urgent answers needed

[medscholhopeful]

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n ebody knows of a post bacc that will accept a low gpa of 2.5, ??????????.biology grad 03

 

[IWannaBe-A-Dr]

im pretty sure most SMP (specialized masters programs) postbaccs won't take a gpa that low..

..you're kinda in the same boat that i'm in. i want to eventually apply to an smp, but i graduated with a gpa of 2.90...so now im doing an informal postbacc at my undergrad university to pull my gpa up above 3.0, taking the mcat, then applying to the SMP's and Medschools...with an informal postbacc, you dont need any particular gpa, the only catch is, you're doing it all yourself, you have last registration priority (which shouldnt be a big deal if you've already finished all of the core classes), AND its a bit more expensive (which is usually the hardest thing to deal with)...goodluck man, just wanted to drop my 2 cents

 

[TypeA]

I'm right there with ya too. The lowest I have seen is 2.7.

 

[blaque1703]

n ebody knows of a post bacc that will accept a low gpa of 2.5, ??????????.biology grad 03

I understand what you are going through. I am actually worse off with a 2.4gpa. I haven't really had much luck in finding a post bacc that will accept my stats. I just can't believe that there isn't a program out there to help people in our situation. All I have been getting is take classes as non-degree or informal. I don't want to waist time on that when I can be taking courses in a program that will benefit me later. I don't mind taking courses, I mind taking them without being in a formal program. If you have any luck, let me know.

 

[hopestobe]

I understand what you are going through. I am actually worse off with a 2.4gpa. I haven't really had much luck in finding a post bacc that will accept my stats. I just can't believe that there isn't a program out there to help people in our situation. All I have been getting is take classes as non-degree or informal. I don't want to waist time on that when I can be taking courses in a program that will benefit me later. I don't mind taking courses, I mind taking them without being in a formal program. If you have any luck, let me know.

Are we talking about overall gpa, science gpa, or both?

 

[relentless11]

Informal post-bacc program. Why are people so intent on getting into an official one? Reasons for most programs not having any lower GPA requirements is because they want people who have stats that are "recoverable".

Traditionally the more impressive the post-bacc program, the more likely its students will get into some med school. This is associated with a higher GPA requirement for getting into this post-bacc program. Why? The higher your GPA entering post-bacc the higher it should be when applying after taking x-amount of classes. A 2.7+ is a lot closer to 3.0 than a 2.6, 2.5 or 2.4. Therefore these students could reach 3.0 in less time than those with GPA's less than 2.6.

Since most post-bacc programs are 1-2 years long, how many classes, and how much time is needed to go from a 2.5 to a 3.0 GPA assuming that 2.5 was from 4 years of college? Additionally, a 3.0 does not neccessarily guarantee admissions. Lastly the more demand there is, the more selective it becomes, just like grad school vs. med school, and MD school vs. DO school.

We all had some hand in getting the GPA we have. Asking why there aren't school's that have lower admission requirements for their post-bacc program is pointless. Time to ante up and do what is needed to get your GPA to where it should be.

I had to work 2 jobs during undergrad to support my family during undergrad. I'm not even going to dwell on that familial aspect despite I accumulated a GPA of 2.65, and also affecting part of my post-bacc career. But 1.5 years in an informal post-bacc, I managed to have a cumulative post-bacc GPA of 3.4. Now I'm in grad school, and have a GPA of 4.0, which also includes additional undergrad classes that I'm taking since these count as post-bacc too in the eyes of AMCAS. Why be concerned about trivial things....just get your grade up😉.

 

[palmtree]

if you have a low gpa, the mcat is THE BEST WAY to compensate. I got a 2.65 from ucla, with a 33 mcat. i'm currently applying to several SMP' s, and even though i'm not accepted, all the admissions committees are saying i'm competitive because of the mcat score, plus i improved the gpa from 2.4 during my last year. i also teach the mcat for a test prep company, published author...

i guess the best way to combat a low gpa is to make it the ONLY blemish on ur resume. if you want to prove yourself to these smp programs, dedicate the next few months to take the august mcat, handle your business, you'll be competitive.

 

[relentless11]

if you have a low gpa, the mcat is THE BEST WAY to compensate. I got a 2.65 from ucla, with a 33 mcat. i'm currently applying to several SMP' s, and even though i'm not accepted, all the admissions committees are saying i'm competitive because of the mcat score, plus i improved the gpa from 2.4 during my last year. i also teach the mcat for a test prep company, published author...

i guess the best way to combat a low gpa is to make it the ONLY blemish on ur resume. if you want to prove yourself to these smp programs, dedicate the next few months to take the august mcat, handle your business, you'll be competitive.

Problem with your reasoning is at the UC's, GPA AND MCAT are used as a screening tool. If you don't make the 3.0-3.2 cut-off, you may not get a secondary unless your application is flagged in such a way that justifies manual review. Per discussions with the admission folk at UCD and UCSF, GPA and MCAT are equally weighed. Although upward trends are good, it will be hard case to make at least at the UC's. Many threads have been put up about how GPA is better than MCAT, and how MCAT is better than GPA.
None are better the other, nor can one make up for deficiency in the other.

