Falconater
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Hi all,
tldr:
Nontrad applicant with a 3.87 cGPA and only 21 credits of science courses - 3.3 sGPA due to housing/medical instability during 2 semesters of coursework at an ivy. After freshman/sophomore year I did not take additional science prereqs, instead focusing on psychology phd track and earning a strong upward trend with all As/A+s. I now have extensive clinical/research experience and want to pursue medicine, but postbacs at 4 year schools are not feasible due to distance from work, so I'm considering doing prereqs at a community college followed by upper-level sciences at a four-year. Main question: would the CC route be viewed as a red flag given my trajectory?
I have a huge upward trend, but it is only cumlative and not science, and that worries me. I feel like I'm mostly a career changer with a little bit of GPA repair, and don't mnow what to do. I do know I will crush the remaining prereqs given that I've already studied them on my own though.
The only other option would be quitting my job and moving back home to the east coast, (I'm in norcal now), but this would lose out on the pubs I would get at the institution I'm at now, as well as the really good LORs I'd have from the PIs here, who are really heavy hitters.
The too long version:
Background:
I'm a nontrad who went from being a professional musician to wanting to be a psychologist/maybe a doctor. I transferred from a well-known music school to an ivy, and initially took a few premed courses - calc, stats, gen chem. I got a B- in gen chem, and ended up with a 3.3 that semester in science because of housing instability (6 months of couch surfing). So I decided to continue more towards a psych PhD and stop with premed courses. I took medical leave to recover, and came back very strong - 70 credits of As and A+s, but I didn't take any more science prereqs other than a psyc coded neuroscience course, which I am unsure as to whether they will count. Long story short, my upward trend is enormous. My cumulative gpa is a 3.87, but my science gpa is still a 3.3.
Clinical/research experience:
All the while I gained 2,000 hours of clinical experience in urgent care, a psychiatric intensive outpatient unit (this is what convinced me not to pursue being a therapist, I like medicine better), as an EMT, and now a CRC at a t5 research institution with a few pubs in translational neuroscience.
The problem:
In my area (norcal), there are no postbacs that are near enough by me that I could leave work and attend. The only schools nearby are community colleges.
The question:
In my scenario, is doing a postbac at a community college a red flag if I take upper levels at a four year afterwards?
Personally, I believe CCs are wonderful, but I know there may be some stigma, especially since my science gpa remains a 3.3. I don't want it to look like I dodged hard classes at my ivy so I could take them at CC, but it really was a medical and housing emergency that took me out of the game, as well as the loss of a friend. A full postbac is really risky for me cost-wise, so it's really a DIY situation. Is it okay for me to do a CC postbac in my situation given that my cumulative upward trend is good, or do I need to quit my job and move home to take classes at a four year?
tldr:
Nontrad applicant with a 3.87 cGPA and only 21 credits of science courses - 3.3 sGPA due to housing/medical instability during 2 semesters of coursework at an ivy. After freshman/sophomore year I did not take additional science prereqs, instead focusing on psychology phd track and earning a strong upward trend with all As/A+s. I now have extensive clinical/research experience and want to pursue medicine, but postbacs at 4 year schools are not feasible due to distance from work, so I'm considering doing prereqs at a community college followed by upper-level sciences at a four-year. Main question: would the CC route be viewed as a red flag given my trajectory?
I have a huge upward trend, but it is only cumlative and not science, and that worries me. I feel like I'm mostly a career changer with a little bit of GPA repair, and don't mnow what to do. I do know I will crush the remaining prereqs given that I've already studied them on my own though.
The only other option would be quitting my job and moving back home to the east coast, (I'm in norcal now), but this would lose out on the pubs I would get at the institution I'm at now, as well as the really good LORs I'd have from the PIs here, who are really heavy hitters.
The too long version:
Background:
I'm a nontrad who went from being a professional musician to wanting to be a psychologist/maybe a doctor. I transferred from a well-known music school to an ivy, and initially took a few premed courses - calc, stats, gen chem. I got a B- in gen chem, and ended up with a 3.3 that semester in science because of housing instability (6 months of couch surfing). So I decided to continue more towards a psych PhD and stop with premed courses. I took medical leave to recover, and came back very strong - 70 credits of As and A+s, but I didn't take any more science prereqs other than a psyc coded neuroscience course, which I am unsure as to whether they will count. Long story short, my upward trend is enormous. My cumulative gpa is a 3.87, but my science gpa is still a 3.3.
Clinical/research experience:
All the while I gained 2,000 hours of clinical experience in urgent care, a psychiatric intensive outpatient unit (this is what convinced me not to pursue being a therapist, I like medicine better), as an EMT, and now a CRC at a t5 research institution with a few pubs in translational neuroscience.
The problem:
In my area (norcal), there are no postbacs that are near enough by me that I could leave work and attend. The only schools nearby are community colleges.
The question:
In my scenario, is doing a postbac at a community college a red flag if I take upper levels at a four year afterwards?
Personally, I believe CCs are wonderful, but I know there may be some stigma, especially since my science gpa remains a 3.3. I don't want it to look like I dodged hard classes at my ivy so I could take them at CC, but it really was a medical and housing emergency that took me out of the game, as well as the loss of a friend. A full postbac is really risky for me cost-wise, so it's really a DIY situation. Is it okay for me to do a CC postbac in my situation given that my cumulative upward trend is good, or do I need to quit my job and move home to take classes at a four year?
