Post-Bacc or Pre-reqs????

[MedicineMike]

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I am 24 with a bachelor's degree in Real Estate from the University of Georgia. I only took 2 science courses in undergrad (which i plan on retaking). My cum gpa is a 2.66 🙁. I was an athlete in college with an extremely rigorous schedule. I basically didnt learn how to study until my last year 2 years of undergrad.

With the prior being said, I plan on going to a local state university to take pre-req science courses to prepare me for MCAT/MD school. My question is when I go back to school (in May) are there certain courses that are recommended/required for me to take??? I know a post-bacc program would probably be better but I am not even sure I could get in with my pitiful gpa.

I need help!! Thanks in advance

 

[MedicineMike]

come on! i need advice!

 

[NewmansOwn]

Relax. This is a low traffic forum.

I think it might be helpful if you rephrased your question. You have said you're going back to your state school to take your pre-reqs and prepare for the MCAT. Then, you asked what courses you should take. So you basically answered your own question before you asked it. Answer: you should take the prereqs, which you must already be registered for if you're going back to school in a month. Is there something else you wanted to know? Did you mean what classes should you take beyond the prereqs? The answer to that is biochemistry and maybe genetics or anatomy, depending on how much time/money you have.

In addition, your GPA is low and you'll likely need at least one additional year of full-time coursework beyond the year you take for your prereqs before you'll be prepared to apply.

 

[MedicineMike]

thanks for the response...I am taking one class this summer ( i dont know which one yet, any recommendations??) and going full-time in the fall and spring.

I havent signed up for classes yet but i assume i have to take chem 1, chem II, biology I, Physics I, and o-chem. Correct?? anymore?

 

[NewmansOwn]

thanks for the response...I am taking one class this summer ( i dont know which one yet, any recommendations??) and going full-time in the fall and spring.

I havent signed up for classes yet but i assume i have to take chem 1, chem II, biology I, Physics I, and o-chem. Correct?? anymore?

Well yeah, that's partially correct, but you also need Bio II and Physics II, as well as labs for every single one of the classes you take. And both semesters of organic chemistry, as well, if that wasn't already clear. In addition, almost every medical school requires as at least 2 English courses, and many require calculus and/or statistics.

Beyond that, biochemistry is highly recommended (almost a requirement at some schools) and you'll need to take a year or two of upper level science courses to boost your GPA.

Have you checked out AMCAS and the webpages of the medical schools you're interested in attending? Those sites will give you more specifics on what exactly is necessary for a successful application.

 

[MedicineMike]

Well yeah, that's partially correct, but you also need Bio II and Physics II, as well as labs for every single one of the classes you take. And both semesters of organic chemistry, as well, if that wasn't already clear. In addition, almost every medical school requires as at least 2 English courses, and many require calculus and/or statistics.

Beyond that, biochemistry is highly recommended (almost a requirement at some schools) and you'll need to take a year or two of upper level science courses to boost your GPA.

Have you checked out AMCAS and the webpages of the medical schools you're interested in attending? Those sites will give you more specifics on what exactly is necessary for a successful application.

no, i havent checked out AMCAS yet. I do have a bachelor's degree, so ive taken 2 semesters of English. Actually 3 if you count a literature class. I guess i can check AMCAS and see what requirements I need other than the prior courses discussed. i dont know if i could get my GPA up much higher than a 3.0, but i could def get my sciences (and uppercoursework) up around 4.0. Would the science gpa be more of an advantage than the cum GPA from undergrad?

 

[NewmansOwn]

no, i havent checked out AMCAS yet. I do have a bachelor's degree, so ive taken 2 semesters of English. Actually 3 if you count a literature class. I guess i can check AMCAS and see what requirements I need other than the prior courses discussed. i dont know if i could get my GPA up much higher than a 3.0, but i could def get my sciences (and uppercoursework) up around 4.0. Would the science gpa be more of an advantage than the cum GPA from undergrad?

Having a high science GPA is great, but it's only one piece of the puzzle. And I would be careful about guaranteeing yourself As in these classes. They're very challenging, especially for someone who hasn't taken science before. Your cumulative GPA will be under scrutiny, which is why you need the extra years of coursework to push things up. Unfortunately, medical school is so competitive that people with 3.7s in both cum and science are not uncommon and those folks will have first shot at med school seats.

 

[BORNagainSTDENT]

what are upper level science courses, can you give an example of 1 or 2. They are not graduate are they?

 

[de_la_soul]

what are upper level science courses, can you give an example of 1 or 2. They are not graduate are they?

They're not graduate. At my school the upper level sci courses are in the 100s (and graduate courses are in the 200s). Pretty much anything that requires intro bio (and sometimes ochem series, and even physics series).

 

[BORNagainSTDENT]

Would these classes help significantly in med school, do smp classes.

 

[BORNagainSTDENT]

Do any of these schools offer tutoring support? I don't mean teachers willing to answer a question, but instead like an academic enhancement center.

 

[NewmansOwn]

Do any of these schools offer tutoring support? I don't mean teachers willing to answer a question, but instead like an academic enhancement center.

Any of what schools? Postbacs? SMPs?

Many programs have multiple TAs whose job it is to supplement lecture material through extracurricular sessions and, occasionally, one-on-one tutoring.

 

[BORNagainSTDENT]

post bacc or undergrad. I attended undergrad at a private college that had some tutoring I just started at hunter at it doesn't seem to have any other than math. I'm not sure I have the grades to get officially excepted anywhere, right now I'm a non degree. Sorry for the vague reply, I'm on my iPhone