What happens if you take a fifth year to boost that GPA?

[medhearter]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Dear all,

I screwed up my second year. and have a cumulative 3.5 gpa. this excludes me from applying to canadian medical schools and also puts me at the bottom of waitlists when applying to canadian-friendly american schools

Has anyone here taken a 1-year postbac year? just doing random courses? to boost up that gpa? well ofcourse i'd take courses that would interest me. say i get a 4.0 throughout the year, wouldn't you want to take me if everything else in my file was in place?

 

[deleted212839]

Do everything you can to bring up GPA.
If you do post-bacc, expect to take upper science classes.

 

[Aladdin]

I did this. I also had to to an SMP for even more help. Graduated UG with a 3.3 overall and 2.9 BCPM. Was accepted to a top 20 school this year.

 

[nick_carraway]

I did this. I also had to to an SMP for even more help. Graduated UG with a 3.3 overall and 2.9 BCPM. Was accepted to a top 20 school this year.

That's reassuring for someone who's doing a post-bacc year right now and is regretting accepting an SMP for next year.

 

[medhearter]

ok

i donno how i sound saying this

or why my google searches were completely ineffective

but what's an SMP?

 

[medhearter]

oh ok got it
special masters program

hmm

i wonder if they take international students.......

 

[medhearter]

wow an SMP program at georgetown costs $40 000 USD
another year at UT will cost roughly $5000

hmmm
so will an SMP really offer that much of an advantage over doing a post-bacc year?

 

[DrJosephKim]

Make sure to boost your GPA with valid science classes (and not just your typical "easy" classes)

 

[Conky]

Dear all,

I screwed up my second year. and have a cumulative 3.5 gpa. this excludes me from applying to canadian medical schools and also puts me at the bottom of waitlists when applying to canadian-friendly american schools

Has anyone here taken a 1-year postbac year? just doing random courses? to boost up that gpa? well ofcourse i'd take courses that would interest me. say i get a 4.0 throughout the year, wouldn't you want to take me if everything else in my file was in place?

What? You'll get in with a 3.5. Also, I think if you really screwed up just one year, it makes the rest of your transcript look that much better, if you can explain why.

As for the extra year, I have known people who have taken Biochemistry and Genetics (if you haven't already) as additional classes while working in some sort of clinical or research setting. The extra time will help you boost your EC's as well, which will probably be even more valuable.

 

[slowbutsteady]

wow an SMP program at georgetown costs $40 000 USD
another year at UT will cost roughly $5000

hmmm
so will an SMP really offer that much of an advantage over doing a post-bacc year?

it seems to me that an SMP is really the Hail Mary pass of med school applications. If a postbacc will get your gpa up to at least a 3.5 and you can get an MCAT of 32+, don't do an SMP. if not, it might be your last chance.

As we see with Koko, 3.3/31 did not cut it and he/she is doing post-bacc AND an SMP. risky, but will prob pay off.

The pressure of having to get As while you are sitting in class next to med students, to me, would be overwhelming pressure. it is for people who have no other choice, IMHO.

 

[medhearter]

i read tons of stories on mdapplicants about ppl applying with 3.95s out of postbacc or smp programs and getting accepted in a lot of places :S

perhaps i should ask specific schools

oh what am i saying i did, most say "we cannot advise applicants one way or another"

 

[nick_carraway]

it seems to me that an SMP is really the Hail Mary pass of med school applications. If a postbacc will get your gpa up to at least a 3.5 and you can get an MCAT of 32+, don't do an SMP. if not, it might be your last chance.

As we see with Koko, 3.3/31 did not cut it and he/she is doing post-bacc AND an SMP. risky, but will prob pay off.

The pressure of having to get As while you are sitting in class next to med students, to me, would be overwhelming pressure. it is for people who have no other choice, IMHO.

Right. I agree that SMPs are very risky, but a full year of post-bacc would only boost my GPA to a 3.4 and I only have one more shot before my MCAT expires so I want to make it count.

As for the OP's comment on many people pulling off 3.95s in a post-bacc/SMP, that's obviously the intent but it's very difficult. As with all things in life, you typically don't hear from people who messed up.

 

[medhearter]

i hope your SMP goes well.

i hope one of my waitlists pulls through this year....

 

[medhearter]

awww no,..

i just realized that if i DO take a fifth year... no one will see my marks until the end of my cycle... so this must mean... that it would barely help! unless its for sending updates to places i've been waitlisted... and i'm having a hard time as it is having my updates noticed at places i've been waitlisted :S:S