ADCOMS: Semi-Solicited Advice [Part II]

[borat2008]

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ok, just wanted to see if i could get any input. know this is kind of subjective, but I wanted to know how much shadowing/patient contact we should have before we apply. For instance, I have done approximately 60-70 hours of shadowing at a major downtown hospital in various specialties, such as general surgery, trauma, ortho, anes (both in and out of O.R.), critical care, and peds. do i really need to do something else or get more shadowing / volunteer / patient-care related work? I'm applying in May so i would like to be solid before I apply. Thanks alot for taking the time to read this adcom!

 

[chad5871]

ok, just wanted to see if i could get any input. know this is kind of subjective, but I wanted to know how much shadowing/patient contact we should have before we apply. For instance, I have done approximately 60-70 hours of shadowing at a major downtown hospital in various specialties, such as general surgery, trauma, ortho, anes (both in and out of O.R.), critical care, and peds. do i really need to do something else or get more shadowing / volunteer / patient-care related work? I'm applying in May so i would like to be solid before I apply. Thanks alot for taking the time to read this adcom!

I'm not an adcom, but it seems like you have plenty of interaction with doctors and have a good idea of what a doctor's duties are like. Do you feel you have a good grasp of what you will be doing as a doctor? What will the daily stressors and pleasures within the workplace be? I would suggest trying to find something with a little more patient contact - a free clinic or nursing home in your area would be a great place to start. Also, if shadowing is the only EC that you have done, do some volunteering (and since you have a limited amount of time to get experience, try to find volunteering opportunities with patient contact). As I'm sure you'll hear many times on here, quality is better than quantity. If you can clearly express why you have chosen medicine as your career path and can use concrete examples from your experiences, then you should be fine.

 

[paulzidane]

I think the best you can do is hope that the committee reads between the lines and figures out the situation. Other than that, let's hope the rest of your letters paint you as the next Mother Theresa.

As I say, she's really repentent... you sure she shouldn't just call the places where I still have interviews, in advance, and ask to either withdraw the letter or send in another one instead which would explain the situation?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[missicyhot]

Hi Adcom, thanks so much in advance 😀

how does it look that i took my pre-req's at three different institutions? i didn't plan on being pre-med until after i graduated, and the institution i graduated from was very expensive and i couldn't handle the 1K per credit hour fee for a few pre-reqs...🙁
also, i did very well at all 3, (1 of which was a community college).

thanks!

 

[Surf Rx]

Like some people, I had a little too much fun my freshman year and so my grades suffered. I got a C and a C+ in two of my general chemistry courses and I was wondering if I should go back and retake the courses. I'm almost certain that if I actually try this time around that I can get A's in both courses. Thank you in advanced.

 

[arsenewenger]

ok, just wanted to see if i could get any input. know this is kind of subjective, but I wanted to know how much shadowing/patient contact we should have before we apply. For instance, I have done approximately 60-70 hours of shadowing at a major downtown hospital in various specialties, such as general surgery, trauma, ortho, anes (both in and out of O.R.), critical care, and peds. do i really need to do something else or get more shadowing / volunteer / patient-care related work? I'm applying in May so i would like to be solid before I apply. Thanks alot for taking the time to read this adcom!

you can as well do your rotation before going to med school.

 

[jimmmmyi]

Hey adcoms, how does a C in physics look? I have A's in all my other prereqs (and the other 2 quarters of physics). Should I retake that one physics class? Does it even matter? Thanks!

 

[Anjlprincezz]

Dear Adcom,
I have applied to 30 schools, and have yet to hear from about 15 (i was complete in august). Am I likely to experience a flood of rejections come april, or is there some hope for another interview? 😕

 

[aedelste]

Hey Adcom,

I just wanted to get your take on my situation. I have an above average MCAT (straight 12's) with a below average GPA (3.45ish by the end of this year, with a C+ in one of my physics courses). Everyone is telling me to apply to med school right after I graduate, but I really want to get into a school either in NYC, Boston or DC (all those schools seem pretty competitive). Should I hold off on applying in order to take some graduate classes, or just go for it?

