Johns Hopkins Post-Bacc Health Science Intensive or retake MCAT?

[John6301]

Hey all!

Just graduated ended with a 3.36 GPA with a major in Biology. Took the mcat rushed through it scored a 487. Been considering applying for JHU HSI because I'll be granted a masters despite it being a post-bacc and also get MCAT help but also been on the fence with just retaking the MCAT with the correct study structure and save money in loans.

Recently, i spoke to a dean of a DO school and she told me it will make me a better candidate if I continue my education which is why I've applied but I'm honestly stuck.

Took a practice test last week and score a 497. Not sure what route to take. Please help!

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[puahate]

You can do a DIY post bac and study for the MCAT again. The JHU thing is not needed

 

[Melchizedek]

Hey all!

Just graduated ended with a 3.36 GPA with a major in Biology. Took the mcat rushed through it scored a 487. Been considering applying for JHU HSI because I'll be granted a masters despite it being a post-bacc and also get MCAT help but also been on the fence with just retaking the MCAT with the correct study structure and save money in loans.

Recently, i spoke to a dean of a DO school and she told me it will make me a better candidate if I continue my education which is why I've applied but I'm honestly stuck.

Took a practice test last week and score a 497. Not sure what route to take. Please help!

How many credits would you have to take and ace in a post-bacc (either DIY or a formal program) for your GPA to budge?
Are you shooting only for DO or MD as well?

If just DO schools, then you would be better served studying for the MCAT and doing some volunteering/clinical activities rather than wasting so much money on tuition just to "continue your education"
If you're struggling to bring up your MCAT score, sub 500 scorers tend to benefit from taking a course, instead of paying for tuition, your money might be better spent taking a 2/3 month course from TPR/Kaplan

If you're shooting for MD schools, then my first question is really important. If its going to take a lot of credits for you to get above a 3.5, a post-bacc probably isn't worth it. You'd be better off at an SMP (EVMS, Drexel, UCSF). Those will show that you can handle higher/med school level classes and would indicate your future performance in medical school much more than doing a post-bacc would. These SMP's typically cover the biochem/bio you'd need to score well on the MCAT, you'd just be on your own for the physics and psych portions. This would, I think, vastly help your MCAT score. The only downside is that your current score might be a little low for acceptance at SMP's but I'm not sure what the cutoffs are for programs outside the EVMS and Drexel programs, so do a little research.

 

[John6301]

How many credits would you have to take and ace in a post-bacc (either DIY or a formal program) for your GPA to budge?
Are you shooting only for DO or MD as well?

If just DO schools, then you would be better served studying for the MCAT and doing some volunteering/clinical activities rather than wasting so much money on tuition just to "continue your education"
If you're struggling to bring up your MCAT score, sub 500 scorers tend to benefit from taking a course, instead of paying for tuition, your money might be better spent taking a 2/3 month course from TPR/Kaplan

If you're shooting for MD schools, then my first question is really important. If its going to take a lot of credits for you to get above a 3.5, a post-bacc probably isn't worth it. You'd be better off at an SMP (EVMS, Drexel, UCSF). Those will show that you can handle higher/med school level classes and would indicate your future performance in medical school much more than doing a post-bacc would. These SMP's typically cover the biochem/bio you'd need to score well on the MCAT, you'd just be on your own for the physics and psych portions. This would, I think, vastly help your MCAT score. The only downside is that your current score might be a little low for acceptance at SMP's but I'm not sure what the cutoffs are for programs outside the EVMS and Drexel programs, so do a little research.

Wow! Great response.

Well, initially I wasn't looking into graduate schooling until this program was brought to my attention. I know post-bacc are mostly for students with a lower gpa that want to replace their grades in certain classes but I don't think that's really needed of me since I have alot of credits and my GPA isn't that bad.

To my understanding, I thought since I will get my masters with this program it wouldn't necessarily count as a "post-bacc" so I never really looked into how many credits I'll need for my GPA to budge. But to answer your question, ALOT of credits. I transferred schools and accumulated about 150 credits.


I considered this program because of it's benefits. Primarily because I'll be getting my masters from JHU, getting MCAT tutor, and overall expanding my knowledge in subjects important to know for the MCAT.

I'm stuck and want to make the best decision so my time isn't wasted.

 

[John6301]

Wow! Great response.

Well, initially I wasn't looking into graduate schooling until this program was brought to my attention. I know post-bacc are mostly for students with a lower gpa that want to replace their grades in certain classes but I don't think that's really needed of me since I have alot of credits and my GPA isn't that bad.

To my understanding, I thought since I will get my masters with this program it wouldn't necessarily count as a "post-bacc" so I never really looked into how many credits I'll need for my GPA to budge. But to answer your question, ALOT of credits. I transferred schools and accumulated about 150 credits.


I considered this program because of it's benefits. Primarily because I'll be getting my masters from JHU, getting MCAT tutor, and overall expanding my knowledge in subjects important to know for the MCAT.

I'm stuck and want to make the best decision so my time isn't wasted.

How many credits would you have to take and ace in a post-bacc (either DIY or a formal program) for your GPA to budge?
Are you shooting only for DO or MD as well?

