Starting Postbac This Fall

[yessirMD]

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I have around a 3.2 oGPA 3.3 sGPA. My advisor told me that postbac GPA is going to be evaluated separately and that 12 units a quarter is all I should take to ensure "perfection". However I've been reading that taking as MANY upper division science courses as I can [like DrMidlife suggests] is the key to raising a GPA and to getting into medical school.

What do the rest of you think? Should I go ahead and take as many science courses or should I just take the minimum full time units so that it'll be easier to obtain a 4.0?

 

[NuttyEngDude]

What do the rest of you think? Should I go ahead and take as many science courses or should I just take the minimum full time units so that it'll be easier to obtain a 4.0?

Start out slow, especially if you've been out of school for a while, 12 hours your first semester is a good idea. See how this feels, then next semester ramp up. At this point Acing classes is the name of the game, also picking up a SOLID foundation for the MCAT. If you are looking to do more, get into some volunteering, research, etc.

 

[mehc012]

If I have a fulltime job, is it alright to do a 3/4 time postbacc?

 

[NuttyEngDude]

If I have a fulltime job, is it alright to do a 3/4 time postbacc?

nothing wrong with it. at some point, if you are a low gpa comeback you will want to demonstrate aptitude for a full load, but if you already have a high gpa, they generally dont care (assuming you are getting good grades in the postbacc).

 

[mehc012]

nothing wrong with it. at some point, if you are a low gpa comeback you will want to demonstrate aptitude for a full load, but if you already have a high gpa, they generally dont care (assuming you are getting good grades in the postbacc).

I am a low gpa comeback...3.2 to hopefully a 3.4. However, my fulltime job would be a research position, so I'm hoping it will look alright with the 3/4 time classes!

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

Start out slow, especially if you've been out of school for a while, 12 hours your first semester is a good idea. See how this feels, then next semester ramp up. At this point Acing classes is the name of the game, also picking up a SOLID foundation for the MCAT. If you are looking to do more, get into some volunteering, research, etc.

Listen to him! 👍 Starting out post-bacc slow was the best advice I've ever gotten from SDN.

 

[yessirMD]

Listen to him! 👍 Starting out post-bacc slow was the best advice I've ever gotten from SDN.

The thing is, I only have a year to take science courses (3 quarters). I kind of want to get the most bang for my buck - 12 units will cost the same as 16 and I will not be working. But thanks for the input guys.

Any other opinions?

I guess my question really is: will a 12unit/qtr 4.0 be just as good as a 16unit/qtr 4.0 since ,my postbac GPA will not be considered in my uGPA?

 

[kevintech]

i'd like to know this answer too

 

[Equestrian]

The thing is, I only have a year to take science courses (3 quarters). I kind of want to get the most bang for my buck - 12 units will cost the same as 16 and I will not be working. But thanks for the input guys.

Any other opinions?

I guess my question really is: will a 12unit/qtr 4.0 be just as good as a 16unit/qtr 4.0 since ,my postbac GPA will not be considered in my uGPA?

Why do you think this? Your prerequisite courses need to be taken at UG level, so they WILL count for uGPA.

 

[yessirMD]

Why do you think this? Your prerequisite courses need to be taken at UG level, so they WILL count for uGPA.

In my first post, I said that my director of the Postbac said that they consider a postbac gpa and undergraduate gpa separately.

 

[Courtjester8]

They're shown on the amcas as separate items as well as an aggregate gpa. However, how the different GPAs are dealt with depends entirely on the adcom looking at your app.

 

[thlaxer]

I guess my question really is: will a 12unit/qtr 4.0 be just as good as a 16unit/qtr 4.0 since ,my postbac GPA will not be considered in my uGPA?

Will it be just as good? Probably not. But 12unit/qtr 4.0 with a full time research position is already very impressive imo. Unless you are absolutely positive you can handle the 16 unit workload with your job, I would not do 16 units.. It's not worth the risk.. You don't want to find yourself half-way through a semester realizing that you don't have enough study time to get the grades you want (and need).. As others have said, it's smarter to start off slower and then ramp it up after you have a better idea of where your limits are..

AMCAS separates all of your undergrad-level grades by year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior and post-bac) and then combines them into the cumulative and science GPAs. So your post-bac GPA will have an effect on your undergrad (cum and sci) GPAs and they will be able to see your upward trend during your post-bac years. Hope this helps

 

[Back 5]

I'm completing my year long post-bacc this Fall. It was mainly an MCAT prep, but working at my clinic full-time (9-7) and taking classes Mon-Thurs 7:00-10:00p takes its toll. I was only able to take 2 courses a semester as I couldn't fit any additional courses into my schedule.

If I get A's this semester, I will have a 4.0 over 32 credits.

This also was for DO gpa repair. My cGPA will be 3.33 and my sGPA will be 3.54. Unfortunately, my AMCAS gpa will not budge beyond 3.01 unless I take a second bachelors (I graduated with quite a few more courses than I needed...way too many electives while I figured out what I wanted to do. Getting D's in programming classes certainly showed me I wasn't going to write code, but it kills the gpa 🙁 )