starting over and getting a 2nd bac

[CaliDreamer]

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so im graduating with my BA this year and i am considering starting all over again, in a sense, and getting a 2nd bacc. i wasnt premed in undergrad thus far and am now planning on taking my prereqs/mcats. how do adcoms process the undergrad application? if i go to another school for my 2nd bac, will med schools look at that separately? or will they see my entire undergrad records, from all schools attended? my undergrad record so far isnt exactly up to par for us allo schools, so thats why im considering getting another bachelors degree in addition to my science prereqs. i know adcoms like to see improvement but i dont know what my chances are.

 

[DrMidlife]

Your chances depend on lots of stuff: grades, MCAT, letters of recommendation, extra-curriculars, volunteering, clinical experience, research, personal statement, interview skills, fashion sense, stage presence, star quality, etc.

Your existing undergrad GPA is more permanent than a tattoo. Not only do adcoms WANT to see all your undergrad transcripts, you're REQUIRED to submit them or you get kicked out. (Typically AFTER you've accumulated $100k debt or so.)

There's no such thing as GPA repair, because it's an average. So whatever new undergrad work you do, it gets added in to your old undergrad work and the total determines your undergrad GPA. There are year-by-year breakdowns on the application. Your overall GPA and your science GPA need to be as high as possible, preferably higher than 3.5. Doing a spreadsheet to see what's possible, and how long it'll take to get there, is highly recommended.

If you don't know about the parallel medical education system for osteopathic physicians, you might want to look into it, because it's slightly more sympathetic to the sub-3.5 candidate (like myself).

Lastly, as I learned THE HARD WAY, there's no magic wand you can wave that makes you start getting good grades. Don't assume that you'll start getting a 4.0 just because you want one. Take advantage of every learning skills workshop, tutoring opportunity, study center open hours, etc. you possibly can.

Best of luck to you.

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

I would not recommend getting a second bachelors. Once you have a BA, you've already completed the major distros and things, along with your major, and have the knowledge base of a college graduate. There are plenty of people who major in other things and later in their career decide to do medicine...and they don't get a second bachelors.

I would advise you to do a post-bacc. These can be structured programs that have you take all the pre-med required courses and help prepare you to take the MCAT. Certain programs also have a ridiculously high success rate of getting people into med school. These programs are designed for people wanting to improve their undergraduate GPA or make a career-change (including those who have never taken a science course). Although I doubt doing a post-bacc can save a horrible GPA, I feel most adcoms will weigh more heavily on your performance in the post-bacc than anything else.

Look into some two-year programs. You will take the required courses and prep for the MCAT. It will be a lot of work, with little to no time for having a job. Try and do as much volunteering in a clinical setting or elsewhere ahead of time.

Again, I would advise against a 2nd BA, since it will just average into your old GPA and won't showcase your strengths. A formal post-bacc program will be tough, but will get the job done if you are serious about going into medicine. Good luck!

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

so im graduating with my BA this year and i am considering starting all over again, in a sense, and getting a 2nd bacc. i wasnt premed in undergrad thus far and am now planning on taking my prereqs/mcats. how do adcoms process the undergrad application? if i go to another school for my 2nd bac, will med schools look at that separately? or will they see my entire undergrad records, from all schools attended? my undergrad record so far isnt exactly up to par for us allo schools, so thats why im considering getting another bachelors degree in addition to my science prereqs. i know adcoms like to see improvement but i dont know what my chances are.

to answer those: med schools will see every course you ever took at every college you ever took them at. AMCAS (the common application sent to all med schools that you need to fill out first to start applying) requires that you send them all your transcripts from any college you took courses at. no matter where you go or what you take, med schools will know. kinda sucks, haha.