SMP vs DIY Post-Bacc

[spadecricket]

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I’m looking for a job which has tuition waiver so I can pursue a DIY post-bacc. Although a diy post-back is more simple, I’m wondering if a SMP would be better.

I have a 3.2-3.3 cgpa and a 3.0sgpa with 500 MCAT. I plan to revise the MCAT this upcoming year. I feel like I’m getting old (27) and I just want to take the most pragmatic route.

 

[spadecricket]

Really, no opinions?

 

[el_duderino]

OP recently failed out of a Caribbean medical school. He should probably have mentioned that part.

 

[spadecricket]

OP recently failed out of a Caribbean medical school. He should probably have mentioned that part.

Thanks for the encouragement! Anything constructive or you just wanna pile on? You don't have anything constructive to do?

 

[CoitusInterruptus]

get that MCAT up. Take a class or answer mcat questions on reddit / sdn to sharpen your skills. what's wrong with a DIY post-bacc? Nothing.

"
Sunny Gibson
If you have good reasons for why you re-took courses there, I don't see a problem with it. You may want to explain it somewhere in your application, depending on the types of schools to which you are applying.

It also depends on how you performed in those classes the first time around at a four-year school. If you are a career-changer, it makes sense to take advantage of community college courses, and committees get that. Your MCAT® exam score will be an important indicator for selection committees regarding your knowledge of the sciences and whether you learned the material.

If you are re-taking classes to refresh yourself, that is one thing—but you should also know that not all schools have a "shelf life" on pre-med classes. Some require that you go back and take them if they are, say for example, more than 10 years prior, and some don't.

Before you spend the time and money, evaluate your reasons and do your homework and find out exactly what the schools you are applying to require.

Brenda Lee
The answer is best addressed to specific scenarios and may differ depending on a candidate's situation.

If you have an otherwise strong academic record, but you have been out of school for a number of years and need to review the basic prerequisite coursework before taking the MCAT exam, then repeating coursework at a community college is fine.

If the repeated coursework is the result of needing to improve your competitiveness for admission, admissions committees will pay close attention to the rigor of the coursework, how well you have done, and how your fund of knowledge is reflected in your MCAT exam performance.
"

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[paimei42]

Be an RA at a university is probably the easiest way of going about this. Look for like research technician jobs or something like that (I'm assuming you majored in Bio)

Other options might include doing some more admin things or clinical coordinator roles at universities. FYI most of these require you to be working for 6months to a year before you get that benefit so factor that into your considerations

 

[spadecricket]

So, a unique opportunity may have arisen. I’m interviewing for a job with a tuition waiver and I found an online medical masters program offered by a state school. Assuming the waiver covers some of my tuition, is this a good idea?

 

[el_duderino]

Almost certainly not. You could contact the admissions office of the associated medical school and ask if they'd accept a student who was recently dismissed from a Caribbean school who went through the Masters program.

 

[spadecricket]

Almost certainly not. You could contact the admissions office of the associated medical school and ask if they'd accept a student who was recently dismissed from a Caribbean school who went through the Masters program.

You really don’t have a life, do you?

 

[deleted936470]

You really don’t have a life, do you?

His/her advice is solid and they are trying to be helpful. Good luck getting people to sympathize and offer advice with that attitude. If you don’t want to hear advice from those willing to give it, even if it’s not what you want to hear, then it is meaningless for you to post on these forums.
At this stage for you, an online master’s would be less helpful than a phlebotomy certification.

 

[spadecricket]

His/her advice is solid and they are trying to be helpful. Good luck getting people to sympathize and offer advice with that attitude. If you don’t want to hear advice from those willing to give it, even if it’s not what you want to hear, then it is meaningless for you to post on these forums.
At this stage for you, an online master’s would be less helpful than a phlebotomy certification.

So the advice, essentially, is to give up?!
You guys are so elitist and belittling that it makes people not want to visit these forums.
What the hell else am I supposed to do if you’re all just saying “give up.”

You know this person is NOT being helpful. I think I still have a chance even though everyone here seems to think I’m a failure. For people who are doctors in training, you guys are quite rigid thinkers.

 

[spadecricket]

.

 

[el_duderino]

So the advice, essentially, is to give up?!
You guys are so elitist and belittling that it makes people not want to visit these forums.
What the hell else am I supposed to do if you’re all just saying “give up.”

You know this person is NOT being helpful. I think I still have a chance even though everyone here seems to think I’m a failure. For people who are doctors in training, you guys are quite rigid thinkers.

What makes you think you have a chance besides magical thinking? Do you know of anyone who failed out of a Caribbean school then matriculated at an American one? I've never heard of that. If you have, what did they do?

You might have a chance, maybe, at another Caribbean school. My advice, however, would be to avoid that so you don't go deeper in debt. You need to find another career, then come back to medicine once you've fixed what's wrong.

 

[paimei42]

So, a unique opportunity may have arisen. I’m interviewing for a job with a tuition waiver and I found an online medical masters program offered by a state school. Assuming the waiver covers some of my tuition, is this a good idea?

Medical masters waver is probably not worth much you really need to take undergrad upper level science classes

 

[Goro]

So the advice, essentially, is to give up?!
You guys are so elitist and belittling that it makes people not want to visit these forums.
What the hell else am I supposed to do if you’re all just saying “give up.”

You know this person is NOT being helpful. I think I still have a chance even though everyone here seems to think I’m a failure. For people who are doctors in training, you guys are quite rigid thinkers.

