another premed hopeful.. please take the time to read!

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>Hello!
I am a pre-med student at UCSD currently finishing up my third year. I come to CC with the hope that you will offer me some advice on how to proceed given my situation. I made a lot of poor decisions my freshman and sophomore years in college and really messed up my GPA. I think it was from depression, although I'm not completely sure since I never went to any professional and wasn't officially diagnosed with it. There’s a long story behind it. What I felt during those two years was probably the most excruciating emotional pain I have ever felt. I wasn't suicidal, but also I didn't try to live in the best way that I can. I hardly ate and just felt drained all the time. I laid in bed a lot and was very hopeless. I did not care about my grades, so I ended up failing a couple of classes and got straight C's. It would hurt me a lot that I was failing in school, but I felt like I deserved it, so I let it go on. This is the best way that I can express it. Can anyone relate to this feeling?</p>

<p>Anyway, in the middle/end of my senior year, I met my current boyfriend. He was a big source of encouragement and inspiration for me. I remember that every time I got a subpar grade, I would relapse again into that tiredness and hopelessness. BUT I got better and from there on out I never received anything lower than a B. My freshman grade GPA was about a 1.9. I currently have a 2.9 (3.5 major GPA) and about to cross the 3.0 mark because I have maintained a 3.7 for the past couple of quarters. I think that this experience has really shaped my focus and interest towards rehabilitation, because I felt like I went through a mental rehab of my own. I discovered osteopathic medicine after volunteering in a local hospital and have fell in love with it since. I have never been happier and more hopeful. </p>

<p>My problems are:
My GPA will only be a 3.0. I have one more year to raise it, but it won’t be much help since I have accumulated many units. </p>

<p>I have only taken the gen chem series for prereqs during my freshman year and have failed them/ C- them (I have also failed/C the two college English classes & calculus). </p>

<p>Also, I will only have enough time to finish my degree and won’t be able to take the prereqs by the time I graduate.</p>

<p>I did no extra curriculars/leadership/volunteer/clinical experience my freshman and sophomore year. I did a little volunteering, work, and one internship from then on because I was afraid my GPA would slip.</p>

<p>So my questions are:
Should I try to apply to a post bacc with the GPA that I will have at the end of my senior year? Given my trends, I think I will still be able to maintain that quarterly 3.7, but it will probably only bring me to a 3.1. Also, I am doing splendid in bio!</p>

<p>If yes to the above, does it matter that I will not be completing the post bacc at a prestigious university with high med school matriculation data because I have a low GPA?
Will it look bad if I started EC’s/volunteer/research this year? I probably won’t be able to acquire a leadership role :/ because I have little experience in anything. </p>

<p>Do you recommend that I take a gap year, then post bacc (then masters?), and then try to apply to med school? I have also considered the career of occupational therapy as well. I find health careers that have to do with rehabilitation wonderful, but I feel that the career of a physician gives me more autonomy and a more comprehensive knowledge/expertise. Plus, I enjoy school! </p>

<p>Thanks CC community and sorry for long post :(. I know it looks bleak, but I am still optimistic! Any constructive advice/suggestions would be helpful.</p>

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<p>bumppp!!!</p>

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<p>Considering your situation both academically and mentally I would say finish your degree and get your life on track. It sounds like you had a lot of struggle (which happens) but do some volunteering in clinical settings and community. Then I would suggest retaking some of the courses you did poor in as a post bacc (AMCAS views your Post Bacc GPA separately than your undergrad).</p>

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<p>^^Not entirely correct re: the post-bacc & grades.</p>

<p>First of all allopathic medical schools do not allow grade replacement. If any course is re-taken, both the original and the re-taken grade must be reported and both will both be averaged together in the cGPA and sGPA calculations on your AMCAS application.</p>

<p>Post-bacc grades are NOT calculated and considered separately from undergrad grades **unless the post-bacc is a graduate level post bacc **. </p>

<p>A formal or informal post-bacc that includes only undergraduate classes (such as a career changer might take) will be included in undergrad GPA calculations. (D1 did the career changer thing after she graduated and that’s how AMCAS handled her grades.)</p>

<p>~~~~~</p>

<p>OP-- you need to spend some time getting your life and your head together. Don’t worry about med school for now. It will still be there when you’re ready.</p>

<p>Graduate, volunteer, do some physician shadowing, find a job to put a roof over your head and food on your table. Once you feel stable and you’ve put some distance between you and your old bad grades (probably 2 years), THEN go back to school. You can go full time or part time–depending on your personal situation and finances. Formal post-baccs can be expensive and you will not be eligible for any FA except for unsub federal loans.</p>

<p>Since you have unacceptable/failing grades in all of your med school pre-reqs, you’ll need a career changer post bacc for those without any science/math pre-reqs completed. If finances are an issue, take the coursework part-time at a local state U. It really doesn’t matter all that much where you took the coursework so long as your new grades are all very, very good (you cannot afford another C not matter what!) and your MCAT score is competitive.</p>

<p>If you can do the above, you won’t need a graduate-level grade enhancer post-bacc.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your replies! They are very insightful! I misspoke. I just finished my junior year and about to be in my senior year, so I have one more year of undergrad left! </p>

<p>In response to your posts…I have been getting everything together. Everything is a lot better now. I haven’t been getting anything lower than a B since my junior year, but it’s not enough to offset the bad grades. I wanted to apply to a career changer post bacc next winter/spring but I am just afraid that I don’t have the extra curriculars/clinical experience to make it into a post bacc.</p>

<p>Does anyone know if the post bacc’s count your GPA up until you applied? Or until you’ve graduated?</p>

<p>Thank again!</p>

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<p>Post baccs look at the your cGPA/transcript at the time of your application. </p>

<p>(Think about it. Why would they delay their decisions until they receive your final grades? The program administrators have deadlines to meet too.)</p>

<p>You will be able to update your application as new quarter grades become available. (The program may or may not to consider them.)</p>

<p>Career changer post-baccs generally don’t expect major medically related ECs from applicants.</p>