Postbac GPA

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janetlover04

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What do medical schools expect or like to see out of the postbac year? What is the min GPA that can be made during the postbac year to be seriously considered for medical school (MD or DO)? Thanks for the help! If any additional info is needed to answer this question just let me know

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Anything below a 3.7 is a step away from medical school.
 
For somewhere like the Goucher program, I'd ballpark things as

3.8-4.0: Great
3.70-3.79: Good
3.50-3.69: Acceptable, but will probably limit some options
3.00-3.49: Not horrible if nothing below a B, or maybe one B-. Definitely more limited options, factors like undergrad GPA and story will need to be much more emphasized.
<3.00: probably SMP time. Given other factors (the kind that get you into a one-year postbac in the first place), DO schools might still be an option without an SMP.

The bottom line is that you don't have to be perfect, and even if you disappoint yourself, the postbac still considerably increases the odds. For instance, several linkage options are pretty lenient, and will offer significantly improved odds for those worried about their grades. MCAT prep definitely helps, since these schools usually still require at least a 30-32 MCAT to compensate for the grades.
 
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For somewhere like the Goucher program, I'd ballpark things as

3.8-4.0: Great
3.70-3.79: Good
3.50-3.69: Acceptable, but will probably limit some options
3.00-3.49: Not horrible if nothing below a B, or maybe one B-. Definitely more limited options, factors like undergrad GPA and story will need to be much more emphasized.
<3.00: probably SMP time. Given other factors (the kind that get you into a one-year postbac in the first place), DO schools might still be an option without an SMP.

The bottom line is that you don't have to be perfect, and even if you disappoint yourself, the postbac still considerably increases the odds. For instance, several linkage options are pretty lenient, and will offer significantly improved odds for those worried about their grades. MCAT prep definitely helps, since these schools usually still require at least a 30-32 MCAT to compensate for the grades.

Thanks for the response! For my first semester I am probably looking at 4 A's and 2 B's. I am going to try to get more A's next semester because my undergrad gpa was less than stellar. I have lots of good EC, volunteer/clinical experience, research, and I graduated from a top 20 school (not sure how much that matters). Do you think that taking one of those Kaplan MCAT courses will help me get my MCAT score up in the 30's range? I have not taken a practice test quite yet. I am just worried about what exactly I need to do to get acceptances into medical school (MD or DO). Also, I am doing an informal postbac instead of a formal program.
 
Thanks for the response! For my first semester I am probably looking at 4 A's and 2 B's. I am going to try to get more A's next semester because my undergrad gpa was less than stellar. I have lots of good EC, volunteer/clinical experience, research, and I graduated from a top 20 school (not sure how much that matters). Do you think that taking one of those Kaplan MCAT courses will help me get my MCAT score up in the 30's range? I have not taken a practice test quite yet. I am just worried about what exactly I need to do to get acceptances into medical school (MD or DO). Also, I am doing an informal postbac instead of a formal program.

My advisor told me the following: the highest MCAT scores he's seen have come from students who studied on their own. This can be interpreted in many ways, so I'll leave it at that. To class or not to class usually comes down to the following question: if you're organized and can stick to a plan, you should be able to prepare on your own. If you need someone to keep you on track however, you'll be best off in a class.

When you say 4 A's and 2 B's, are these true 4.0 A's, or a mix of A/A-s. The same goes for your B.s There is a .1 difference between A/A/A/A/B/B and A/A/A-/B-/B/A.
 
My advisor told me the following: the highest MCAT scores he's seen have come from students who studied on their own. This can be interpreted in many ways, so I'll leave it at that. To class or not to class usually comes down to the following question: if you're organized and can stick to a plan, you should be able to prepare on your own. If you need someone to keep you on track however, you'll be best off in a class.

When you say 4 A's and 2 B's, are these true 4.0 A's, or a mix of A/A-s. The same goes for your B.s There is a .1 difference between A/A/A/A/B/B and A/A/A-/B-/B/A.

Well I planned to begin studying on my own now and take the course at the end of May to see if I can get some extra prep. I plan to apply for the tuition assistance program so if I can get the course at a deep discount then I figured why not? I am having a bit of trouble getting focused enough to begin studying which is why I believe that the course would help. I already have some resources in terms of books, exam krackers, ect to help me but just sitting down to study is what the issue is. These are true A's and B's. The majority of my courses do not use the +/- scale.
 
Well I planned to begin studying on my own now and take the course at the end of May to see if I can get some extra prep. I plan to apply for the tuition assistance program so if I can get the course at a deep discount then I figured why not? I am having a bit of trouble getting focused enough to begin studying which is why I believe that the course would help. I already have some resources in terms of books, exam krackers, ect to help me but just sitting down to study is what the issue is. These are true A's and B's. The majority of my courses do not use the +/- scale.

Do you get quality points on your transcript or anything to distinguish from +\- grades? You should check to see how your grades will be calculated by amcas. 4 As at 4.0 and 2 Bs at 3.0 (assuming equal weight per class in terms of hours) is, if I'm not mistaken a 3.67.
 
Do you get quality points on your transcript or anything to distinguish from +\- grades? You should check to see how your grades will be calculated by amcas. 4 As at 4.0 and 2 Bs at 3.0 (assuming equal weight per class in terms of hours) is, if I'm not mistaken a 3.67.

Also, even if your school doesn't factor in +/- grading, if the grades are assigned as such they must be entered into AMCAS as +/-
 
I have some follow-up questions - I apologize in advance if they have fairly obvious answers.

1. Are your GPA recommendations just for the postbac GPA or for the overall GPA?
2. Roughly how strongly does the postbac GPA affect your cumulative GPA? I mean - how many credits do you earn and how are they averaged in?
3. Do you have an idea of how important (to med schools) the postbac GPA is compared to the cumulative GPA?
4. Do the linkage schools have a variety of GPA requirements or are they all around the same number?
 
1. Are your GPA recommendations just for the postbac GPA or for the overall GPA?

Just postbac.

2. Roughly how strongly does the postbac GPA affect your cumulative GPA? I mean - how many credits do you earn and how are they averaged in?

Depends on how long you've been out of school, how many credits you have cumulatively, and how the reviewing med school weighs undergrad vs. postbac.

3. Do you have an idea of how important (to med schools) the postbac GPA is compared to the cumulative GPA?

Ditto.

4. Do the linkage schools have a variety of GPA requirements or are they all around the same number?

A variety, between 3.5 and 3.8. Some allow you to compensate with one GPA over the other, including if your postbac GPA was weaker. Others require uniformly high GPAs.
 
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1. Are your GPA recommendations just for the postbac GPA or for the overall GPA? Ideally your postbacc GPA is higher or as high as your uGPA If you're trying to redeem a low uGPA your better be prepared to do everything in your power to keep your post-bacc GPA above a 3.7

2. Roughly how strongly does the postbac GPA affect your cumulative GPA? I mean - how many credits do you earn and how are they averaged in?
This depends on how many undergraduate credits you've completed. If you have 180 undergraduate credits it's going to be tough to budge your uGPA. I'm lucky in that I took very few undergraduate science courses, which allows me to raise my sGPA (Through post-bacc work) relatively easily.

3. Do you have an idea of how important (to med schools) the postbac GPA is compared to the cumulative GPA?
Depends. Some schools only look at your last 60 credit hours of coursework. Some schools look only at your sGPA. Some schools look at and take note of a strong upward trend. A solid post-bacc GPA will never hurt you. An average or below average post-bacc GPA could be deadly.

4. Do the linkage schools have a variety of GPA requirements or are they all around the same number?
No idea. My apologies.
 
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