2011-2012 Mercer Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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doctorjo said:
Wouldn't the overall acceptance rate be calculated with the number of people that applied, not just those that interviewed?
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+1. Also, I remember being told that 1/3 people interviewed were accepted so 33% sounds about right for an acceptance percentage of interviewed candidates.
 
Remember that accepted ≠ matriculated. Last year, they accepted 152 of 329 interviewed. So if you interviewed, your probability of acceptance is 46% (this doesn't take into account EDP, though).
 
doctorjo said:
Wouldn't the overall acceptance rate be calculated with the number of people that applied, not just those that interviewed?
Click to expand...

Facepalm, you're right. Momentary lapse in thinking.
 
GAdoc said:
Salary is more a function of where you're willing to work and how hard you want to work than what specialty. It is true that certain specialties reimburse more, but you can find primary care docs making $500k-1M a year given the right circumstances.

For instance, if you're an FP who goes somewhere rural where you have a corner on the market, you are willing to be on call all the time, you do simple procedures/ob, etc you could make that kind of money.

It's all about practice decisions and work ethic. In general, academics pays less than private practice. Big cities usually mean less pay because of a more saturated market and more sub-specialty coverage (i.e. no family physician is going to be doing ob in Atlanta). Being a hospital-employed physician usually reimburses less as well (but hours and benefits are generally better and there's no overhead/malpractice).

Nowadays, what seems to drive competition among medical students is the ratio of work to income. Med students want to make the salaries of guys who work 100 hours per week in 50-60 hours a week of work.

Reimbursement will change for all of us, but it shouldn't drive your decision to become a physician. My point in stating the scenario in my last post was just to illustrate that paying off loans in a reasonable time AND living comfortably are both possible on any doctor's salary.
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Money hasn't influenced my decision to practice medicine. Also, just want to let you know I wasn't arguing with your statement I was just trying to get some clarification. I have actually enjoyed the posts and information you have been sharing on this blog. However, the price of medical school is daunting and it is always good to hear that it really can be payed off. All of the schools I have been accepted to thus far have come with high price tags and it is a little frightening!
 
thomallama said:
Remember that accepted ≠ matriculated. Last year, they accepted 152 of 329 interviewed. So if you interviewed, your probability of acceptance is 46% (this doesn't take into account EDP, though).
Click to expand...

So, I've been told that, at least so far, this year's acceptances resemble last years. Neglecting those few candidates left to be interviewed, that means, if only ~80 have been accepted so far, the top remaining ~70 of ~250 interviewees will be accepted from this point on, which would result in an overall 28% acceptance rate of interviewed applicants.
 
Missions740 said:
Money hasn't influenced my decision to practice medicine. Also, just want to let you know I wasn't arguing with your statement I was just trying to get some clarification. I have actually enjoyed the posts and information you have been sharing on this blog. However, the price of medical school is daunting and it is always good to hear that it really can be payed off. All of the schools I have been accepted to thus far have come with high price tags and it is a little frightening!
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Oh, I wasn't offended. Medicine is changing - our generation of physicians is very different from those entering the field even 20 years ago (whether we mean for it to be or not). At that time, becoming a doctor pretty much meant sacrificing everything else in pursuit of a life devoted to medicine. Think about it - 20 years ago, the MOST competitive fields were not derm, ent, plastics, etc....they were cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and some of the other complex surgical specialties. That's where the prestige was. It was also where the WORST lifestyle was.

The reason for the shift, is that the best and brightest now want balance - we want to be doctors and make a decent living, BUT we also want a life outside of medicine. Before the 80hr work week went into effect in 2002, most surgical residents (in any field) could expect to take Q2-Q3 call at least their first two-three years. Call would begin at 5am one day and end the next day at 6 or 7 pm. Honestly, how many of us would have thought differently of our career choice if we expected that?

Medicine is still a sacrifice though. Ultimately, you have a responsibility to your patients that must often supersede the creature comforts we all enjoy. It's important to count the cost - especially if you want to do surgery of any sort. Despite the "shift-work" mentality you might develop in residency (due to most programs adopting a night float system), you have to keep in mind that your patient's don't know whether your on or off the clock once in practice!

Bottom line - if you love it, don't let the cost of med school deter you. If you're not sure, GET SURE BEFORE YOU APPLY! I direct that to everyone reading this post. If you compare dollars made per hours worked, you are likely to do a LOT better as a CRNA, PA, NP, or dentist. Plus, no overhead, no malpractice, and less responsibility.

