Low GPA to Informal Post Bacc

[mrlonely09]

Hello,

I'm a premed who recently graduated from Cal last spring (2020) with a degree in Cognitive Science. Due to several factors, my cumulative GPA was 2.3. Terrible, I know, but will this make it truly impossible to ever get into medical school?

Based on preliminary research, it seems that the best way forward would be to do an informal post-bacc and raising my GPA to something above 3.0 at least. For the informal post-bacc, I was planning on taking courses either at UCI or Irvine Valley College (CC). Which would be a better choice?

From that point on, what would be my next best course of action(s)? Thank you for your help.

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[Nugester]

Hello,

I'm a premed who recently graduated from Cal last spring (2020) with a degree in Cognitive Science. Due to several factors, my cumulative GPA was 2.3. Terrible, I know, but will this make it truly impossible to ever get into medical school?

Impossible? No. Hard? Yes. n=1, but I did it and now finishing my first year. Read Goro's guide on this forum. It has oodles of information. Overall, you will need to show sustained excellence in your post-bacc and apply broadly when you are ready.

Based on preliminary research, it seems that the best way forward would be to do an informal post-bacc and raising my GPA to something above 3.0 at least. For the informal post-bacc, I was planning on taking courses either at UCI or Irvine Valley College (CC). Which would be a better choice?

From that point on, what would be my next best course of action(s)? Thank you for your help.

I don't think it matters where you take it, more so you get all As.

It will be daunting and rough, but it can be done. There is a thread about people that were accepted <~ 3.0 on this forum.

 

[Calizboosted76]

As @Nugester said. No it will not be impossible. Hard and lengthily for sure. However if you put your everything into it than you will make it.

@Goro has helped me along my path from a 2.6 cGPA to a medical school acceptance. It took a little longer than normal (I took two years of 15-18 credit hours of upper division science classes per semester to show that I could take on medical school rigors) but I wouldn't change it for the world. I am by far much more mature now than I was when I thought I was ready to start medical school those years ago.

Other things to do while you are showing that you have reinvented yourself through course work is to establish solid relationships with your professors and get into a clinical setting (scribing is my recommendation) and also build solid relationships with the physicians that you are working with. DO THIS EARLY ON. If you wait until the last minute you will get Pi$$ poor letters of recommendation when the time comes. I started this early and now have very close relationships with the physicians and professors. (My letters were outstanding from the interviewers perspective).

The osteopathic world is very small as well (one of my interviewers actually mentioned knowing one of my letter writers and how highly that person spoke of me was a sign that they should accept me), if you plan to have DO schools on your list, make sure that you are getting letters (More than one if possible) from osteopathic physicians.

Good luck.

 

[mrlonely09]

Impossible? No. Hard? Yes. n=1, but I did it and now finishing my first year. Read Goro's guide on this forum. It has oodles of information. Overall, you will need to show sustained excellence in your post-bacc and apply broadly when you are ready.

I don't think it matters where you take it, more so you get all As.

It will be daunting and rough, but it can be done. There is a thread about people that were accepted <~ 3.0 on this forum.

Nugester, thank you for your response! I just read Goro's guide on the non-trad applicant; he mentions either a DIY post-bacc for 1-2 years or SMP. Generally speaking, would you recommend completing an SMP in addition to a DIY post-bacc?

 

[mrlonely09]

@Goro has helped me along my path from a 2.6 cGPA to a medical school acceptance. It took a little longer than normal (I took two years of 15-18 credit hours of upper division science classes per semester to show that I could take on medical school rigors) but I wouldn't change it for the world. I am by far much more mature now than I was when I thought I was ready to start medical school those years ago.

Other things to do while you are showing that you have reinvented yourself through course work is to establish solid relationships with your professors and get into a clinical setting (scribing is my recommendation) and also build solid relationships with the physicians that you are working with. DO THIS EARLY ON. If you wait until the last minute you will get Pi$$ poor letters of recommendation when the time comes. I started this early and now have very close relationships with the physicians and professors. (My letters were outstanding from the interviewers perspective).

The osteopathic world is very small as well (one of my interviewers actually mentioned knowing one of my letter writers and how highly that person spoke of me was a sign that they should accept me), if you plan to have DO schools on your list, make sure that you are getting letters (More than one if possible) from osteopathic physicians.

Good luck.

Calizboosted76, thank you for sharing your inspiring story. I truly respect it and hope to do the same soon.

I had a few more specific questions that I would be really thankful for your input on:

1. As I majored in Cognitive Science (essentially a variation of Computer Science major), I have not taken any pre-reqs required for DO/MD schools other than single variable calculus. For this calculus course, in my first year I received an F and after retaking it a year later received a solid C. Should I retake this "pre-req" at a CC?

2. I've heard that most adcoms question the rigor of taking all of one's pre-reqs at CC. Unfortunately, this seems to be my only option. Do you think this would already prevent me from ever being accepted into med school?

3. Upon completing my DIY post-bacc at CC, if I received LORs solely from my professors at CC, would this also nullify my chance of getting accepted into med school?

Thank you for all of your valuable insight and I will definitely search for opportunities to serve as a scribe.

 

[Nugester]

Nugester, thank you for your response! I just read Goro's guide on the non-trad applicant; he mentions either a DIY post-bacc for 1-2 years or SMP. Generally speaking, would you recommend completing an SMP in addition to a DIY post-bacc?