Thanks! I think I speak for all of us when I say I really appreciate the time and energy you've given to this forum.

 

[TerryLo]

Hi adcom,
I was just wondering, when the adcom reviews your application do they look at gpa first or will they review all your grades individually. i'm worried that my three C+'s in biology 1&2 and biochem will be the end for me. also is the bcpm gpa weighed a lot more heavily than overall undergraduate gpa? i've been hearing around here that if you have a gpa below 3.35, you should consider doing a postbacc or smp program before applying. i've been wondering about the gpa's because i have an overall gpa of 3.47, a bcpm gpa of 3.2, and my overall major (biochem) gpa of 3.14. so given my gpa's, would it be wiser to just apply after completing an smp? thanks!

 

[london06]

hi adcom,

thanks for answering all of our questions.

I was just wondering how good you think my stats are for NY schools, as that is where I really want to go.

I have a 3.7 overall GPA, but only got a 30 on my MCAT (10s in all 3 sections). I recently graduated and plan on applying this year. I have been involved in research for 2 years and only have a few months of volunteering time right now. I plan on getting in more volunteer experience before I apply and also plan on shadowing a doctor. Do u think I have a decent application...I just feel worried about only having a 30 on the MCAT.

Thanks for your help.🙂

 

[swim2006]

Hi adcom
Thanks for taking the time to go through our posts

I finished my BS in physiology in May 06 and had applied to medicals schools to start in fall 2006. Of the schools that had MD/MPH programs I applied as a combined degrees student or was planning to apply to MPH once admitted (if that's how the school admitted to combined degrees) I had 2 interviews and was waitlisted at one school and rejected at the other school. My combined undergrad GPA was 3.8 with C's most semesters in organic chemistry, but my science GPA is still in the 3.7 range (I got As in all my phsyiology and microbiology classes). My MCAT was a 28P (10VR, 8 PS, 10BS) . I had 3 years of basic sceince research in two different labs due to poor working conditions in the first lab (the PI was sexist and had some other issues---actually everyone in the lab wanted to leave but I was the first eventually the others left). I also was a hospice voluteer (1 year) and a NICU cuddler (3 years) and president of a club. Since the MPH was important I am surrently working on my MPH and will be applying for medical school to start in 2008. During the summer I shadowed several different specialities. I am working part-time in the NICU doing a Quality Assurance program by making and maintaining a database based on admissions and will be shadowing attendings when I am able. I am also hoping to be accepted into a summer research program in which my mentor would be a neonatal epidemiologist. I am also on the medical reserve corp in my city. Also I retook the MCAT this Jan. after many people encouraged me to. I was among the group with the computer glitch. I was wondering if I should retake the MCAT if that is one of the options given by AMCAS? Is there anything else I should do to improve my application for 2008? I spoke with the director at my state school could not really figure out what the major problem was.
Thanks

 

[deleted103644]

Hi Adcom,
[Usual pleasantries...] Are there any set guidelines for how many acceptances a school can send out at any given time? I.e. if a school normally accepts 400 for a class size of 200, do they accept 200 first and the have to wait for people to turn down offers before sending out more? If there are no set guidelines, what do you think the normal school strategy is?
Thanks.

 

[RollSkins]

Dear Adcoms,

Here are my stats
- GPA: 3.73
- Science GPA: 3.85
- MCAT: Yet to take
- Major: Biomedical
- Minor: Chemistry
- Clinical: I have spent about 100 hours throughout college shadowing different doctors of various specalities.
- Volunteer: I have spent time volunteering at a free clinic, doing pet therapy at a nursing home, tutoring GB, and taking free blood pressures with the pre-med club at my college.
- Other: I was an opinion columnist at the school paper for a year, the vice-president of the pre-med club and Tri-beta club (Biological Honor society), and a member of the kayak club.

