Taking Time for Improving Grades

I took time off to do a post-bac program. During my senior year I realized my GPA was just too low for me to get into med school. I had been trying to raise my GPA ever since my disastrous freshman year. I thought that by the end of my senior year I'd be ready to apply, so I'd just have one year between college and medical school.

By my senior year the rest of my credentials were really good, and I figured I could get good letters of recommendation, but I still needed better grades. I looked into doing a post-bac that would enhance my academic record. This meant it would be at least two more years before I was in med school: one year in the post-bac getting the better grades and then the year applying.

That was definitely a discouraging thought. Also, my parents really wanted me to "give it a shot" and apply a few places. The more I looked into applying, however, the more I realized it wasn't likely I'd be accepted. Taking the time to earn more good grades was what I really needed to do. I found a post-bac where I could stay a second year and finish a master's during the year I was applying, if I wanted to.

Doing the post-bac was one of the best decisions I ever made. I am now in medical school. As a senior I had a lot of things going for me, but I needed a stronger science GPA, and the post-bac did that for me.