What if post-bacc classes can't bring your GPA up to 3.0+?

[desklamp]

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Ok. I've read a lot of past posts on SDN and am still a bit confused.

I have a 2.7 ugrad GPA (sGPA probably even lower on account of Fs/Ds in my last two years). Unfortunately Hopkins masks my first semester grades and those probably would have helped my GPA rather than hindered.

Currently in pharmacy school, with a 4.12/4.0 (maybe a 3.9 after my last semester). I'm aware that grad GPA isn't particularly helpful when you have an abysmal ugrad like me due to inflation :/.

So there are those that say: retake your pre-reqs/do a post bacc

However after taking 124 credits of ugrad, even 24 credits of straight As would only bring my cGPA (not even my sGPA) up to a 2.9. I'd need 40 credits of As I think, though i've knocked out 6 already.

So my question is...am I supposed to just keep taking undergrad classes until i get that magical 3.0+? Is it more important to just re-take the hard pre-reqs to show my capability or should I 100% be gunning for that 3.0+?

Thanks 🙁 I probably will be contacting individual school to ask what they think I should do as well but wanted to get your opinions. Carver COM actually told me taking ugrad classes too boost GPA was a waste but that may be because they didn't realize how embarrassing my ugrad GPA was.

 

[rguil15]

I probably will be contacting individual school to ask what they think I should do

This.

Adcom members>=Deans>Faculty>Pre-Med advisors>Loved ones>>>>>> anything on this board, including me. But seriously, talk to the people who will actually be looking at your app.

 

[ChE04]

Ok. I've read a lot of past posts on SDN and am still a bit confused.

I have a 2.7 ugrad GPA (sGPA probably even lower on account of Fs/Ds in my last two years). Unfortunately Hopkins masks my first semester grades and those probably would have helped my GPA rather than hindered.

Currently in pharmacy school, with a 4.12/4.0 (maybe a 3.9 after my last semester). I'm aware that grad GPA isn't particularly helpful when you have an abysmal ugrad like me due to inflation :/.

So there are those that say: retake your pre-reqs/do a post bacc

However after taking 124 credits of ugrad, even 24 credits of straight As would only bring my cGPA (not even my sGPA) up to a 2.9. I'd need 40 credits of As I think, though i've knocked out 6 already.

So my question is...am I supposed to just keep taking undergrad classes until i get that magical 3.0+? Is it more important to just re-take the hard pre-reqs to show my capability or should I 100% be gunning for that 3.0+?

Thanks 🙁 I probably will be contacting individual school to ask what they think I should do as well but wanted to get your opinions. Carver COM actually told me taking ugrad classes too boost GPA was a waste but that may be because they didn't realize how embarrassing my ugrad GPA was.

40 credit hours is not that much. If you're a full time student, it can easily be done in 1 year. Being in pharmacy school may complicate things, but there are people on this board who have done a lot more than 40 credits during their post-bacc.

The problem with sub-3.0 GPA's is that some school allegedly have automatic cuttoffs that screen out your application. Getting your GPA above 3.0 at least means your application will be looked at by a human. Medical schools like to compare apples to apples, and thus they use the one metric that every applicant has: an undergraduate GPA. Your pharm GPA should count for something, but probably not as much as it should. Definitely do contact individual schools though.

And personally I think the order of trust should go: actual adcom members (not the people who pick up the phones when you call the admissions office) >= QofQuimica ~ DrMidlife > SDN if you can filter out the crap > your dog > a wet rag > a majority of undergrad premed advisors > random faculty that aren't involved in the admissions process > loved ones.

 

[rguil15]

And personally I think the order of trust should go: actual adcom members (not the people who pick up the phones when you call the admissions office) >= QofQuimica ~ DrMidlife > SDN if you can filter out the crap > your dog > a wet rag > a majority of undergrad premed advisors > random faculty that aren't involved in the admissions process > loved ones.

Not to take anything away from Q or Midlife, but them nor anyone on this board knew about my state school's policy of post-bacc gpa replacement. If I had only trusted what I read on this board I'd still be working in the oil industry instead of being 4 months out from applying early decision for that school.

All I'm saying is, members of the adcom and/or deans of admissions know more than anyone on this board does about how they select for their particular school. I don't care how much research one has done on the interwebs, not everything is available to be found out there and no one has called or sat down and talked with everyone possible at every med school.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

You are all forgetting the wonderful magic that is DO grade replacement. Retake your bad grades from your first round of college, and your GPA will be in good shape in no time at all.

