Need some Advice Post-Bacc student

[Newbie1224]

I recently graduated from a top university with a cgpa of 3.5 and a sgpa of 3.0. I have been enrolled in about 24 units of post bacc credit so far and have a post bacc sgpa of 3.75. I am enrolled in about 16 units currently and I am studying for the mcat. I also plan to take another 7-11 units of biology credit in the summer. I received about 2C's, 1 C-'s and 2C+'s in prerequisite courses, I retook the one i received a C- (general biology) in and i have taken many upper division Biology classes ( about 24 units worth) and I have received A's in them along with all the other post bacc classes except 1 which was a B.


My concern is I am taking 16 units of biology courses now and studying for the MCAT which I will take in April. I have been doing pretty well on the practice exams (75th percentile) but I am thinking of dropping a class so I can concentrate more on the MCAT.

My biggest issue is that I will have a 3.34 if I get all A's in 12 units of biology, or I will have a 3.37 with 16 units of A's. I hear everyone say that one should apply early to medical school but if I apply early my summer grades which are another 7 units in biology with A's would lead be to have a sgpa of about 3.41 wont be included.

I apologize for the long post but I am unsure on what I should do.
Should I drop one class concentrate fully on the MCAT and apply to medical school with a sgpa of 3.34 and then later update them when my GPA is higher


OR

Should I take the 16 units now apply to medical school with a science gpa of 3.37 and then update them in the summer when I have a higher GPA

OR

Should I wait unit next cycle Summer 2017 to apply to medical school and concentrate on raising my science GPA even higher/Do an SMP?

After the DIY post-bacc my cgpa will be a 3.6 sgpa 3.4 or 3.43 and post bacc gpa 3.8- do I even have a shot at an MD medical school?

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[Newbie1224]

Bump, please could I get some guidance.

 

[change4med]

IMO I would drop one class now (so 12 units) and focus on the MCAT if you feel that extra time can make a noticeable difference in quality of prep. The .03 bump is not as significant as a point or two higher on the MCAT since that would bump your percentile up to like an 80.

I think you would be solid for most DO schools with your GPA/MCAT and so I would apply after your summer grades come out (End of July?) and work on writing your PS and prewriting secondaries so you can submit them the moment you get them (primaries take 3-4 weeks to verify, then usually you get secondaries a week or two after, then you have to account for the time the school takes in reading your secondaries). Having all your secondaries in by early Sept would still be on the earlier side of the curve I think. If you're nervous you can always submit it before summer grades come out, but if you're pretty sure you can get those A's I think having that .05 bump would help more than having secondaries in a few weeks earlier.

Regarding MD schools (remember they average your retakes, not replace), I think your MCAT score would have to be a bit higher to be a bit more confident in applying and you would focus more on the schools you fall within percentiles published in the MSAR. I would personally wait til summer of 2017 (if it's the same to you) if you really wanted those for MD schools and work on raising that GPA more (assuming you get a 80+ percentile on the MCAT).

SMP- I don't know... I want to say you wouldn't need it, but I'm not sure maybe someone else can throw in their 2 cents.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Should I wait unit next cycle Summer 2017 to apply to medical school and concentrate on raising my science GPA even higher/Do an SMP?

After the DIY post-bacc my cgpa will be a 3.6 sgpa 3.4 or 3.43 and post bacc gpa 3.8- do I even have a shot at an MD medical school?

If MD is the goal the single best thing you can do for your chances is probably this. Keep taking upper level science courses, give yourself as much time as possible to do well on the MCAT. 75th percentile isnt really what you the goal should be for MD purposes. Waiting a year gives you more time to fully study and get the maximum score you can here. The MCAT for you is absolutely crucial; 511+ should be the goal, really 514+ is the type of score people who "reinvent" themselves often succeed with. When your GPA is <avg, the MCAT needs to be a strength of yours not just a neutral factor like a 507 or 75th percentile equivalent would be. Waiting a year also gives you time to build up ECs and expand yourself to a fair extent there as well.

