38S on MCAT and rejected to med school. any advice on my TWO year off?

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Wow, a 38S with a 3.1 GPA applying to Hopkins, Harvard, and Duke. That definitely wasn't an intelligent move. You gave med. school the idea that you were a slacker before.

But still... the things I would do for that 38S. Wow is all I can say. I wish you the best of luck since I'm not even qualified to give advice considering I've yet to get my undergraduate degree.
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ehhkkk =/

I never said UNC was a bad school or that I would never attend there, I just said I had preference else where. I love how things get out of context- glad I am not a actor, athlete, etc

Anyways, if anyone cares, I have an interview at vandy at the end of the mouth as well say baylor. I got invited to an interview at columbia and and wake forest, haven't scheduled a date yet - will save these two for nov. The rest, I haven't heard back from.

And yeah I have a 3.1 but freshman year I took b/s classes that I did bad in: accy, management, marketing, etc. But 3.9+ sgpa and cgpa the other 3 years.
 
I think this thread started with the usual premed seeking attention.....either they bored all their family,friends, co-workers already and now they need attention from a new group....For everyone with normal attitudes and striving for a seat anywhere good luck to you:xf::xf:For those that need attention buy a puppy.. puppy will love you follow you and think your god you are running out of people to bore...
 
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hiiiEEE said:
To the kind gentleman above... no school interviews for giggles. If you land an interview at a school, it means you are capable of performing the work at the school.
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As a graduating medical student who has gone through the process I will give you a few bits of advice:

First, with regard to the above statement, schools perform interview to make sure you are qualified. At your JHU interview, you did not seem qualified! That is why they flat out rejected you instead of waitlisting you. You came off as immature (a code word for arrogant) in your JHU interview. Take that to heart before your other interviews.

Interviews are about seeming competent and easy to work with. There are multiple red flags, the worst of which is seeming arrogant. If you come off arrogant, I dont care how competent you seem on paper, you will be rejected.

Unlike college, there is no severe hierarchy of medical schools. The schools teach the exact same things because the education is so standardized. Because of this, you see many similarities between where schools send their graduates. Don't beleive me? Look at some state school match lists.

Unless you change your attitude, you will not get in anywhere. Ever. I'm not kidding.

If you get an acceptance from a US medical school and do not take it, you wont get into another. Schools talk.

You are not a unique snowflake. There are hundreds of kids just like you. Many are in my class (a state school...). The difference is that dozens of them wont come off as arrogant pricks in their interview.

If you come off on the internet like an immature, little kid, imagine how easily that is perceived face to face.

Take your ego down a few notches. It will help you get in. Don't worry, medical training will take the rest of it down for you.

-instate
 
hiiiEEE said:
ehhkkk =/

I never said UNC was a bad school or that I would never attend there, I just said I had preference else where. I love how things get out of context- glad I am not a actor, athlete, etc

Anyways, if anyone cares, I have an interview at vandy at the end of the mouth as well say baylor. I got invited to an interview at columbia and and wake forest, haven't scheduled a date yet - will save these two for nov. The rest, I haven't heard back from.

And yeah I have a 3.1 but freshman year I took b/s classes that I did bad in: accy, management, marketing, etc. But 3.9+ sgpa and cgpa the other 3 years.
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Congrats :)
 
I'd rather go to school in Montana than sit out a year... it's the same M.D. license, prestige is dependent upon perception.

lol @ applying to only 3 schools though... whoever gave you that advice... you need to like... never listen to them again, ever (even if it's you).
 
hiiiEEE said:
Ok. I only applied to three schools: harvard, john hopkins and duke. Only got interview at john hopkins and was rejected this week.

Yeah, I know my mcat is above all three schools avgs, but I probably got rejected for having a 3.1 gpa. Long story short, I didn't take undergrad seriously, I had a ~1.00 after my freshman year (D is for DEGREE ;])
I did improve and got As and Bs my last year but i guess it wasn't enough.

