Another Adcom, ask me (almost) anything

[Thpinky]

Hello thank you for doing this!

I was wondering should I submit my AMCAS application before I take my MCAT. I am planning to take my MCAT on July 18th and submitting my AMCAS app maybe mid June or the end of June. I'm sure my app will be verified long before my MCAT score arrives. I've been seeing a lot of conflicting opinions from previous threads on the same issue. The thing I'm most afraid of and I've read this from one of the old threads, is that some think adcoms will put your application aside until they get your MCAT and sometimes they forget to even look at it even after they get your MCAT score unless you get like a super high score. Please give me advice on this. Thank you.

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[hushcom]

i believe SUNY upstate does this

http://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/how_2_apply.php

"Students placed on the high priority alternate list may be called at anytime, up to and including the day of registration. The admissions office does not release information regarding individual placement on the alternate list."

 

[hushcom]

Hello thank you for doing this!

I was wondering should I submit my AMCAS application before I take my MCAT. I am planning to take my MCAT on July 18th and submitting my AMCAS app maybe mid June or the end of June. I'm sure my app will be verified long before my MCAT score arrives. I've been seeing a lot of conflicting opinions from previous threads on the same issue. The thing I'm most afraid of and I've read this from one of the old threads, is that some think adcoms will put your application aside until they get your MCAT and sometimes they forget to even look at it even after they get your MCAT score unless you get like a super high score. Please give me advice on this. Thank you.

AMCAS has changed a lot since I went through, so take this advice with a grain of salt. Somewhere on SDN, I think way back in this thread, a suggestion was made by another learned poster to submit to AMCAS and select only one "throwaway" school. This will get your application verified and ready to engage the moment your score comes back. Once that happens you can disseminate your now complete application to the schools where you want genuine consideration. Is this the best thing to do? I am not sure, but it might work for you.

 

[Thpinky]

AMCAS has changed a lot since I went through, so take this advice with a grain of salt. Somewhere on SDN, I think way back in this thread, a suggestion was made by another learned poster to submit to AMCAS and select only one "throwaway" school. This will get your application verified and ready to engage the moment your score comes back. Once that happens you can disseminate your now complete application to the schools where you want genuine consideration. Is this the best thing to do? I am not sure, but it might work for you.

Thank you for your reply!
Does the schools get your application and mcat score right away after you added the schools on AMCAS and have already verified with a "throwaway" school? Or would that still take a few weeks or a few days? Sorry. I am new to this and is a first time applicant.

 

[pandadawn]

Are there schools that will tell applicants where they are on the wait list?

Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota tells you your place on the waitlist. They put your ranking right in your letter, and then you can call/email whenever you like to get updates.

 

[Vain Brother]

http://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/how_2_apply.php

"Students placed on the high priority alternate list may be called at anytime, up to and including the day of registration. The admissions office does not release information regarding individual placement on the alternate list."

i (vaguely) remember the admissions dean saying they will give waitlist info at some point after interviews are over at my interview. and it looks like people in that thread are talking about it: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...lication-thread.1074038/page-23#post-16387705

i'm accepted there, not on the waitlist, so i haven't really thought about it since interview day. could be wrong

 

[spade92]

The standard practice is to only write letters that are positive, even if they are superficial. If this professor does not feel that he/she can do that, then he/she should not agree to do it. I would not lose any sleep over this, after a few years of service I have seen only 1-2 letters (out of thousands) that said anything overtly negative.

That's really good to know! Yeah I hope that if they agree they would only say positive things.

what kind of negative things did you read? I know they have to give an objective viewpoint but at what point does it become lethal? makes me wonder why these people bothered writing letters at all if they did not have anything good to say/felt compelled to include negative things

 

[hushcom]

Thank you for your reply!
Does the schools get your application and mcat score right away after you added the schools on AMCAS and have already verified with a "throwaway" school? Or would that still take a few weeks or a few days? Sorry. I am new to this and is a first time applicant.

