For those who completed a post-bacc, how many total credits did you end up taking?
At what point would you consider it “too many” post-bacc credits? Is there a point where continuing to take more undergraduate science courses stops being worth it for GPA repair, and an SMP or another option makes more sense?
Just trying to get an idea of what others have done!
Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice on what to do academically before applying to medical school in 2027.
I’m about to finish a formal post-bacc program and have completed about 34 credits so far. My post-bacc GPA is currently around a 3.0, which is lower than I was hoping for. At this point, the only prerequisite I have left is biochemistry, so taking just that one class obviously isn’t going to move my GPA very much.
My biggest issue was my first year. I work full-time and unfortunately can’t afford to stop working. I took on way too many science classes/labs at once while working, and my grades suffered pretty badly. I was also diagnosed with ADHD in the middle of the program, which helped explain some of the issues I was having and allowed me to make some changes.
Since then, I’ve cut back to 1–2 classes per semester, and there has been a clear upward trend. I’ve generally been averaging around a 3.3–3.5 each semester since changing my course load.
Since I want to apply in 2027, I’m considering continuing to take upper-division science courses after I technically finish the requirements of my formal post-bacc.
For anyone who has been in a similar situation:
I know a 3.0 post-bacc GPA isn’t ideal, so I’m trying to be realistic rather than rush my application. I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who worked full-time during their post-bacc or had a similar GPA/upward trend.
Thanks!