Hello everyone! I am pretty new to the OPM forum, and I wanted to get some feedback about Academic Ehncancement Post Bacc Programs since I am having some set backs and need some advice.
I graduated with a 2.68, MCAT score of 20, and I have been unsuccessful in gaining acceptance into a post bacc program. Every one I have found states that they want a 3.0 or 2.75. When I’ve contacted them about if volunteer/work experience would compensate, they stated that they are very strict about the GPA requirement and would only be less strict if I had a 3.0 in my last two years. Well, for me, that’s when my grades slipped for a number of reasons. I was most recently denied into one with a 2.70 GPA requirement. (and I’ll be applying to Tulane in a few months, but even though theirs is a 2.5, they state that most of their students average accepted GPA is a 3.4)
My undergrad advisors are thinking that the best thing to do would be to get another Bachelor’s degree (even though I just graduated with a BS in Biology two years ago) if I can’t get in to a Post Bacc program. They say these programs are designed for students with a 3.0 or above, but from what I’ve read from some of you OPM members, that doesn’t seem to necessarily be the case. I would much rather prove myself as a competitive applicant in an MS program rather than starting over (although I will if it is my only option).
Where did some of you guys do post Bac work, and do you know of any more schools that would accept a GPA such as mine? I have just been unfruitfull on AAMCs website of approved Post Bacc programs.
I found out about these programs only a few months ago, and it is very comfprting to have found this forum… I am not alone!! 
I have been reading posts and replies from a lot of users who had less than average undergrad GPAs, but turned everything around with Post Bacc work. I’m just really excited and ready to raise my GPA to show that I’m more serious than ever about med school. Thanks for any advice and imput!!
At this point, you gotta be willing to do what’s necessary which won’t be easy, because you have both a low undergrad GPA and MCAT score holding you back. But you’ll notice a recurring theme on this website of biting the bullet and doing what needs to be done and having success in the (not so near) future.
I was in a similar situation as you when I finished my first undergrad degree and was told that to even have a shot at grad school/post bacc/MS with linkage to med school, I would need to get a second degree, which I did in Chemistry. Getting this second degree was not only the stepping stone I needed to get into grad school which I also did and finished, I was also able to get accepted to med school too after I finished grad school(I didn’t matriculate).
This path isn’t going to be easy and you’re going to need to be willing to work hard in your classes AND be patient because of the money and time you’ll need to invest over the course of a few years.
I’ve put in an applicaiton to a second degree program in my hometown where I could live rent free while going to school. Did you get your second degree in the same major as your first?Would med schools look down on that and be more impressed with good grades in another program such a Chemistry or even boichemistry? Even thoguh I’m still relatively young, I was hoping to do well enough in a second undergrad, retake the MCAT, and go straight into med school. Thanks for your input!
- fhayes85 Said:
You're quite welcome! Most places won't allow you to earn a second degree in the same area as your first than I know of. But no, my first degree (Eastern Philosophy/Religion) was very different than my second (Chemistry).
I'd say pick a major you'll enjoy and which will allow you to retake any med school pre preqs and somewhat prepare you for the first year med school curriculum.
My second bachelor’s was in a field different from my first. I am very glad to have taken a different route the second time, for many reasons, including the variety of education. This is a chance for you to explore your interests.
You did a degre in biology; marvelous. How about a second degree in physics? You would be well-prepared to nail the MCAT in that area. Do you enjoy physics and math? Speaking from experience, I’ll tell you that you cannot go wrong getting a physics BS. It will help you indirectly in everything you ever do, even if (like me) you never directly use the degree and only rarely directly apply the knowledge.
IF – this is important – you enjoy physics. Otherwise, don’t bother; it will only be a drag on your studies and spirits.
How about Italian? Why not dust off your use of la bella lingua that you learned during that semester abroad in Rome? Mamma mia, you will learn so much about languages in general (and Latin, and English) that you will get a real step up in the MCAT Verbal section. And you’ll be able to read Dante’s La divina commedia, Boccaccio’s Decameron, and Petrarch’s Canzoniere in the originals. Speaking, reading, and studying Italian AND getting a degree for it. What more can you want?
Assuming you enjoy studying Italian, of course.
Find something you enjoy and would love to become more proficient in – elementary education, meteorology, 16th-century English poetry, cello chamber music, mechanical engineering – and lay yourself out a plan for getting a degree in it. Then have at it, and enjoy every step of the journey, including the tough parts.
If all works out well, in a few years you will have a newly minted bachelor’s degree with a high GPA in that degree and you’ll find yourself in medical school. And if that doesn’t happen, well, you still have a second bachelor’s degree in something you enjoy, and your whole life ahead of you to enjoy it (or to reapply to medical school). It’s a can’t-lose proposition.
Thanks for all the response guys!! I start my second degree program in2 weeks, and have my course schedule and books, and I couldn’t be happier to get things started
I was thinking, is it common for a second degree student to go straight into medical school, or should I plan for a Post Bacc program beforhand? I’m fine taking the long road to get there, but was just curious if I could start thinking about med school apps since this program should only take me a little over two years.
Thanks again for all the helpful advice!!!
It IS normal for a second degree student to go straight to medical school, and you have the additional advantage of being able to apply prior to your last year getting the degree (instead of having a “glide” year").
See, those of us who take a postbac take MCAT’s during our spring semester (when we’ve had at least part of the second semester of all the core requirements). Then apply in the spring (say June), for the FOLLOWING year’s medical school class. Interview (hopefully) in the fall, start hearing from programs October on, or thereabouts, start the following year in August.
Traditional applicants (and those taking a second bachelor’s) can (if they have enough of the requirements) take MCAT’s in the spring of their junior year, apply in June of their junior year.
Then go to interviews during fall semester of the senior year, graduate in the spring, and start that same year in the fall.
If you will not be taking most of the prereqs till your senior year, however, then you may delay MCAT’s till then and still plan on a “glide year” between college and med school.
Kate