Post Bac vs. Classes

[above3789]

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Hey guys! I'm sure my situation is not entirely unique, but I'm looking for any advice.

I applied to both MD & DO schools for the 2015 academic year & was wait listed at one DO school I really didn't like at all (won't name it 🙂 because you may love it!). To be truthful, getting wait listed was a bit more than I had thought I would get in the cycle.

Self-reflecting, I figured my greatest downfall is my GPA (a 3.4 with a Math & Science of 3.1). My work history is excellent; I was a medical scribe in the ER for 1.5 years & was managing my co-workers for 8 of those months. I was a care giver for a year prior to scribing.

I recently got accepted into a 1-year Anatomy Master's Program at Tulane University, designed to help students get into med school. This was my decision on how to fix my GPA, get great letters of recommendation & be more prepared for the day when I am in medical school.

But I ran into an issue - I had a meeting with the Head of Admissions at the local medical school and he told me that getting another degree wouldn't matter in the long run. He was more impressed that I'm currently a waiter, and believes that serving tables makes me more equipped to interact with whomever I end up caring for as a physician. He suggested I continue working as a server & take 2-3 upper level science courses a semester at a local college then apply the following year.

Why I'm stuck is the local college/work option is so much cheaper than going to Tulane for 10 months. In fact, it's at least $20,000 cheaper. However, Tulane is a great school & has a great reputation. What would you do if you were me?

 

[Affiche]

I would take the cheaper route and take CC classes to increase my gpa. I might be mistaken, but I think CC classes would raise your undergrad gpa and a master's would be a separate gpa altogether, which wouldn't necessarily help your 3.4 (though some schools will give weight to a master's gpa).

 

[Cotterpin]

I agree with rachiie01. It's better, I think, to be making a bit of money and gaining life experience waiting tables. Plus you will probably be able to boost your GPA more with CC classes than a master's program, which might be harder to do well in. I think all of your post secondary classes get counted as part of the same GPA on AMCAS, so whichever path you choose, you really want to nail your classes to bring up your GPA as much as possible.

 

[emraldragon]

Hey guys! I'm sure my situation is not entirely unique, but I'm looking for any advice.

I applied to both MD & DO schools for the 2015 academic year & was wait listed at one DO school I really didn't like at all (won't name it 🙂 because you may love it!). To be truthful, getting wait listed was a bit more than I had thought I would get in the cycle.

Self-reflecting, I figured my greatest downfall is my GPA (a 3.4 with a Math & Science of 3.1). My work history is excellent; I was a medical scribe in the ER for 1.5 years & was managing my co-workers for 8 of those months. I was a care giver for a year prior to scribing.

I recently got accepted into a 1-year Anatomy Master's Program at Tulane University, designed to help students get into med school. This was my decision on how to fix my GPA, get great letters of recommendation & be more prepared for the day when I am in medical school.

But I ran into an issue - I had a meeting with the Head of Admissions at the local medical school and he told me that getting another degree wouldn't matter in the long run. He was more impressed that I'm currently a waiter, and believes that serving tables makes me more equipped to interact with whomever I end up caring for as a physician. He suggested I continue working as a server & take 2-3 upper level science courses a semester at a local college then apply the following year.

Why I'm stuck is the local college/work option is so much cheaper than going to Tulane for 10 months. In fact, it's at least $20,000 cheaper. However, Tulane is a great school & has a great reputation. What would you do if you were me?

I feel like the bolded might be better served on the "worst advice" thread. If being an awesome waiter was all that was needed to be an awesome doctor, a lot of us are going about the whole thing wrong. That being said, the other bit about GPA improvement with CC courses seems like a pretty good idea. Just make sure the schools you are applying to allow CC credit (I believe the majority do, but my MSAR subscription expired so please don't hold me to it).

Finally, if getting wait listed was more than you had thought you would get for this cycle, why did you spend all that time and money applying?

Also you don't mention if you have any volunteering or shadowing in addition to your impressive clinical work experiences. Balancing waiting tables and CC classes might allow you enough time to add to either of those if necessary.

 

[Goro]

I have to disagree. Maybe the Dean was thinking that this was a research MS and not a SMP designed to show that you can handle med school. These programs are very helpful in getting people into med school.

Your GPAs are well < avg. for MD schools and the sGPA is kinda borderline for DO. You didn't mention your MCAT score. If it's low, that may be more of an issue than the GPAs.

How much would your GPA improve if you took the 4-6 courses at the local college and aced them???? Absent knowing your MCAT, I'm much more inclined to advise the MS.

But I ran into an issue - I had a meeting with the Head of Admissions at the local medical school and he told me that getting another degree wouldn't matter in the long run. He was more impressed that I'm currently a waiter, and believes that serving tables makes me more equipped to interact with whomever I end up caring for as a physician. He suggested I continue working as a server & take 2-3 upper level science courses a semester at a local college then apply the following year.