suggestions please!

[drphil82]

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Hey guys,

I'm a 30 year old non-trad w/ a foreign (non-science) bachelors degree. I did take some (most, not all) pre-req's back in my first years of undergrad (here in the states) but was unmotivated to say the least. Since i've been out of school (6 years since degree) I really want to go back into the medical field. It's been 9-11 years since I took the pre-req's for med school. I'm looking into post-bac courses but as a 'career changer' opposed to academic enhancer since I've been out of science classes for ~10 years. I really don't want to go the Caribbean route if I don't have to. Since I've had over 160 credit hours, 'enhancing' my 2.5 gpa isn't really going to happen unless I do another 4 year degree in something else, which I really don't want to do, because i'd rather be 40 starting out as a doc than 45 starting out as a doc......

I know D.O. schools replace crap grades w/ the new grades as far as coming up w/ a cumulative science GPA, so I'm leaning more towards the D.O. route, since the MD route will just average my grades.

My question is... What post-bac route is best for someone w/ a 2.5 gpa, 2.5 science gpa who is a lot more motivated this time around?

I can re-take and ace the pre-req's, and am thinking of doing them again in my state college along a 'informal' post bac route designed by myself. Is that a good idea, or a waste of time?

Most post-bac programs have said I would be a 'career changer' since i've been out of the science classes for so long.

Again, no MCAT as of yet, crap gpa 2.5 cum, 2.5 sgpa. 'Foreign' bachelors degree in non-medical field.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

-drphil

 

[cabinbuilder]

Hey guys,




My question is... What post-bac route is best for someone w/ a 2.5 gpa, 2.5 science gpa who is a lot more motivated this time around?

I can re-take and ace the pre-req's, and am thinking of doing them again in my state college along a 'informal' post bac route designed by myself. Is that a good idea, or a waste of time?
Again, no MCAT as of yet, crap gpa 2.5 cum, 2.5 sgpa. 'Foreign' bachelors degree in non-medical field.

-drphil

This is probably the cheapest and easiest route. Just take the pre-req's as a non-degree seeking student and get them all out of the way. This is how I did it. I took all the pre-req's in one year except the math and bio. So physics, biochem, organic, and inorganic chem. The classes I needed the grade replacement for. I also worked a 32 hr week and had a family. When you are coming from the basement you have to show you can handle the load so one class at a time really isn't going to cut it when medical school is 30+ credits hours and more each semester.

 

[drphil82]

I haven't taken bio-chem yet, would you suggest I take that?

Here are my pre-req's and the grades I got in each of them... I know i'll have to re-take all of em b.c. I was a slacker / partied too much, was chasing skirts instead of chasing grades....

Fresh Year (fall 2001- spring 2002)
Gen Chem 1 (1 credit) Lab - A
Gen Chem 1 (4 credits) - B
Attributes of Living Systems (4 credits) (bio?) - C+
Numerical Trig (1 credit) - A
Analytical Trig (1 credit) - B
Medical Terminology (1 credit) - A
Statistics (3 credits) - A
Biology of Organisms (bio2?) (4 credits) - C
Calculus - Physical Scientists (4 credits) - C

Soph Year (fall 2002- spring 2003)
Human Anatomy / Physiology (lab) *1 credit) - B
Principles Human Anatomy & Physiology (4 credits) - F
Organic Chem. 1 (3 credits) - C
O Chem 2 (3 credits) - F
General Physics 1 (5 credits) - C

Then Junior Year I changed my major, and then studied abroad my final 2.5 'senior' years 🙂

So I'm sure i'll have to re-take my Chemistry's, Gen Chem and O-Chem, and also Physiology / Anatomy & calculus and Bio's.... besides bio-chem, what else would you suggest?

Get them done in 1 year opposed to 1.5 right? to show I can handle the amount of work, correct?

Am I S.O.L, or do you think I have a chance since I've been out of the game for so long and as long as I rape these classes w/ the marks I know I can achieve and smoke the MCAT do I have a reasonable shot?

Thanks again.

-drphil

 

[cabinbuilder]

I haven't taken bio-chem yet, would you suggest I take that?

Here are my pre-req's and the grades I got in each of them... I know i'll have to re-take all of em b.c. I was a slacker / partied too much, was chasing skirts instead of chasing grades....

Fresh Year (fall 2001- spring 2002)
Gen Chem 1 (1 credit) Lab - A
Gen Chem 1 (4 credits) - B
Attributes of Living Systems (4 credits) (bio?) - C+
Numerical Trig (1 credit) - A
Analytical Trig (1 credit) - B
Medical Terminology (1 credit) - A
Statistics (3 credits) - A
Biology of Organisms (bio2?) (4 credits) - C
Calculus - Physical Scientists (4 credits) - CSoph Year (fall 2002- spring 2003)
Human Anatomy / Physiology (lab) *1 credit) - B
Principles Human Anatomy & Physiology (4 credits) - F
Organic Chem. 1 (3 credits) - C
O Chem 2 (3 credits) - F
General Physics 1 (5 credits) - C
Then Junior Year I changed my major, and then studied abroad my final 2.5 'senior' years 🙂

So I'm sure i'll have to re-take my Chemistry's, Gen Chem and O-Chem, and also Physiology / Anatomy & calculus and Bio's.... besides bio-chem, what else would you suggest?

Get them done in 1 year opposed to 1.5 right? to show I can handle the amount of work, correct?

Am I S.O.L, or do you think I have a chance since I've been out of the game for so long and as long as I rape these classes w/ the marks I know I can achieve and smoke the MCAT do I have a reasonable shot?

Thanks again.

-drphil

You need to take over all the classes highlighted. May take you two years since that A&P is a huge class. You are not SOL but you will need to prove your compentency so take the max you can knowing you will do well with A's.You will need to apply DO since they have grade replacement, not averaging. No use overloading if you get a C again. You you can judge that. But coming in as the underdog one class a semester isn't going to show anything about being able to handle the medical school work load. Anyone can take 1 class and get an A, but who can take 4 major sciences and get all A's?

If you can handle Biochem, I would take it. Where I went to medical school it was the hardest class and the make or break course. Over half the class had to remediate it in the summer. Really awful, glad I took it to have some background. It's not generally required but highly suggested you have that course. I would take it by itself over the summer session if possible.

 

[hopeful22213]

With so many credit hours and a low gpa, you need to be smart in how you pick classes. I'd discourage you from just repeating all the pre-reqs. A better approach, in my opinion, would be to start with your lowest grades and start working your way up. You failed a and p? That's a great place to start. Any classes you failed or got a D- retake those first. it will give you the most 'bang' for your buck. Don't retake anything you got a B or higher in. Not worth the verrrry minor gpa boost you'd get.

All of that said, if you can raise the gpa to a 3.0+ and get a competitive mcat, you're at least in the conversation at D.O. schools. But if you're willing to put in the work, it is doable.

Best of luck.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

Take all the classes that Cabinbuilder highlighted for you. When you enroll for classes, don't sign up as a non-degree seeking student, though. Register as a chemistry or biology major, even if it means paying a little more in registration fees. It doesn't matter if you actually have no intention of getting a second degree. Non-degree seeking students are generally ineligible for financial aid and may only be able to register for classes after the other students have, leading to scheduling difficulties.