Post Bacc for Medical School

[AKamM]

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So I found myself stuck having to do post bacc work ( I am sad but I blame no one but myself). I wanted to hear from any Medical School students or those who got accepted that did post bacc programs, what was your strategy? What GPA did you having going into your post bacc verses what you got when we came out? What did you do to supplement that fact that you had to do post bacc work?

Now for me....my gpa is a 2.9 and I am waiting until next year to take the MCAT. I am spending this year entire year taking 12 credits a semester (spring of next yr and fall) and 6 hours in the summer. I spoke to the potential schools I'll be applying too and I was advised that this plan would be better for me. Also, that for fall semester of next yr, I would just submit my grades when they come out since by that time application deadlines would be just about over. I'll be sending in my overall app early though. Due to financial situations, I can only see myself taking 12 credits each semester but if things change I'll take more.

My trend in my gpa is a little wavy because I started off strong, I got weak in the middle and ended on a good note but because of my failures in my junior year, my gpa never fully recovered.

 

[deleted248403]

1) there is a giant success story thread on the forum where people discuss (at length) how they got in. So read that.

2) You can calculate GPA changes on your using excel and a grade predicting template style thing. AAMC makes one in AMCAS prep efforts

3) Do not bother applying MD with a 2.9+Post-Bac. You will not get in. Your cGPA may rise to 3.1 or even 3.2 at the highest. Which is still 2 standard deviations below the cGPA for the average accepted student at an MD school. You will need an SMP as well if you want MD.
DO - you might have a shot with a 3.1-3.2 (this is all assuming you rock your post bac) and a 30+ MCAT.

Do not apply MD after your post bac year - you will be wasting your money

 

[AKamM]

1) there is a giant success story thread on the forum where people discuss (at length) how they got in. So read that.

2) You can calculate GPA changes on your using excel and a grade predicting template style thing. AAMC makes one in AMCAS prep efforts

3) Do not bother applying MD with a 2.9+Post-Bac. You will not get in. Your cGPA may rise to 3.1 or even 3.2 at the highest. Which is still 2 standard deviations below the cGPA for the average accepted student at an MD school. You will need an SMP as well if you want MD.
DO - you might have a shot with a 3.1-3.2 (this is all assuming you rock your post bac) and a 30+ MCAT.

Do not apply MD after your post bac year - you will be wasting your money

What if I got a second degree? I was thinking of getting one at a University that I went to during the summers while I was in undergrad. My gpa there was very good so I was thinking of building on that. Also, I was also considering applying to a Master's program the places you in the university's medical school right after you finish your Masters.

 

[WorldChanger36]

What if I got a second degree? I was thinking of getting one at a University that I went to during the summers while I was in undergrad. My gpa there was very good so I was thinking of building on that. Also, I was also considering applying to a Master's program the places you in the university's medical school right after you finish your Masters.

If you go for the second degree you are looking at about 3 years worth of work. It also doesn't really show case you very well to medical schools. I would recommend a strongly linked special masters program. These programs are not without risk. Should you hit under a 3.5 you will have to do another SMP in order to be considered. As you can see this can get quite expensive. If you have a strong MCAT score apply to some of these special masters programs. There is a sticky with a nice list of the different programs and you should be able to find a few that are right for you. Not all smps are the same, some are quite difficult and even if you do well will offer little hope for getting you into a medical school forcing you into another SMP. Others are difficult but offer a strong chance to get into there medical school if you do well. Do your homework and don't make these choices lightly.

 

[johnnyscans]

So I found myself stuck having to do post bacc work ( I am sad but I blame no one but myself). I wanted to hear from any Medical School students or those who got accepted that did post bacc programs, what was your strategy? What GPA did you having going into your post bacc verses what you got when we came out? What did you do to supplement that fact that you had to do post bacc work?

Now for me....my gpa is a 2.9 and I am waiting until next year to take the MCAT. I am spending this year entire year taking 12 credits a semester (spring of next yr and fall) and 6 hours in the summer. I spoke to the potential schools I'll be applying too and I was advised that this plan would be better for me. Also, that for fall semester of next yr, I would just submit my grades when they come out since by that time application deadlines would be just about over. I'll be sending in my overall app early though. Due to financial situations, I can only see myself taking 12 credits each semester but if things change I'll take more.

My trend in my gpa is a little wavy because I started off strong, I got weak in the middle and ended on a good note but because of my failures in my junior year, my gpa never fully recovered.