So, it doesn't look like I am entering med school 2010, so I'll reapply and hopefully get in 2011. Currently it is sept 2009 (for those unaware), which gives me exactly two years.

And besides being over confident and not applying to only top10 schools next year, I am not sure what to do. I think my biggest anchor is my gpa, so grad school for a while looks to be the correct path. However, most grad school deadlines have passed and, like medical school, require you to apply a year early. I have graduated college and have a biochem degree. Should I....work at a hospital? go back to undergrad and take extra classes to build gpa? Or is there some grad school I can still apply to?

any advice? thanks =]
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An extremely high MCAT (>34) will not make a dent in your application if you have a low GPA. You might want to try the DO route instead.
 
Hi, you should have applied to more schools. At least 15 would have been a good number. I don't know all your stats, but applying broadly, would have probably been the smart move. :).
 
sbreland said:
What you are getting is what the lady on the admissions committee at JH was telling you is that you are arrogant and they figured you out.
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I totally agree. I actually have met the Adcom from Duke and he's a really cool guy. But one thing about him is he has some unconventional ways of figuring people out. So chances are, other adcoms have sortof the same ways too. You may have rocked 3/4th of your undergrad career but it doesn't warrant this kind of attitude.
 
dingyibvs said:
Yep, along with very poor EC, poorly prepared applications, and subpar interview skills, all of which at least partly indicate a maturity problem, which adcoms correctly identified:): hint to the OP ::).
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Yes, but with number like yours, knowing where you needed to improve, you should absolutely rock the application process this year. I'll read your MDapps to see where you are now. Good luck; I doubt you'll need it.
 
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Food said:
Whichever one my state school suggests.
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you have an excellent excellent mindset, I wish you the best of luck in getting in..Like everyone has pretty much stated, getting into and doing well in medical school requires much more than brains, it requires passion and you obviously have a lot of that.

:thumbup:
 
hiiiEEE said:
Ok. I only applied to three schools: harvard, john hopkins and duke. Only got interview at john hopkins and was rejected this week.

Yeah, I know my mcat is above all three schools avgs, but I probably got rejected for having a 3.1 gpa. Long story short, I didn't take undergrad seriously, I had a ~1.00 after my freshman year (D is for DEGREE ;])
I did improve and got As and Bs my last year but i guess it wasn't enough.

So, it doesn't look like I am entering med school 2010, so I'll reapply and hopefully get in 2011. Currently it is sept 2009 (for those unaware), which gives me exactly two years.

And besides being over confident and not applying to only top10 schools next year, I am not sure what to do. I think my biggest anchor is my gpa, so grad school for a while looks to be the correct path. However, most grad school deadlines have passed and, like medical school, require you to apply a year early. I have graduated college and have a biochem degree. Should I....work at a hospital? go back to undergrad and take extra classes to build gpa? Or is there some grad school I can still apply to?

any advice? thanks =]
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So you are not yet a reapplicant, but you are posting under the thread??:rolleyes:
 
I think people are being a little harsh on the OP. This reminds me very much of how people act towards money/prestige with medicine. Everyone wants that when becoming a doctor, yet if you mention it, everyone on here hounds you for going into medicine for the wrong reasons, even if that's only part of the picture. Much like that, we ALL want to be able to say we went to Yale medical school or something of the like. It's human nature. The guy rocked the MCAT, but it was a bit foolish to expect that to get you into JHMS when everything else was subpar. The fact that he got an interview, though, is impressive imo.
 
Yes I think the OP is entitled to try for his top choices if that is his dream. Now he does not have to wonder what if....Now he can try other schools. I wish you well and your MCAT scores are WOW before I got accepted I would have asked what is the secret, but now that I am in my top choice school the MCAT is a bad dream. LOL
accepted 2014 UCF



vin5cent0 said:
I think people are being a little harsh on the OP. This reminds me very much of how people act towards money/prestige with medicine. Everyone wants that when becoming a doctor, yet if you mention it, everyone on here hounds you for going into medicine for the wrong reasons, even if that's only part of the picture. Much like that, we ALL want to be able to say we went to Yale medical school or something of the like. It's human nature. The guy rocked the MCAT, but it was a bit foolish to expect that to get you into JHMS when everything else was subpar. The fact that he got an interview, though, is impressive imo.
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allenthecowboy said:
Deep down I sort of wonder what this person is like. Check out my MDapps.

