What to do after failed attempt at a post-bacc?

[LostAllHope]

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From what I have read, post-bacc programs and smp's are high risk. What are possible options if one was to attempt such a program and not succeed with flying colors?

Has anyone still made it to medical school under these circumstances?

 

[theWUbear]

If you were taking a post-bacc of the initial premed courses (what I like to call a naive post-bacc), then you can continue on with further undergraduate study taking more biology courses, just like those people who are doing post-baccs and had already taken the prereqs during their undergrad are doing.

For example, my post-bacc year was all BCPM courses, semester 1: Intro Cell Bio, Astronomy, Microbiology, Ecology. Semester 2: Neurobiology, Virology, Biochemistry, etc.

"Post-bacc" just means you already have a bachelor's degree - going for a second year of non-degree work to gain a better foundation of biology, as demonstrated above, is one option for you

 

[BuckFMP]

From what I have read, post-bacc programs and smp's are high risk. What are possible options if one was to attempt such a program and not succeed with flying colors?

Has anyone still made it to medical school under these circumstances?

I know someone who didn't do very well in an SMP but did get into a DO program later. To do it though, he had to get a masters AFTER he had completed the SMP. Also, he was working full time while doing the SMP, so he had a story. So, it's not impossible. But it seems that with each additional setback, the amount of time, work, and money to overcome it grows exponentially.

 

[drizzt3117]

I know someone who didn't do very well in an SMP but did get into a DO program later. To do it though, he had to get a masters AFTER he had completed the SMP. Also, he was working full time while doing the SMP, so he had a story. So, it's not impossible. But it seems that with each additional setback, the amount of time, work, and money to overcome it grows exponentially.

Working full time while doing a SMP is showing poor judgment IMO. Usually doing poorly in a SMP is pretty much the end of the line but there might be a few exceptions.

 

[LostAllHope]

so is it better than i withdraw from my current program or will that look equally bad?

 

[deleted248403]

are you in an SMP or a post bac? and how did you do first semester?

 

[Perrotfish]

It would help if you spelled out what exactly happened. What program were you in, what stats did you have when you started, and how badly did you fail?

To give a quick answer: chances are not all hope is lost, but what you need to do to fix the situation depends on your answers to the above.

 

[LostAllHope]

...

 

[deleted248403]

Well did you get any As? Your lack of info is crippling this dialogue.

Back to back SMPs? I doubt you'd get accepted as doing poorly in one doesn't mean another one is likely to take a flyer on you that you can somehow do better.

SMP is last-chance stuff - if you truly have dropped the ball (which we are trying to elucidate from you) then you are off to the Carib or DO

 

[drizzt3117]

Honestly you're probably going to have to apply to the Carib (Doubt you'd be competitive for DO) but if you don't address your academic problems you're probably just wasting your money, as the Carib attrition rate is high. Have you considered other fields?

 

[LostAllHope]

...

 

[drizzt3117]

Is the average at GT really < 3.0? I think it would hurt your chances, probably irreparably but who knows.

 

[mommy2three]

i can speak on this.....

i did a one yr smp previously and did not meet the gpa cutoff, ended up with a 2.87, mostly b's, a few a's and 2 c's.
at which point i thought i was in the same boat as you...i thought i was done.
so i made an appt with the ad counselor at the state med school who told me i should get my grad gpa up to 3.0, get back into volunteering (we had moved cross country so i had left my volunteer position and when we moved back we moved to a different area and i had not gotten back into volunteer work) and apply early early early.
so i spent a yr at a local state university as a grad student at large, got my grand gpa up to 3.0, got into more medically related volunteer work and began to pursue classes to get my emt-b at a local community college.
i applied to both md and do, and got no love from either.
HOWEVER, i was *extremely* fortunate to get into a second master program at mwu-il.
i have done exceedingly well in this program and am currently on the waitlist for ccom for the fall class.

whether or not i end up with an acceptance remains to be seen, but i think it can be done....

i would finish this year as strongly as possible (i believe gt is a 1 yr program??), and take the summer to talk to programs who will talk to you to figure out what you can do to best your chances at getting in.

i wish you the best of luck

 

[Benevolentaspirations]

i can speak on this.....

i did a one yr smp previously and did not meet the gpa cutoff, ended up with a 2.87, mostly b's, a few a's and 2 c's.
at which point i thought i was in the same boat as you...i thought i was done.
so i made an appt with the ad counselor at the state med school who told me i should get my grad gpa up to 3.0, get back into volunteering (we had moved cross country so i had left my volunteer position and when we moved back we moved to a different area and i had not gotten back into volunteer work) and apply early early early.
so i spent a yr at a local state university as a grad student at large, got my grand gpa up to 3.0, got into more medically related volunteer work and began to pursue classes to get my emt-b at a local community college.
i applied to both md and do, and got no love from either.
HOWEVER, i was *extremely* fortunate to get into a second master program at mwu-il.
i have done exceedingly well in this program and am currently on the waitlist for ccom for the fall class.

whether or not i end up with an acceptance remains to be seen, but i think it can be done....

i would finish this year as strongly as possible (i believe gt is a 1 yr program??), and take the summer to talk to programs who will talk to you to figure out what you can do to best your chances at getting in.

i wish you the best of luck

Have you gotten into medical school?

 

[mommy2three]

Have you gotten into medical school?

Yes I got off the wait list and am a 4th year student currently at CCOM

 

[futdoc251989]

Yes I got off the wait list and am a 4th year student currently at CCOM

Congratulations! You're story is very inspiring.

 

[Doc_Ock]

IMO postbaccs/SMP'd are "last chance" scenarios. So if you blow your last chance we'll....

 

[645692]

Talk to the dean of admissions at your state medical school, assuming you applied. Ask them what changes you can make or if there's anything you can do that would result in an acceptance at this point.