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whitecoatwonderz

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I am a 21 yo currently finishing my 4th year of undergrad. I currently work full time as a scribe in the ED and a cardiology clinic. I have worked full time throughout my college career to pay as much of my way through.

I have not had the smoothest undergraduate career but will be graduating next year with plans to began a post baccalaureate program to retake Gen. Chem. and finish the rest of my medical school pre-requisites with a much better GPA than my cGPA which will be roughly a 2.8-2.9 as a 5 year undergrad.

My question to you is with now being a "non-traditional" applicant, with a lower cGPA. Would it be beneficial to take a "formal" post baccalaureate program or extend my undergraduate education an additional year to obtain these credits and potential raise my cGPA?

I will have an Associate's in Psychology, BS in Individualized Studies (custom degree program at my university), and a minor in women's studies at the time of graduation.

My primary reason for considering doing a post baccalaureate program is fear that an admissions committee would "look down" on such a prolonged undergraduate education.

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Nothing wrong with a DIY post bacc. Make sure you do well in all the courses you take, find Goros list of med schools that reward reinvention( I should just copy the darned thing). What's your sGPA at?
 
Nothing wrong with a DIY post bacc. Make sure you do well in all the courses you take, find Goros list of med schools that reward reinvention( I should just copy the darned thing). What's your sGPA at?

Thank you for the feed back! I will definitely research the list. My current sGPA is a 3.0.

For my own clarification your recommendation is to simply extending my undergraduate education (as an informal/DIY postbacc program) versus applying to a formal post baccalaureate
 
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The real question is how you expect to get all As now after barely managing Bs......Bs won’t cut it

What happened and what is the solution? Are you working too much? Not caring? Literally not comprehending material?
 
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The real question is how you expect to get all As now after barely managing Bs......Bs won’t cut it

What happened and what is the solution? Are you working too much? Not caring? Literally not comprehending material?

@sb247 is right. This is more important than how you structure grade presentation, which I would guess is basically irrelevent. Life doesn't stop coming at you and even if you did stellar going forward, it doesn't present well unless there's some sort of transformative event/explanation towards which you can point.
 
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Thank you for the feed back! I will definitely research the list. My current sGPA is a 3.0.

For my own clarification your recommendation is to simply extending my undergraduate education (as an informal/DIY postbacc program) versus applying to a formal post baccalaureate

I recommend an informal post bacc. That is what I did, and it has worked out well for me. It is significantly cheaper (if you're paying in state tuition at a state school) and you can add other classes that a formal post bacc not offer. For me, cell physiology, physiology and neuropsych have been extremely advantageous as I've been preparing for the MCAT. The most important thing is to not rush through it. You HAVE to get as many A's as possible and with your history, you need to really sit down and think if you are ready for that. You're in a cycle of B's and C's it sounds like, and that won't cut it for a post bacc.
 
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I am a 21 yo currently finishing my 4th year of undergrad. I currently work full time as a scribe in the ED and a cardiology clinic. I have worked full time throughout my college career to pay as much of my way through.

I have not had the smoothest undergraduate career but will be graduating next year with plans to began a post baccalaureate program to retake Gen. Chem. and finish the rest of my medical school pre-requisites with a much better GPA than my cGPA which will be roughly a 2.8-2.9 as a 5 year undergrad.

My question to you is with now being a "non-traditional" applicant, with a lower cGPA. Would it be beneficial to take a "formal" post baccalaureate program or extend my undergraduate education an additional year to obtain these credits and potential raise my cGPA?

I will have an Associate's in Psychology, BS in Individualized Studies (custom degree program at my university), and a minor in women's studies at the time of graduation.

My primary reason for considering doing a post baccalaureate program is fear that an admissions committee would "look down" on such a prolonged undergraduate education.

I can only speak to my situation, which was very similar to yours. A DIY post-bacc may be enough, however as mentioned by those before me nearly straight A's are a must. A great performance can get you back on track, but doing poorly will leave you dead in the water. Make sure your course load is rigorous, but do not let this be your downfall. I find it very likely that ADCOMS will prefer to see two years of strong GPA (>3.6) at 15 credit hours a semester, than one year of middling GPA (<3.6) at 22. Additionally, use this time to evaluate the rest of your application. You are a scribe which is great, but how is your shadowing, LOR's, volunteering, MCAT? Don't let ADCOMS find a reason to push you aside if you can fix your GPA.

It is very possible to right the ship, but it will take a lot of hard work. There is a reason we are underdogs.
 
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Thank you everyone for your feedback. I had a handful of person matters that occurred during my first 2 years in undergrad from my parents divorcing to a very close friend dying secondary to drug abuse. I take responsibility for allowing my grades to slip which is why I took a year off to refocus. I understand that I will need to do better than average to get back on track I am just trying to figure out the best route.
 
I can only speak to my situation, which was very similar to yours. A DIY post-bacc may be enough, however as mentioned by those before me nearly straight A's are a must. A great performance can get you back on track, but doing poorly will leave you dead in the water. Make sure your course load is rigorous, but do not let this be your downfall. I find it very likely that ADCOMS will prefer to see two years of strong GPA (>3.6) at 15 credit hours a semester, than one year of middling GPA (<3.6) at 22. Additionally, use this time to evaluate the rest of your application. You are a scribe which is great, but how is your shadowing, LOR's, volunteering, MCAT? Don't let ADCOMS find a reason to push you aside if you can fix your GPA.

It is very possible to right the ship, but it will take a lot of hard work. There is a reason we are underdogs.

I currently shadow in the OB/GYN department at the hospital I work at.
 
I currently shadow in the OB/GYN department at the hospital I work at.

I would recommend around 50 hours of shadowing a DO, and obtaining a LOR from them as well. Many DO schools will require a DO letter in order to be considered for admissions, and the ones who don't require it certainly prefer it. Almost all DO's know this, and in my experience have been very happy to help out.
 
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I am a 21 yo currently finishing my 4th year of undergrad. I currently work full time as a scribe in the ED and a cardiology clinic. I have worked full time throughout my college career to pay as much of my way through.

I have not had the smoothest undergraduate career but will be graduating next year with plans to began a post baccalaureate program to retake Gen. Chem. and finish the rest of my medical school pre-requisites with a much better GPA than my cGPA which will be roughly a 2.8-2.9 as a 5 year undergrad.

My question to you is with now being a "non-traditional" applicant, with a lower cGPA. Would it be beneficial to take a "formal" post baccalaureate program or extend my undergraduate education an additional year to obtain these credits and potential raise my cGPA?

I will have an Associate's in Psychology, BS in Individualized Studies (custom degree program at my university), and a minor in women's studies at the time of graduation.

My primary reason for considering doing a post baccalaureate program is fear that an admissions committee would "look down" on such a prolonged undergraduate education.
Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention
 
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