Not exactly sure what to do.... advice please

[chan]

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Hey guys.

Im debating a lot right now about what to do...

I jus got accepted to my local state university to begin my prereqs in the Spring 06. (Im 25, married-one child, 1st B.A. in psych)

My overall GPA is pretty bad @ a 2.3. However, I have a ton of awesome ECs/volunteer work/clinical experiences and come application time a lot of really good LORs.

So my question to you wise non-trads is should I take the time to complete the entire degree (If I do that I will be applying June 2008 cycle). Or should I just complete the prereqs take the MCAT spring of 07 and apply June 07?

Obviously the longer time the more money I will have to spend out of work and just on prereqs to get my GPA close to where it should be.

Let me know your opinions

 

[blee]

Hey chan. Long time no see. What kind of degree would you be seeking? Your post didn't make it clear, although I don't think that will affect my advice very much. I'm just curious.

I guess this would depend a lot on how much you want to raise your GPA, and how much time you want to spend doing it. Remember that it gets harder to raise GPA as you accumulate more credits; not because the classes get harder, but because you're adding to the total number of credits, so each additional A has less and less of an overall effect. So the first year of classes, say 30 credits, may bump you up 0.25 or so if you get close to a 4.0; the next 30 credits, not quite so much.

I personally would not pursue the degree, since you want to become a doctor and the degree is not required for med school. I would cram all of the prereqs into the first year, take the MCAT, and maybe continue to take classes while applying if possible. If not, or if you would rather have the money, then I wouldn't feel so bad about working.

 

[chan]

Hey chan. Long time no see. What kind of degree would you be seeking? Your post didn't make it clear, although I don't think that will affect my advice very much. I'm just curious.

I guess this would depend a lot on how much you want to raise your GPA, and how much time you want to spend doing it. Remember that it gets harder to raise GPA as you accumulate more credits; not because the classes get harder, but because you're adding to the total number of credits, so each additional A has less and less of an overall effect. So the first year of classes, say 30 credits, may bump you up 0.25 or so if you get close to a 4.0; the next 30 credits, not quite so much.

I personally would not pursue the degree, since you want to become a doctor and the degree is not required for med school. I would cram all of the prereqs into the first year, take the MCAT, and maybe continue to take classes while applying if possible. If not, or if you would rather have the money, then I wouldn't feel so bad about working.

Blee whats going on? How are you doing in the application process? After a lot of thinking, I knew it was right for me to go back to a university and complete my prereqs (remember we had that long discussion about CC credits and University credits) My wife and I both agreed that money would be tight for a while, but doing this would increase my chances of being accepted into a med school by 100%. By the way, the additional B.S. would be in Biology.

I was actually thinking about doing what you said. Completing all the prereqs in a year and the MCAT and then continue to take classes while I am applying.

If I ace all the prereqs do you think adcoms will look at that in a positive light even though my Overall GPA isnt up to par?

Do you think my MCAT will make a big difference if my prereqs are good as well.

 

[blee]

I'm doing well. Of the 15 schools I've applied to, I've filled out 13 secondaries (*still* sitting on Duke's monstrosity, and UNC hasn't sent anything to anyone). Five interviews so far, no rejections either, although I did get an email from GW that many people here believe is a "permanent hold." I'm cautiously optimistic of my chances this year.

Anyway, I've gone to two of those interviews so far. One of my interviewers looked at my application and said something like, "Mr. Blee, your undergraduate GPA is 2.9 (it's actually lower but I didn't say anything), but your postbac GPA is 3.9, your SAT score is 1440, and your MCAT score is 37. Something doesn't belong here." I got the same basic sentiment from my other interview. In their own words, my test scores show my abilities and aptitude, but my recent grades show growth and maturity. And that apparently counted for a lot, enough that my overall GPA was not enough to keep me out of the interview pool.

So in my own experience, doing what I did made a big difference in my prospects. I was able to show some adcoms that I'm a good candidate for medical school, even if my undergrad record does not suggest it. I didn't have to get a degree; hell, I took all of my pre-reqs as an undergrad, which means that my postbac year could have been construed as just a repeat. This is why I'm saying that you probably don't absolutely have to get that degree. Of course, if it's something that really interests you, and if you think you can justify the cost, I wouldn't stop you from doing it either. This is especially true if you're on track to complete the degree in the spring of the year you matriculate, as if you were a regular college senior.

(BTW, I hope I don't come across as gloating or snotty. I knew I'd done my absolute best as a postbac, but I didn't think I had a great shot at med school anyway. I'm happy to have learned that I do, in fact, have a good chance, and I guess I'm kinda proud of that.)

 

[chan]

I'm doing well. Of the 15 schools I've applied to, I've filled out 13 secondaries (*still* sitting on Duke's monstrosity, and UNC hasn't sent anything to anyone). Five interviews so far, no rejections either, although I did get an email from GW that many people here believe is a "permanent hold." I'm cautiously optimistic of my chances this year.