I'm the other extreme, convinced I'll be a bag lady.
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:laugh: at your bag lady comment...don't be so negative if you want it bad enough (unlike OP it seems) then you will get it!

:smack:SIGH!!! As a fellow DUKE graduate...this thread makes me SMH. I agree with what others said and don't have anything new to offer as I think everyone has pretty much nailed it on the head. I don't think your bad freshman year will kill you (my freshman year wasn't that great either although not on the level that you described) but I think the consensus is your attitude definitely needs to change. I think in addition to the rampant elitist attitude floating around campus I blame our crappy pre-health office who does not prepare people AT ALL as many dukies are in for a rude awakening (I know I was HORRIBLY misinformed about the application process and this entire experience has definitely been a very humbling yet informative experience). This isn't to say that people don't go to great schools from DUKE obviously...but I think by and large many are EXTREMELY uninformed about the application process, what med schools are like in general and have this horrible misconception of a "prestiguous" med school vs. crappy med school. I think the pre-health office perpetuates this thinking however, sadly...I have friends who got accepted to 4+ med schools and ended up turning down the rest of their interviews and our pre-health office told them that they would not get in and they shouldn't apply this year (ie. you won't get into Harvard and we rather report that stat)

HOWEVER I can't imagine that the pre-health office didn't inform you that only applying to 3 top 10 schools was a good idea even with your high MCAT score. Did you not meet with them???

**I love my alma mater...(most times) but the pre-health office is trash**
 
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mybubbles14 said:
:laugh: at your bag lady comment...don't be so negative if you want it bad enough (unlike OP it seems) then you will get it!

:smack:SIGH!!! As a fellow DUKE graduate...this thread makes me SMH. I agree with what others said and don't have anything new to offer as I think everyone has pretty much nailed it on the head. I don't think your bad freshman year will kill you (my freshman year wasn't that great either although not on the level that you described) but I think the consensus is your attitude definitely needs to change. I think in addition to the rampant elitist attitude floating around campus I blame our crappy pre-health office who does not prepare people AT ALL as many dukies are in for a rude awakening (I know I was HORRIBLY misinformed about the application process and this entire experience has definitely been a very humbling yet informative experience). This isn't to say that people don't go to great schools from DUKE obviously...but I think by and large many are EXTREMELY uninformed about the application process, what med schools are like in general and have this horrible misconception of a "prestiguous" med school vs. crappy med school. I think the pre-health office perpetuates this thinking however, sadly...I have friends who got accepted to 4+ med schools and ended up turning down the rest of their interviews and our pre-health office told them that they would not get in and they shouldn't apply this year (ie. you won't get into Harvard and we rather report that stat)

HOWEVER I can't imagine that the pre-health office didn't inform you that only applying to 3 top 10 schools was a good idea even with your high MCAT score. Did you not meet with them???

**I love my alma mater...(most times) but the pre-health office is trash**
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Ha. Couldn't agree more. I loved Duke, but some parts [insert: Pre-Health Advising Center] need work.
 
Food said:
This was like me last year...too bad I'm not getting any opportunities to show off my improved interviewing skills!
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glad to see the change in attitude food. you sure made me :mad: last year, in fact, i remember when you gave up!

also, rather than beating down on OP forever and ever, i do have one piece of encouraging advice. my buddy got into columbia with a 3.01/37. he did 2 years of 4.0 post bac and went to harvard for his ug.

but, if you have the interviews, go in, be humble, and you might just land a school for yourself next year, even if you have to settle for the bottom of the top ten ;)

p.s. we've got lots of ivy UG's, including me, at my state med school.
 
you must be pretty dam stupid to apply to three of the best schools in the country ONLY. You could have applied to many other schools and got accepted with that MCAT score. Laziness on your part dude.
 