Questions
1. I will graduate in may and plan on taking the MCAT in June. Will taking a year off of school hurt my chances of getting into medical school?
2. What would medical schools like to see me doing while I am not in school?
3. Taking my other 'stats' into consideration what would be a reasonable MCAT score for me to be competitive in getting into state schools such as UAB?
4. I am going to take the MCAT on June 15 and plan to enter my application as soon as I get my scores back. The pre-proffesional committee that meets at my school to give a LOR dosen't meet until august. I was wondering if the fact that my LOR won't be in until august will affect my application (ie does it make it harder for me to get in because I won't have everything in until later than many students)
5. Will the fact that I went to a small, relatively unheard of private school (Southern Adventist University) hurt my acceptance chances? And is it true that if I get below a 30 on the MCAT that medical schools might question the validity of my GPA.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Adcom2]

What were your thoughts on retaking the MCAT? I have a 29 (9 VR, 10 BS and PS). Also, what about a post-bacc program? Do I need to prove myself in an academic environment since it's been 6 years since I graduated with my B.S. in Chem Engineering?

Thanks!

Depends on where you're applying, I guess. 29 is a perfectly acceptable score in my book. But since you're limited to 5 (or whatever) schools, I guess retaking would be a reasonable approach. You already said you're taking bio courses, so I guess that would take care of your second question.

 

[Adcom2]

Thank you ADcom2
Some advisors said my clinical experience could be improved (ex: Georgetown), others say Volunteering would help (ex: URochester). I am leaning towards an MPH, however, I'm not sure if an SMP or Post-Bach is a better idea. Another advisor suggested to use the year towards earning something solid like a degree rather than retaking the same courses through the Post-bach. I'm also worried that the SMP may be a bit risky as well. What would you recommend amongst these three options?

Thank you once again for everything!

Although an MPH is a cool degree, it doesn't do much to convince me that an applicant can handle med school classes. The SMP definitely does, but as you say it has some risk. If you're not sure you can get As in it, a regular masters or post-bacc is a better idea. No amount of volunteering or clinical experience is too much 😀

 

[Adcom2]

Thank you for responding to my previous post. I guess I have some follow up questions too if you could answer them...

If you (as an admissions committee member) had an application of someone who had a slightly better MCAT than your average student, but a lower GPA and science GPA (as in my scenario with some of the schools I've applied to) would you be likely to offer this person an interview, or not? (I would say my EC's are similar to, or very slightly better than the average applicant.)

I don't participate in interview decisions. I will say that each member of my committee seems to have a different opinion on the importance of GPA versus MCAT. I guess that's why we're a committee. They do represent different capabilities.

Also, if I were to be offered an interview, it would likely be in late Feb or even March. At that point do I have a realistic chance of an admission, or am I interviewing for a waitlist spot (at best)?

That's tough for me to say since this is my first year on this side of the process. Probably also differs greatly from school to school.

 

[Adcom2]

I was volunteering at a great hospital for a few months, but I took a break for about 2 months because I had to focus on classes as midterms and finals approached. I didn't know I had to fill out a leave of absence. When I returned, I found out I had been terminated, and they made me return my badge and uniform. Is this going to have some negative impact on my applications? Is there some kind of record that med schools can dig up if I don't send them the info?

I wouldn't sweat it. On the other hand, you not want to get a LOR from the volunteer coordinator.

I plan to take the MCAT this summer. I am finishing my courses this Spring, and plan to graduate in Summer. I want to send in my applications as early as possible, but will med schools take it seriously without the MCAT score? How should I start deciding which med schools to even apply to without my score? Everyone I know who has applied said that their basis for choosing their schools was their gpa and MCAT. I only have a 3.7 at a state institution, and the rumor around my school is that a 3.7 here counts as a 3.5 at another school. I'm afraid that I won't get the MCAT score I want, and as a result, my application will basically suck.

Take a timed full practice test (for example the official AAMC ones) and that will give you a reasonable idea of where you're going to be. Many many people apply without their MCAT scores. It's somewhat disadvantageous, but not as much as bombing the MCAT.

