Post Bacc Advice

[Smittyballz]

Hello,
I am currently a student at Bridgwater State College a 4 year state school in MA. When I first started college I did real bad 2F's some D's etc...I took a semester off and then went to a community college for one year where I finished with a 3.7 gpa. Then I transferred to Bridgwater State College where i am graduating from now with a 3.77 gpa. I have basically pulled all A's ever since I left Westfield State College where I first attended. I am graduating in Psychology and don't really have any of my science courses done. My Gpa overall using every class I have taken is a 2.8. I am having a hard time figuring out my gpa because I am unclear of how to calculate it if I retook classes that I did bad in. Do they replace each other or do they all calculate in. They are all on my transcripts. My real question is what Post Bacc program is best for me. I am located in southeastern massachusetts, I noticed that a lot of post bacc program require a certain gpa. Also I would think that I need to attend a big time university so I can show that I can handle the intense work, but I would like to stay at the college I am at now for financial reasons obviously, but Im afraid that I wont be considered competetive. In order to raise my gpa up to a 3.0 I need to take 60 credits getting an A in all of them so that is kind of hopeless, but since I have not really taken any science classes I can have a descent grade(3.5-4) in that area, and also my MCAT score will weight heavily. Any insight would be great as to what if I stay at the school im at now or should I splurge and go to BU Harvard UMass Boston etc. Thanks so much

 

[Pemulis]

Harvard extension school is actually quite cheap. About $800 per class, if I remember right. They have a great rep for post-bac, too. I would agree with your judgement that you need to:

1. Get top grades and
2. Get them at a well-respected school

Taking your science classes at Bridgewater state probably won't help you stand out to an admissions committee. No offense meant--but you have a strike against you with your frosh grads. You can overcome that strike--no doubt about it--but you need to do everything you can to make the rest of your app sparkle, and that includes doing your science courses at a school with a national reputation. Harvard would be one good choice if your set on staying in New England. Tufts and Brandeis would also be good, although a lot more $$$.

 

[deeq]

Here's my story:
I completed a B.A. in Philosophy at a small southern religious school. Decent GPA but not stellar since I was more interested in learning for learning and not learning for a grade. Decided on med school my last semester of college and realized I needed a post-bac. program in order to complete the necessary science requirements. I decided to stay at my very small but academically good school (mainly for financial reasons!). Once I completed my post-bac. with all A's and applied to med school I decided to go the osteopathic route and ended up at another very small school in West Virginia. However, I worked hard throughout all of this because it was something I really wanted and I ended up interviewing this year at some really big name M.D. schools for residency. My point is, is that if you complete the work and study hard and have fun, you'll get where you want to be. And small schools can be just as academically rigorous as bigger schools. So if you are comfortable at your institution and it is a financially sound option for you, then by all means STAY! You don't want to accrue more debt than necessary. Hope I could help shed some light on the subject. Good luck!

 

[Pemulis]

A key point in Deeq's post is that he went to an Osteopathic school. What I'm about to say is not, I repeat, not, meant to cause a flame war in any way shape or form. People who have read my other posts will know that I do not personally consider there to be any difference between MD's and DO's. However, DO schools are known for looking a little less at the numbers than MD schools when considering applicants. I've been told by several people in the know (pre-med advisors, doctors, etc) that allopathic schools do care a great deal where you take your pre-med courses. That doesn't mean you have to take them at Stanford, but you should take them at a school that is a "name brand". Of course there are exceptions, so if you have a story about somebody who went to acme u and still got their MD, fine. But my point is that admissions to medical school is a game in which you are competing with thousands of other people. You want to do everything possible to make YOUR application stand out. Doing your premed work at even a known state school like UMass Amherst would help a lot more than going to a school that nobody outside of your area is familiar with. Now, if you are certain you want to go the DO route, then Deez's advice is probably fine. But if you think you might want to consider allopathic school's, I'd be leary of doing the coursework at Bridgewater.

 

[deeq]

No offense taken. But I must say that even with my small college undergrad & post-bac experience I received interviews at large state MD medical schools. I had excellent scores. I simply chose to go the DO route to get my medical degree. I've found that for both medical school and residency the admissions committee is looking for those with interesting life stories as well as good grades. I think one thing you need to make sure of is the academic excellence of your small school. Are the instructors/courses going to teach you well. But in the end it is always a personal choice how you go about getting where you want to be.