Dear all,
Thanks so much for this great forum! I am a PCV currently serving in Mali, West Africa and will be returning to the states in time to start an informal post bacc this fall at Harvard Extension School.
I graduated in 2004 as a history major but also took almost all the pre med courses (missing one semester of physics) and had a science GPA of 3.15 compared to an overall 3.51.
I am anxious to start the med school portion of my life so that I can move on to the being a doctor portion of my life. Therefore, I was hoping to get my course work out of the way this year, take the MCATs in August 2009, apply that year and matriculate in 2010. Does this seem reasonable?
Since my undergrad GPA was ok, I am thinking about the possibility of not retaking all the pre reqs and going for some high level classes like biochem. Thoughts?
My undergrad advisor, who I met with while home this past spring, seemed to think that taking two years for course work was overkill, but the idea of jumping into the deep end is a little daunting. On the other hand, I like the deepend and tend to do better when performing at the limits of my ability to juggle. He also indicated that I should be focusing on classes that will help me prep for the MCAT - leading back to the retaking v moving forawrd dilemma.
Thanks,
Gretchen
Hey.
I noticed that you haven’t gotten much of a reply. So, I thought I would say something. I was wondering if your undergrad advisor was a premed advisor or not? I have a 3.0 science gpa and I was told by my med school of choice advisor that I would have to have two years of 4.0 in science to stand a chance. I think it would be smart to contact some schools you are interested and ask what they suggest. Then you know exactly how they see your application. I am in a similar boat as you and I have considered taking the MCAT this spring too. If you can score high on the MCAT, that can make up for a lower science gpa.
I wish you the best of luck and appreciate the work you did in the peace corps. I have heard how difficult that is and I want to thank you for doing work that will make the world a better place and hopefully give Americans a better reputation.
-Sallison