Struggling Premed Needing Help With the Next Step

[AsianJames]

So I am currently a 5th year senior (Not URM) set to graduate this upcoming December with a Biology degree and Psych/Chem minors. I currently have a 2.4 GPA, and I am unsure of the science but I believe it is similar at this point. The first few years of college I didn't really care about as I dealt with an abusive relationship, but eventually changed my major to focus on the things I enjoyed and worked on bettering my schooling. I've worked full time as a CNA for 3 years now, with last semester being the first I would say I actually took seriously. I got a 3.2 which was improvement, but mostly made me realize which ways I needed to study and which ways didn't work for me, basically what should have happened my freshman year. At this point I'm looking to graduate with around a 2.65 GPA with 150 hours exactly altogether, with the last 30 being all upper level science. I know I need to do some form of post bacc and/or an SMP I was just hoping to see what programs that came to mind for people. I haven't taken the MCAT yet (in August), but I've scored 510+ on the handful of practice exams and I'm taking a Kaplan course over the summer. My plan is ideally apply for some post baccs after MCAT/graduating and taking courses in the Spring semester in the meantime. If I were to not get into any programs I would continue my post bacc until the next cycle opened for reapplying. Does anyone know of any programs or have any other ideas that may help?

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[Forever Geebs]

A 0.15 bump in GPA with all your credit hours seems high; I think you should expect a 0.02 increase assuming you make all A's.

I can't recommend any programs but did want to commend you for being mature enough to a) realize what you did wrong in terms of studying/schooling and b) recognize that even though you've made adjustments, you're not ready for medical school. Be sure that you do not apply until you are the absolute best and most competitive applicant you can be with a cumulative and science GPA (undergrad, not grad) >3.0, ideally >3.2. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so keep that in mind as you continue to make academic improvements to resurrect your GPA, study for and take the MCAT, and apply in the coming couple of years.

How do your extracurricular look?

 

[AsianJames]

A 0.15 bump in GPA with all your credit hours seems high; I think you should expect a 0.02 increase assuming you make all A's.

I can't recommend any programs but did want to commend you for being mature enough to a) realize what you did wrong in terms of studying/schooling and b) recognize that even though you've made adjustments, you're not ready for medical school. Be sure that you do not apply until you are the absolute best and most competitive applicant you can be with a cumulative and science GPA (undergrad, not grad) >3.0, ideally >3.2. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so keep that in mind as you continue to make academic improvements to resurrect your GPA, study for and take the MCAT, and apply in the coming couple of years.

How do your extracurricular look?

Well that is assuming I do well in my upcoming semesters, technically right now I have 124 hours while in 15 credits this semester and 11 next. I have about 300 plus hours of volunteering between a local animal shelter, spending a spring break volunteering at a children's hospital, and two seasons of being an assistant volunteer HS wrestling coach. I also have about 120 hours of shadowing, mostly in the Neuroscience ICU where I also work as a CNA. My biggest worry is having too many credit hours to really be able to put a dent in my undergrad GPA at this point, as my pre med adviser had the suggestion for an SMP at some point.

 

[Forever Geebs]

You may want to try volunteering at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, etc. I'm a huge pet advocate but more time with the under-served population would look better for you.

I am not as familiar with postbacc and SMP programs but know there's a wealth of knowledge here on SDN that you can lean on, so you're definitely doing the right thing.

Best of luck to you.