The "best way" to make up for a low GPA is not just doing well on the MCAT. The best way is in fact showing BOTH an upward trend (if possible get up to or passed 3.0), AND doing well on the MCAT, just as you have done. It will never be one single thing.

Even with my upward trend in post-bacc, and a 36S on my MCAT, our director of admissions at UCD still recommended I continue post-bacc to get my GPA up to 3.0. No amount of publications, extracurriculars will make up for a low undergraduate GPA. Only post-bacc will do that. Your undergraduate GPA is representative of your ability to perform under real life academic conditions (full-time quarters), and thus a good indicator of your ability to survive the first 2 years of med school.

The MCAT is merely a one day event that tests general knowledge. Its benefit is that its standardized. Research, and other extracurriculars are great to have, but you can do all the research you want, and have all the publications you want, but they are not indictive of your ability to perform well during the 2 years of basic sciences in med school. This is why my PhD degree, although unique in terms of most applicants, has no dramatic effect on getting me a secondary application from a UC. You are doing a great thing by getting your GPA up and doing great on the MCAT. However, your statement that crushing the MCAT as being the best way to remedy a low GPA is a flawed.

 

[palmtree]

Problem with your reasoning is at the UC's, GPA AND MCAT are used as a screening tool. If you don't make the 3.0-3.2 cut-off, you may not get a secondary unless your application is flagged in such a way that justifies manual review. Per discussions with the admission folk at UCD and UCSF, GPA and MCAT are equally weighed. Although upward trends are good, it will be hard case to make at least at the UC's. Many threads have been put up about how GPA is better than MCAT, and how MCAT is better than GPA.
None are better the other, nor can one make up for deficiency in the other.

The "best way" to make up for a low GPA is not just doing well on the MCAT. The best way is in fact showing BOTH an upward trend (if possible get up to or passed 3.0), AND doing well on the MCAT, just as you have done. It will never be one single thing.

Even with my upward trend in post-bacc, and a 36S on my MCAT, our director of admissions at UCD still recommended I continue post-bacc to get my GPA up to 3.0. No amount of publications, extracurriculars will make up for a low undergraduate GPA. Only post-bacc will do that. Your undergraduate GPA is representative of your ability to perform under real life academic conditions (full-time quarters), and thus a good indicator of your ability to survive the first 2 years of med school.

The MCAT is merely a one day event that tests general knowledge. Its benefit is that its standardized. Research, and other extracurriculars are great to have, but you can do all the research you want, and have all the publications you want, but they are not indictive of your ability to perform well during the 2 years of basic sciences in med school. This is why my PhD degree, although unique in terms of most applicants, has no dramatic effect on getting me a secondary application from a UC. You are doing a great thing by getting your GPA up and doing great on the MCAT. However, your statement that crushing the MCAT as being the best way to remedy a low MCAT is a flawed.

if you had actually read what the original message was concerning, we were talking about admissions to smp's, not medical schools themselves. the whole point of an smp is to prove yourself capable of handling the first few years, and to get into these programs, it is not required to have a 3.0.

just so you know, you really sound like an arrogant a$$hole. try encouraging people for once in your life mr. 36S

 

[relentless11]

if you had actually read what the original message was concerning, we were talking about admissions to smp's, not medical schools themselves. the whole point of an smp is to prove yourself capable of handling the first few years, and to get into these programs, it is not required to have a 3.0.

just so you know, you really sound like an arrogant a$$hole. try encouraging people for once in your life mr. 36S

Same thing applies to my friend. You can call me what you want, SMPs or not, you are applying to get into a program which will be up to par with med school courses. Take Georgetown for instance, as i stated in the thread prior to yours, its all about the demand of the program and what they want to work with. Whether or not a 3.0 is required, the best applicant gets in, not neccessarily the one that had the biggest upward trend. A person can have an upward trend starting from 2.8 rather than a 2.0. Or even an upward trend starting from a 3.0. Being competative is one thing, getting in is another. This is the reality of things, and thus my statement:

You are doing a great thing by getting your GPA up and doing great on the MCAT. However, your statement that crushing the MCAT as being the best way to remedy a low GPA is a flawed.

still stands. You can apply that to whereever you want, SMPs, post-bacc, or med school.

 

[hopestobe]

I am a double bio and history major with a 2.5 sci and 3.1 overall. How much will the sci be considered over the overall, considering we are all talking about programs that are essentially science. In the recent posts, a lot was mentioned about gpa cutoffs and such, is this the sci or overall, or both?

 

[Law2Doc]

just so you know, you really sound like an arrogant a$$hole. try encouraging people for once in your life mr. 36S

I actually didn't think relentless' comment was all that bad. There are more folks on SDN who want to know folks' opinions as to the reality of the situation rather than just baselesss words of encouragement.
If you want to put in the time, and can manage to do well in the sciences, you can certainly improve your chances. But it is accurate to say that the more formal postbacs and SMPs "cherry pick" the candidates that they think have the best chance of getting into med school, such that they can brag about their 90+% acceptance rates, etc. And neither med schools nor formal postbacs are going to use an "either or" (MCAT or GPA) methodology in determining if you are competitive. An extremely high MCAT does not automatically get you past an extremely low GPA or vice versa.