For me, medicine is in my blood. I love it, and I would do it even if it took 30 years to pay back my loans. Yes, I look forward to a decent income, but the income alone doesn't lessen the sacrifice of my 20s and early 30s with a wife and two kids.
 
Do you guys know if the wait list will be generated next week?
 
I don't think the list comes out for another fortnight. The 3rd Wednesday in March is the 21st.
 
Very few of the recent interviewees have been accepted because there's been only 1 AdCom meeting so far this year, from my understanding. There was an early one in December and a late one in January, if I recall correctly, but none in February. So, next week's meeting is a big one to determine a lot of applicants' accept/waitlist/reject statuses. I was told that most people should be notified next Thursday.
 
Hey guys, thought you might like to see our rank list. Match day was awesome, especially here in Savannah where I think we did excellent. Below is the match list for both campuses. There are some pretty competitive specialties in there as well as some very competitive programs within other specialties such as peds or IM. Over all it was an awesome day and I am truly grateful to have been a part of this class.


Anesthesiology x7
Emory
UAB x3
Georgia Health Sciences Univ.
Rush
Wake Forest

ER x 7
Emory
Denver Health Medical Center
NY Hospital Medical Center Queens
Palmetto Health Richland
UVA
Pitt County Memorial Hospital/Brody
Virginia Tech

General Surgery x 12
Memorial x2
Spartanburg Regional-prelim
Greenville Hospital System/USC
Mount Sinai/UIC
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth-prelim
Emory-prelim
Emory
Baylor-prelim
Baptist health-Al-prelim
Madigan Army Medical Center

Internal Medicine x 16
MUSC
Army Eisenhower Army Medical
UT Chattanooga
Albany Medical Center
Barnes-Jewish Hospital Center/Washington University
George Washington University
Univ of Utah
UAB x2
Oshsner Clinic
Huntington Memorial
MCCG
Memorial-prelim x2
Pennsylvania Hospital
Emory


Neuro
University Hospital-Cincinnati

Pediatrics x 17
INOVA Fairfax Hospital-Va
Palmetto Health x2
University of Kentucky- Peds/Psych/Child Psych
Greenville Hospital/USC x2
UAB
UVA
Children’s Mercy Hospital-Mo
Georgia Health Sciences Univ
DuPont Childrens/Jefferson Medical College-Peds/PM&R
Brown Univ.
Carolinas Medical Center
UT Memphis
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Children’s National
Harvard/Boston Children’s -Peds/Urban Health and Advocacy

Urology x2
Univ of Arkansas
UT Memphis

Ortho x3
Atlanta Medical Center x2
Georgia Health Sciences University

Radiology x3
MUSC
Univ. of Missouri
Virginia Commonwealth

OB/GYN x5
Emory
UT Knoxville
MCCG
Memorial
UT Houston

Family Medicine x3
Anderson Area Medical Center
St. Vincent Hospital-Indiana- combined Medicine/Family Medicine
UT Chattanooga

Transitional x3
Medical Center of Columbus
Providence Sacred Heart
UT Memphis

Ophthalmology x2
Univ. of Florida
UT Memphis

Pathology
Emory

PM&R
Emory

Neurosurgery
UT Memphis

Psych
UT Memphis

ENT
Univ. of Nevada
 
Well, if I actually get an acceptance AND I actually take the acceptance, I'm going into med school with only a few loans and the rest is being paid for with cash from my family. That way if I start crashing going down in flames in med school then I'm dropping out from med school by Christmas, and I'm going to go pursue a different career, DNP or PA school. I'm not going to be the one stuck with student loans the size of a house, 2 new cars, new furniture, starting my kids undergraduate savings fund AND boat payment. Yeah I would be a real doctor, which was my dream as a kid, but I'm getting older and I feel like my priorities in life are changing and the idea if being so ass deep in debt for do long doesn't sound so great anymore. I was hoping to get into a cheaper MD school but that's starting to look bleak with my 'fair' mcat and my stellar gpa.


Also if I do actually accept an offer and start school I'll tell my patents not to get too excited at my white coat ceremony because I might find myself in the bottom half of the class and be quitting right around Christmas to go be a doctor, of nursing that is!
I'm also going to find somewhere that lets me rent for only 6 months at a time. That way I can drop out easier if needed.


