SMP, Post-Bacc, Anything?

[AdamW]

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Hey fellow Pre-Meds/Current-Meds,

I just completed my undergrad degree in Integrative Biology last spring at UC Berkeley. (Go Bears!) While I enjoyed my time there, my grades are undesirable to say the least. I have a cGPA of 2.7, and an sGPA closer to 2.6. I am currently re-taking an intro Bio class online, which I hope will ameliorate both my lab and lecture grades for that Bio class that ruined me. I have the MCAT scheduled for this May, and was hoping to attend an SMP program next fall. I've been working in DNA forensics for the past 6 months, and have various research, shadowing, and leadership EC's. I'm mostly just worried whether I have even a chance at any SMP program, as I feel like a second undergrad is just spinning the tires in sand, while establishing a graduate GPA is more progressive.

Thanks,
AdamW

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Hey AdamW. I'm assuming that you failed a semester of intro bio? What other classes did you do poorly in? The impact that a retake has depends on what your aspirations are- if you're going to insist on M.D. best of luck. If you're willing to do D.O. and the classes that you bombed common enough that you can find them at a different university, you'll be able to make faster progress in grade improvement. The general wisdom is to get both your GPA's above a 3.0 to beat automatic screens before doing grad work- even if you were to do an SMP now, unless it's official linkage, you'd be unlikely to be accepted anywhere. You have to do more undergraduate coursework first. Any school that takes you with your current stats, even with a high MCAT, doesn't have your best interests in mind.

Take this time to figure out why you did so poorly, then decide what schools will move at a pace that will allow you fix those problems.

 

[darklabel]

With grade replacement for DO school, you can reach a ~3.2 quickly enough and with a decent MCAT (26+), you'll be good for a program somewhere without having to attend an SMP.

For MD its trickier. Most SMPs have minimums of 3.0 in both science and cumulative GPA and it would take a lot of credit hours to reach that. I would postpone your MCAT since with a ~2.6 science, no (respectable) SMP will accept you no matter what you score on the MCAT. The lowest I've seen is just barely below 3.0 (like a 2.9).

Good luck!

 

[AdamW]

Thanks for the input everyone, I appreciate it. I never failed a pre-req per se, but received a lot of B-C's, which from what I understand, is the worst case scenario as far as "trends" are concerned. I'm definitely not opposed to a D.O. program, and in fact, have lately thought that might be the right way for me. Considering a strong MCAT score, would I be competitive at D.O. schools? If I calculate properly, replacing 5 units worth of C's with A's brings my sGPA to about the 3.0 level. Would a 3.0 sGPA and 30+ MCAT catch a D.O.'s eye?

 

[darklabel]

Thanks for the input everyone, I appreciate it. I never failed a pre-req per se, but received a lot of B-C's, which from what I understand, is the worst case scenario as far as "trends" are concerned. I'm definitely not opposed to a D.O. program, and in fact, have lately thought that might be the right way for me. Considering a strong MCAT score, would I be competitive at D.O. schools? If I calculate properly, replacing 5 units worth of C's with A's brings my sGPA to about the 3.0 level. Would a 3.0 sGPA and 30+ MCAT catch a D.O.'s eye?

For DO, definitely. Especially if you can follow it up with a strong MCAT. Just make sure to apply broadly and include newer DO schools.