Non-Traditional Post Bacc Plan

[deleted300868]

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well. I was wondering if you can help me with post bacc for upcoming future.

Short Story
Spend in community college for 5 years with 2.4 cGPA, 2.2 cGPA
Spend in an university for 3 years with 2.8 cGPA, 2.7 sGPA
Overall GPA: 2.5 cGPA, 2.4 sGPA

Unfortunately, I did not do well in my lower division prerequisite class as I got C for all of the course:
Gen Chem I and II: C
Organic Chem I: B
Organic Chem II: B
Physics I, II, III: C
Microbiology: D
Genetics: D
Gen Bio I: C
Gen Bio II: D
Calculus: B

As you can see, all of these courses were taken at community college. When I was at an university as a chemistry major, I did better with upper chemistry class as I got all B's and C's for the courses which equivalence to a 2.7 sGPA. However, that is still very short of my expectation in trying to get majority of A's.

I have taken a break from school for about a year just to get my act together. In mean time, I work as an EMT currently and I would like to continue following my dream in becoming a doctor. I feel lot more refresh and I have thought a lot about my past mistakes and learn how to overcome it.

So now, I am here thinking about doing a post bacc. I am planning to retake all of the prerequisite courses at a UCLA extension for 2 years and then apply for SMP in the following year. Do you think that would be a best idea to approach it? Or should I approach that differently?

Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GreenDuck12]

How many credits did you earn at each institution that you attended? I'm asking because the number of credits that you have earned will impact the efficacy of any additional coursework that you complete. It is much harder to try and raise your cGPA and sGPA when you have earned a great deal of credits already. Likely, you will need to take additional coursework (beyond two years of intro classes) in order to clear the GPA cut off for SMPs.

 

[deleted300868]

How many credits did you earn at each institution that you attended? I'm asking because the number of credits that you have earned will impact the efficacy of any additional coursework that you complete. It is much harder to try and raise your cGPA and sGPA when you have earned a great deal of credits already. Likely, you will need to take additional coursework (beyond two years of intro classes) in order to clear the GPA cut off for SMPs.

That would be the issue. I have way too many credits and I won't be able to make it up above 3.0 within 2 years. I was hoping to get into SMP if I did very well on courses I will be taken in two years, I could get in SMPs. Maybe a SMPs that look favorably in recent trends.

 

[Ad2b]

what have you been up to for the past 8 years since you first logged on and asked the same question?

 

[deleted300868]

what have you been up to for the past 8 years since you first logged on and asked the same question?

I was in and out of career options, but decide to come back and do this again. Very long life story here.

 

[Ad2b]

I think the advice you've been given is still valid... do you have your bachelor's now?

 

[En3rgy]

That would be the issue. I have way too many credits and I won't be able to make it up above 3.0 within 2 years. I was hoping to get into SMP if I did very well on courses I will be taken in two years, I could get in SMPs. Maybe a SMPs that look favorably in recent trends.

Your low cGPA/sGPA trend lasted over 8 years. You need a minimum of 3-4 years of post-bac classes (mostly science classes, mostly straight A's) in order to prove you possess the maturity, work ethic and the necessary competency required for medical school. You should consider pursuing a whole brand new undergraduate degree. I'm assuming you've never taken the MCAT yet. You need to knock the MCAT out of the park on your first try. At least a 510, at minimum, to have a reasonable shot at a DO school. If you're aiming for the MD degree, then you definitely need to prove yourself in an SMP as well. Even after all this time and effort, there's still no guarantee of getting accepted into a U.S. medical school. Think long and hard before you pursue this route.

 

[DocJanItor]

Your low cGPA/sGPA trend lasted over 8 years. You need a minimum of 3-4 years of post-bac classes (mostly science classes, mostly straight A's) in order to prove you possess the maturity, work ethic and the necessary competency required for medical school. You should consider pursuing a whole brand new undergraduate degree. I'm assuming you've never taken the MCAT yet. You need to knock the MCAT out of the park on your first try. At least a 510, at minimum, to have a reasonable shot. Even after all this time and effort, there's still no guarantee of getting accepted into a US medical school. Think long and hard before you pursue this route.

No, doing that much grade repair would be a waste of time. He/she is correct in that they need a post-bacc AND an SMP to show they can handle the workload.

That being said, I'm not sure OP has a path forward. If you have a bachelor's degree, it means that you haven't been able to fix your study habits in 8 years to pull out the upward trend you really need.

Here's what I did: 1 full year (42 credits) of post-bacc CC pre-reqs at a 4.0, then a 515 MCAT, then an SMP. That's about 2-3 years at a minimum if you work at blazing speed. But be forewarned, an SMP is no joke. Your workload will easily increase by 5x in speed and volume. It's all about study habits and dedication.

So if you can do all that, then you'll have a chance at med school. But I would really reconsider pursuing this path, because you have to have 100% dedication, and it's really expensive.

 

[workaholic181]

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well. I was wondering if you can help me with post bacc for upcoming future.

Short Story
Spend in community college for 5 years with 2.4 cGPA, 2.2 cGPA
Spend in an university for 3 years with 2.8 cGPA, 2.7 sGPA
Overall GPA: 2.5 cGPA, 2.4 sGPA

Unfortunately, I did not do well in my lower division prerequisite class as I got C for all of the course:
Gen Chem I and II: C
Organic Chem I: B
Organic Chem II: B
Physics I, II, III: C
Microbiology: D
Genetics: D
Gen Bio I: C
Gen Bio II: D
Calculus: B

As you can see, all of these courses were taken at community college. When I was at an university as a chemistry major, I did better with upper chemistry class as I got all B's and C's for the courses which equivalence to a 2.7 sGPA. However, that is still very short of my expectation in trying to get majority of A's.

I have taken a break from school for about a year just to get my act together. In mean time, I work as an EMT currently and I would like to continue following my dream in becoming a doctor. I feel lot more refresh and I have thought a lot about my past mistakes and learn how to overcome it.

So now, I am here thinking about doing a post bacc. I am planning to retake all of the prerequisite courses at a UCLA extension for 2 years and then apply for SMP in the following year. Do you think that would be a best idea to approach it? Or should I approach that differently?

Thank you.

The above poster definitely has the best approach having lived what you're considering. But be aware OP this will be an unblievably long and difficult process with very little room for error. Med school and being a physician is not a fairy tale and you need to ask if it's really worth it to you.

Good luck with whatever you pick.

 

[deleted300868]

Thank you! I understand the circumstance and I know this will be my last shot. I will give it my all to ensure that I won't fail again like my previous 8 years in school. Does anyone have any advice for going back to school after a hiatus? Good luck everyone!