Poor Last Semester Grades

[denverbear22]

I need some serious advice on what to do next.

Before my final semester My cGPA= 3.63 and sGPA=3.34. I made one C during college in Genetics prior to my last semester and failed an English class due to health issues/I couldn't finish the course, but retook it and made an A. I have been trying to raise my science GPA and needed two more bio courses to finish my biology minor, so I took Climate Change Biology and Human Physiology, but unfortunately, I totally shot myself in the foot and may not even end up getting the minor unless my professor changes my C- to a C (that is a whole other issue with grading policy issues, but I have to appeal it I will be dalying my graution so it might not even be worth the minor). I ended up making a C in Climate Change Biology and a C- in H Phys, which brings my cGPA=3.57 and sGPA=3.17. This is due to kind of a culmination of reasons: I have a chronic illness and my health started to decline, climate change is apparently not my strong suit, and to be completely honest the H Phys professor was absolutely horrible and many groups of students in my classes are reporting him for a plethora of different things. Still, it's not like I can just give excuses and that be sufficient. I was not planning on doing a post-bac but now I am definitely worried that I need to because of the poor grades during my last semester.

What would you do and/or recommend? I have not taken the MCAT yet so obviously it's vital that I do well but besides that, I am at a loss.

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[LunaOri]

Have you completed all of your prereqs?

 

[GoSpursGo]

There’s no sugarcoating, you likely need a postbacc. But don’t do that until your chronic health condition is sufficiently controlled that you can excel (3.7+) or you’ll be digging a deeper hole

 

[denverbear22]

Have you completed all of your prereqs?

yes, I have.

 

[denverbear22]

yes, I have.

none of the Cs were in pre-reqs but they were in science classes

 

[denverbear22]

There’s no sugarcoating, you likely need a postbacc. But don’t do that until your chronic health condition is sufficiently controlled that you can excel (3.7+) or you’ll be digging a deeper hole

yeah that's what I figured... I know its possible to go without one but I am taking two gap years and dont want to chance taking a 3rd.

 

[denverbear22]

The rest of my app is pretty good, I worked as a scribe for a year and a half and worked as a medical assitant at a summer camp, which is over 700 clinical hours total + about 75 hours of shadowing, and I have had leadership positions. But I know my grades will obviously be the biggest hurdle to overcome... prereqs were mostly B's with a few As, but this last semester really hurt

 

[LunaOri]

Can you do take some upper level science classes during your gap years?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What is your situation with your illness?

 

[denverbear22]

Can you do take some upper level science classes during your gap years?

Yes I can, right now I am debating whether an SMP would be more helpful or doing some post bac classes. I am leaning towards an SMP but am open to opinions

 

[denverbear22]

What is your situation with your illness?

I have ehlers danlos syndrome and its caused a bunch of random issues/comorbid conditions that are hard to get diagnosed... thus hard to find treatment for. That's also a big reason why I am taking 2 gap years so that I can make sure that I have a really solid treatment plan before starting med school. This is definitely what I want, I know I am smart enough and tough enough to get through, and I know that disabled providers are really valuable for patients because they understand certain experiences to a level that physicians that have not had health issues do not, but yeah its something I am going to have to grovel through

 

[denverbear22]

ALSO, one of the SMPs I am looking at is online and spans 5 semesters/part time. Would this be a red flag to med schools? I do not feel like it is wise to begin a full time SMP in the fall, healthwise, but I want to make sure I have some grades in before I apply since that is the whole point of doing it in the first place

 

[chilly_md]

ALSO, one of the SMPs I am looking at is online and spans 5 semesters/part time. Would this be a red flag to med schools? I do not feel like it is wise to begin a full time SMP in the fall, healthwise, but I want to make sure I have some grades in before I apply since that is the whole point of doing it in the first place

You should complete the SMP fully before applying. I do not recommend part-time SMPs, especially considering that would be 2+ years of paying tuition from what I can understand.

 

[denverbear22]

You should complete the SMP fully before applying. I do not recommend part-time SMPs, especially considering that would be 2+ years of paying tuition from what I can understand.

The tuition would not be any different for this specific program because it is designed to allow people to work full-time while completing the program. By the time I apply, I would have fully completed 16 credits, then be getting 4 in the summer, and then another 16 in the fall and spring. The only reason I would be doing this is because I will be applying one year from now but do not feel confident that it is wise for me to try to do the full time program starting in august.

 

[chilly_md]

The tuition would not be any different for this specific program because it is designed to allow people to work full-time while completing the program. By the time I apply, I would have fully completed 16 credits, then be getting 4 in the summer, and then another 16 in the fall and spring. The only reason I would be doing this is because I will be applying one year from now but do not feel confident that it is wise for me to try to do the full time program starting in august.

16 credits would not be enough in all honesty. If this program is not substantially more expensive than taking 30 credits of upper division sciences, it could be worth it for flexibility. I just do not see how you can put yourself in a position to apply 1 year from now based on your plan.

The MCAT itself is a big time commitment and it is not usually advisable to study for that while doing an SMP. In your case, your part time SMP would still be like a full-time SMP given your health.

 

[denverbear22]

16 credits would not be enough in all honesty. If this program is not substantially more expensive than taking 30 credits of upper division sciences, it could be worth it for flexibility. I just do not see how you can put yourself in a position to apply 1 year from now based on your plan.

The MCAT itself is a big time commitment and it is not usually advisable to study for that while doing an SMP. In your case, your part time SMP and regular work schedule.

I have taken all of the pre-reqs so I am planning to study for the mcat this summer and take it in August before the smp would start if that clears things up. I totally appreciate the input and am considering all options.

 

[denverbear22]

16 credits would not be enough in all honesty. If this program is not substantially more expensive than taking 30 credits of upper division sciences, it could be worth it for flexibility. I just do not see how you can put yourself in a position to apply 1 year from now based on your plan.

The MCAT itself is a big time commitment and it is not usually advisable to study for that while doing an SMP. In your case, your part time SMP would still be like a full-time SMP given your health.

So in my situation, do you think a post-bacc would be more helpful? I get conflicting advice as to how many more credits would be sufficient, thats why I figured an SMP may be better since I have already finished all of my pre-reqs and don't need to retake any of them. Genetics is one of those encouraged but not required courses, so I would retake Human Physiology and Genetics if I went the post-bacc route, but the rest would just be upper level sciences that I have not taken before... which would not be a ton of options in my case I don't think

 

[chilly_md]

So in my situation, do you think a post-bacc would be more helpful? I get conflicting advice as to how many more credits would be sufficient, thats why I figured an SMP may be better since I have already finished all of my pre-reqs and don't need to retake any of them. Genetics is one of those encouraged but not required courses, so I would retake Human Physiology and Genetics if I went the post-bacc route, but the rest would just be upper level sciences that I have not taken before... which would not be a ton of options in my case I don't think

30 credits. Read Goro's guide for more details, including examples of classes you could take that you may not have before:

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention (updated for 2021)

EDIT: Post in WAMC forum for recommended school lists. This thread isn't for that. So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take...

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