Also, I'm not telling many of my friends or announcing it on Facebook if I accept my med school offer. That way I can quietly enter med school and quietly quit if I start doing below the class average. Of course I didn't mention any of this in my interview, they never asked me! Lol.

Unless they make a way to go to med school for under $100,000 without joining the army, I don't want to keep sign those loan papers unless I'm in the upper half of the class shooting for specialty care.

I'm just too scared of the risk if going into primary care with those loans in this crap economy. Call me practical, a worry wart, not committed, (not committed to taking out those loans that is!).
 
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Oh and I think primary care would be kinda fun, Its the loans I don't like. Hence DNP, I would get about most of the fun of being a primary care physician with about 25-50% of the loans. Damn you med school!! Why must you cost so damn much?? Yup I'll be running out the door if I find myself in the bottom of the class.
 
Don't burn up a spot for someone who actually wants it since your clearly not all in. Some of us truely want this, regardless of the debt.
 
Hey guys. I was wondering what my chances are with the EDP. I made a 11ps 6vr and 11bio with a 4.00 science GPA and a 3.99 overall GPA. What do my chances look like?

I also have 200hr shadowing, 3years of research, volunteering, and good LOR's.

Thanks guys!
 
aburnet2 said:
Don't burn up a spot for someone who actually wants it since your clearly not all in. Some of us truely want this, regardless of the debt.
Click to expand...

Also Agreed. How did you manage to get this far and just now realize that Med school wasn't for you? And if you have decided that, why haven't you withdrawn your application already?
 
I really wish that I could fast-forward to Wednesday evening. This anxious waiting is really killing my productivity!
 
save123 said:
Hey guys. I was wondering what my chances are with the EDP. I made a 11ps 6vr and 11bio with a 4.00 science GPA and a 3.99 overall GPA. What do my chances look like?

I also have 200hr shadowing, 3years of research, volunteering, and good LOR's.

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Retake the MCAT. Not because I think your overall is that low, but because you could easily improve from a six in the VR section. You seem to have the sciences down so if you could improve 2-3 points on verbal your score will be much much more competitive.

Just my two cents. Your GPA is great and the research is also good. Why not try to take it again and knock out a higher score?
 
dnthmn123 said:
Hey I just interviewed at Mercer and they told us that they have already accepted 80 so only about 20 spots left. Also the next voting date will be the final one on March 21, 2012. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Supposedly. I think they make the waitlist soon afterward, going by previous Mercer application threads.
 
save123 said:
Hey guys. I was wondering what my chances are with the EDP. I made a 11ps 6vr and 11bio with a 4.00 science GPA and a 3.99 overall GPA. What do my chances look like?

I also have 200hr shadowing, 3years of research, volunteering, and good LOR's.

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
I interviewed at Mercer this year with a 6 PS,11 VR, 9 BS and a lower GPA, so you would probably get an interview. Saying that, I took a kaplan course and retook the MCAT in January and increased my score to a 32 (10 PS, 11 VR, 11 BS) because I was unhappy with my score. Your BS and PS scores are already good, so I bet you could increase your VR score if you took it again. Did you study VR before you took the MCAT?
 
VSU2008 said:
I interviewed at Mercer this year with a 6 PS,11 VR, 9 BS and a lower GPA, so you would probably get an interview. Saying that, I took a kaplan course and retook the MCAT in January and increased my score to a 32 (10 PS, 11 VR, 11 BS) because I was unhappy with my score. Your BS and PS scores are already good, so I bet you could increase your VR score if you took it again. Did you study VR before you took the MCAT?
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Well I have already taken a course but I have never been good at the verbal section. My scores just fluctuate way too much in verbal and I know I am smarter than that score I received. Idk what to do anymore. Just wondering if I could squeeze my way in to mercer for EDP. And I'm also for Albany ga which I hope helps.
 
save123 said:
Well I have already taken a course but I have never been good at the verbal section. My scores just fluctuate way too much in verbal and I know I am smarter than that score I received. Idk what to do anymore. Just wondering if I could squeeze my way in to mercer for EDP. And I'm also for Albany ga which I hope helps.
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Being from an underserved area most likely helps. I am from South Georgia as well and that probably helped me get an interview this year with my low PS score. Also, it could not hurt to call Mercer and ask them about your score. I have called a couple of times and the admissions staff is always very nice and helpful.
 
