To do or not to do...

[dandoe123]

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here's my conundrum and i'd really appreciate any advice/suggestions from fellow SDN users...

i'm trying to contemplate whether to do a post-bacc program (e.g. Drexel MSP or UPenn special sciences) or just focus really on the MCATs.

here's my credential:

UGPA: 2.94 (science) 3.11 (overall) -- biology and classics double major
Grad GPA: 3.7 -- PhD immunology (Emory Univ/Dr. Rafi Ahmed)
GRE: i forget the exact score... but i did ok -- verbal: ~650; quant: ~750

** two first author papers in respectable journal and 3 non-first author papers **

i had initially leaned towards doing a post-bacc just to make myself an overall better candidate, but just read about there being all these caps for stafford loan eligibility (~45K for undergrad; 5 year eligibility; ~130K for lifetime) and i already have about 60-70K in student loan from undergrad/grad/etc. i'm nervous about hitting the cap even before i apply for med school.

anyone out there have an opinion on whether i should go with a post-bacc program and hope that my credit score is good enough when it comes to applying for med school to take everything out in private loans... or should i just focus on doing well on the MCATs?

the obvious reason why i'm leaning towards post-bacc is cause of my undergrad GPA.

anyway, thanks in advance

 

[Isoprop]

this would really depend on your mcat score. a HIGH mcat score and your phd could be enough to make you competitive for medical school.

 

[Lokhtar]

You could really do both. If you get get your overall to around 3.2 to 3.3, and your sci GPA to around a 3.1, plus you do well on the MCATs....along with your PhD and research experience, you should be good to go.