Serious question for medical school application.

[darkpassengerMD]

I wish you the best in your endeavor. If everything goes well, I would suggest, of course, expanding your hopes beyond just the Top 10. For most purposes schools within the Top 25-30 are considered "top tier" and there only marginal differences between them.

Please don't get fixated on matriculating at an Ivy League medical schools. Ivy League is mainly a distinction of prestige for undergraduate education. When it comes to medical schools, certainly there are very good Ivy med schools, but there are other non-Ivies that are just as good and if not better than some Ivies.

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. You are right.

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[ciestar]

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. You are right.

Just looking at the rankings according to USNews, Harvard is #1, an Ivy.
Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and UCSF follow, they're not Ivies. Keep that in mind

 

[radkat101]

You've set yourself up for disappointment. With a 3.4 you should be thrilled to get an acceptance ANYWHERE regardless of your background. Med schools, (especially top schools) aren't likely to sacrifice their stat averages for an applicant with a unique past. They have no problem finding these people already, and more than enough come with 4.0s and 35+ MCATS. It's a harsh reality but you need to lower your expectations.

 

[radkat101]

No I will not graduate with a 3.4. I will have cGPA of 3.4. I will graduate from this four year school with a 3.95

Your GPA when applying to medical school will be a 3.4. This is the GPA that matters.

 

[darkpassengerMD]

You've set yourself up for disappointment. With a 3.4 you should be thrilled to get an acceptance ANYWHERE regardless of your background. Med schools, (especially top schools) aren't likely to sacrifice their stat averages for an applicant with a unique past. They have no problem finding these people already, and more than enough come with 4.0s and 35+ MCATS. It's a harsh reality but you need to lower your expectations.

roger that! I will lover my expectations just for you.

 

[CharlieKelly]

You see when you come into a foreign country as a muslim and 911 happens and then you get called to the principal's office in middle school where you just started public education for the first time of your life and while the dean grabs your penis and smacks your face and asks if you know about osama bin ladin while the assistant principal and principal is watching as this occurs. Its hard to come out of that knowing that you do not know one word of english and that you have to learn how to read, write, and speak on your own. It is hard to really come out of that. I am not selling a sob story nor am I doing it for money. There is something in me that is keeping me on my feet to think big and as I am thinking this way... Big things are already happening. I am in love with the brain. I am fascinated by it. I never tried drugs, smoking, or alcohol regardless of what I have been thru in my life.

without a doubt that is a rough experience, and I'm sorry you had to go through that
To clarify, I was speaking more to your qualifications and things that would appear on your application, not the personal issues

 

[claduva94]

If you use US News to select a school you are doing it wrong. The fact the the Mayo Clinic is ranked 25th should be an indication that going to a top ten school is hardly necessary. But the other posters are correct. AMCAS incorporates ALL of your grades, not just the ones from the 4-year university. Focus on the MCAT rather than the Ivy.

 

[darkpassengerMD]

If you use US News to select a school you are doing it wrong. The fact the the Mayo Clinic is ranked 25th should be an indication that going to a top ten school is hardly necessary. But the other posters are correct. AMCAS incorporates ALL of your grades, not just the ones from the 4-year university. Focus on the MCAT rather than the Ivy.

I think you did not either read what I have written or you failed to realize the fact that this isnt what I was talking about. I am well aware of that.... Please read next time before posting...

 

[zzxxzz]

Well I will have to create a reason for my dream schools to accept me... I need to ace the MCAT and start earlier... I just have to keep doing what I am doing. I am going to try to get W in community college in some classes to bring my GPA up to 3.6-3.7.

