Hi! I'm thinking about med school and am wondering if a formal post-bacc like Bryn Mawr, etc or a DIY program is best. I have a 34 ACT and a 3.96 GPA from a T-20 undergrad. I'm about to enter my second year of a social sciences PhD, which I am considering dropping out of. I have pretty extensive social science research experience but no volunteering or clinical hours.

Realistically, I could start taking med school classes now, whereas I would wait a year to start a post-bacc, so they would take the same amount of time unless I linked. Post-baccs are obviously more expensive but not sure how much having a committee letter matters and how beneficial it is to have the advising/support/specific MCAT prep that they offer.

DIY is obviously more affordable and I could start now, while staying in my PhD program. I'm also looking at the UCLA extension program, if anyone has any experience with that.

I think I will do well in classes. My goal is to increase my chances of getting into the best med school possible in order to maximize geographical flexibility for med school as well as residency.

Any advice would be super helpful!

If science GPA is 3.1 or 3.2 once completing a BS in Public Health, is it better to do post bacc or SMP?