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- Jan 28, 2022
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Hello, I started my DIY post-bacc during the Summer '22, and completed all of the pre-reqs (except biochemistry) from then until Summer '23 (1yr total).
Since the end of this Summer, I've spent 3 months of full-time MCAT studying and I am scheduled to take it in January. I am performing fine (507 average FL) but B/B section is consistently a weakness of mine, especially in the experiment/research based sections. It is like learning a new language with a lot of the technicalities; while I know the theory (I had to self-teach myself Biochem), without real life practice it's difficult to make the connections oftentimes when presented with a technical experiment question.
Coming from a non-science background with a sub-par undergrad GPA (3.0 upward trend), I planned to really hone in on the theme of reinvention. I've done well so far in my post-bacc (4.0 over 40 credits), but MCAT is a very important metric to fit my narrative and hopefully put to rest any doubts about academic capability.
I'm entertaining the idea of delaying my application cycle by 1 year. I would then use the remainder of the year to catch up on clinical hours (I have 400 so far), perform research (I was recently accepted into a Summer program), and really hone in on the MCAT. Having studied for 3 months, I now know the reality of this exam and where to really focus on.
This upcoming Spring semester I plan to finish my biochem pre-req but also take some upper division courses in genetics, cell & molecular biology, and molecular bio lab in order to gain formal experience in the subject matter. I believe this may help me have a stronger background in my weak area, and the extra 12 credits will also provide an opportunity for my cGPA to rise to a 3.4.
Would it look disadvantageous to my application to take a "gap year" after my post-bacc? Perhaps ADCOMS may think that having everything spread out over 3 years from start to finish might be not as rigorous as those who did a 1 year post-bacc and applied straight after?
I'd appreciate any insight.
Since the end of this Summer, I've spent 3 months of full-time MCAT studying and I am scheduled to take it in January. I am performing fine (507 average FL) but B/B section is consistently a weakness of mine, especially in the experiment/research based sections. It is like learning a new language with a lot of the technicalities; while I know the theory (I had to self-teach myself Biochem), without real life practice it's difficult to make the connections oftentimes when presented with a technical experiment question.
Coming from a non-science background with a sub-par undergrad GPA (3.0 upward trend), I planned to really hone in on the theme of reinvention. I've done well so far in my post-bacc (4.0 over 40 credits), but MCAT is a very important metric to fit my narrative and hopefully put to rest any doubts about academic capability.
I'm entertaining the idea of delaying my application cycle by 1 year. I would then use the remainder of the year to catch up on clinical hours (I have 400 so far), perform research (I was recently accepted into a Summer program), and really hone in on the MCAT. Having studied for 3 months, I now know the reality of this exam and where to really focus on.
This upcoming Spring semester I plan to finish my biochem pre-req but also take some upper division courses in genetics, cell & molecular biology, and molecular bio lab in order to gain formal experience in the subject matter. I believe this may help me have a stronger background in my weak area, and the extra 12 credits will also provide an opportunity for my cGPA to rise to a 3.4.
Would it look disadvantageous to my application to take a "gap year" after my post-bacc? Perhaps ADCOMS may think that having everything spread out over 3 years from start to finish might be not as rigorous as those who did a 1 year post-bacc and applied straight after?
I'd appreciate any insight.
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