 

[Adcom2]

Hello Adcoms,
Just a follow up on my question from yesterday. So what mcat score ranges get negative points and which ranges get positive points? Also, what is looked at better: high gpa, low mcat or low gpa, high mcat?

I hate to be too specific. There's wiggle room, depending on the overall picture. And plenty of variance depending on the competitiveness of the school's applicant pool. But for the sake of argument, let's use 30 as the sweet spot to get extra credit, and 25-6 where I start wondering about academic capacity. On your second question, it doesn't really matter.

 

[Adcom2]

I guess what I'm asking is: would it be a good idea to get in touch with other docs I've met recently about shadowing in different specialties, or really concentrate on bulking up my authorship, or something else? I work full time and I'm taking orgo and bio in the evening at Harvard Extension, so time is a critical factor in all of this, but if there's something you like to see from a sort of nontrad (I say 'sort of', I just turned 26 last week), I'd really appreciate it. Oh, and should I say I'm going to retake calc? It's actually a class I'd like to take because (a) I've really fallen in love with math the past few years and (b) it's been eating me up for the last 8 years, or should I just let that sleeping dog lie and let the adcom just know it was a poor semester?

As our esteemed president might quip, "Stay the course."
Your application sounds pretty sound to me. I like your idea of checking out different specialities. We really look for the same things in older applicants that we do in younger - motivation, clinical exposure, demonstration of academic prowess, community spirit, good attitude. I like (b) more than (a), but definitely enjoy retaking calc. I did that in my post-bacc and it's what convinced me I could handle med school.

 

[Adcom2]

I don't understand why one would be invited to interview if they are not viewed as competitive? This seems like a waste of time for all those involved and would take interview slots away from those who are more qualified. Do private schools do the same thing? Not trying to come across as defensive or anything...more curious than anything else.

Thanks Adcom!

No real argument here. Every school does it differently. The way my school handles interviews is pretty specific - more discussion of it might violate my confidentiality, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[Adcom2]

Is it alright if I ask my professor from community college? I know you would probably like one from my 4 year college, but would I be "allowed" to do this? I could not imagine asking for one from any other professor.

That's fine. Get'em from people who know you well and are clearly impartial.

 

[Adcom2]

Okay, I've got a question (obviously, or I wouldn't be posting), I'm currently an undergraduate with two kids. My husband works nights, so the only time I am able to devote my time to activities for school, extracurriculars, shadowing, or volunteering is during my daycare's business hours. The largest chunk of my day is spent in class, but I have a couple of times a week where I only have half days, which I am spending gaining some shadowing experience. Between, that, classes, kids, and study time for school and MCAT, I am having difficulty finding volunteering experiences that fit my very tight schedule. I intend to begin my application this summer (for 2008 matriculation--I hope) and I would like to get in some volunteer time at my local compassion clinic, but that will be around the time I am submitting my AMCAS. How detrimental is this hole in my application? (I have a 3.8 GPA, and I think my BCPM GPA is somewhere around the same area, and I haven't taken my MCAT yet.) Do ADCOMS take family obligations (i.e. taking care of kids) that might interfere with EC's into consideration??

I certainly do. We have one member who always insists that people have "volunteering." The rest of us are more interested to see that the applicant has had sufficient clinical exposure to know what she's getting into. I don't think it will hurt you, and usually you can talk about your recent experiences (e.g. the ccompassion clinic) at interview.

 

[Adcom2]

ok, just wanted to see if i could get any input. know this is kind of subjective, but I wanted to know how much shadowing/patient contact we should have before we apply. For instance, I have done approximately 60-70 hours of shadowing at a major downtown hospital in various specialties, such as general surgery, trauma, ortho, anes (both in and out of O.R.), critical care, and peds. do i really need to do something else or get more shadowing / volunteer / patient-care related work? I'm applying in May so i would like to be solid before I apply. Thanks alot for taking the time to read this adcom!

