Struggling in My Premed Postbacc — Feeling Lost and Need Advice

[spicyhotpot]

Hi everyone,

I'm feeling really stuck and lost right now. I'm a nurse who decided to go back to school to pursue medical school. I think I may have been in over my head trying to manage a full course load and working at the same time.


I'm enrolled in a formal postbacc program, following a schedule laid out by my advisor. I'm passing my classes, but I'm not hitting the A's I was aiming for. Instead, I'm getting mostly B's, and it's starting to take a serious toll on my GPA. I'm feeling sad, burned out, and honestly really confused about what to do next.

Here’s where I’m at:

• First semester: Took bio, chem, and physics with labs — ended with a 2.68 GPA (all B’s and a C in physics, which I plan to retake).
• This semester: Projected to get 3 B's in bio, chem, and physics, plus an A+ in lab.
• GPA after this semester: Estimated sGPA around 3.13 and cumulative GPA around 3.17.
• Background: Before starting my postbacc, my undergrad GPA was a 3.2. Now I feel like I'm slipping further away from being competitive for med school.

I’m still trying really hard to pull my physics grade up to an A-, but overall, this is where I currently stand. I’m crushed because I’ve been working extremely hard, but my grades aren't reflecting that. I still need to take Ochem, Biochem, Genetics, and then electives.

Questions:

• If I retake classes, would retaking physics (or others) at a community college look bad for med school applications? I'm still going to finish the postbacc program.
• Has anyone bounced back after a rough start to their postbacc?
• Any advice on how to move forward or restructure my path to still be competitive?

Any advice or words of encouragement would really mean a lot. Thank you so much.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wysdoc]

"trying to manage a full course load and working at the same time"

This is an impossible combination; when sleep-deprived you are neither studying well nor serving your patients well.
Successful post-bac students put all their energies into the post-bac program and take advantage of the ancillary counseling and advising there.
You have seen the suboptimal outcome of doing what amounts to 2 full-time jobs.

If your family is not able to get by without your nursing income, you might have to do your pre-reqs part-time and accept that the whole process will take longer. What will support you/them if you become a full-time med student?

 

[spicyhotpot]

"trying to manage a full course load and working at the same time"

This is an impossible combination; when sleep-deprived you are neither studying well nor serving your patients well.
Successful post-bac students put all their energies into the post-bac program and take advantage of the ancillary counseling and advising there.
You have seen the suboptimal outcome of doing what amounts to 2 full-time jobs.

If your family is not able to get by without your nursing income, you might have to do your pre-reqs part-time and accept that the whole process will take longer. What will support you/them if you become a full-time med student?

Thankfully I don't have a family yet. I'm 24 years old and I'm just living with my parents to help pay off my student loans. But I am planning to cut back on my course load and do one class at a time. However, I'm worried about the classes I've taken and how it's already impacted my gpa. Is it something I can come back from and still be successful? Do I need to do an SMP after this?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Thankfully I don't have a family yet. I'm 24 years old and I'm just living with my parents to help pay off my student loans. But I am planning to cut back on my course load and do one class at a time. However, I'm worried about the classes I've taken and how it's already impacted my gpa. Is it something I can come back from and still be successful? Do I need to do an SMP after this?

Pretty much you're at the point where you'll need an SMP if your grades don't drastically improve and your MCAT is average or below.

 

[wysdoc]

Thankfully I don't have a family yet. I'm 24 years old and I'm just living with my parents to help pay off my student loans. But I am planning to cut back on my course load and do one class at a time. However, I'm worried about the classes I've taken and how it's already impacted my gpa. Is it something I can come back from and still be successful? Do I need to do an SMP after this?

Isn't your formal postbac program the same as an SMP?
I know you are very discouraged right now, but trying to work full time plus taking a full course load is not giving you the chance to do well in your classes.
Can you stop working for now and return to work after your postbac is done?

 

[Goro]

Pretty much you're at the point where you'll need an SMP if your grades don't drastically improve and your MCAT is average or below.

I concur.

You're in a marathon now. Work, pay off your debts, save up money and then go for an SMP.