If just DO schools, then you would be better served studying for the MCAT and doing some volunteering/clinical activities rather than wasting so much money on tuition just to "continue your education"
If you're struggling to bring up your MCAT score, sub 500 scorers tend to benefit from taking a course, instead of paying for tuition, your money might be better spent taking a 2/3 month course from TPR/Kaplan

If you're shooting for MD schools, then my first question is really important. If its going to take a lot of credits for you to get above a 3.5, a post-bacc probably isn't worth it. You'd be better off at an SMP (EVMS, Drexel, UCSF). Those will show that you can handle higher/med school level classes and would indicate your future performance in medical school much more than doing a post-bacc would. These SMP's typically cover the biochem/bio you'd need to score well on the MCAT, you'd just be on your own for the physics and psych portions. This would, I think, vastly help your MCAT score. The only downside is that your current score might be a little low for acceptance at SMP's but I'm not sure what the cutoffs are for programs outside the EVMS and Drexel programs, so do a little research.

And also I've been considering DO

 

[Melchizedek]

Wow! Great response.

Well, initially I wasn't looking into graduate schooling until this program was brought to my attention. I know post-bacc are mostly for students with a lower gpa that want to replace their grades in certain classes but I don't think that's really needed of me since I have alot of credits and my GPA isn't that bad.

To my understanding, I thought since I will get my masters with this program it wouldn't necessarily count as a "post-bacc" so I never really looked into how many credits I'll need for my GPA to budge. But to answer your question, ALOT of credits. I transferred schools and accumulated about 150 credits.


I considered this program because of it's benefits. Primarily because I'll be getting my masters from JHU, getting MCAT tutor, and overall expanding my knowledge in subjects important to know for the MCAT.

I'm stuck and want to make the best decision so my time isn't wasted.

You are correct, a post-bacc is for GPA repair.
A special master's program is to prove you can handle medical school level courses.
JHU HSI is a masters program that costs $50,000

What I'm saying is this:
If you are planning on only applying DO, you do not need to raise your gpa, or prove yourself through an SMP. You don't need to spend $50,000 to learn MCAT material, when you can take an MCAT prep course for a fraction of the price.

If you are going to apply to MD schools, then a DIY post-bacc is not going to help since you've accumulated so many credits.
Getting a masters would prove you can handle medical school classes. There are much cheaper masters programs (some with linkage or at least guaranteed interviews and the like) that would be better for your situation. The name behind your masters degree is not going to impact how adcoms look at the degree, your performance in that program will.

 

[Melchizedek]

I'll add that if you're worried about how it will look on your application that you weren't continuing your education in your gap year while you took the MCAT, with your biology degree, you should be able to secure a lab position, even if its in a volunteer basis, and that would look pretty good too.

 

[John6301]

You are correct, a post-bacc is for GPA repair.
A special master's program is to prove you can handle medical school level courses.
JHU HSI is a masters program that costs $50,000

What I'm saying is this:
If you are planning on only applying DO, you do not need to raise your gpa, or prove yourself through an SMP. You don't need to spend $50,000 to learn MCAT material, when you can take an MCAT prep course for a fraction of the price.

If you are going to apply to MD schools, then a DIY post-bacc is not going to help since you've accumulated so many credits.
Getting a masters would prove you can handle medical school classes. There are much cheaper masters programs (some with linkage or at least guaranteed interviews and the like) that would be better for your situation. The name behind your masters degree is not going to impact how adcoms look at the degree, your performance in that program will.

Wow thanks. So no matter what route I choose to go (MD/DO) I'll need to retake my MCAT and do well, correct? Because I know SMP's need a stronger MCAT score for admissions.

Also which MCAT prep course would you recommend I look into? Any tips? Really need to redeem myself

 

[Melchizedek]

Wow thanks. So no matter what route I choose to go (MD/DO) I'll need to retake my MCAT and do well, correct? Because I know SMP's need a stronger MCAT score for admissions.

Also which MCAT prep course would you recommend I look into? Any tips? Really need to redeem myself

Depends on the SMP, EVMS the cut-off for the 2 year program is 496, i think 507 for the 1 year. Some of Drexel's programs will accept a sub 500 score and ask you to retake the MCAT at the end of the program to achieve a minimum score before they give you your degree.

As for prep courses, I've heard good things about The Princeton Review and Exam Krackers. Kaplan is not as good, but they have their kaplan guarantee that if you don't score higher you get an entire next course free. Some local colleges will have prep courses depending on your area too.

as for tips, I can only tell you how I prepared which was spending 4-5 hours a day over the course of 2 and a half months reviewing material and towards the end I was just taking full length practice tests every other day and reviewing the questions I got wrong. Practice questions help a lot, but i think the consensus is that sub-500 scores are partially due to not having a full grasp of the material. If I were you I'd start with content review and then move into practice questions and then full length tests.

 

[CandH23]

no to JHU program. Yes to DIY not focusing on end GPA but length of excellence. Yes to SMP with linkage. Pick either one but you will still have to retake mcat. Use combo of *ltius, kaplan, tbr, uworld or examcrackers. I liked *ltius + uworld + reddit 300 PG psych doc which got me a 130 in psych

 

[scarletgirl777]

These special masters programs where you take intense courses or sit in class with med students are expensive and high risk. I would figure out what percent of grads get interviewed at the associated med school and get accepted into an MD school period before deciding to sign up for one. And no med school adcom cares about the name brand of your smp or of the postbacs