Post-bacc Admissions Help

[drj611]

I am currently in my final year of my undergrad, pursuing and BS in Finance with a 3.8 GPA (there's a catch, which I will discuss later).

After taking a couple basic bio and chem courses (human bio, not bio I), I started to get really passionate about medicine. I began reading whatever medical literature I could get my hands on, volunteering 20 hrs/week as an EMT (in the process of certification), and seeking shadowing and hospital volunteering opportunities as well. Throughout these experiences, I decided that I want to become a physician.

Since I have not taken my required sciences, I am planning on applying to post-bacc programs soon. With a 3.8 GPA, I shouldn't have a problem with admission into these programs, however my overall GPA is not a 3.8. I transferred from a small school, which I attended for 2 years and earned a meager 2.0 GPA.

I have taken more credits with a 3.8 than with my 2.0 (about a 3:2 ratio), so according to my calculations, my overall GPA is approximately 3.02.

So far, I've been looking at Columbia, Tufts, BU, Drexel, Harvard Ext., and UConn. Please rank these in order of quality of programs and selectivity.

Also, if anyone could shed some light onto my situation so that I may better decide where to apply, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for your help.

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[Isoprop]

With a 3.8 GPA, I shouldn't have a problem with admission into these programs, however my overall GPA is not a 3.8. I transferred from a small school, which I attended for 2 years and earned a meager 2.0 GPA.

Let's face it. Your GPA is not a 3.8, it's about 3.0. So I wouldn't say that you have no problem with admissions. As far as the programs you mentioned, I'll defer to others who have had more experience with that.

But what I can tell you is that with your upward trend (3.8 the last two years) combined with good post-bacc grades, a solid MCAT, and a personal statement that explains your first two years, you should be competitive for medical school in about two years.

good luck

 

[moneduloides]

Like Isoprop said, you don't have a 3.8 GPA, and the sooner you are able to accept this yourself the better off you will be with how you tackle the next few years. Also, making a ratio out of the amount of courses you've taken isn't going to give you an accurate GPA; you need to sit down and really calculate your overall GPA, because admittance to not only medical schools, but also post bacs, really rides on that 3.0 cutoff. If you're just doing a ratio to give you a GPA of above 3.0 then you're only cheating yourself; the post bacs and med schools will know.

That being said, Harvard Extension is open enrollment. Although it is supposed to be extremely tough, the effort you put in is well worth it from what I've been told. I don't know much about the other programs because I have neither matriculated nor applied to them, but Tufts, UConn and Columbia are all considered top notch programs.