Non-trad needs advice -- a 5th semester of post-bac?

[Saylor]

I just completed two years of an unofficial post-bac. The first year was bad - 3.1 gpa with only 1 A. It was part time -- I took 15 credits over the course of 2 semesters while working. The second year I quit work and committed full time. The first semester was great with a 3.75 and I felt really good. But the second semester was 3.46. In one particular class, a % grade that usually curves to an A or A- in other classes resulted in a B+ because the teacher didn't apply a curve, despite numerous students' complaints. I was expecting an A or A- and, accordingly, a 3.6 to 3.75 gpa, and when I saw my gpa last week I was crushed.

My undergraduate sgpa/cgpa was 2.97/3.31. I currently stand at 3.25/3.36 w/ post-bac factored in. I don't feel great about my chances. The only thing I had going for me was the strong upward trend in post-bac second year, but I feel like I destroyed it by not getting an A in that one class. I feel confident that I can now handle biological sciences, but I don't feel my gpa reflects that yet.

I'm 31 and not getting any younger. I already never planned on taking a 2nd post-bac year much less a 3rd. Should I take a 5th semester of post-bac or would it be too desperate and/or costly (time-wise)?

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[theseeker4]

I just completed two years of an unofficial post-bac. The first year was bad - 3.1 gpa with only 1 A. It was part time -- I took 15 credits over the course of 2 semesters while working. The second year I quit work and committed full time. The first semester was great with a 3.75 and I felt really good. But the second semester was 3.46. In one particular class, a % grade that usually curves to an A or A- in other classes resulted in a B+ because the teacher didn't apply a curve, despite numerous students' complaints. I was expecting an A or A- and, accordingly, a 3.6 to 3.75 gpa, and when I saw my gpa last week I was crushed.

My undergraduate sgpa/cgpa was 2.97/3.31. I currently stand at 3.25/3.36 w/ post-bac factored in. I don't feel great about my chances. The only thing I had going for me was the strong upward trend in post-bac second year, but I feel like I destroyed it by not getting an A in that one class. I feel confident that I can now handle biological sciences, but I don't feel my gpa reflects that yet.

I'm 31 and not getting any younger. I already never planned on taking a 2nd post-bac year much less a 3rd. Should I take a 5th semester of post-bac or would it be too desperate and/or costly (time-wise)?

Have you taken your MCAT yet? If now, when are you planning to do so? Your GPA is probably good enough for most DO schools if you have a decent MCAT score. Your GPA is probably NOT enough to get you into MD schools, even with a good MCAT.

If you don't have a score in hand, you are running out of time to apply this cycle at all anyway...if that is the case, why not further improve your GPA by taking more post-bac classes, since you are not applying anyway?

 

[Saylor]

Taking MCATs in July; wanted to give myself time to study for it but realize it was probably bad with rolling applications.

 

[Goro]

Sometime you have to try applying, warts and all, and see how you do. Your numbers are fine for DO programs, but I suspect you might be too uneven for MD programs. And most importantly, drop the business of "The prof didn't curve, so I lost my A". We don't care if the prof was mean or nice, was hard or easy, or curved or didn't curve. That is on you.

I just completed two years of an unofficial post-bac. The first year was bad - 3.1 gpa with only 1 A. It was part time -- I took 15 credits over the course of 2 semesters while working. The second year I quit work and committed full time. The first semester was great with a 3.75 and I felt really good. But the second semester was 3.46. In one particular class, a % grade that usually curves to an A or A- in other classes resulted in a B+ because the teacher didn't apply a curve, despite numerous students' complaints. I was expecting an A or A- and, accordingly, a 3.6 to 3.75 gpa, and when I saw my gpa last week I was crushed.

Try applying now while doing the 5th semester.

I'm 31 and not getting any younger. I already never planned on taking a 2nd post-bac year much less a 3rd. Should I take a 5th semester of post-bac or would it be too desperate and/or costly (time-wise)?

 

[Saylor]

I took responsibility for the B+ in my second paragraph and don't appreciate being lectured. The purpose behind the anecdote was to communicate the vicissitudes and frustration of how I arrived at my conundrum: I feel I can do science now, thought everything was going well, then an unexpectedly poor letter grade for an 88% average in a class in which I was considerably above the mean leads me to wonder if I should commit to an entire yearlong delay on account of a single course. Thank you for the nonjudgmental portions of your response, however.