Thanks bud! Hope it will all work out. Did you by any chance apply early?
 
save123 said:
Thanks bud! Hope it will all work out. Did you by any chance apply early?
Click to expand...
Not this year. I submitted my secondary about a week before the deadline in January.
 
mcbain said:
Well, if I actually get an acceptance AND I actually take the acceptance, I'm going into med school with only a few loans and the rest is being paid for with cash from my family. That way if I start crashing going down in flames in med school then I'm dropping out from med school by Christmas, and I'm going to go pursue a different career, DNP or PA school. I'm not going to be the one stuck with student loans the size of a house, 2 new cars, new furniture, starting my kids undergraduate savings fund AND boat payment. Yeah I would be a real doctor, which was my dream as a kid, but I'm getting older and I feel like my priorities in life are changing and the idea if being so ass deep in debt for do long doesn't sound so great anymore. I was hoping to get into a cheaper MD school but that's starting to look bleak with my 'fair' mcat and my stellar gpa.


Also if I do actually accept an offer and start school I'll tell my patents not to get too excited at my white coat ceremony because I might find myself in the bottom half of the class and be quitting right around Christmas to go be a doctor, of nursing that is!
I'm also going to find somewhere that lets me rent for only 6 months at a time. That way I can drop out easier if needed.


Also, I'm not telling many of my friends or announcing it on Facebook if I accept my med school offer. That way I can quietly enter med school and quietly quit if I start doing below the class average. Of course I didn't mention any of this in my interview, they never asked me! Lol.

Unless they make a way to go to med school for under $100,000 without joining the army, I don't want to keep sign those loan papers unless I'm in the upper half of the class shooting for specialty care.

I'm just too scared of the risk if going into primary care with those loans in this crap economy. Call me practical, a worry wart, not committed, (not committed to taking out those loans that is!).
Click to expand...

I don't mean this to be rude - though I'm sure this is going to cause problems but you need to save yourself the suspense of failure and do ANYTHING except medicine. I appreciate your honest post, but it's pretty evident you do not belong in med school. Med school is VERY difficult, will cost a LOT of money, and will take a LOT of time. I started when I was 25 and after my ortho residency/fellowship I'll be 35. That's a big time commitment for someone who can see themselves being happy doing anything else.

If the desire to be a doctor isn't an obsession to the point you know you wouldn't be happy doing anything else, then chances are you probably would be happier doing something else.

Pre-med is designed to "weed people out" - med school is not. If you get in, they WANT you to succeed. In my class, we had 5 people who had to repeat their first year - EVERY ONE OF THEM matched with this year's match. They stuck it out because they knew they HAD to be a physician. Don't take the spot of someone who is truly committed.

If you're this worried before even being accepted, I doubt that worry will improve as your first exam looms. Good luck in whatever you decide to do - but be sure to re-evaluate what's truly important before applying for a coveted spot in med school.

Again, not trying to be rude, just honest. This is coming from someone who was rejected twice before finally being accepted.
 
Has anyone heard anything or is this week the big week? I haven't seen anyone get accepted from this forum in a long while. Let's get some good news!
 
I'm going to be doing a bit of public speaking for about 3 hours this evening starting at 6:30. It's the worst timing, because I know Mercer's going to be giving me the final up or down probably during my talk, so that my mind is already racing just thinking about it. Just gotta hope for good news. :xf: :scared: :luck:

Godspeed, my fellow MUSM hopefuls. Here goes nothing.
 
how late are they giving out phone calls? its past 5...
 
I think it's typically around 6:30 or on Thursday.
 
I am also waiting, if anyone hears let us know:xf:
 
Way to go, dnthmn!

No word yet 'round these parts, but cheer up, guys. After all, tomorrow is another day.
 
They will probably call a lot of people tomorrow, it is up to your interviewer when they have time to call.
 
Just to reassure everyone most people do get called the next day ie tomorrow. Also should tomorrow not bring any news Mercer always has a significant amount of waitlist movement. It's tough but hang in there everyone and good luck.
 
Thanks everyone! I hope y'all hear back soon!
 
Nothing here either. Does anybody know how they communicate waitlist and rejections?
 
I was told by Mercer yesterday that everyone should hear one way or the other in the first part of April. Guessing that a waitlist or rejection would be by email...
 
Anyone else contacted today? looks like one person viewing this board was accepted today.
 
Still nothing here - this is agonizing.
 
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