post bac

[deleted627374]

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Hi!

 

[Aelius]

You will have a shot in getting into a formal post-bacc program if you are not too selective about which post-bacc program you want to get into. Post-bacc programs like Harvard Extension and Columbia will take anyone with a pulse (but they have high attrition rates once you start taking classes). Programs like John Hopkins, Scripps, Bryn Mawr, Goucher, are selective.

Some questions you may want to think about are:

1. Costs. Can you afford private tuition at many formal post-bacc programs. Or do you want to go into debt with that?
2. Are you willing to move out of state to go to a formal post-bacc program?
3. Do you have good self-discipline? Or do you need hand-holding and structure?

There are pros/cons with going into a formal post-bacc program versus DIY. You can do a search about it to read more.

 

[hawkbit]

I generally vote for people to do their own post bac work, especially if you are not to picky about which med school accepts you. Going to your state school should be much lower in costs, you could raise that gpa up by retaking any courses (as long as they are the same) you got a C or less in (-since most DO schools use grade replacement, retaking taking classes can accelerate the gpa raising process-). If you don't have a strong history of volunteering, start something now and keep it up during the process as well. As you said, you've already got connections for shadowing and physician letters, so sounds like a good path to me.

 

[hawkbit]

I graduated with a cumulative gpa of 3.03, not including classes taken at other institutions which are not included in my schools gpa.

ALL college courses from ALL colleges attended (undergraduate of course, including CC) count towards the calculated gpa for medical school, that could be good or bad depending...

Well at least you can keep a high bcpm gpa (biology, science, physics, math) since you will basically be starting from scratch. Just recalculate your gpa (or use a gpa calculator online) adding what you expect (an A) to get for all the pre req courses you need. See how much it will raise your cumulative gpa. You may be good without retaking anything. If you can get it to around a 3.3 that's decent for DO schools as long as your bcpm gpa is >3.5 and you get a decent MCAT. If it doesn't raise it much, then consider retakes of courses you had a C or worse in, if possible. A strong upward trend in your post bacc classes (going for >3.5) should show that you mean business and can handle medical school. Don't forget the extracurricular activities!

 

[Mars41]

That being said, all of my classes that i did poorly in were my freshman year, like freshman writing and intro to sociology. I got aB- every year until my senior year because of my Chinese concentration (6 semesters of Chinese). I have no science gpa, since I took no science classes except for chem for non majors. Is a science gpa enough to raise my gpa high enough? Or what would I have to retake?

I am in a similar situation. Political science graduate with 0 hard science courses. All of my C's/D's were in 1000 level electives (intro to art, music, etc.)

I am going to just concentrate on getting a high science GPA and if I absolutely have to, I will go back and retake a semester or 2 of really easy useless classes. Whatever it takes.

 

[Aelius]

Is a science gpa enough to raise my gpa high enough? Or what would I have to retake?

We can't answer that since we don't know the total number of units you have taken. Just total up ALL the units you have taken at the college level which means every college institution you have attended. You will probably have to take at least 32 semester units to maybe upwards of 45 semester units to finish the pre-med prerequites.

Assume that you get mostly As and A-s. Do the math and see what your cGPA would be.