MD ive decided to quit grad school and pursue my dream.

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

I'm about to complete my 2nd year in a chemistry PhD program in Texas, and it's simply not something that i have the heart to pursue anymore. I've decided to leave with my masters instead (my research deals with disease progression). I want to pursue or at least attempt for the first time getting into a medical program.

Back when i when i was an undergrad i didn't have the opportunity to apply because i was not a citizen or permanent resident, as a result applying to med school as an international student was nearly impossible because of the inability to get federal loans let alone getting any serious consideration from any program (i was told this when i contacted admissions at a variety of schools). However, my situation has changed and iam now a permanent resident.

My current situation is the following, iam 26 and i completed by BS in chemistry in 2010. I have a 3.68 overall undergrad GPA, my current graduate GPA is a 3.7. I have 3 publications in the works right now where i will be first author and i have 1 publication where iam 4th author (a review article). I have presented my research in a variety of national conferences as well. I have teaching experience because of being a TA and i have mentored a number of undergrads doing research in our lab under me. Iam trilingual (spanish, portuguese). I have not taken the MCAT yet so i will be studying diligently this summer as i wrap up my masters. My clinical experience is very little (less than 40 hrs).

Do you guys think its worth a shot? i feel old lol but i know its never too late. I will be applying to the majority of the medical schools in Texas. What do you guys think i should beef up on and what MCAT score should i shoot for?

Thanks for the help guys.

You are in great shape to apply for the 2013-2014 cycle, starting medical school in 2014. You have great research experience and your GPA is fine. But - you do not have much clinical experience and you have not taken your MCAT. Use the next year to get lots of clinical/shadowing experience and take your MCAT. A score of 32 or above should give you an awesome chance at being accepted at one of the Texas schools.

If you decide to apply now for the 2012-2013 cycle you might get in somewhere but your lack of clinical experience will hurt - also you won't be able to get your MCAT scores early. Definitely apply in 2013 and you will have a great chance

I wish you luck in your medical school ventures. I am currently in a M.S. program for speech-language pathology and was told by quite a few schools that quitting would only hurt my chances of getting into a school. Thus, I am "forced" to finish the program and graduate (Spring 2013), complete 1 year of post-bacc classes, and apply for the 2015 class. I wish I had enough guts to quit my program now (as two of my professors said they wished they would have done when they were my age to pursue medicine) and attempt entrance into medical school, but I feel as though it won't look good on an application.


Here's to the long road!

Originally Posted by ag9124

I'm about to complete my 2nd year in a chemistry PhD program in Texas, and it's simply not something that i have the heart to pursue anymore. I've decided to leave with my masters instead (my research deals with disease progression). I want to pursue or at least attempt for the first time getting into a medical program.

Back when i when i was an undergrad i didn't have the opportunity to apply because i was not a citizen or permanent resident, as a result applying to med school as an international student was nearly impossible because of the inability to get federal loans let alone getting any serious consideration from any program (i was told this when i contacted admissions at a variety of schools). However, my situation has changed and iam now a permanent resident.

My current situation is the following, iam 26 and i completed by BS in chemistry in 2010. I have a 3.68 overall undergrad GPA, my current graduate GPA is a 3.7. I have 3 publications in the works right now where i will be first author and i have 1 publication where iam 4th author (a review article). I have presented my research in a variety of national conferences as well. I have teaching experience because of being a TA and i have mentored a number of undergrads doing research in our lab under me. Iam trilingual (spanish, portuguese). I have not taken the MCAT yet so i will be studying diligently this summer as i wrap up my masters. My clinical experience is very little (less than 40 hrs).

Do you guys think its worth a shot? i feel old lol but i know its never too late. I will be applying to the majority of the medical schools in Texas. What do you guys think i should beef up on and what MCAT score should i shoot for?

Thanks for the help guys.