One possibility is to apply to SMP programs now and start one in the fall. But the time to apply would be now and you really need an MCAT score for this; the types of programs that will take you without an MCAT often arent hte ones worth going to. You really need to go to a reputable one with a strong reputation of getting people into MD programs; the ones that will let you slide on an MCAT arent often worthwhile and just cash cows.

Note if you are open to the DO route this advice all changes. Apply this cycle, hit 75th percentile, and youll likely find success with a DO program. But for MD, teh goal has to be to apply once when you are at your best. My advice would be give yourself as much time to enhance both your GPA and the non academic parts of your application(MCAT and ECs). DIY post-bacc work until 2017 to raise the sGPA>3.4 and a strong MCAT score(512+) is your best and least risky route to MD success. Then for the cycle of 2017 you can apply to some SMP programs as a backup to give you a Plan B if you arent successful that cycle.

 

[Goro]

Apply with the best possible app, even if it means skipping an app cycle.

I recently graduated from a top university with a cgpa of 3.5 and a sgpa of 3.0. I have been enrolled in about 24 units of post bacc credit so far and have a post bacc sgpa of 3.75. I am enrolled in about 16 units currently and I am studying for the mcat. I also plan to take another 7-11 units of biology credit in the summer. I received about 2C's, 1 C-'s and 2C+'s in prerequisite courses, I retook the one i received a C- (general biology) in and i have taken many upper division Biology classes ( about 24 units worth) and I have received A's in them along with all the other post bacc classes except 1 which was a B.


My concern is I am taking 16 units of biology courses now and studying for the MCAT which I will take in April. I have been doing pretty well on the practice exams (75th percentile) but I am thinking of dropping a class so I can concentrate more on the MCAT.

My biggest issue is that I will have a 3.34 if I get all A's in 12 units of biology, or I will have a 3.37 with 16 units of A's. I hear everyone say that one should apply early to medical school but if I apply early my summer grades which are another 7 units in biology with A's would lead be to have a sgpa of about 3.41 wont be included.

I apologize for the long post but I am unsure on what I should do.
Should I drop one class concentrate fully on the MCAT and apply to medical school with a sgpa of 3.34 and then later update them when my GPA is higher


OR

Should I take the 16 units now apply to medical school with a science gpa of 3.37 and then update them in the summer when I have a higher GPA

OR

Should I wait unit next cycle Summer 2017 to apply to medical school and concentrate on raising my science GPA even higher/Do an SMP?

After the DIY post-bacc my cgpa will be a 3.6 sgpa 3.4 or 3.43 and post bacc gpa 3.8- do I even have a shot at an MD medical school?

 

[Newbie1224]

Thank You. This helps me feel a little better. I'll be 25 when I start medical school if I wait until 2017 to apply but I guess that isn't too bad. I don't want to risk doing poorly on the MCATs or not having a successful cycle. I appreciate all the help @change4med @GrapesofRath and @Goro

If I continue to do an unofficial post-bacc I'll be about 4 classes away from getting a second bachelors, first being in psychology and the second being in biology is it worth it for me to aim to get the second bachelors or should I just stop when I have a sgpa of 3.5 and then work towards the MCAT?

I have a lot of shadowing hours, research, clinical and non clinical volunteer hours, along with clinical experience so I don't think I need to work on the EC's in my application.

 

[GrapesofRath]

There's really no value in obtaining a second degree for medical school admission purposes. Take as many courses as you need to boost your sGPA to a competitive range( and itll still take a number more of classes). Forget about trying to aim for a second degree unless itll have value in a backup career in case you dont end up pursuing medicine.

 

[Newbie1224]

There's really no value in obtaining a second degree for medical school admission purposes. Take as many courses as you need to boost your sGPA to a competitive range( and itll still take a number more of classes). Forget about trying to aim for a second degree unless itll have value in a backup career in case you dont end up pursuing medicine.

Ah makes sense. What would you say is a competitive range for sgpa??