Just to point something out:

MD education, depts of Neurosurgery: Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Hopkins (aggregated)
- U. of Montreal
- Columbia (x3)
- CWRU
- South Alabama (x2)
- LSU
- Georgetown
- Wayne State
- Minnesota (x3)
- Medicina Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, which is in Colombia
- UMass
- Universita di Bologna (Italy)
- Yale
- Mayo (x3)
- Temple
- Baylor
- Pitt
- UNC
- Duke (x3)
- U. Florida
- Lebanese University Faculty of Medical Sciences
- Wisconsin
- Iowa
- BU
- Penn State
- NYU
- Calgary
- Michigan
- UVA (x2)
- Hopkins (x2)
- Harvard
- T. Jefferson
- G.W.
- Faculty Of Medicine Univeristy Of Padova (Italy)
- Universita Cattolica de Sacro Cuore (Italy)



A few from top-10 programs, but the large majority aren't. A number are from "low-tier" programs.

It's not the school you go to, it's what you push yourself to do.

 

[claduva94]

I think you did not either read what I have written or you failed to realize the fact that this isnt what I was talking about. I am well aware of that.... Please read next time before posting...

roger that! I will lover my expectations just for you.

Possibly because this post seemed to reek of sarcasm...

 

[darkpassengerMD]

Possibly because this post seemed to reek of sarcasm...

I have noticed that either people are really nice here and actually say something meaningful and then you have people who are just miserable and radkat is one of them...

 

[claduva94]

I have noticed that either people are really nice here and actually say something meaningful and then you have people who are just miserable and radkat is one of them...

Ok sorry I didn't have that context. I apologize. Best of luck.

 

[darkpassengerMD]

Just to point something out:

MD education, depts of Neurosurgery: Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Hopkins (aggregated)
- U. of Montreal
- Columbia (x3)
- CWRU
- South Alabama (x2)
- LSU
- Georgetown
- Wayne State
- Minnesota (x3)
- Medicina Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, which is in Colombia
- UMass
- Universita di Bologna (Italy)
- Yale
- Mayo (x3)
- Temple
- Baylor
- Pitt
- UNC
- Duke (x3)
- U. Florida
- Lebanese University Faculty of Medical Sciences
- Wisconsin
- Iowa
- BU
- Penn State
- NYU
- Calgary
- Michigan
- UVA (x2)
- Hopkins (x2)
- Harvard
- T. Jefferson
- G.W.
- Faculty Of Medicine Univeristy Of Padova (Italy)
- Universita Cattolica de Sacro Cuore (Italy)



A few from top-10 programs, but the large majority aren't. A number are from "low-tier" programs.

It's not the school you go to, it's what you push yourself to do.

You are right. I would love to get admissions to harvard, hopkins, or columbia... I am trying to get W in a few courses in community college to bring my GPA close to 3.7

 

[darkpassengerMD]

Ok sorry I didn't have that context. I apologize. Best of luck.

Congratulations on your acceptance to medical school and best of luck to you also.

 

[BMC11]

I am a Muslim.
I was born in 1987 in a foreign country.
Between the ages 6 to 13 I was homeschooled for religious study and graduated.
I never attended any public school between the ages 1 to 13.
Moved to the US at the age of 11.
I attended public school at the age of 13. I was enrolled in the last quarter of 7th grade. It was the first time I was exposed to a normal school curriculum such as mathematics, science, history, social studies etc…
I graduated middle school at the age of 14 and started high school the same age. Dropped out of high school at the age of 18. Throughout my middle and high school year I was enrolled in ESL courses.
I enrolled in a GED program and got my GED diploma at the age of 21. I also started my college career the same age. I enrolled in a community college.
I attended community college for 3 ½ year as a part and full time student. First semester of my community college I was again enrolled in ESL courses.
I had a 2.8 GPA overall at this community college.
At the age of 25 I enrolled in a four year college. I have attended this college for 2 years now as a full time student and in my 5th semester currently as a part time. I will be graduating next semester with a bachelors in science degree majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. Currently, I have an overall GPA of 3.93 at this four year institute. I have won a scholarship. Currently, I am a Fulbright scholarship applicant. I have voluntarily tutored for past 2 years in many courses. I also volunteered for our small family business before it went bankrupt. I did it for 6 years. I have been accepted into a research and I will be volunteering at a hospital starting next year. I will be applying to medical school in 2016 at the age of 28.
I am currently 27. Since the age of 13 I had to teach myself how to read, write, and speak in English and missed out on public education of any kind from age 1 to 13.
I did face all kinds of racism throughout my middle school, high school, community college, and four year college by students and teachers. In middle school I was molested by the dean while the principal and assistant principal watched in the principal’s office. I never mentioned it to anyone nor did I ever tell my family about it.
I have never tried smoking, alcohol, or any drugs. I never committed a crime. I have a clean record.
Throughout my whole life I have been raised in way below the poverty lines close to homeless status.
3 people in my life died from cancer. 2 family relatives and 1 close family friend. What drove me to pursue a career in medicine was our close family friend who died from cancer in 2012 right before starting my four year college career. So I just gave it my all and right now I have a GPA of 3.93.
I am trying to become a doctor more so a neurosurgeon.
Given the life that I have lived so far and the time I had been given… am I qualified for admissions in top 10 medical school for an MD program or have I ruined my chances?
Assuming that I do volunteer, research, ace the new MCAT, maybe win Fulbright scholarship, and get my bachelors in Summa Cum Laude… What are my chances? Also… Do I qualify as a non-traditional applicant?
I just refuse to give up because my love for medicine conquers all.
What should I mention or not mention in my personal statement when applying to top 10 medical schools?
Thank you for taking your time to read my post.
Please give me your honest opinion…

