Should i consider a post bacc or Master's?

[Abby95]

Hey guys, any input or advice would be greatly appreciated. I am an AA female with a 3.55 undergrad GPA and 3.2s GPA. I planed on taking the mcat my junior year unfortunately after 2 months if studying I ended up with a 489. I decided to take a gap year between undergrad and med school and restudied for the test again june 17th 2017. My initial plan was to take and void after only scoring 497 on aamc fl after 6 weeks of studying. However on test day I don't know what came over me and decided to score the test. To my dismay I ended up with 491 which pretty much ends up chance of acceptance to any M.D. or D.O. now it looks like the earliest I can start med school is 2019 assuming I do well my third time. Now since I will not only be sitting out the rest of this year plus next year until med school in 2019 I've been trying to figure out my next plan of action. My goal is to redo all my content and do 10-12 full length exams between August-jamuary and sit for a January test. Since the mcat is the only thing holding me down, I will hopefully have a score in February and apply as soon as application opens in June 2018. My question Is, should I do a master's? If so, are there any good masters that have a linkage to medical school or will help me gain acceptance into a med school?
OR
Should i look into post bacc programs?
OR
Should i focus on passing the mcat, work, save money and travel to Ghana on a volunteer mission trip to serve in underserved communities?
I am feeling so discouraged and beating myself up. Trying to keep persevering through this road block. Any words of encouragement would be helpful. Any advice of masters or post bacc would be helpful. Thank you kindly.

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[Nippyfan]

Only look into post bacc programs that offer guaranteed acceptances provided you perform according to their standards, like LECOM or VCOM. Really take the time and think if that option is right for you though, because you would be incurring debt and if you don't maintain a certain GPA you may be left with nothing and more time lost.

The cheaper and less time consuming choice would be to just retake the MCAT but actually improving a score by 10+ points is easier said than done. Really look into why you got the scores you did. Was it lack of content knowledge? Testing anxiety? Time management issues?

Also, have you considered or looked into podiatry? If you apply in august for this upcoming cycle you could theoretically start a program sooner rather that later and get your life moving.

 

[Abby95]

Only look into post bacc programs that offer guaranteed acceptances provided you perform according to their standards, like LECOM or VCOM. Really take the time and think if that option is right for you though, because you would be incurring debt and if you don't maintain a certain GPA you may be left with nothing and more time lost.

The cheaper and less time consuming choice would be to just retake the MCAT but actually improving a score by 10+ points is easier said than done. Really look into why you got the scores you did. Was it lack of content knowledge? Testing anxiety? Time management issues?

Also, have you considered or looked into podiatry? If you apply in august for this upcoming cycle you could theoretically start a program sooner rather that later and get your life moving.

I have never considered podiatry and I quote honestly have no interest. My problem is time management. I ran out of time on every section. For example in C/P I was on question 45 with 8 minutes left so I has 5o blindly guess on quite alot. It' also performed worse than any of my full length which ranged from 496-502. I got 496 on aamc fl 1 and had plans to just take the exam and void, but for some reason I was just so interested in knowing how I did on this test. I would like to exhaust my M.D, D.O and Carribean option before podiatry. Hopefully 5 months will give me ample of time to get atleast 10+ points higher assuming I spent the first 2 months to relearn all the content and 2 months strictly for practice passage and full lengths. I have never felt so dumb in my life but I'm not that surprise. Never been great at standardize tsstinf. I struggled with SAT and ACT as well. Just don't know how to get over the mcat and also find an effective way to so better since it only gets harder in medical school.

 

[Nippyfan]

I have never considered podiatry and I quote honestly have no interest. My problem is time management. I ran out of time on every section. For example in C/P I was on question 45 with 8 minutes left so I has 5o blindly guess on quite alot. It' also performed worse than any of my full length which ranged from 496-502. I got 496 on aamc fl 1 and had plans to just take the exam and void, but for some reason I was just so interested in knowing how I did on this test. I would like to exhaust my M.D, D.O and Carribean option before podiatry. Hopefully 5 months will give me ample of time to get atleast 10+ points higher assuming I spent the first 2 months to relearn all the content and 2 months strictly for practice passage and full lengths. I have never felt so dumb in my life but I'm not that surprise. Never been great at standardize tsstinf. I struggled with SAT and ACT as well. Just don't know how to get over the mcat and also find an effective way to so better since it only gets harder in medical school.

Podiatry should definitely be considered before Caribbean. Seriously.

But you need a course or something because blindly guessing on 50 questions is a recipe for disaster. Research MCAT prep courses in your area and even look into online options if that would be more convenient and you are disciplined enough to make sure you do the work.

 

[Abby95]

Podiatry should definitely be considered before Caribbean. Seriously.

But you need a course or something because blindly guessing on 50 questions is a recipe for disaster. Research MCAT prep courses in your area and even look into online options if that would be more convenient and you are disciplined enough to make sure you do the work.

I blindly guessed on about 15 because I ran out of time. I know DO cycle runs later than M.D. so I was also thinking maybe forget M.D. and study hard core for a September test. I heard anytime before November is considered not late for DO. I'm also scared of bombing the test for the third time.

 

[PiggyPug6]

Yeah, you need to focus on that MCAT. The grades aren't bad honestly, it's those MCAT scores that will bring you down. A lot of schools average the scores, so I would really take my time preparing and perhaps an MCAT class, if I were you. Because right now even if you score really high on your third attempt, the first two will really drag you down.

I had a similar GPA to yours, but did pretty well on the MCAT. I'm pretty sure that's what opened doors for me. So I know n=1, but get that score up! Make sure the rest of your app: volunteering, shadowing, clinical volunteering, research, etc is better than average as well. Better to get that MCAT up than be thousands in debt for no reason.