I would say the average for clinical experience among our successful applicants (who, unlike the previous poster, have "typical" backgrounds) would be around 200 hours. I have said repeatedly that quality beats quantity, but if you really want to strengthen your app, you might try adding hospital volunteering or free clinic or something like that.

 

[Adcom2]

As I'm sure you'll hear many times on here, quality is better than quantity. If you can clearly express why you have chosen medicine as your career path and can use concrete examples from your experiences, then you should be fine.

Chad took the words out of my mouth, er, post. But still if you want to make sure, around 200+ is more typical.

 

[Adcom2]

As I say, she's really repentent... you sure she shouldn't just call the places where I still have interviews, in advance, and ask to either withdraw the letter or send in another one instead which would explain the situation?

Thanks for your advice.

No, I am most definitely not sure. I can imagine the discussion in committee:
Version 1: "Paul has a wow letter from his advisor that talks about his dedication and helpfulness and really great head of hair. There are three other level one letters from his organic prof, his lab PI and his pastor. Then there's this really weird letter that appears to be from an old girlfriend who, it would seem, hates his guts. I didn't really know what to make of that one, so I pretty much discounted it."
Version 2. "Paul has a wow letter from his advisor that talks about his dedication and helpfulness and really great head of hair. There are three other level one letters from his organic prof, his lab PI and his pastor. Then there's this really weird letter that appears to be from an old girlfriend who, it would seem, hates his guts. Then there's another letter that explains that she regrets sending the originial letter, and says that now she think's Paul is all right. I didn't really know what to make of that business, so I pretty much discounted it."

The difference is one more sentence discussing something you would rather not have discussed. On the other hand, you know the content of the bad letter and just how damaging it can be. If you think a recantation would help, have her go right ahead. I don't think it can really hurt. But then I don't think it can help all that much either. Maybe try calling the director of admissions at one of the schools and see what he/she thinks?

 

[Adcom2]

Hi Adcom, thanks so much in advance 😀

how does it look that i took my pre-req's at three different institutions? i didn't plan on being pre-med until after i graduated, and the institution i graduated from was very expensive and i couldn't handle the 1K per credit hour fee for a few pre-reqs...🙁
also, i did very well at all 3, (1 of which was a community college).

thanks!

That's just fine. No problem.

 

[Adcom2]

Like some people, I had a little too much fun my freshman year and so my grades suffered. I got a C and a C+ in two of my general chemistry courses and I was wondering if I should go back and retake the courses. I'm almost certain that if I actually try this time around that I can get A's in both courses. Thank you in advanced.

You should if a) your science GPA needs help, b) you don't have upper level chemistry courses that show your brilliance, or c) the schools you want to apply to won't take a C as fulfilling their prereqs.

 

[Adcom2]

Hey adcoms, how does a C in physics look? I have A's in all my other prereqs (and the other 2 quarters of physics). Should I retake that one physics class? Does it even matter? Thanks!

See my answer to the previous question.

 

[Adcom2]

Dear Adcom,
I have applied to 30 schools, and have yet to hear from about 15 (i was complete in august). Am I likely to experience a flood of rejections come april, or is there some hope for another interview? 😕

I would say there's some hope. Maybe another 2-3 (a complete guess). You need to be working on your backup plan at this point, though.

 

[moto_za]

Dear Adcomm,

Thanks in advance for your valuable time! I am planning on taking the MCAT this April. I am currently taking 15 credits. 5 classes.. I was wondering if I should drop one of my classes to spend more time for the MCAT. Two of the five classes are science. If you recommend just taking 12, should I drop a science course or a gen ed (both are almost as much time consuming). Or will it be "impressive" if I sticked to 15 and studied hard for the MCAT? THANKS A BUNCH

 

[Chulito]

Adcom2-

Thanks in advance for your always generous participation here. If you are familiar enough with schools other than your own to generalize, great; but if you can only answer for your own school, that's fine too.

A) When and under what circumstances do medical schools to which you have applied know 1) where else you have applied, 2) where you have been accepted, 3) whose acceptances you have accepted, 4) who has you on a waitlist, and 5) who has rejected you?