I'm assuming you just graduated. Here's the problem you're going to face: your poor performance is simply too close to your (hopefully) strong post-bacc performance to be easily overlooked. Only putting a year or two between strong and poor grades may not fully convince adcoms that you ways have changed. They're going to have doubts, and you're going to have to do a lot to prove them wrong.

This is one area where non-trads have an advantage. An individual who didn't shine in undergrad, but worked for a few years, then returned to school and excelled is often a much-more compelling and confidence inspiring story than the guy who just graduated and is fighting an uphill battle. That's not to say you don't have a chance, but you have a tough fight ahead of you.

A few questions:
-What is your sGPA? Is it significantly higher than your cGPA, or is it right around the same value?
-How do your ECs look? Any leadership, teaching, research experience?
-What grades did you get in your pre-reqs (physics, inorganic chem, organic chem and biology)?
-Honestly, how are you at taking standardized tests? Do you have confidence in yourself that you can perform extremely well on arguably the hardest and most important test to date?

A 2.9 + a year of solid post-bacc work may not be enough. Obviously, this depends on a few things including, but not limited to, your sGPA, MCAT score, ECs, LoRs, essays and post-bacc performance. Generally, you have a shot of success if one out of your three numbers (cGPA, sGPA, MCAT) is below average. If all of them are crap though, you're going to need something like a SMP to have a shot.

Hope this helps.

 

[deleted248403]

Generally, you have a shot of success if one out of your three numbers (cGPA, sGPA, MCAT) is below average. If all of them are crap though, you're going to need something like a SMP to have a shot.

This times like 10

A 2nd degree will not help - its still not going to move your cGPA enough to get in competitive range I don't think. More undergrad is not the answer here. Do the calculation tho of 60 credits (a 2nd bachelors is only about this number as they waive general requirements because you've done them) at a GPA of 3.8 and see where it gets you.

 

[johnnyscans]

This times like 10

A 2nd degree will not help - its still not going to move your cGPA enough to get in competitive range I don't think. More undergrad is not the answer here. Do the calculation tho of 60 credits (a 2nd bachelors is only about this number as they waive general requirements because you've done them) at a GPA of 3.8 and see where it gets you.

The only way I see a post-bacc helping him is if he's never taken a single science class and can get his sGPA near/above a 3.5. That was a positive aspect of my undergraduate career. I took so few science courses that each of my post-bacc courses has a noticeable effect on my sGPA. It also doesn't hurt that I'm doing extremely well in my post-bacc.

A strong sGPA plus a 32+ MCAT could maybe have a shot at MD. I'm worried though that since he/she is ready to take the MCAT, they've already taken their pre-reqs, which means it's going to be awfully difficult to budge both their sGPA and cGPA. I'm also worried that adcoms will have trouble overlooking poor grades that occurred so recently. An upward trend is often viewed as a positive trait, especially when coupled with a compelling and meaningful anecdote. An upward-downward-upward trend is not viewed as favorably.

 

[deleted248403]

The only way I see a post-bacc helping him is if he's never taken a single science class and can get his sGPA near/above a 3.5.

Fair point - more info is needed from the OP

More from the OP over here - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=968412

 

[johnnyscans]

Fair point - more info is needed from the OP

More from the OP over here - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=968412

I was hoping for concrete numbers and a rundown of ECs. Hopefully OP answers us in here.

Hmm, just reread again. Already took his prereqs, so we're talking at least 32 credits of undergraduate science courses. No bueno.

 

[hsk013]

if i haven't taken any of science requirements, and my cGPA is 3.1, do I have any shot at MD? (assuming I do well on a career changer postbac?)
what about DO?

also, would you count science classes for non-science major and survey classes as science classes?
(ex. survey to physics, environmental science, earth science, planets etc)

When I fill out my amcas application, should these go under science classes?

 

[LakersInSix]

if i haven't taken any of science requirements, and my cGPA is 3.1, do I have any shot at MD? (assuming I do well on a career changer postbac?)
what about DO?

also, would you count science classes for non-science major and survey classes as science classes?
(ex. survey to physics, environmental science, earth science, planets etc)

When I fill out my amcas application, should these go under science classes?

There are a good number of post bac programs with high linkages (I think some with 80%) for non science majors. These programs have been discussed in depth. You just need to do some research on them and you'll read about students with gpa's like yours getting into MD schools. Read up on programs like Goucher, Scripps, Bryn Mawr, Columbia, Tufts, Penn, and countless others. You're just in time for application season, so get those apps out asap for early advantage.