You need the medically oriented volunteering and research. That's a must have. We can't say much without your MCAT. Your four year college GPA is great, the CC GPA not so much. Did you do well in all the pre-reqs or did you take some at the CC and do poorly? Those grades will matter. Really, you need to complete the picture before you ask the "what are my chances" question. Every solid applicant has a good GPA, a good MCAY, and all of those extracurriculars. That's what makes this process so competitive.

As for top 10, which school are interested in you is kind of a crapshoot. An excellent applicant may hear from every high ranked school they apply to, only a few of them, or none of them at all. It just depends on what each school is looking for in a particular year and what you bring to the table. If you're a good applicant, you'll probably get some interviews, but where is definitely up in the air.

 

[Lamel]

One thing you should realize though is that many schools can open all the doors for you, not just top 10. Those top 10 are just notoriously hard to get into, so people are mainly saying to be realistic. All the schools in the top 25 list for USNWR (this is what I assume you're referring to) are "top tier".

Ivy league doesn't mean much. Yes Harvard/Yale/Columbia are top ranked ivy med schools, but then there is Brown and Dartmouth that rank much lower. But they are all great schools.

I'm sure with your determination you will do all the right things and have success in this process, but you definitely should not be disappointed in yourself if you don't crack the top 10 or 20 or 30. You will become just as capable of a doctor regardless. Keep up the hard work, kill the MCAT, strengthen your experiences, and enjoy your future cycle.

 

[moop]

t
r
o
l
l

srsly

 

[Narmerguy]

Moving to WAMC and merging related threads.

 

[darkpassengerMD]

One thing you should realize though is that many schools can open all the doors for you, not just top 10. Those top 10 are just notoriously hard to get into, so people are mainly saying to be realistic. All the schools in the top 25 list for USNWR (this is what I assume you're referring to) are "top tier".

Ivy league doesn't mean much. Yes Harvard/Yale/Columbia are top ranked ivy med schools, but then there is Brown and Dartmouth that rank much lower. But they are all great schools.

I'm sure with your determination you will do all the right things and have success in this process, but you definitely should not be disappointed in yourself if you don't crack the top 10 or 20 or 30. You will become just as capable of a doctor regardless. Keep up the hard work, kill the MCAT, strengthen your experiences, and enjoy your future cycle.

my dream schools are Harvard, Columbia, and Hopkins. I am going to try my hardest. I started studying for the MCAT. I will be taking the new ones.

 

[darkpassengerMD]

t
r
o
l
l

srsly

how?

 

[nibs]

iA you got this bro. I love how helpful the general community of SDN is to everyone. It's a nice break to go to these forums and escape the premed drama/rat race at my undergrad. Much love yall