Well at least this thread has a happy ending... the OP's latest posts say he got accepted to two of his top 3 and was considering turning down a Mayo interview. And if they are in his top 3 by his standards they must be pretty elite. :highfive:
 
Stixman28 said:
. . . we've got lots of ivy UG's, including me, at my state med school.
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I am an Ivy alum who is FIRED UP about the state medical school I will be attending. What a blessing.
 
accidental double post
 
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hiiiEEE said:
This is getting good =]

I resubmitted my app, i applied to 11 additional schools. The two below were just two I mentioned. And yes some are state public schools. (trust me I learned my lesson). The 3.9 science gpa from duke and w/ my mcat i am confident I can get into 1 of the 11 i applied (yeah, I thought this with the big 3, but this time i mean it).

But it will depend on where I get accepted. Hopefully I can get into vandy, emory, baylor or one of the other better schools I applied. If I end up getting into a state public school I might reapply next year (no offensive to anyone in one these schools, I just don't perform well there). K thur middle school I went to a public school and was a C student, High school I went to a prep academy and was top 5% in class. Than I went to UNC (good guess above) and was on track team and had a b/s major and had a sub 1.00 gpa. But I was able to transfer to duke because I got accepted during high school . plus they admitted me as a new student not a transfer which would of required transcript from UNC (thank God). Nonetheless, I finished my 3 years at duke with 3.9 science gpa, and my gpa including UNC came out to a 3.18 exactly.

I think I need a school that will challenge me, if not I get lazy and over confident and start skipping classes (if history repeats itself).

so....here is my game plan. If I get into anyone good/decent school I'll just attend next fall and work/party (won't get to do it during med school) till sept next year.

if I end up getting into some place crappy. I'd have to seriously sit down and think. If I don't end up going...I might go ahead with a special masters program or masters program (mph). Than i'd use this year to do research and gain more hospital experience (so than i'll have stronger app, right now I am about mediocre) and special masters program the 2nd year to really help my gpa. But, I'd have to research this, some special masters programs and mph's are 2 years. It'd look bad if I applied to med school during the program, it'd show I wasn't a finisher (guessing they would assume this). So these programs would have to be a year, if they are 2 years than I am just going wherever I get accepted (hopefully atleast one).

Anyone know anything about special masters programs or master programs? Would you recommend one above the other for me?
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Don't mean to devalue myself at all; but honestly, given the odds and my desire to become a physician, well, I'd take the so called "crappy" school. And in MS you have to be strong in your first two years of sciences, but honestly, IMHO you really don't learn a heck of a lot about being a physician until your clerkships and even then in reality it's relatively limited as compared with residency. To me ultimately residency is where the rubber meets the road. So high-named, high-priced med schools are nice, BUT THEY WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL in terms of what kind of physician you ultimately become.

Heck yea I'd take the supposed "crappy" med. school rather than waiting for the so called "ideal" med. school, which in reality may never come.

I'm sorry, but if you are much older than mid to late 20's, I'd be quite surprised. I really don't know you, and I don't mean to unfairly misjudge you; but honestly I have to agree w/ the poster that commented on the maturity factor. Sorry. You may be a really nice person, but. . . I'm just saying. . .
 
dragonfly99 said:
Your GPA is not really competitive for the harder-to-get medical schools, and will likely make it difficult to get into ANY medical school this year. You need to think long and hard about your reasons for wanting to be a physician, and think about whether you are really read to get your hands dirty in this profession, and be ground down as part of your training, because you will be.
-Medicine fellow.

p.s. Most or all medical schools are likely to be very challenging academically, even if you were a top student in undergrad. Even if you were a top student at Duke. I had a 40+ MCAT and med school kicked my a-- and that's no lie.
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:thumbup:
 
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