To my knowledge the big delay is in verification. Once that is done, and your MCAT score is in, forwarding your completed app to schools happens within a day.

 

[Yusuke777]

So, is it frowned upon to get a letter of recommendation from a medical student? I've asked this before on another thread, but I just wanted to see what someone on an adcom thinks. Thanks!

 

[hushcom]

Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota tells you your place on the waitlist. They put your ranking right in your letter, and then you can call/email whenever you like to get updates.

Interesting. My most recent data indicate that Sanford got 120 in-state applicants, interviewed 114, and matriculated 48. It got 332 out-of-state applicants, interviewed 50, and matriculated 10. This approach does seem most feasible for a small public school.

 

[hushcom]

So, is it frowned upon to get a letter of recommendation from a medical student? I've asked this before on another thread, but I just wanted to see what someone on an adcom thinks. Thanks!

It will not carry any (positive) weight.

 

[pandadawn]

Interesting. My most recent data indicate that Sanford got 120 in-state applicants, interviewed 114, and matriculated 48. It got 332 out-of-state applicants, interviewed 50, and matriculated 10. This approach does seem most feasible for a small public school.

It's great to be in the loop!

 

[zindagi]

First off, thanks for taking the time to do this!

1. I'm hearing that abroad experiences are not typically looked at as particularly unique. However, I am sure this depends on the situation... a 2 week mission trip is certainly distinguishable from being awarded a competitive and stipended position for 6 months at public health organization in Africa, right?

2. I am planning to study Arabic abroad after submitting my application in June, as I have to travel for personal reasons. Is this worth mentioning in the current application?

 

[skippypeanutbutter]

Just tell me the MCAT score.

Edit: After consideration, I don't think you need to tell me the MCAT score. Suffice to say that most of our 10th percentile MCATers bring something to the table other than a high GPA and the usual EC's.

Thanks hushcom. Now that I think about it, I guess the real reason I asked that question is: Do you think a 4.0/29 would get screened out before the application hits the table at many schools? Thanks again.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Thanks hushcom. Now that I think about it, I guess the real reason I asked that question is: Do you think a 4.0/29 would get screened out before the application hits the table at many schools? Thanks again.

I have met multiple people who have 28s that are med students, most recently at UCSF.

 

[skippypeanutbutter]

I have met multiple people who have 28s that are med students, most recently at UCSF.

That's awesome and great to hear! Thanks CaliforniaDreamer.

 

[hushcom]

First off, thanks for taking the time to do this!

1. I'm hearing that abroad experiences are not typically looked at as particularly unique. However, I am sure this depends on the situation... a 2 week mission trip is certainly distinguishable from being awarded a competitive and stipended position for 6 months at public health organization in Africa, right?

Right.

2. I am planning to study Arabic abroad after submitting my application in June, as I have to travel for personal reasons. Is this worth mentioning in the current application?

I would not, although it might make good fodder for interview conversation.

 

[hushcom]

Thanks hushcom. Now that I think about it, I guess the real reason I asked that question is: Do you think a 4.0/29 would get screened out before the application hits the table at many schools? Thanks again.

No. I mean, your odds at Harvard, Hopkins, and Wash U are rather slim, but a 29 is well within the comfort zone of many, many schools.

You may find this data helpful: https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/app...mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html

 

[zindagi]

Right.

I would not, although it might make good fodder for interview conversation.

Thanks for the reply.
In that vein, I spent the latter half of 2014 in the middle east, while studying for the MCAT. The experience was valuable because I had the opportunity to live in a very different culture, but I'm not sure if I should include it anywhere on the application. Thoughts?

 

[Goro]

Outliers!

I have met multiple people who have 28s that are med students, most recently at UCSF.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Outliers!

Yes I would agree, the parcticular student I am referring to was in his late 20s and had been a school teacher for 4 years actually, and had a really amazing application otherwise.

 

[blah12346497]

Thank you @hushcom for your time and effort!