Some people think that schools have access to all of your information in March, some say only after May 15th (which is what I have always thought); some people say that they only have access to your information if they themselves have accepted you, at least until some later date in the process (which seems unlikely to me); some people say that they only get to see your acceptances, not any of the other information. Where does the truth lie?

B) If you are accepted to only one school and decide in retrospect that you would rather turn them down and repeat the entire application process the following year, are all schools made aware right from the beginning of the process that you blew off a previous acceptance? And if not from the beginning, are they given that information in March or May or at some other time? I know that schools will know at some point this year which other schools have accepted you this year, but will schools (other than the one that you turned down) have access to that information the following year when you reapply as well? My real question here is, is it dangerous to turn down an acceptance and hope to get in somewhere else the following year (assuming that your application would be significantly improved and/or more strategically planned and executed)?

C) Do you know whether your school or other schools ever decide against inviting a candidate to interview because he or she seems to be using them as a back-up school? I.e., if an applicant from California with 41S MCAT and 3.9 GPA were to apply to a less competitive school on the East Coast without mentioning any family or professional ties there, is it at least possible that they might not invite such a candidate for an interview because it seems like a waste of their resources?

Thanks again, AC.

 

[3rdtimer]

This is my first time posting; I hope I'm doing this right. First, the background story:

I did my undergrad studies in biology at UC Berkeley and graduated with a 3.19 BCPM and an overall 3.3. I scored a 34Q on the MCAT and put my time into what I think are quality volunteer/extra-curriculars (Relay for Life executive committee, ROTC, president/secretary/philanthropy chair of fraternity, emergency dept. volunteer at UCSF medical center). I was also working at a biotech company at the time I applied, and before that had spent time working as an exhibits facilitator at a science museum for kids. In addition to this I have a very personal reason for wanting to be a doctor, which I wrote about in my personal statement (I'm a cancer survivor).

That was the first time I applied. I got no interviews, anywhere. I figured that it was probably my GPA holding me back, so I enrolled in Georgetown's Special Masters Program, which I'm currently in. So far I have a 4.0 GPA. Regardless, I'm still interview-less this deep into my second year of applying. Both years I've applied to 20+ schools.

At this point, I figure I have little chance of interviewing and subsequently getting into medical school this year. On top of this my girlfriend of 2 years is applying to Ph.D. programs in the US (she's born/raised in Europe), and we really hope to end up at the same school, or at least close enough to each other that we can manage our relationship during what will be four tough years for the both of us. So far she's gotten into UC Davis, which is great, but not exactly the easiest med school to get into. In short, this all adds up to a very stressful situation.

I'm usually a very happy-go-lucky guy, but after two years of absolutely no interest whatsoever from medical schools I'm beginning to seriously doubt myself and my ability to convince adcoms I am someone who deserves to be a doctor.

Is this lack of interest from schools something I should take as a hint? Am I doing something heinously wrong? Do you think it might be because I probably have only average letters of rec (I hardly went to office hours as an undergrad, and my professors who wrote my "science" letters knew me only by my grade in the class and the one or two times I met with them when they wrote my letter)? I know you don't have the whole story, but any advice or suggestions from someone in a position of authority would help calm my nerves, and depending on what you have to say, give me hope when I'm starting to lose it. Thank you.

 

[killinsound]

Hey adcom,
thanks a lot for doing this!

I have one worry about the application process and that is my EC's.

I am a 4th year at a UC. I'm confident I will have a strong MCAT score. My gpa is 3.5 but with a strong upward trend (3.7 from 3rd year on), and my BCPM gpa is about 3.7.

I have research experience and I might possibly have 100 hours of clinical experience by the time applications roll around. However, my other ECs are limited to college snowboard team, habitat for humanity, and only a couple more. I have been working since my 1st year at my school. The reason for my lack of ECs is depression for my first 2 years of college. By the time I had figured out I want to try to get into med school, it was already 3rd year. Coupled with the classes I had to catch up in (changing majors) and my need to work, I could not find that much time to pursue ECs.

