a smaller program seems more ideal for me
You're not eligible for BM, Scripps or any of the top formalized programs that accept purely non-traditionals with no science/pre-req background but there are other formal programs that will accept you such as UVA, UT Dallas, SFSU, WashU St. Louis, and possibly UConn (don't quote me on this last one).
Another option you have is simply to finish up your pre-reqs at your current college or at any local 4 year university after graduation as an informal post-bacc. Unless you're looking to be a DO, retaking any course that is a C is generally an inefficient use of your time. AMCAS will not allow your retaken grade to replace the original but will average the two grades and even then, most admissions advisers I have talked to would rather you demonstrate your new academic competence by taking upper division sciences and doing well as opposed to retaking a class you have had before. This route will probably be cheaper and allow you more time to expand on your E.Cs. but formalized programs have their own benefits if you choose the right ones.
The only problem I can see with a large school is how distant the professors will be, preventing you from obtaining a great genuine LOR from a professor. Another would be my own personal experience of having to compete with all my 450+ classmates since UC schools are graded on a curve.
Another option you have is simply to finish up your pre-reqs at your current college or at any local 4 year university after graduation as an informal post-bacc. Unless you're looking to be a DO, retaking any course that is a C is generally an inefficient use of your time. AMCAS will not allow your retaken grade to replace the original but will average the two grades and even then, most admissions advisers I have talked to would rather you demonstrate your new academic competence by taking upper division sciences and doing well as opposed to retaking a class you have had before. This route will probably be cheaper and allow you more time to expand on your E.Cs. but formalized programs have their own benefits if you choose the right ones.
The only problem I can see with a large school is how distant the professors will be, preventing you from obtaining a great genuine LOR from a professor. Another would be my own personal experience of having to compete with all my 450+ classmates since UC schools are graded on a curve.
Thanks for replying!
That's pretty bad news about the top programs, I have to say. The main "glass half full" aspect of my situation is that I have 2 great letters of rec I can count on (psych mentors) -- but I suppose I'd need at least one letter from a science professor, in which case your concern about huge class sizes is completely valid.
Knowing that I shouldn't retake the general bio and chem courses, even if I were to earn A's in both semesters of OChem and Physics, that would leave my final science GPA at 3.25. Not too pretty... (and probably not all that realistic either).
I'm not sure what I'm looking for here, but I'm going to hit "reply" anyway
That's pretty bad news about the top programs, I have to say. The main "glass half full" aspect of my situation is that I have 2 great letters of rec I can count on (psych mentors) -- but I suppose I'd need at least one letter from a science professor, in which case your concern about huge class sizes is completely valid.
Knowing that I shouldn't retake the general bio and chem courses, even if I were to earn A's in both semesters of OChem and Physics, that would leave my final science GPA at 3.25. Not too pretty... (and probably not all that realistic either).
I'm not sure what I'm looking for here, but I'm going to hit "reply" anyway
