What to do now

[Opposingminds]

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I took this out of the low GPA thread where I originally posted since I haven't got any comments yets, I thought maybe a new thread would help:

Hey everyone, I've been browsing the site and the forums for a few days now I figured it was definitely time to get some input from you guys if you don't mind. I'm currently a senior double majoring in biology and psychology at a City University in New York. I'm just about done with my biology major and my psychology major will be done in time for graduation in the Spring. As of right now I'm planning to take the MCAT in April but that may change to August depending on how confident I feel.

For the most part I've done well in my science classes (some A's, mostly B's) with the exception of a few classes here and there which I'll get to later. As of right now, here are my stats:

Overall GPA: 2.69 (113 credits)
Science GPA: 2.72 (57 credits)

The biggest reason for my GPA being so low is in part due to my stupidity on some occassions over the years in undergrad and also some bad luck. In terms of the sciences, the biggest problem I see with my record are the following classes:

General Chemistry II: C+
Vertebrae Anatomy: C-
Endocrinology: F (Due to me being misinformed about how long it could be before I took a makeup final)
Organic Chemistry II: F (I chose not to take the final because I did not want to end up with a C or D in the class, although I've always wondered if that was the right choice)

I'm retaking Endocrinology right now and plan to retake Organic Chemistry II in the spring. I'm planning to get A's this time and according to my school policy while the F is still on the transcript, the A will be the grade factored into my GPA which thus means that my stats would then look like this:

Overall GPA: 2.97
Science GPA: 3.28

After talking to my adviser, he suggested that if I really wanted to get into medical school, my best option would be to go to graduate school to get a masters (do very well of course) and also do very well on the MCAT. Before going to talk to him however, I had heard a lot about post-bac programs and I was looking into them as an option but my adviser told me that post-bac programs were more for people who did not do well on the MCAT (which confused me a little).

Anyway, I've been very confused of late because I'm getting conflicting information from various sources so I was hoping that someone could answer some questions for me:

1) Would I be better off getting a M.S. in biology or doing a post-bac program in order to strengthen my academic record?

2) How would schools determine my science and overall GPA if I wanted to apply for their programs (whether it be for an M.S. in bio or a post bac) considering the two F's that I have?

3) In terms of getting a M.S. in biology I was wondering if it matters to medical schools, according to reputation where I go and get the degree? Right now I'm looking specifically at either NYU or Hunter.

I apologize ahead of time for writing such a long post and also for any incoherence or babbling that I did. Of course I also thank you guys ahead of time for whoever helps me out, I really do appreciate it.

 

[silverdime]

After talking to my adviser, he suggested that if I really wanted to get into medical school, my best option would be to go to graduate school to get a masters (do very well of course) and also do very well on the MCAT. Before going to talk to him however, I had heard a lot about post-bac programs and I was looking into them as an option but my adviser told me that post-bac programs were more for people who did not do well on the MCAT (which confused me a little).

Anyway, I've been very confused of late because I'm getting conflicting information from various sources so I was hoping that someone could answer some questions for me:

1) Would I be better off getting a M.S. in biology or doing a post-bac program in order to strengthen my academic record?

2) How would schools determine my science and overall GPA if I wanted to apply for their programs (whether it be for an M.S. in bio or a post bac) considering the two F's that I have?

3) In terms of getting a M.S. in biology I was wondering if it matters to medical schools, according to reputation where I go and get the degree? Right now I'm looking specifically at either NYU or Hunter.

The grades bit I'll leave to someone else, although I...think..that AMCAS factors in both the previous grades and the retake grades. It's been a while. 🙄

Are you considering post-bacc programs that award an M.S. or M.A. degree? Graduate-level post-baccs are mainly for students who have a decent MCAT score, have completed the pre-reqs and want to show med schools that their earlier grades reflect a student who's since improved.

There are some post-baccs that specifically focus on MCAT improvement over grades, but most of the ones awarding graduate degrees are not.

I'd recommend a post-bacc degree over the master's degree because post-bacc programs are implicitly tailored towards getting you into med school. You either take med school classes, graduate level science courses useful to med school, or both. Med schools know that you are trying with this program to get into med school by improving your grades, and tend to look favorably on them if improvement is shown. They also love that you've taken real med school classes and done well. Beyond that, these programs tend to have strong, med school-oriented advising, which can be more important than you think. A professor experienced in writing post-bacc recommendations is more likely to be on target than one who's not.

In contrast, a master's in bio is more likely to give the wrong idea to schools. Adcoms want to see clinical experience, volunteer work, med school classes...something to show that you're still interested in medicine. Even though you can show grade improvement, they'll wonder why you're applying to med school instead of to a PhD program. Since your schedule is completely different from the standard M1, they'll wonder if your sudden improvement is even relevant at all in determining if you can now handle the courseload. While these programs are helpful if you're trying to decide between research and medicine, they're not as helpful in making you a better med school candidate.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but I have to say that every student I've known (about seven) who chose to do a Master's in bio or an MPH to look better to med schools ended up either a) giving up because it didn't work, or b) trudging back to school to do a post-bacc graduate program because they realized it was what they really needed.