 

[Law2Doc]

I am a double bio and history major with a 2.5 sci and 3.1 overall. How much will the sci be considered over the overall, considering we are all talking about programs that are essentially science. In the recent posts, a lot was mentioned about gpa cutoffs and such, is this the sci or overall, or both?

It all gets looked at.

 

[TiggidyTooth]

I understand what you are going through. I am actually worse off with a 2.4gpa. I haven't really had much luck in finding a post bacc that will accept my stats. I just can't believe that there isn't a program out there to help people in our situation. All I have been getting is take classes as non-degree or informal. I don't want to waist time on that when I can be taking courses in a program that will benefit me later. I don't mind taking courses, I mind taking them without being in a formal program. If you have any luck, let me know.

One thing that you need to understand is that most good post-bac programs are getting competitive. Furthermore, they also need some kind of insurance to prove that you are capable of doing the work. Medical School is nothing like undergrad. I'm not saying you can't do it by any means, I'm just giving the perspective of the admissions geezer staring at your application. That being said, let you tell you my story. I was in similar situation. I graduated with a 2.2 in economics from a good university. Did 2 years of research and thought i could get into a decent post-bac. I was wrong. I had to take a full year of classes at a local university, nothing but upper divison at kick serious tail just to get into a post-bac program. I completed 40 credits of science courses and my lowest grade was an A-. I got a 31 on my MCAT and applied to medical school. I did not even get one interview. But, I did get into a sweet SMP program and hopefully will be in medical school this fall. Moral of the story, they will not except you if they think that even after completing their program you still will not get in. It's a long road, and believe me i know how frustrating it is. But, if you take the right steps with the proper focus and determination you will get there. Unfortunately, there are no short-cuts. Own what you did in your undergraduate career, and use that to fuel your passion and hunger to carry you. So, you will most likely have to take a full year of undergraduate courses to get into an SMP, I just don't see any way around that. PM if you want more specific details on my past and what I had to do to overcome a tragically low GPA.

Tooth

 

[hopestobe]

I got in contact with one of the students in the Drexel SMP and she said that there are often applicants who have low stats who have been admitted as non-matriculated students, who can then be approved for matriculation after they meet certain requirements (usually performing in the same percentile or better than the students in the program or maintaining a certain gpa for a specific period of time).

A) Is this an option for all students rejected from the program or is this an offer made to only some students, and B) can you apply specifically as a non-matriculated student and apply for matriculation after?

I was confused after hearing this info because it seems that there would be no point in applying as a regular applicant if non-matriculated students could be matriculated later anyways. Ive seen on the UMDNJ site that there is a separate app deadline for students applying as non-matriculated and no mcat score is required either. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[mmcinta]

I understand what you are going through. I am actually worse off with a 2.4gpa. I haven't really had much luck in finding a post bacc that will accept my stats. I just can't believe that there isn't a program out there to help people in our situation. All I have been getting is take classes as non-degree or informal. I don't want to waist time on that when I can be taking courses in a program that will benefit me later. I don't mind taking courses, I mind taking them without being in a formal program. If you have any luck, let me know.

so in the meantime, what are you doing now?

 

[blaque1703]

Are we talking about overall gpa, science gpa, or both?

both

 

[blaque1703]

so in the meantime, what are you doing now?

Basically screwing myself over by still searching and getting no where. I cannot believe that this is what I did to my life.

 

[TiggidyTooth]

Basically screwing myself over by still searching and getting no where. I cannot believe that this is what I did to my life.

You don't need a formal program. I know its a real hot topic on these threads but with stats like yours all you need to do is re-enroll in any university as a degree seeking student so you can get loans, even though you don't plan on getting a degree, and kick butt in undergrad classes. You did what you did and thats that. I went through the same thing (actually my stats where worse. Your very first step is to take a full load of undergrad upper division science classes.

Tooth

 

[the alchemist]

from my experience so far, i'd say that most SMPs are pretty competitive and do "cherry pick" so its almost impossible to get in formally if u don't have the min cutoffs. that being said, i do know that if u have good grades in coursework after college (i have grad school), u can apply even though ur UG GPA < 3.0 but probably won't get in til last minute (i know a couple of ppl who got into georgetown SMP a couple of week b4 classes started and they had UG GPAs < 3.0).

so if u wanna eventually get into an SMP, best maybe 2 do an informal/non-matric post-bacc first or call and ask if u can prove urself by being a non-matric SMPer. i know someone who was allowed 2 do that 4 BU MAMS. un4tunately, she didn't make the grades 4 her 1st and only semester so she wasn't formally admitted and ended up going 2 harvard post-bacc non-matric (she had the same prob there). but the point is, alot of places will let u take classes informally or non-matriculated w/ the promise of letting u in later if u can show the grades. thing is not 2 give up and call up ppl in the know (adcom ppl) 2 c if its possible 2 do a non-matric thing.