I have no EC's my freshman, sophmore, and part of junior year due to commuting 3 hours a day to and from school. I admit I could have done more during the weekends but that time was spent instead partying and spending time with family + friends. I have matured a lot during my last 2 years and am currently taking two gap years to build up EC's and do more community service. I have about four months of work experience in a clinic doing ACA enrollments and spent a summer in a third world country volunteering at underserved hospitals and schools. How would I compare (EC wise) to most of the other applicants with volunteer services since their freshman year? Also how would I explain having no EC's the first two years of my undergrad in a professional manner?

 

[hushcom]

Thank you @hushcom for your time and effort!

I have no EC's my freshman, sophmore, and part of junior year due to commuting 3 hours a day to and from school. I admit I could have done more during the weekends but that time was spent instead partying and spending time with family + friends. I have matured a lot during my last 2 years and am currently taking two gap years to build up EC's and do more community service. I have about four months of work experience in a clinic doing ACA enrollments and spent a summer in a third world country volunteering at underserved hospitals and schools. How would I compare (EC wise) to most of the other applicants with volunteer services since their freshman year? Also how would I explain having no EC's the first two years of my undergrad in a professional manner?

What you have shared would compare favorably to the applicants I generally see. I would not bother trying to explain an absence of early-mid college ECs in your application, focus on what's there instead of what is absent. The most I would do would be to indicate in the personal statement that you were super-commuting during undergrad, but only if it's germane to the rest of the story.

 

[hushcom]

Thanks for the reply.
In that vein, I spent the latter half of 2014 in the middle east, while studying for the MCAT. The experience was valuable because I had the opportunity to live in a very different culture, but I'm not sure if I should include it anywhere on the application. Thoughts?

I would probably include it in the experience section as time abroad. Quite a few people list their semesters abroad, and discuss how that time changed them for the better. Depending on where you were and what you were doing it could be an interesting and illuminating point of conversation.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

Hushcom, another question.

Being a veteran that was born (and enlisted) in the state of Texas, I get to participate in a program called Hazlewood Act, but I have to be in-state for a year before applying due to residency requirements. In a nutshell, they'll pay for up to 150 hours (about half of medical school?). I will be moving to NYC for the majority of my undergrad degree but plan on moving to Texas a year before I finish to establish residency. I always read that one should apply broadly, but given my situation and the fact that applying is pricey, should I even bother applying to schools that are OOS considering I will already be going through the hassle of moving back to Texas in order to apply for Hazlewood or should I just finish my degree in NYC and apply everywhere?

 

[hushcom]

Hushcom, another question.

Being a veteran that was born (and enlisted) in the state of Texas, I get to participate in a program called Hazlewood Act, but I have to be in-state for a year before applying due to residency requirements. In a nutshell, they'll pay for up to 150 hours (about half of medical school?). I will be moving to NYC for the majority of my undergrad degree but plan on moving to Texas a year before I finish to establish residency. I always read that one should apply broadly, but given my situation and the fact that applying is pricey, should I even bother applying to schools that are OOS considering I will already be going through the hassle of moving back to Texas in order to apply for Hazlewood or should I just finish my degree in NYC and apply everywhere?

That is a difficult question for me to address, since I know very little about you. That said, I have actually heard of the Hazlewood Act, and since you are from Texas, the prospect of attending one of the the already fine and inexpensive Texas medical schools at a deep discount is extremely appealing. There also would be nothing stopping you from applying outside of TMDSAS, obviously. While New York is certainly not a bad state to apply to medical school, if you have ties and a financial incentive I would head back down there.