I agree with bigloley that it would be premature to apply at this time. Besides getting in more clinical experience (for which the average listed is 1.5 years) and the need for physician shadowing, I strongly suggest some nonmedical community service that helps the poor and maybe some peer leadership. The teaching and mentoring are great to see. Your research will strengthen your application (and accepted publications would add extra luster), but probably not enough to get adcomms to overlook your other weaknesses if you don't fix them first. On top of all that, applying early next season gives you better overall chances due to the timing, as well an improved odds of an acceptance at a school you'd really love to attend.

I also forgot to mention, I have 3 Cs in my transcript and one W. This is all within the last year and a half of my undergrad career. However, this is mainly attributed to the fact that i was working 40hrs a week due to the serious financial situation my family found themselves in at the time, i absolutely had to help out. How will this affect me?

Most importantly, as you've read i mentioned that i barely became a permanent resident (its been 2 yrs now). My previous status was that of an undocumented immigrant from mexico. I arrived to the US at the age of 5 with my parents on tourist visa's and we simply overstayed.We were fleeing extreme poverty, we arrived with a briefcase full of clothes and 300$ as all of our possessions. The mere fact that i was able to attain a higher education was pretty much a miracle since there is only a handful of states allowing undocumented immigrants access to higher education and now TX is about to revoke this.

I understand that today their is an underlying resentment in the American population towards illegal immigrants. But, this situation has defined me as the person that i am today and my perspective on life has been shaped by the obstacles i have encountered through out my every day life. I take nothing for granted. Hell, the simple privilege of being able to get a driver's license was not bestowed upon me till a year ago. My greatest desire has always been to earn my right to reside in this country and what better way than by obtaining an education and becoming an asset.

I am in a dilemma as to whether i should mention this in my personal statement. Do you think this could affect my application in a negative manner?

Life story aside, what do you guys think of the University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine as a fall back school if the MD apps fall through? cGPA is 3.59 and sGPA is 3.49 with a 27 MCAT are the 2011 class statistics. Oh, and i am considered a TX resident in case you were wondering.

Thanks for reading the super long post

Originally Posted by ag9124

1) I also forgot to mention, I have 3 Cs in my transcript and one W. This is all within the last year and a half of my undergrad career. However, this is mainly attributed to the fact that i was working 40hrs a week due to the serious financial situation my family found themselves in at the time, i absolutely had to help out. How will this affect me?

Most importantly, as you've read i mentioned that i barely became a permanent resident (its been 2 yrs now). My previous status was that of an undocumented immigrant from mexico. I arrived to the US at the age of 5 with my parents on tourist visa's and we simply overstayed.We were fleeing extreme poverty, we arrived with a briefcase full of clothes and 300$ as all of our possessions. The mere fact that i was able to attain a higher education was pretty much a miracle since there is only a handful of states allowing undocumented immigrants access to higher education and now TX is about to revoke this.

I understand that today their is an underlying resentment in the American population towards illegal immigrants. But, this situation has defined me as the person that i am today and my perspective on life has been shaped by the obstacles i have encountered through out my every day life. I take nothing for granted. Hell, the simple privilege of being able to get a driver's license was not bestowed upon me till a year ago. My greatest desire has always been to earn my right to reside in this country and what better way than by obtaining an education and becoming an asset.

2) I am in a dilemma as to whether i should mention this in my personal statement. Do you think this could affect my application in a negative manner?

3) Life story aside, what do you guys think of the University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine as a fall back school if the MD apps fall through? cGPA is 3.59 and sGPA is 3.49 with a 27 MCAT are the 2011 class statistics. Oh, and i am considered a TX resident in case you were wondering.

1) Since you still have a 3.65 uGPA despite those Cs, I doubt you will be hurt by them. If your grades were better the last semester of college, having that upward grade trend would be helpful. And if they weren't, I hope adcomms will consider the improvement that your grad grades show.

2) I don't know the prevailing opinion in Texas, but certainly elsewhere there is sympathy for those in your family's position. If you feel you'd be more politically correct, don't feel compelled to mention that you were an illegal immigrant. That you were an immigrant of any kind was sufficiently challenging.

3) TCOM isn't a fallback school, it's an excellent school. Definitely include it.