What are my chances/how to improve for Competitive Post-Baccs

[Inygma]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if I will be competitive at the top post-bacc programs (Scripps/BM/Goucher/Mills). My top choice would be Scripps because I am from southern California (and would ultimately want to go to med school in SoCal).

My stats:
24 years old (will be 25 when entering post-bacc)
J.D. degree from a top 30 law school
UG gpa around a 3.5-3.6
SAT scores were around 1700 (i took these without any prep as I only planned on going to a local school). This broke down to 92% better than the nation in math and 51% better than the nation in english.
LSAT score of 163 (top 10%)

My graduate GPA will be around a 3-3.2 (law school is on a forced curve, so it is very hard to get A's).

I think most schools do not accept the LSAT, so I think I might have to take the GRE to get into the competitive programs. Any thoughts/suggestions are greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I should mention my #1 choice would be Scripps, due to the proximity of my family, wife's work, and I want to end up in a SoCal School (Even link to WesternU D.O.)

Thank you

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[Soco9087]

I've been told a graduate degree that isn't science related won't help or hurt you (unless of course your GPA is very low). Most of the concentration will be on your UG, your HS test scores, and the UG science you did take. GRE is optional, but a high GRE school definitely wont hurt you chances. The one thing you failed to mention was any healthcare related work experience or volunteer experience. If you don't have any I suggest you go get a volunteer application asap (in a clinical setting). Short of you failing any science classes your GPA is decent and if you do decide to take the GRE, a HIGH score will be value added. First thing you can do right now is get some healthcare setting experience.

 

[Inygma]

I've been told a graduate degree that isn't science related won't help or hurt you (unless of course your GPA is very low). Most of the concentration will be on your UG, your HS test scores, and the UG science you did take. GRE is optional, but a high GRE school definitely wont hurt you chances. The one thing you failed to mention was any healthcare related work experience or volunteer experience. If you don't have any I suggest you go get a volunteer application asap (in a clinical setting). Short of you failing any science classes your GPA is decent and if you do decide to take the GRE, a HIGH score will be value added. First thing you can do right now is get some healthcare setting experience.

Thanks for the reply. I am setting up a few shadowing opportunities right now, and plan on volunteering at least 20/hrs/week starting in fall. I will hopefully have over 100 hours when I apply to the post-bacc programs and over 200 by the time i start the post-bacc.

I am still debating on taking the GRE, as I will be attending law school full-time still next year and accumulating volunteer hours.

 

[drizzt3117]

Your SAT score is very weak for Scripps, although your GPA isn't bad. I would definitely take the GRE. When I was there we interviewed a lawyer every 2 interview days or so; it wasn't rare.

 

[johnnyscans]

Thanks for the reply. I am setting up a few shadowing opportunities right now, and plan on volunteering at least 20/hrs/week starting in fall. I will hopefully have over 100 hours when I apply to the post-bacc programs and over 200 by the time i start the post-bacc.

I am still debating on taking the GRE, as I will be attending law school full-time still next year and accumulating volunteer hours.

Good plan on the volunteering. It's not just important for admissions. It's important for you to know you're making an educated and well-informed decision. Why the switched from law to medicine?

Also, I'm not trying to discourage you, but investigate all other career options in medicine (if you're deadset on the field). I'm going to assume that law school wasn't cheap. Post-bacc coursework and volunteering often means very little income. Law school debt + post-bacc tuition + application fess + traveling + med school debt = a lot of money. Pay as a resident averaged out to an 80 hour work week comes out to something like $11 or $12/hour.

All I'm trying to say ism ake sure you have a true understanding of what you're getting yourself into before you commit to an expensive post-bacc program.

That said, I wish you the best of luck in this process. I'd recommend taking the GRE (as your SAT scores, unless they're out of 1800, are pretty weak). You've got a nice uGPA that will only go up with successful post-bacc work.