 

[immoore]

Hi Hushcom,
Without telling my life story, how much does a grad school GPA (M.S. molecular bio) help or hurt? My GPA is about the same as my sGPA from undergrad (~3.36) which isn't great, but since my first time applying I've gotten way more research experience (including a poster presentation), had another year of healthcare experience, better LORs, better PS, and I'm on pace to raise my MCAT from a 28 (8/11/9) to hopefully the 80th percentile on this new MCAT. If I show a lot of improvements in other areas will my grad GPA play a huge affect? (I'm putting in around 35 hours a week in the lab working on my thesis project)

 

[mellie0]

I am a practicing physician who serves on the admissions committee of an allopathic medical school in the United States. I am also not new to SDN, having seen the cast of characters evolve here over a number of years. Some recent threads in the pre-allo forum have compelled me to start this one. While I am not a longstanding and venerated member of the committee, perhaps someone will find my two cents useful and/or interesting.

So please, have at it.

Hello Hushcom and Goro, and thank you both so much for doing this!

I have a few questions. I know length of commitment is important when it comes to EC's, but how would you view an applicant with 2 semesters of commitment per activity? I have done this with two of my clinical extracurriculars. (Two semesters each, and about 8 hours/week each). I'm also engaging in a third clinical activity just for a summer (~15 hours/week) -- is this okay? I'm concerned about length of commitment.

Also, would you regard doing one-on-one social work with patients in a clinic as clinical experience?

Last question. If I got involved in several short-term activities (Alternative Spring Break, etc.), how can I compile them together to make up for one entry on AMCAS? Do you suggest an alternative way of listing those? Should I leave them out of my application and talk about it on secondaries/interviews if applicable?

Thank you so much!

 

[hushcom]

Hi Hushcom,
Without telling my life story, how much does a grad school GPA (M.S. molecular bio) help or hurt? My GPA is about the same as my sGPA from undergrad (~3.36) which isn't great, but since my first time applying I've gotten way more research experience (including a poster presentation), had another year of healthcare experience, better LORs, better PS, and I'm on pace to raise my MCAT from a 28 (8/11/9) to hopefully the 80th percentile on this new MCAT. If I show a lot of improvements in other areas will my grad GPA play a huge affect? (I'm putting in around 35 hours a week in the lab working on my thesis project)

I do not see your grad GPA as being a huge factor in either direction. Perhaps a bit of a negative, since in most graduate programs A's are the rule rather than the exception. That said, you cannot do much about it at this point, so keep your focus on the rest of your application. A 3.36 sGPA with a 28 is not going to get much love in this world, but if you can bring the rest of your application up a bit (especially your MCAT) then you may have better luck.

 

[hushcom]

I have a few questions. I know length of commitment is important when it comes to EC's, but how would you view an applicant with 2 semesters of commitment per activity? I have done this with two of my clinical extracurriculars. (Two semesters each, and about 8 hours/week each). I'm also engaging in a third clinical activity just for a summer (~15 hours/week) -- is this okay? I'm concerned about length of commitment.

Two semesters at 8 hours a week would work out to about 200 hours by my estimation. That is actually quite good in this world, so I would not worry about it. It's the person with ten 20 hour activities who raises eyebrows.

Also, would you regard doing one-on-one social work with patients in a clinic as clinical experience?

Based on this sentence, yes.

Last question. If I got involved in several short-term activities (Alternative Spring Break, etc.), how can I compile them together to make up for one entry on AMCAS? Do you suggest an alternative way of listing those? Should I leave them out of my application and talk about it on secondaries/interviews if applicable?

I would not bother splitting them apart. List them individually but lower down than your more meaningful and time-intensive experiences.

 

[asdf123g]

1) If one of your LORs mentions that you volunteered at a place and you were a 'poor' volunteer yet the rest of your LOR's and reseme' say otherwise, what would an adcomm think of this? App killer?

2) How much does an alumni LOR help to get into a school? If for example, said school accepts few OOS applicants, do you think an alumni LOR would at the very least garner one an interview (granted the rest of the application is OK)?

Thanks hush!!!

 

[Necr0sis713]

Thanks for helping us out! I have a question :

Where on the application do you give information about your EC's?

I'm asking because although I feel like I can write a pretty good personal statement, I'm gonna have to devote a majority of it to talking about the ol "naive past and developing character through the experience" bit because my bad academic record early in college (no science classes though) However, I'm gonna have good post bacc grades in my science classes.

