Pre-med here needing advice

[dancingdoctor]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Current medical students,

I am a typical sad-story pre-medical student and Im looking into a non-trad route to med school. I am a senior in undergrad with a total GPA of 2.66 and BCMP 2.14; would it be in my better interest to attend a formal post-bacc program where I would retake many basic science courses and the resulting grades from that program will average in with my undergrad GPAs (so I can potentially get both GPAs > 3.0) or is it a better idea to go to a SMP (special masters program) and take upper level science courses, in which that GPA is separate from the undergrad GPA?

Anyone have experience with this? Anyone on an admissions committee here who can offer advice?👍 Anyone know current medical students in a similar low GPA situation as an undergrad and whom chose either a post-bacc program of an SMP? Any other releveant or irrelevant advice you can give regarding the admissions process? Thanks so much!

 

[coffeebythelake]

This belongs in the Premed forums.

 

[dancingdoctor]

wait, why is a dental student in the allopathic forum? I think he's lost

 

[Law2Doc]

eikenheim- I was posting here in hopes to get answers from more experienced, been there-done that, sort of people.

We get that, but allo is not meant for people to get access to allo students, it's meant for current allo students to discuss allo issues.

 

[njbmd]

Moved to the Non-Traditional Forum. Allopathic medical students read and respond to thread in Non-Traditional and Pre-Allo and may follow and respond to this thread if desired.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

I am a typical sad-story pre-medical student and Im looking into a non-trad route to med school. I am a senior in undergrad with a total GPA of 2.66 and BCMP 2.14; would it be in my better interest to attend a formal post-bacc program where I would retake many basic science courses and the resulting grades from that program will average in with my undergrad GPAs (so I can potentially get both GPAs > 3.0) or is it a better idea to go to a SMP (special masters program) and take upper level science courses, in which that GPA is separate from the undergrad GPA?

You know, to be honest, in your situation - before you invest thousands of dollars to make a commitment to either a formal post-bacc or a SMP, I would suggest that you might want to wait until after graduation then try re-taking one or two science pre-reqs. See if you're able to master the material and earn a good grade. Unfortunately, not every non-trad can dig out of a bad situation well enough to be admitted to medical school. I don't mean to be discouraging; I just think you need to take an honest look at where you are. Your coursework is recent and you have a BCMP of 2.14. How are you going to change that? To get your UG overall and BCMP into a barely-acceptable range for any U.S. medical school, you'd have to retake everything and ace it - plus get a highly competitive MCAT score. If indeed you think you can do things differently, you might want to look at the osteopathic route, where grade replacement is possible through AACOMAS rules.

But, again, I'd re-take a couple of courses before you make a huge commitment. I honestly hate to be discouraging and rarely do it - but some people will post tons of sunshine for you even when it's clearly not realistic. The hard fact is, not everyone who wants to go to medical school can go to medical school. Fortunately, the healthcare profession has many needs and many available roles. I do certainly wish you the best.

 

[waytogo]

You are obviously very talented and able to accomplish what you but your mind to. However, you danced while knowing that you wanted to go to medical school? What I mean is that your plan was to take a nontraditional route so you danced while also partially preparing for medical school (this is where the sacrifice was made). From the outside, it looks like dance is your priority. Is that true? What can you do to change that?

I was a musician first and I know the long hours and committment too. From watching my friends that were artists and are now physicians, consider why you took the science courses when you did not have the time to devote to them. I wonder what would happen if you clarify your goals, make a clear plan, and then act on it with just the goal of medicine. I bet that it would be an easier road for you. You are still young, don't make it any more difficult on yourself by continuing before you are fully committed.

 

[moldovanits]

Current medical students,

I am a typical sad-story pre-medical student and Im looking into a non-trad route to med school. I am a senior in undergrad with a total GPA of 2.66 and BCMP 2.14; would it be in my better interest to attend a formal post-bacc program where I would retake many basic science courses and the resulting grades from that program will average in with my undergrad GPAs (so I can potentially get both GPAs > 3.0) or is it a better idea to go to a SMP (special masters program) and take upper level science courses, in which that GPA is separate from the undergrad GPA?

Anyone have experience with this? Anyone on an admissions committee here who can offer advice?👍 Anyone know current medical students in a similar low GPA situation as an undergrad and whom chose either a post-bacc program of an SMP? Any other releveant or irrelevant advice you can give regarding the admissions process? Thanks so much!

Id say try the caribean!
and do a postbs program if you are from los angeles.
heres a good post program to get your gpa up.
www.cleveland.edu

 

[njbmd]

Current medical students,

I am a typical sad-story pre-medical student and Im looking into a non-trad route to med school. I am a senior in undergrad with a total GPA of 2.66 and BCMP 2.14; would it be in my better interest to attend a formal post-bacc program where I would retake many basic science courses and the resulting grades from that program will average in with my undergrad GPAs (so I can potentially get both GPAs > 3.0) or is it a better idea to go to a SMP (special masters program) and take upper level science courses, in which that GPA is separate from the undergrad GPA?

Anyone have experience with this? Anyone on an admissions committee here who can offer advice?👍 Anyone know current medical students in a similar low GPA situation as an undergrad and whom chose either a post-bacc program of an SMP? Any other releveant or irrelevant advice you can give regarding the admissions process? Thanks so much!

If you can gain admission into a Special Masters Program, it would be a good route for you in the sense that these programs, provided you do very well, show that you are capable of handing an academically rigorous medical school curriculum. The downside is that you may not have a high enough GPA for an SMP and that these programs are quite expensive.

Taking post bacc (informal or formal classes at the undergraduate level) may be a good option for you as again, excellent academic work will raise your undergraduate GPA, provide a strong knowledge base for the Medical College Admissions Test and allow you to put some time and distance between your previous academic work and you later excellent work. You would also have the advantage that you can take one class at a time, show some excellent grades and not have the huge expense of a SMP(graduate-level which will not raise undergraduate GPA).

Medical schools do take into account "youthful disorganization" and showing a recent strong transcript (no grade less than B+) can only help you. Other things to keep in mind are that you can work on your extra curricular activities as you work on raising your GPA and that you can start slow and build for a position of strength once you have a couple of classes under your belt. Good luck!