Very Interesting Situation

[MedSchoolHopefu]

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Hey Everyone,

I'm in a bind here....I'm a senior graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, I took biology my freshman year and didn't do so hot in it. I'm currently applying to law school ( I did well on my LSAT), and have been accepted to a few already, but I need to be honest with myself and I know that I want to go to med school, I've always wanted to go....my problem is 1) the obvious lack of pre-med preparation 2) my 2.7 gpa... I know that I need to enroll into a post-bacc program, but which one? and is it even worth it for me considering my low gpa, should i just go to law school? I live in the Boston area if anyone could recommend some programs. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[NYCmed]

Sounds like you're in a similar situation to me--I got a D- in freshman biology, and graduated with a BA in theatre arts and classics. I ended up entering a formal postbac program, but that doesn't mean you have to. There are several programs out there for folks with no science training, although (just my opinion) the formal postbacs help those people out the most. For more info on all types of postbac premed programs, visit http://services.aamc.org/postbac/ and type in the location/type of program you're looking for. The programs near Boston that I recall off the bat are Tufts, UMass and Boston U, but there are probably more.

The GPA might hurt your chances at some of the programs (a lot of them have a 3.0 cutoff) but a 2.7 doesn't mean you should give up on your dreams. A lawyer who wants to be a lawyer will be good at what he does; a lawyer who really wanted to be a doctor instead will be miserable. Just take a look at the programs out there--if nothing else, you can make a do-it-yourself program and take the necessary courses individually. Good luck in whatever you choose.

 

[M.D. Wannabe]

hey there med hopeful you sound a lot like me. I graduated with a political science degree with a 2.9 gpa and was going to go the law school route, but after much thought, I decided that I wanted to go to medical school.

I never took any science courses as an undergrad so I decided that I will go do the Health Careers program at Harvard. It is a cheaper program and if you do well they will sponser you. Even if you took science courses before, you can still finish pre-reqs there but I don't know if they will still sponsor you. There are also other good programs in the Boston area such as Tufts, masters at Boston u, and many others.

Regarding your concern with a 2.7, if you do well in one of these post-bacs it will certainly help. I know some will disagree, but it also depends where you went as an undergrad. I had several peers who graduated with less than stellar GPA's (2.9 overall, 3.0 science) and still got into decent med schools with a competitive MCAT due to the fact that they through a notoriously tough undergrad. Overall, there are many fine programs in Boston and if you work hard, you can be competitive.

 

[MedSchoolHopefu]

Thanks alot for your help, it's really reassuring to know people were in my situation...I'm graduating from Providence College in May. I was checking out the Harvard Extension Program and I might apply to it rather than doing it on my own. Even if I don't get sponsored, will I still be accepted to take courses? How does it work? I really don't want to waste the $100 application fee for no reason.

 

[Crake]

Hey Medschoolhopeful! I graduated from PC just this past May. And I majored in Political Science. And I was going to graduate school (not law). And now I'm in a post-bacc. I will definitely PM you, because I was in the exact same boat.