I only have limited space to simply briefly elaborate on my ECs but I cant go into complete detail into too many specifics. So I was hoping there was someplace else on the application where I can simply list my ECs

 

[Goro]

Something like this is an eye-opener, like a spot of dirt on a white canvas. You can be expected to be asked about your experiences. I, as an interviewer, might even call the LOR writer to suss out what's going on.

1) If one of your LORs mentions that you volunteered at a place and you were a 'poor' volunteer yet the rest of your LOR's and reseme' say otherwise, what would an adcomm think of this? App killer?

2) How much does an alumni LOR help to get into a school? If for example, said school accepts few OOS applicants, do you think an alumni LOR would at the very least garner one an interview (granted the rest of the application is OK)?

Thanks hush!!!

 

[asdf123g]

thanks

 

[Goro]

It would definitely raise an eyebrow. Negative comments of any sort are RARE on LOR, whether from committee or individuals.

In this case, I'd obliquely ask about your volunteer experiences, and then ask other questions to probe one reliability, maturity, etc. And no, I'm not going to share.

@Goro :in this case, it would be a committee LOR, meaning the committee contacted the volunteering place and the place they volunteered at said they were not good. Would this change anything (as the comment is just the committee reporting what they were told)?

 

[cactus8910]

Thanks for helping us out! I have a question :

Where on the application do you give information about your EC's?

I'm asking because although I feel like I can write a pretty good personal statement, I'm gonna have to devote a majority of it to talking about the ol "naive past and developing character through the experience" bit because my bad academic record early in college (no science classes though) However, I'm gonna have good post bacc grades in my science classes.

I only have limited space to simply briefly elaborate on my ECs but I cant go into complete detail into too many specifics. So I was hoping there was someplace else on the application where I can simply list my ECs

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/how_to_apply/129794/work_activities.html

 

[mackkdad]

Hello Dr. @hushcom . I read through the entire thread and I must say your answers are very, very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to do that!

I just have some quick questions regarding my ECs: so I volunteered for 2 years (300+ hours) at a student-run clinic that provides primary care and cancer screenings to the uninsured Asian immigrants. From the moment the patient walks in until the patient leaves, I am there all the time so serve as a translator (since most of our patients don't speak English), and to assist the doctors and medical students with anything they might need. So needless to say, I was able to shadow the docs and help the patients at the same time. Then, I was elected to be the VP of the clinic (200+ hours) and I worked more on patient database, follow-up with lab results, and recruitment of more patients so we can provide more early cancer detection and prevention.

So with that in mind, my first question is would my experience count as clinical exposure, physician shadowing, and community service altogether (so I know what to put on the AMCAS), or do I still need a separate community service EC? My second question is how would you rate my ECs among the applicants at your school and at other schools you know? (I have a 3.65 GPA, 3.57 sGPA, 30MCAT, immigrant).

 

[WaiveringPhysicist]

@hushcom and @Goro -- this has been a seriously helpful thread to read through. I am non-trad, finishing up my PhD in physics at the moment (will graduate after 4.5 yrs in program). Even though my academic focus has been officially physics, nearly everything I have done (including my research) is motivated by medicine. I am planning to apply this upcoming cycle 2015-2016, took my MCAT in April, no scores yet. ~3.9 GPA all around (undergrad and grad, S and C).

My main question is regarding an EC: I spent 10 weeks (full time, so 400 hours) in a Rad Onc department a few years ago working with the medical physics group. During that time, I mostly worked on a research project (currently being reviewed for publication ), but did get about 40 hours with more patient interaction with certain procedures (gamma knife) and shadowing Rad Techs. I spent some time with physicians, but not much. Does this count as sufficient clinical experience? I also have time lined up with a Radiation Oncologist to shadow him for a week (~40 hours) and am trying to get time set up with an internist, but I'm not sure how much time I'll get with him as I am in process of writing my dissertation and free time is hard to come by. Should I really push that to help broaden my experience? I definitely have an interest in Radiation Oncology, but I am staying very open-minded about what specialty (if any) I fall in love with. All I know is that I am ready to commit to patient care, and research is important to me, but not where my heart is.