Anyway, I've gone to two of those interviews so far. One of my interviewers looked at my application and said something like, "Mr. Blee, your undergraduate GPA is 2.9 (it's actually lower but I didn't say anything), but your postbac GPA is 3.9, your SAT score is 1440, and your MCAT score is 37. Something doesn't belong here." I got the same basic sentiment from my other interview. In their own words, my test scores show my abilities and aptitude, but my recent grades show growth and maturity. And that apparently counted for a lot, enough that my overall GPA was not enough to keep me out of the interview pool.

So in my own experience, doing what I did made a big difference in my prospects. I was able to show some adcoms that I'm a good candidate for medical school, even if my undergrad record does not suggest it. I didn't have to get a degree; hell, I took all of my pre-reqs as an undergrad, which means that my postbac year could have been construed as just a repeat. This is why I'm saying that you probably don't absolutely have to get that degree. Of course, if it's something that really interests you, and if you think you can justify the cost, I wouldn't stop you from doing it either. This is especially true if you're on track to complete the degree in the spring of the year you matriculate, as if you were a regular college senior.

(BTW, I hope I don't come across as gloating or snotty. I knew I'd done my absolute best as a postbac, but I didn't think I had a great shot at med school anyway. I'm happy to have learned that I do, in fact, have a good chance, and I guess I'm kinda proud of that.)

Thats awesome, congrats... Ill keep my fingers crossed that you get in somewhere. Hopefully you are right and my upward trend along with decent MCAT (hopefully.... BTW how did you study for it while in school? was it difficult... what were your secrets to getting a 37?) will help me get in to school. I know that my OVerall GPA is the one thing that could possibly hold me back from being accepted. Anyways, good luck.

 

[blee]

Thats awesome, congrats... Ill keep my fingers crossed that you get in somewhere. Hopefully you are right and my upward trend along with decent MCAT (hopefully.... BTW how did you study for it while in school? was it difficult... what were your secrets to getting a 37?) will help me get in to school. I know that my OVerall GPA is the one thing that could possibly hold me back from being accepted. Anyways, good luck.

Thanks. I was just thinking about some advice that QofQuimica gave recently: Call a few of the med schools you're really interested in attending and arrange to meet with their dean(s) of admissions. Bring your transcripts, ECs, etc...everything you'd normally put into AMCAS, and ask them what they think you could do to improve your chances of acceptance. Then you'd be getting advice directly from a med school, and not from a bunch of hacks.

 

[QofQuimica]

Thanks. I was just thinking about some advice that QofQuimica gave recently: Call a few of the med schools you're really interested in attending and arrange to meet with their dean(s) of admissions. Bring your transcripts, ECs, etc...everything you'd normally put into AMCAS, and ask them what they think you could do to improve your chances of acceptance. Then you'd be getting advice directly from a med school, and not from a bunch of hacks.

Hee hee, d***, you beat me to it. 😛 BTW, blee, great job with your apps; it looks like things are going really well for you. 👍 And no one thinks you are gloating; you've definitely earned every one of those interviews. 🙂

Chan, like blee said, you should call your state school(s) and ask for a pre-application meeting with the admissions director. They will help you assess your application strengths and weaknesses, as well as give you some pointers about how you can improve your competitiveness. Do this now, well before you are ready to actually apply. Then when you are ready to study for the MCAT, come check out the Study Questions Subforum in the main MCAT forum. We have lots of threads there to help current studiers, and also threads for people to ask science, VR, and strategy questions. Best of luck to you.

 

[chan]

Blee, so what was your schedule like? did you complete everything in a year?

Im thinking my schedule might look similar to this if I start in the Spring 06

Spring 06:
G Chem I
Calc I
Physics I

Summer 06:
G Chem II-1st session

Calc II or Physics II-2nd session

Fall 06:
O Chem I
Bio I
Calc II or Physics II

Spring 07:
O Chem II
Bio II
MCAT

Summer 07:
APPLY

What do you think?

 

[blee]

I did the pre-reqs in a year, yeah. My schedule looked like this:

Summer 04: gen chem I and II

Fall 04: phys I, bio I, orgo I

Spring 05: phys II, bio II, orgo II, MCAT

There was plenty of work each day, but I managed to do that without major issues. There was even some time left over to shadow. Your plan looks good, as long as those courses are offered in those semesters; I know they weren't at my (smaller) university.

 

[CoffeeFreak]

Hey guys.

Im debating a lot right now about what to do...

I jus got accepted to my local state university to begin my prereqs in the Spring 06. (Im 25, married-one child, 1st B.A. in psych)

My overall GPA is pretty bad @ a 2.3. However, I have a ton of awesome ECs/volunteer work/clinical experiences and come application time a lot of really good LORs.

So my question to you wise non-trads is should I take the time to complete the entire degree (If I do that I will be applying June 2008 cycle). Or should I just complete the prereqs take the MCAT spring of 07 and apply June 07?

Obviously the longer time the more money I will have to spend out of work and just on prereqs to get my GPA close to where it should be.

Let me know your opinions

My initial thought are that you need to get cum GPA to at least 3.0 and pratice, practice, practice the MCAT and then take it. Whatever amount of classes you need to get your GPA up I'd take. Demonstrate your ability by taking some serious upper div classes. I would try think of areas adcom would question your profile then brush up on those areas. You need a good overhaul but nothing you can;t recover from. Hang in the doc...