Second, 40 credits isn't that bad. You can do the entire thing in a year if you take classes over the summer. If not, it's three semesters, one of them easy. I wouldn't recommend trying to cram everything into two semesters since you'll likely be taking lots of difficult science classes.

 

[Bru]

I banged out 62 credits over two years of postbacc. Sometimes you just need to do the math, knuckle down and crank out what you need to be competitive.

I also second the option of grade replacement for DO.

 

[Bru]

.

 

[ConfusedTear]

Ok no one has mentioned the fact thar u are in a professional program now. You are currently making progress to become a pharmacist...is that not something u actually wanted to do?

 

[deleted400919]

This thread might help you as well: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=992038

I am in the exact same boat as you grade-wise (though I may be more particular about what region I want to stay in). I still have to contact individual schools to speak with someone personally, but I'm going to try to get my AMCAS GPA to 3.0 just in case so I can try to avoid getting screened out before secondaries where I'll be able to explain my circumstances better. DO seems like a more feasible option for us, but again we need to start getting some contacts at these schools to get more answers.

 

[ChE04]

Not to take anything away from Q or Midlife, but them nor anyone on this board knew about my state school's policy of post-bacc gpa replacement. If I had only trusted what I read on this board I'd still be working in the oil industry instead of being 4 months out from applying early decision for that school.

All I'm saying is, members of the adcom and/or deans of admissions know more than anyone on this board does about how they select for their particular school. I don't care how much research one has done on the interwebs, not everything is available to be found out there and no one has called or sat down and talked with everyone possible at every med school.

That's what I wrote.

 

[desklamp]

Ok no one has mentioned the fact thar u are in a professional program now. You are currently making progress to become a pharmacist...is that not something u actually wanted to do?

Thanks for the advice guys 🙂 Will definitely be contacting schools and reading more on this board.

You're right, it can be done in a year of full time student-ship. The thing is I'm so down and out on my chances of getting into med school that I don't know how confident I am about taking a year off from pharmacy school to take ugrad classes.

In terms of pharmacy, it was my back-up plan to med school. I was pre-med originally and so many people told me I didn't have a chance at medical school anymore (and I completely had lost confidence in my academic ability at that point) that I kind of just went for pharmacy as a feasible alternative to working in health-care. It's an okay profession, you do get to round occasionally and work on therapeutic plans for patients but not on the direct level that a doctor does. Unfortunately, it's exactly like the physician I shadowed told me-- if you really want to be a doctor and you stay in pharmacy, you're going to be miserable (which I am, at the moment :/).

But yeah...I'd totally just drop out and work on my ugrad GPA but I guess I'm worried I'm going to ruin my life over a pipe dream or something with all this pharm school debt if I don't get accepted 🙁

How long do you think it would take to complete all those courses as a part-time student? Also, has anyone had any luck taking night classes or online classes at an accredited non-cc college?

And PeanutP: I'd totally love to stay around Cali/West coast too! I've heard they are so competitive though 🙁 Let me know if you hear anything. I have a friend on adcom for a UC so I can get some info out of her maybe.

 

[Goro]

It's not called auto-screening for nothing. Your cGPA is simply too low to merit getting past the automatic filters that most medical schools use. With 1000's of applicant's, it's simply not worthwhile to look at each and every application. Our own is 3.0, but it rises periodically during the application cycle to 3.2, depending upon the number and quality of applications we're getting.

If you truely are NOT wanting to be a pharmacist, suggest an SMP, preferably given at a medical school. that shows us that you can handle a medical school curriculum, and the faculty know know as well, so it's your "backdoor" into med school.

You do have a strike against you for wanting to switch careers, even if your motivations are pure. Interviewers will want to know that you won't bail on medical school like you did for pharmacy. It's harsh, but that's how we think.

Also, concur with the post that re-taking F/D/C grades will do wonders for your GPA for applying to DO programs.

Ok. I've read a lot of past posts on SDN and am still a bit confused.

I have a 2.7 ugrad GPA (sGPA probably even lower on account of Fs/Ds in my last two years). Unfortunately Hopkins masks my first semester grades and those probably would have helped my GPA rather than hindered.

Currently in pharmacy school, with a 4.12/4.0 (maybe a 3.9 after my last semester). I'm aware that grad GPA isn't particularly helpful when you have an abysmal ugrad like me due to inflation :/.

So there are those that say: retake your pre-reqs/do a post bacc

However after taking 124 credits of ugrad, even 24 credits of straight As would only bring my cGPA (not even my sGPA) up to a 2.9. I'd need 40 credits of As I think, though i've knocked out 6 already.