 

[hushcom]

1) If one of your LORs mentions that you volunteered at a place and you were a 'poor' volunteer yet the rest of your LOR's and reseme' say otherwise, what would an adcomm think of this? App killer?

What Goro said.

2) How much does an alumni LOR help to get into a school? If for example, said school accepts few OOS applicants, do you think an alumni LOR would at the very least garner one an interview (granted the rest of the application is OK)?

Most schools have thousands of alumni, so just having graduated from somewhere does not, in an of itself, lend much weight. If the alumnus in question is well known in his/her field, and has maintained ties to the institution as a supporter, that might garner more attention.

 

[hushcom]

Hello Dr. @hushcom . I read through the entire thread and I must say your answers are very, very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to do that!

I just have some quick questions regarding my ECs: so I volunteered for 2 years (300+ hours) at a student-run clinic that provides primary care and cancer screenings to the uninsured Asian immigrants. From the moment the patient walks in until the patient leaves, I am there all the time so serve as a translator (since most of our patients don't speak English), and to assist the doctors and medical students with anything they might need. So needless to say, I was able to shadow the docs and help the patients at the same time. Then, I was elected to be the VP of the clinic (200+ hours) and I worked more on patient database, follow-up with lab results, and recruitment of more patients so we can provide more early cancer detection and prevention.

So with that in mind, my first question is would my experience count as clinical exposure, physician shadowing, and community service altogether (so I know what to put on the AMCAS), or do I still need a separate community service EC?

I would categorize it as "community service, volunteer (medical/clinical)" and probably list it as a most meaningful experience, which gives you space to expand on what you did. My bias is that shadowing implies a formal arrangement to tail a specific physician for a set period of time. Being in the vicinity while they work does not really count, in my book, even if you observe and pick up on some of the same things.

My second question is how would you rate my ECs among the applicants at your school and at other schools you know? (I have a 3.65 GPA, 3.57 sGPA, 30MCAT, immigrant).

Pretty good.

 

[hushcom]

@hushcom and @Goro -- this has been a seriously helpful thread to read through. I am non-trad, finishing up my PhD in physics at the moment (will graduate after 4.5 yrs in program). Even though my academic focus has been officially physics, nearly everything I have done (including my research) is motivated by medicine. I am planning to apply this upcoming cycle 2015-2016, took my MCAT in April, no scores yet. ~3.9 GPA all around (undergrad and grad, S and C).

My main question is regarding an EC: I spent 10 weeks (full time, so 400 hours) in a Rad Onc department a few years ago working with the medical physics group. During that time, I mostly worked on a research project (currently being reviewed for publication ), but did get about 40 hours with more patient interaction with certain procedures (gamma knife) and shadowing Rad Techs. I spent some time with physicians, but not much. Does this count as sufficient clinical experience? I also have time lined up with a Radiation Oncologist to shadow him for a week (~40 hours) and am trying to get time set up with an internist, but I'm not sure how much time I'll get with him as I am in process of writing my dissertation and free time is hard to come by. Should I really push that to help broaden my experience? I definitely have an interest in Radiation Oncology, but I am staying very open-minded about what specialty (if any) I fall in love with. All I know is that I am ready to commit to patient care, and research is important to me, but not where my heart is.

It would behoove you to get some exposure, however limited, outside of radiation oncology. It's a thin line between focused and monochromatic.

 

[electrophile1984]

@hushcom

Hi there! I am finishing my post bacc in mid June and am applying this year. We are on the quarter system. My spring grades contain one pre requisite - Organic Chemistry 3. Every other pre req is done. If I wait for my spring grades they will not reach AMCAS until late June, and the verification process would be delayed.

