About to make the transition....

[a-train01]

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Hey guys,

I was an undergrad at a large state school and, as the result of a health problem and a number of surgeries, graduated with a BS in Biology with a low GPA of 3.0 (with a few retaken classes). I have gone on and gotten an MS in neuroscience, with a GPA of 3.8, and now I am finishing up a PhD at a reputable private university in neurogenetics with a GPA of 3.8 (all health issues are now under control). I have several years of teaching and research experience, many volunteer/leadership experiences, honors awards (one from national institute of health), publications, and a number of shadowing experiences.

Do you think, presuming (hoping) I blitz the MCAT, I have a shot here of being at least interviewed? (anywhere legit in the US, I'm not being too picky here). It has been a dream of mine (like the rest of you) to go to med school, and that was pretty much the only reason I took the long way around and went to grad school.

Thanks guys -

 

[njbmd]

Hey guys,

I was an undergrad at a large state school and, as the result of a health problem and a number of surgeries, graduated with a BS in Biology with a low GPA of 3.0 (with a few retaken classes). I have gone on and gotten an MS in neuroscience, with a GPA of 3.8, and now I am finishing up a PhD at a reputable private university in neurogenetics with a GPA of 3.8 (all health issues are now under control). I have several years of teaching and research experience, many volunteer/leadership experiences, honors awards (one from national institute of health), publications, and a number of shadowing experiences.

Do you think, presuming (hoping) I blitz the MCAT, I have a shot here of being at least interviewed? (anywhere legit in the US, I'm not being too picky here). It has been a dream of mine (like the rest of you) to go to med school, and that was pretty much the only reason I took the long way around and went to grad school.

Thanks guys -

Hi there,
You have many options as you have some recent coursework that is good. As you have stated, you will need to do well on the MCAT (one score and make it a good one) after a thorough prep. The good thing is that graduate school is great for honing you critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Apply to a wide range of schools both osteopathic and allopathic. The wider your net, the better your chances. Remember that osteopathic medical schools are far more forgiving of an earlier academic performance that is less than stellar if you have some later excellent coursework. Some allopathic schools will fall into the same catergory.

If you make sure that the rest of your application, extracurriculars such as shadowing, LORs that are strong and MCAT that is competitive (at least 30), you should able to get into medical school. Make sure that you have an objective and rational explanation for your early poor academic performance (which you seem to have already) and sell your recent excellent work.

Good luck and thoroughly prepare for that MCAT!
njbmd 🙂

 

[a-train01]

Hey, thanks so much njbmd!

Hi there,
You have many options as you have some recent coursework that is good. As you have stated, you will need to do well on the MCAT (one score and make it a good one) after a thorough prep. The good thing is that graduate school is great for honing you critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Apply to a wide range of schools both osteopathic and allopathic. The wider your net, the better your chances. Remember that osteopathic medical schools are far more forgiving of an earlier academic performance that is less than stellar if you have some later excellent coursework. Some allopathic schools will fall into the same catergory.

If you make sure that the rest of your application, extracurriculars such as shadowing, LORs that are strong and MCAT that is competitive (at least 30), you should able to get into medical school. Make sure that you have an objective and rational explanation for your early poor academic performance (which you seem to have already) and sell your recent excellent work.

Good luck and thoroughly prepare for that MCAT!
njbmd 🙂