Advice Needed

I am currently working and doing a DIY post bacc at night. Below is a overview of my background and future plan. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Undergrad 2009- 4 year university


cGPA- 2.5 (awful I know) BS Criminal Justice…No Sciences


DIY Post Bacc so Far


-Bio 1 and 2


-Chem 1 and 2


-Phy 1


GPA so far is 3.7


My plan is to take Org 1 and 2 this summer and Phy 2 in the fall.(All post bacc classes are taken at 4 yr university). I am looking to apply to a SMP to make my application for med school stronger. I am planning on taking the MCAT in September.


Please let me know your thoughts and if this is a “doable” plan. Also please advise on my chances to get into a SMP program. I am currently looking at PCOM, Touro, Lark Erie, Tufts, and UMDNJ

I see an issue with your MCAT date, first of all. I wouldn’t recommend taking the MCAT without Physics 2 under your belt. I had a friend who was in that boat, and her score suffered greatly for it.


Also, how are you going to prepare for a September MCAT if you’re taking orgo over the summer? MCAT prep (which I am doing right now), is like a job. No, it IS a job. You have to dedicate a LOT of time to it to get a decent score, and in your case, especially to compensate for your lower undergrad GPA.


Summer orgo is another thing I’d like to comment about. I know people who’ve done it, and they have survived. But it isn’t pretty. Orgo is a ton of material, and is difficult enough in two full semesters, let alone packed into two summer terms. That’s just my opinion. But I would think about that.


Can you wait? Take orgo and physics 2 next fall/spring, and then take the MCAT May or early June of 2014? I know waiting sucks (I had to postpone my application a year myself, so I really do know how much it sucks). But I believe it’s worth the wait if doing so leads to success and not to failure.


As we say around here, this is a marathon and not a sprint. And as Gonnif also says, “Do you want to get into medical school, or do you want to get into medical school quickly?”


As for your chance with the SMPs, I recommend contacting them directly. They are the ones who can give you the most accurate information about your chances.


Best wishes to you, and keep us posted on your progress!

Lorien Thank You for taking the time write a detailed response it is greatly appreciated.


You provided very insightful ideas that are making me sway towards taking classes during fall/spring rather than summer.


Also do you think the SMP is needed? If I continue to hold a 3.7+ for the rest of my prereq would I be competitive for a DO program?

I honestly don’t know a lot about SMPs and how they affect your med school chances. I would suggest contacting the DO programs you’re interested in and posing that question to them. See what they recommend.

Greetings,


I’m just finishing the application cycle myself. I also did a DIY post-bac. (Most of the prereqs I took as an undergrad, so just had to fill in a few gaps.)


Definitely not a good idea to rush MCAT prep. Ideally you don’t want to have to do this more than once. I started studying in December for a May MCAT. I planned this originally mainly because my job is 60-80 hours a week and I felt like more time was required. However, I really came to appreciate that lengthy preparation. It really helped solidify things for me.


As far as what makes you competitive, I would highly recommend going to recruiting events where the schools send reps. You don’t have to identify yourself when you ask about your situation, and most admissions people are very upfront about how your specific situation would go over at their school. There is no one-size-fits-all policy as far as what schools are looking for and what makes you a competitive applicant (at least in my experience). I would suggest having this conversation “live” with a real person and not over email. Schools get tons of emails such as these and a lot of schools don’t answer them or simply direct you to their website. A real human being will answer your questions and can also provide information about the ineffable qualities that they look for in applicants.


Both terra and gonnif offer sage advice as far as not rushing this and the application process in general. You’d be well advised to take what they say seriously!

  • SC0740 Said:
I would suggest having this conversation "live" with a real person and not over email. Schools get tons of emails such as these and a lot of schools don't answer them or simply direct you to their website. A real human being will answer your questions and can also provide information about the ineffable qualities that they look for in applicants.



This is very true. But it is often difficult to have that "live" conversation, simply due to distance. So if e-mail doesn't get you a response, you can always try picking up the phone and calling. Just another thought.