What would you recommend I do? Should I submit without my spring grades or wait for them? I have so many credits at this point that the gpa boost of a 4.0 would be negligible (.01). My current cGPA is a 3.62 and sGPA is a 3.67.

If I do submit without spring grades, would I have to update every school that I applied to with an official transcript, or could I update them unofficially once I receive the grades, and then send a final official transcript after any interviews?

 

[asdf123g]

It would definitely raise an eyebrow. Negative comments of any sort are RARE on LOR, whether from committee or individuals.

In this case, I'd obliquely ask about your volunteer experiences, and then ask other questions to probe one reliability, maturity, etc. And no, I'm not going to share.

what could the interviewee say to possibly defend themselves? it sounds like he/she is screwed no matter what they say at the interview...

 

[asdf123g]

Most schools have thousands of alumni, so just having graduated from somewhere does not, in an of itself, lend much weight. If the alumnus in question is well known in his/her field, and has maintained ties to the institution as a supporter, that might garner more attention.

how about a LOR specifically for that school?

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[Goro]

Due to confidentially rules, interviewers don't come out and say stuff like "So Dr X thought you were lazy and came late to class a lot". We either obliquely ask you a question (like say, "So, what is the best evidence of your work habits?", or weight ignore the LOR and see how you do with the interview.

Stuff like this would still be brought up in Adcom meetings.

Due to their rarity, a bad LOR is pretty much a kiss of death to a medical career.

what could the interviewee say to possibly defend themselves? it sounds like he/she is screwed no matter what they say at the interview...

 

[Goro]

Treat your parents to a nice dinner instead of donating to med schools where you're not competitive. They don't need the donation in the form of your app fees.

Part of this process that's important is making good and intelligent choices in targeting your schools. Invest in MSAR Online and target schools whose median stats are closest to your own.

@hushcom

Which scenario is more favorable for the student

Apply to a program where the gpa is median but Mcat slightly above 10th percentile or where Mcat is median and gpa slightly above 10th percentile

I'm asking this in regards to figuring out which reaches to apply to

Thanks

 

[banana_phone]

@hushcom or @Goro

As a non-trad student, I get dead last registration priority and many of the classes I want are full. My university only offers a one-semester General Biology course, so I need to take another biology course to satisfy the second requirement. General Microbiology w/ Lab is classified as Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences (VBS) 2031, so not under the BIOL heading, though the content is obviously biology. I also want to take physiology. My university offers two: Physiology 3051 : Human Physiology, which is full with a long waitlist, or Animal Science 3021 : Human and Animal Physiology, which has open seats. The content covered in the two is very similar.

Would taking the VBS Microbiology and ANSC Human & Animal Physiology be frowned upon, since neither has the BIOL heading? I don't want adcoms to think I am interested in being a vet because of these two courses. Thanks for your advice!

 

[GypsyHummus]

Due to confidentially rules, interviewers don't come out and say stuff like "So Dr X thought you were lazy and came late to class a lot". We either obliquely ask you a question (like say, "So, what is the best evidence of your work habits?", or weight ignore the LOR and see how you do with the interview.

Stuff like this would still be brought up in Adcom meetings.

Due to their rarity, a bad LOR is pretty much a kiss of death to a medical career.

Does one need to procure an A in a class with the LOR writer? Do the LOR writers ever say what the grade was?

 

[hushcom]

@hushcom

Hi there! I am finishing my post bacc in mid June and am applying this year. We are on the quarter system. My spring grades contain one pre requisite - Organic Chemistry 3. Every other pre req is done. If I wait for my spring grades they will not reach AMCAS until late June, and the verification process would be delayed.

What would you recommend I do? Should I submit without my spring grades or wait for them? I have so many credits at this point that the gpa boost of a 4.0 would be negligible (.01). My current cGPA is a 3.62 and sGPA is a 3.67.

If I do submit without spring grades, would I have to update every school that I applied to with an official transcript, or could I update them unofficially once I receive the grades, and then send a final official transcript after any interviews?

Submit! Forward unofficial then official transcripts later.