Please Help: DIY Post-Bac and MCAT Timeline

[justconnectingdots]

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Hi all! I am a few years removed from uG, have completed all pre-reqs, graduated with a cGPA of 3.5 and sGPA of 3.3 (uneven trends). I will be starting a year-long DIY post-bacc for transcript repair at a local university. Based on the curriculum offered, I plan to take the following courses:

Fall 2019 (Total 11 credits)
A&PI + Lab
Microbiology + Lab
Medical Informatics (can postpone for an alternative course in Summer)
Spring 2020 (Total 12 credits)
A&PII + Lab
Evolution
Introductory Biomedical Informatics
Pathophysiology

My major concern is that I still need to take the MCAT and I am unsure of the timeline. My plan was to focus on content review/practice passages (using TBR for sciences supplemented with EK and TPR for CARS + P/S) during the Fall semester and then dedicate the entirety of Winter break to AAMC and FLs. Is this a feasible course of action for a late-January'20 MCAT? I hesitate to put off the MCAT till June'20 because I want to account for a possible retake or any other unforeseen life circumstances.

Would it be wise to limit myself to only two courses during the Fall semester (I will be working part-time and studying for the MCAT) and take remaining/additional credits during Summer of the application cycle? Will 23-25 credits from the listed coursework be sufficient for a rigorous post-bacc?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

 

[1002823]

When are you trying to apply? Summer 2020?

What would your GPAs look like in June with the courses you have listed?

What about a spring MCAT?

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Hi all! I am a few years removed from uG, with a cGPA of 3.5 and sGPA of 3.3 (uneven trends). I will be starting a year-long DIY post-bacc for transcript repair at a local university. Based on the curriculum offered, I plan to take the following courses:

Fall 2019 (Total 11 credits)
A&PI + Lab
Microbiology + Lab
Medical Informatics (can postpone for an alternative course in Summer)
Spring 2020 (Total 12 credits)
A&PII + Lab
Evolution
Introductory Biomedical Informatics
Pathophysiology

My major concern is that I still need to take the MCAT and I am unsure of the timeline. My plan was to focus on content review/practice passages (using TBR for sciences supplemented with EK and TPR for CARS + P/S) during the Fall semester and then dedicate the entirety of Winter break to AAMC and FLs. Is this a feasible course of action for a late-January'20 MCAT? I hesitate to put off the MCAT till June'20 because I want to account for a possible retake or any other unforeseen life circumstances.

Would it be wise to limit myself to only two courses during the Fall semester (I will be working part-time and studying for the MCAT) and take remaining/additional credits during Summer of the application cycle? Will 23-25 credits from the listed coursework be sufficient for a rigorous post-bacc?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

Have you already taken a year of Bio/Lab, Gen Chem/Lab, Organic Chemistry/Lab and at least a semester of Biochemistry?

Are you solely taking these upper division sciences for GPA repair purposes?

Your MCAT plan seems fine - but start with practice passages early; do not wait until you're done with content review to start passages. This was a mistake I made. You'll want to familiarize yourself early with MCAT-style material. Khan Academy offers a bunch of free practice passages that are a good place to start (they aren't quite as challenging as the real deal, so keep that in mind).

 

[justconnectingdots]

@frickchickens

Yes, I want to apply in Summer 2020.

I am overall in a much better headspace so I am confident I can do well in the aforementioned classes. My cGPA will be ~3.6 and sGPA will be ~3.5.

A Spring MCAT will not allow me a month-long period that can be exclusively reserved for the MCAT. As I stated before, I think the Winter break can be invaluable for FLs and AAMC. Lastly, as far as scoring goes, I think I can do well with the materials I have compiled so I am hoping for a 513+.

With those ending stats, will I be in good standing for MD?

 

[justconnectingdots]

@StayWandering

Yes, I have completed all pre-reqs and am taking the aforementioned courses solely for transcript repair. Do you think the credit hours are sufficient for a note-worthy post-bac?

I am using TBR so I will be doing practice passages concurrently with content review. What is your input for the amount of credits I should attempt during the Fall semester? I want to maintain a level of rigor for the post-bacc but don't want to sabotage my MCAT prep. So is my plan of only taking two courses (A&PI + lab and Microbiology + lab) in Fall a good idea?

 

[Bonne Nuit]

@StayWandering

Yes, I have completed all pre-reqs and am taking the aforementioned courses solely for transcript repair. Do you think the credit hours are sufficient for a note-worthy post-bac?

I am using TBR so I will be doing practice passages concurrently with content review. What is your input for the amount of credits I should attempt during the Fall semester? I want to maintain a level of rigor for the post-bacc but don't want to sabotage my MCAT prep. So is my plan of only taking two courses (A&PI + lab and Microbiology + lab) in Fall a good idea?

In my fairly uninformed opinion, yes, these upper division sciences are a great start for GPA repair, as long as you're confident you can ace them.

In terms of your course load, I don't know that I can give good advice on how many credits you should take while studying - I studied for the MCAT after I was done with classes. If you want to give it a try, I have heard you should treat MCAT studying like a 5 or 6 credit class (20+ hours a week studying). If you're finding that you can't make this work while also getting stellar grades in your classes, just be prepared to push back the MCAT. Good luck! I think you're in good shape for DO certainly, and probably competitive for MD with a 510+ MCAT and a 3.9+ post bac.

 

[FutureSurgical]

May I ask why you're taking A&P I/II? Just for the extra credits? Just asking because schools with a physiology requirement may not accept those credits (unless you've already taken Physiology.)

Also, to contribute to the thread, I personally would take classes FT rather than work PT/take 2 classes/study. I work FT and studied the MCAT for 6 months. That was horrible and I wouldn't recommend working/taking classes/studying for that beast of a test. But the working PT option also depends on what job you're working; is it flexible in case you need to take time off to study? Or maybe take a practice test?

However, I want to offer 1 pro for working while studying: I've talked to several med schools (state school with heavy IS bias and several MD programs with no IS/OOS bias) about working and studying. They all said they take into account what you're doing at the time and will look at a 4.0 from 2 courses while working FT and a 4.0 being a FT student similarly. If you can show you can work while taking hard courses, volunteer, etc., then they love it.

 

[justconnectingdots]

@FutureSurgical

Thank you for your feedback!

Yes, I am taking A&P I/II solely for credits.

I cannot afford not to work so I am glad to hear that it can be viewed favorably.
As far as my commitments, I will be working twice a week during the semester while focusing mainly on content review + practice passages. I will not be working during Winter break and have scheduled that month entirely for practice tests.

I intend to apply in Summer 2020. Taking classes FT for both semesters will leave June’20 as my only option for the MCAT. And I am reluctant to put it off till then for numerous reasons.

I guess the way I see it, a January MCAT is my best shot. Do you have any input for how I can try to arrange a timeline for an early Summer MCAT?

 

[bluepeony]

I played basketball my entire college career. In my situation I started off ok 3.4 freshman, 3.7 sophomore... but I had a huge issue with my coach that led him to resign and my gpa took a HUGE blow 2.5 junior year. I ended my senior year with a 3.5. My cumulative GPA is a 3.4 and my science is a 3.3. I also did a summer research program twice (no publication). I’ve done some shadowing (~80 hours) President of biology club and Student Athlete Advisory Committee at my school.

My plan was to study for MCAT this semester while taking classes (2 currently) and 3 or 4 after early MCAT and do more medical community service in my home country for a year while waiting for med school decisions after applying in June (I have community service from sports and bio club but all are non medical) ~40 hours.

1) Are you an international applicant?
2) You should be completing medical volunteering in the US, especially if you have no clinical experience (other than shadowing) in the US so far.