Cricket, I know that you're feeling vulnerable, but we're telling you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Having already gone through the Carib once is major red flag, BUT, my SMP has accepted some Carib refugees, and some of them were able to do well and get into our med school.

While you'll save more money via a DIY post-bac, I believe that you needs a more structured program that can offer you support with learning, teat taking, coping skills etc. Hence, go for an SMP, preferably at a med school with some sort of linkage.

I have to be blunt here, for my SMP admissions, I'm quite harsh...I personally feel that you had your chance, and you made some poor choices. But other Adcoms may feel differently.

An online program will be worthless.

 

[PorkChopsOG]

So the advice, essentially, is to give up?!
You guys are so elitist and belittling that it makes people not want to visit these forums.
What the hell else am I supposed to do if you’re all just saying “give up.”

You know this person is NOT being helpful. I think I still have a chance even though everyone here seems to think I’m a failure. For people who are doctors in training, you guys are quite rigid thinkers.

I'm going to give the same advice to the last carib dropout who was asking for it: apply to KCU's COB program. They require a 3.5 1st semester and a 501 for a GUARANTEED interview, with most interviews ->> acceptances. They don't look at undergrad performance at all, which is great for people who messed up.

I have a classmate who withdrew from a "top 4" (lol) carib school, applied, did decent in the COB program, and matriculated. If you can't get accepted from COB, (I know multiple people with MCATs below 500 who are accepted) then you seriously need to give up rethink becoming a physician. I'm not saying this to discourage you: COB takes a lot of people and gives them a chance. BUT the people who did poorly in COB and still matriculated, are repeating years/failed classes.

If you couldn't cut it in a Caribbean school, why do you think you'll do well in a US program? Poor undergrad performance that lead to poor med school performance that lead to you failing out of the Caribbean will not disappear: you'll most likely do poorly in med school, fail classes/drop out, or just fail to match. So, if you want to continue on this insanely expensive path for a chance to become a physician, apply to COB which is your best bet.

 

[Faha]

I’m looking for a job which has tuition waiver so I can pursue a DIY post-bacc. Although a diy post-back is more simple, I’m wondering if a SMP would be better.

I have a 3.2-3.3 cgpa and a 3.0sgpa with 500 MCAT. I plan to revise the MCAT this upcoming year. I feel like I’m getting old (27) and I just want to take the most pragmatic route.

A 1 year DIY post bacc to increase your sGPA and cGPA would be fine. You could do this at a local college. Your 500 MCAT is adequate for at least 12 DO schools that I know of but if you increase it to 505 you would be competitive for the majority of DO schools. Post your new MCAT score here in the future.

 

[dial1010usa]

Agreed with Faha. your MCAT is good but if you think you can increase few more points but if you get <500 that will be another negative.
Take few upper division science classes to bump your sGPA, and try to get all A's and do the volunteer or scribe/cna kinda job.

 

[spadecricket]

So, quick update guys:

Got a decent job and can now save some money. I'm looking at some SMPs in my state but I have a quandary- I could let my state pay for a masters (non-special masters programs or medical) while I work or I could work for about a year, apply and hopefully matriculate into an SMP in my home state; which would be the better option?


If I went the SMP route, I was advised to continue to do some kind of medical work/volunteering (e.g. shadowing, scribing, etc) and retake mcat/apply following completion of the SMP; do you guys concur?
Thanks!

 

[deleted859689]

Normal master's programs may not be seen as competitive as an SMP linked to a medical school by adcoms. Some SMPs require the GRE or MCAT > 500 for acceptance (e.g. Virginia Commonwealth's SMP). With your track record, I would advise going with the formal SMP and retaking the MCAT if needed for matriculation. If not, take it after the program, but be advised the application cycle opens very soon after the semester ends and you might have to juggle adding MCAT study material to your SMP course work. So maybe study now while you are working and retake before the SMP and use an awesome MCAT to gain acceptance to an SMP, preferably one with linkage. Keep us updated - wish you the best of luck.

 

[spadecricket]

Normal master's programs may not be seen as competitive as an SMP linked to a medical school by adcoms. Some SMPs require the GRE or MCAT > 500 for acceptance (e.g. Virginia Commonwealth's SMP). With your track record, I would advise going with the formal SMP and retaking the MCAT if needed for matriculation. If not, take it after the program, but be advised the application cycle opens very soon after the semester ends and you might have to juggle adding MCAT study material to your SMP course work. So maybe study now while you are working and retake before the SMP and use an awesome MCAT to gain acceptance to an SMP, preferably one with linkage. Keep us updated - wish you the best of luck.

Thanks, appreciate the advice!

 

[spadecricket]

I switched jobs so I have more free time. Would taking the MCAT before SMP applications be a good idea? I have time to study for the MCAT in a more thorough way now.

 

[PorkChopsOG]

I switched jobs so I have more free time. Would taking the MCAT before SMP applications be a good idea? I have time to study for the MCAT in a more thorough way now.

Depends. an SMP will likely cover a lot of material in the MCAT but you'll have to take it at an inopportune time, like january, and your SMP/med school would have to be okay with that. KCU's COB program specifically waits until after january scores to come back to send out interviews.

 

[Goro]

I switched jobs so I have more free time. Would taking the MCAT before SMP applications be a good idea? I have time to study for the MCAT in a more thorough way now.

That's a good idea