competitive for USUHS?

[crunchywhit]

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[pgg]

Score well on the MCAT and you should have a reasonable shot.

Will USUHS find it strange that I only plan to apply to USUHS?

I doubt USUHS will notice or care, but I find it strange. If you want to be a military doctor, HPSP and FAP are also options - and they would allow you to apply to many schools, which is probably prudent with a 3.3 gpa.

 

[Red Lobster Actual]

Until you receive your MCAT score not very many people will be able to comment on your chances...

Plus you should definitely apply to more than one school. Granted you won't get as much money with HPSP as compared to USUHS for your family but the stipend is very similar or close to what one usually makes as a grad student. Goodluck though! I would highly recommend you get off SDN and just focus on taking your MCAT a month from now

 

[DrMetal]

Will USUHS find it strange that I have done a PhD, i.e. will they question my commitment to patient care? Will USUHS find it strange that I only plan to apply to USUHS?

They certainly didn't question me. I finished my PhD in chemistry at UCSD and matriculated at USUHS immediately afterwards in the same year (and it was the only school I applied to). They wont judge you either way in this regard . . . you still have to demonstrate why you want to become a physician, now. Do well on the MCAT (>30), apply early, you stand a good shot.

One note of caution: military life is nothing like academic life (I had prior military experience, so I was kind of aware of the sht show that I was getting myself into). You sound like the academic type (Oxford postdoc and all). If you enjoy high academic discourse and that's the type of environment that you seek, the military is not for you. The military harbors many bright and hardworking folk . . . but it's not an intellectual powerhouse. If you're looking for academic/research rigor, I'd go to med school in the civilian world (maybe consider being a reservist in the military).

 

[crunchywhit]

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[theLastprocastination]

Thank you all for your comments - I thought that I would update, just in case extra info can help anyone that has responded or might respond in the future. I just received my preliminary score report from my Apr 17 MCAT. I don't know how to interpret these numbers, especially in comparison to the old test and the old scoring patterns (I guess no one does given the "newness" of the test), but here they are anyhow:

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 85% - 100%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 85% - 100%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 56% - 71% OUCH!
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior 85% - 100%
MCAT Total Score 86% - 96%

I certainly see that applying to many schools has, if nothing else, a statistical advantage.

Thank you for the last comment regarding military life - Although I realize that my CV might suggest that I am a hardened academic, and at one time I certainly was heading in that direction, I have definitely become disenchanted with the grant-writing, moving around, and the whole bit about constantly being poor. I am not prior military but I come from a military family and am fairly confident that I know, as much as one can, what I am getting myself into.

Crunchywhit, Did you make it in? Do you mind sharing? You can be inspirational for some of us out here.

 

[Warderino92]

Looking at their post history it seems like they applied to more than just USUHS and got a interview at one program at the very least.

 

[crunchywhit]

Hi everyone. I did take a lot of advice from this thread during this cycle and I have to say that predictions have been spot on- especially the more pessimistic/realistic of the crowd. I think that I will have more substantive info to add in a week or so regarding results. I'll check back then with a school list and detailed results. Since I realize that my unique story means I'm not quite anon on the internet I just want to be careful and thoughtful about anything I say regarding the experience. Thanks everyone and hang in there