 

[AdaptPrep]

Yeah, you need to focus on that MCAT. The grades aren't bad honestly, it's those MCAT scores that will bring you down. A lot of schools average the scores, so I would really take my time preparing and perhaps an MCAT class, if I were you. Because right now even if you score really high on your third attempt, the first two will really drag you down.

I had a similar GPA to yours, but did pretty well on the MCAT. I'm pretty sure that's what opened doors for me. So I know n=1, but get that score up! Make sure the rest of your app: volunteering, shadowing, clinical volunteering, research, etc is better than average as well. Better to get that MCAT up than be thousands in debt for no reason.

You're so right in saying that the MCAT is a major deciding factor. Staying accountable with your studying and practicing is key. Putting time in is one thing. Putting quality time in is another. All the best!

 

[GypsyHummus]

If you are struggling with standardized tests, then any medical school, MD/DO/POD is going to be a challenge.

I'm not gonna sugar coat this, your MCAT is bad. Really bad. There are a few pod schools that won't take a chance on you.

If your not scoring at least 505s on the pre tests for the MCAT, I wouldn't take it. I was scoring 500s and ended up with low 490s.

You never ever touch the carribean. I say take the MCAT one last time, see if you can't break the 500 mark. If not, apply to LECOM and VCOM post bacc.

Seriously consider podiatry. Shadow and do some research. It's really the only option for people with low 490s MCAT. A lot of people are happy with their decision.

I have never considered podiatry and I quote honestly have no interest. My problem is time management. I ran out of time on every section. For example in C/P I was on question 45 with 8 minutes left so I has 5o blindly guess on quite alot. It' also performed worse than any of my full length which ranged from 496-502. I got 496 on aamc fl 1 and had plans to just take the exam and void, but for some reason I was just so interested in knowing how I did on this test. I would like to exhaust my M.D, D.O and Carribean option before podiatry. Hopefully 5 months will give me ample of time to get atleast 10+ points higher assuming I spent the first 2 months to relearn all the content and 2 months strictly for practice passage and full lengths. I have never felt so dumb in my life but I'm not that surprise. Never been great at standardize tsstinf. I struggled with SAT and ACT as well. Just don't know how to get over the mcat and also find an effective way to so better since it only gets harder in medical school.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Actually, just read that u are an AA female. Yeah, all u have to do is bump your MCAT to the 495 mark and you will be good.

 

[PiggyPug6]

Actually, just read that u are an AA female. Yeah, all u have to do is bump your MCAT to the 495 mark and you will be good.

As an African American female, I don't think so.
Imo, maybe it's just me, but you can't just write African American on your application and that's it. You might get leeway for having a low GPA OR a low MCAT, but not both. Though I don't necessarily think OPs GPA is that bad (perhaps there is an upward trend). You need at least one of them to be strong. The GPA would take a lot of time and work to pull up significantly, but if OP is willing to try, I say more power to them. But there are many qualified AA candidates with both great MCATs and GPAs or at least one of the two. You still have to work to be competitive.
Perhaps she has an amazing life story and a really strong resume. However if not, and even then perhaps if so, it's going to be an uphill battle. But a 495 will still hurt OP in my eyes.

 

[Blakeb_212]

Only look into post bacc programs that offer guaranteed acceptances provided you perform according to their standards, like LECOM or VCOM. Really take the time and think if that option is right for you though, because you would be incurring debt and if you don't maintain a certain GPA you may be left with nothing and more time lost.

The cheaper and less time consuming choice would be to just retake the MCAT but actually improving a score by 10+ points is easier said than done. Really look into why you got the scores you did. Was it lack of content knowledge? Testing anxiety? Time management issues?

Also, have you considered or looked into podiatry? If you apply in august for this upcoming cycle you could theoretically start a program sooner rather that later and get your life moving.

In a similar boat as a URM, with stats that left a lot to be desired. My advice would be to focus on the MCAT and maybe take a class here and there. At least get your MCAT score above the screening/cutoff point so that way you can put yourself in a position to have your application considered more in depth.

 

[Abby95]

If you are struggling with standardized tests, then any medical school, MD/DO/POD is going to be a challenge.

I'm not gonna sugar coat this, your MCAT is bad. Really bad. There are a few pod schools that won't take a chance on you.

If your not scoring at least 505s on the pre tests for the MCAT, I wouldn't take it. I was scoring 500s and ended up with low 490s.

You never ever touch the carribean. I say take the MCAT one last time, see if you can't break the 500 mark. If not, apply to LECOM and VCOM post bacc.

Seriously consider podiatry. Shadow and do some research. It's really the only option for people with low 490s MCAT. A lot of people are happy with their decision.

Thank you for your input. I also struggled on SAT and ACT and yet still think I did ok in college. My actual GPA for undergrad was a 3.63 but dropped to a 3.55 as a result of a C in biochem and repeating a D in organic chem. Other than that every science class has been an A or B. I will take the exam one more time as you suggested. I actually thought I would score 498-500 since I was consistently getting in those range. I will make sure I am consistently getting atleast 505 on my next set of full length. Anything less than that I won't take the exam again. Thanks again for your advice.

 

[Abby95]

In a similar boat as a URM, with stats that left a lot to be desired. My advice would be to focus on the MCAT and maybe take a class here and there. At least get your MCAT score above the screening/cutoff point so that way you can put yourself in a position to have your application considered more in depth.

I'm glad I'm not alone. This is a minor bump. We will get through It.

 

[Abby95]

Actually, just read that u are an AA female. Yeah, all u have to do is bump your MCAT to the 495 mark and you will be good.

I wish i could get away with a 495. With two bad scores I wouldn't even dare apply until I atleast score a 505. Need to redeem myself it's unacceptable.