Hey,

I'd only consider a SMP after a failed cycle (assuming your MCAT, post-bacc--- overall app is good). A note about SMPs though: these are known to be high risk, high reward. If you choose to do one, unless you get close to a 4.0, you may significantly decrease your chances. Also, you should get your current GPA up to be able to apply to these programs. Good luck!

 

[mrlonely09]

Hey,

I'd only consider a SMP after a failed cycle (assuming your MCAT, post-bacc--- overall app is good). A note about SMPs though: these are known to be high risk, high reward. If you choose to do one, unless you get close to a 4.0, you may significantly decrease your chances. Also, you should get your current GPA up to be able to apply to these programs. Good luck!

I'll definitely keep this in mind when applying next year. Thank you for the great advice!!

 

[Calizboosted76]

1. As I majored in Cognitive Science (essentially a variation of Computer Science major), I have not taken any pre-reqs required for DO/MD schools other than single variable calculus. For this calculus course, in my first year I received an F and after retaking it a year later received a solid C. Should I retake this "pre-req" at a CC?

I would not retake it as long as it wasn’t a c-. Also Calculus is not a pre req at most schools. Just to ease your mind, I retook two classes three times (micro bio and algebra, crazy because I took calf and did fine and took advanced micro bio and did amazing).

2. I've heard that most adcoms question the rigor of taking all of one's pre-reqs at CC. Unfortunately, this seems to be my only option. Do you think this would already prevent me from ever being accepted into med school?

No I do not. I went to a community college that turned into a 4 year school and maintained the community college feel and I still was able to gain acceptances. I think you’ll be fine. Also you’re a career changer so CC is a good option.

3. Upon completing my DIY post-bacc at CC, if I received LORs solely from my professors at CC, would this also nullify my chance of getting accepted into med school?

No. See above answer as all of my letters were from community college professors.

Goodluck and feel free to message me.

 

[mrlonely09]

Hi, Calizboosted76 and Nugester.

I just wanted to provide an update that I received my first DO acceptance last week. Thanks for the help and I hope you two are doing well wherever you two are! 😊

-mrlonely09

 

[Calizboosted76]

Hi, Calizboosted76 and Nugester.

I just wanted to provide an update that I received my first DO acceptance last week. Thanks for the help and I hope you two are doing well wherever you two are! 😊

-mrlonely09

Congratulations! Keep up the hard work and you will undoubtedly succeed.

 

[BlackWidow88X]

Hi, Calizboosted76 and Nugester.

I just wanted to provide an update that I received my first DO acceptance last week. Thanks for the help and I hope you two are doing well wherever you two are! 😊

-mrlonely09

I don't think I've ever seen someone come back to a post 2 years later with such an amazing update. Just finished applying to a few SMPs so this gives me hope.

 

[Nugester]

I'm back to say congrats, happy for y'all!

 

[Member2223]

Hi, Calizboosted76 and Nugester.

I just wanted to provide an update that I received my first DO acceptance last week. Thanks for the help and I hope you two are doing well wherever you two are! 😊

-mrlonely09

What a wonderful update, congratulations on your acceptance!

Could you give a rundown of what approach you ended up taking that ultimately led to your success?

 

[bnessa]

Hi,
I am only posting this question here because I come back on this forum often for motivation.

I am someone who is just starting her DIY post bacc. I am taking Cell Micro and Medical Micro at UCSD Extension.

I also work in clinical research full-time at Yale University, so I can't take classes in person.

How many courses or hours do I need to take? Is there a specific course hours I should be targeting? Both of my current courses are 3 credit hours each.

Thank you

 

[mrlonely09]

What a wonderful update, congratulations on your acceptance!

Could you give a rundown of what approach you ended up taking that ultimately led to your success?

Hi,
I am only posting this question here because I come back on this forum often for motivation.

I am someone who is just starting her DIY post bacc. I am taking Cell Micro and Medical Micro at UCSD Extension.

I also work in clinical research full-time at Yale University, so I can't take classes in person.

How many courses or hours do I need to take? Is there a specific course hours I should be targeting? Both of my current courses are 3 credit hours each.

Thank you

Hi, apologies for the late response! I'll do my best to pay it forward and answer both of your inquiries:

The overall approach I took was to listen to the advice of others (e.g., Goro, the kind fellows above, etc.) and simply give my best every single day.

Looking back, I would emphasize the specifics less and focus more on my overall application (i.e., focusing on simply maximizing my cGPA/sGPA instead of worrying about end values). The only exception to this would be making sure your scores are above the minimum cutoffs for most schools (e.g., cGPA >= 3.0, MCAT >= 500) so that you don't get screened out by any school-specific algorithms.

Focus on building good relationships with your professors if you're doing a post-bacc and make sure to keep in touch in case you need to apply twice (I did).

If you end up taking an MCAT course such as TPR, make sure you stay on track with the course itself and really trust the advisors there instead of trying to constantly study ahead or concurrently divide your attention to other resources at the same time.

Even if your scores are great, your essay is what will ultimately decide whether you receive interviews. Amazingly, even if your scores are below the average scores at a specific school, your essay can truly make a difference in your chances of receiving an interview. Don't underestimate this and make sure to get lots of feedback/honest criticism when writing your PS and secondaries.

Hang tough and best of luck to both of you!