So my question is...am I supposed to just keep taking undergrad classes until i get that magical 3.0+? Is it more important to just re-take the hard pre-reqs to show my capability or should I 100% be gunning for that 3.0+?

Thanks 🙁 I probably will be contacting individual school to ask what they think I should do as well but wanted to get your opinions. Carver COM actually told me taking ugrad classes too boost GPA was a waste but that may be because they didn't realize how embarrassing my ugrad GPA was.

 

[desklamp]

It's not called auto-screening for nothing. Your cGPA is simply too low to merit getting past the automatic filters that most medical schools use. With 1000's of applicant's, it's simply not worthwhile to look at each and every application. Our own is 3.0, but it rises periodically during the application cycle to 3.2, depending upon the number and quality of applications we're getting.

If you truely are NOT wanting to be a pharmacist, suggest an SMP, preferably given at a medical school. that shows us that you can handle a medical school curriculum, and the faculty know know as well, so it's your "backdoor" into med school.

You do have a strike against you for wanting to switch careers, even if your motivations are pure. Interviewers will want to know that you won't bail on medical school like you did for pharmacy. It's harsh, but that's how we think.

Also, concur with the post that re-taking F/D/C grades will do wonders for your GPA for applying to DO programs.

Thanks for the advice Goro. I may consider an SMP though they are quite pricey.

I'm curious what is the best way to approach a career switch and what is convincing to adcom that one is serious about medicine (not to "steal" an answer, but just to make sure I am able to communicate my own reasons effectively).

Some questions: Will being pre-med originally be harmful or helpful? Should I mention the reasons for my ugrad performance if it was affected by something like an abusive relationship/immaturity or is that a "red flag" (I'm on adcom for our COP and a lot of professors seem wary of those situations)? Would volunteering at free clinics/hospices/etc. and shadowing be indicative of commitment to medicine? Anything else I can do to demonstrate how serious I am about switching to medical school?

 

[Goro]

Major doesn't make a difference. As a whole, pre-meds are more likely to take coursework that mimics a medical school curricumulum.. But you can major in history and still take histo, path, micro etc.


Will being pre-med originally be harmful or helpful?

NEVER apologize for anything in a personal statement; save explanation for interviews. You do need to demonstrate that you've grtown as a person and the you of now is not the you of, say, six years ago.

Should I mention the reasons for my ugrad performance if it was affected by something like an abusive relationship/immaturity or is that a "red flag" (I'm on adcom for our COP and a lot of professors seem wary of those situations)?


Absolutely! You have to show your altruism, and that you like being around sick and injured people.

Would volunteering at free clinics/hospices/etc. and shadowing be indicative of commitment to medicine?

Be able to articulate where your passion really lies.

Anything else I can do to demonstrate how serious I am about switching to medical school?[/QUOTE]

 

[desklamp]

Major doesn't make a difference. As a whole, pre-meds are more likely to take coursework that mimics a medical school curricumulum.. But you can major in history and still take histo, path, micro etc.


Will being pre-med originally be harmful or helpful?

NEVER apologize for anything in a personal statement; save explanation for interviews. You do need to demonstrate that you've grtown as a person and the you of now is not the you of, say, six years ago.

Should I mention the reasons for my ugrad performance if it was affected by something like an abusive relationship/immaturity or is that a "red flag" (I'm on adcom for our COP and a lot of professors seem wary of those situations)?


Absolutely! You have to show your altruism, and that you like being around sick and injured people.

Would volunteering at free clinics/hospices/etc. and shadowing be indicative of commitment to medicine?

Be able to articulate where your passion really lies.

Anything else I can do to demonstrate how serious I am about switching to medical school?

[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the advice! This was helpful.

 

[lunalight]

If its reasonably within reach to get your GPA over 3.0, definitely go for it. The schools know how hard or easy it will be for you to change your GPA. When I talked to the admissions office before applying, the associate dean came right out and said that she knew that a GPA is not going move very much for someone with enough credits to have a degree. In my case, I would have needed another 4 YEARS OF 4.0 to get over 3.0. So, I just did the best that I could and then let the adcom do the math. Obviously, that's not helpful for schools that have cutoffs, but that's why, like the other posters have said, calling the offices of the schools you are interested in is a must.

 

[IL Pre Med]

Did you use grade inflation and pharmacy school in the same sentence? I don't know what pharmacy program you're in but mine in very challenging and medical schools I've spoken to appreciate the difficult course load in pharmacy and definitely take it into account.