Should I address this in my personal statement? I'm worried if I do get rejected from a UC school, it would solely be based on my ECs. Since money is an issue, as is family (my father is very ill), I want to stay in california. Should I wait an extra year to apply if the only reason is to build up my ECs?

 

[CarolinaGirl]

Adcoms

Hi, I am a nontrad with a masters in nursing. I am applying this summer to schools and need to know what should be in a LOR. I have approval for no science letter since I have been out of school (ug) for 6 years. I will have two from former profs (Grad), my supervisor, a doc I worked with, and an ER nurse who knows me well. My problem is that I work/live in India so do most of my letter writers. I will need to coach them as to what should go in a LOR to make it stand out. I know they will all write good things, they just don't know anything about the med school side of things. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to helping all of us 😉

 

[dcswarry]

Hello,

I am a psych major and these are my stats:

Psych g.p.a: 3.98
Sci g.p.a: 3.85

MCAT: 24O V6,B9,P9

I applied to 26 schools and heard back and sent in secondaries to 16 schools. I ahve only received a rejection from one of these schools. I was curious as to whether I should expect anything in the near future since I have not received any rejections?!?

I am aware that my MCAT score is low and am prepared to study and take it once more. However, I was wondering as to whether I wil surely not get in or whether there is a glimmer of hope!!!

 

[sunnyjohn]

I've been offered a chance to get a Master of Science in Biology tuition-free from a decent college. (No research credit and non-thesis)

Here's the rub. They will only let me take 6 grad/cr hours each semester. It is a rule of the school whether I pay for the classes or not. I could try to take grad Bio class at ANOTHER college to bring my semester total to 12 hours as the program allows transfer of 9-12 hrs.

I have EXCELLENT clinical experience, GREAT LOR's and hope for a knock out MCAT. In my undergrad GPA rehab, I've hit a home run with only one B in over 60 undergrd cr/hr.

Should I bother with the grad degree in an attempt to show I can handle medical school?

(I do like biology, and the grad degree does fit with what I've been doing in the last few years.)

 

[holycow]

Hello Adcom2,

Thanks for your help.
I will be done with undergrad in may. I took the mcat once, and got a 24. I have a pretty low Gpa..3.1 both cum and BCPM. I had a stroke, and was struggling with treatment with that, so i missed alot of school. Though i am perfectly fine now🙂-no residual symptoms. I am an EMT-B, have my Phlebotomy certification, worked as a PCA for someone who is quadriplegic, four years of research experience in two different labs. I have done quite a bit of volunteering, and shadowing a couple of different specialty docs. I will be retaking my mcat again obviously. I was also thinking about doing a Special masters program. Do you think it is necessary for me to do one, and if so, should i apply this june or wait until I am done with the SMP ? ALso, if i do apply this year, approx how many schools should I apply to?Thank you.

 

[govikings10]

Adcoms,

How are applicants with young children viewed? Granted that the adcom wouldn't know about the applicant's kids unless they were mentioned in the application, but if it is (i did, part of my motivation), does that hurt them? Would it be worth mentioning in interviews that I am able to balance a full load of school (with a 4.0 last sem), 30+ hours a week of work, and a family to show that I can handle the load in medical school? Or should I just try to avoid the conversation completely? Thanks!!

 

[chortlehortle]

Hi,

I am a first time applicant, graduating senior in Chemistry. Some things going for me are a 4.0 gpa, 37R MCAT, a summer of research and some shadowing, plenty of EC's, tutoring and TA'ing at my school. Some things that might be going against me, I am 20 years old and I come from a small college with no researching opportunities (hence only a summer of research). LOR's should be good to great.

Now, I applied to 7 (mostly top tier) schools, got into one, have been rejected by 3 already (preinterview) and have one interview scheduled. One of the schools I got rejected from (preinterview) was my own state school, OHSU. Are there any hard factors that could explain me not even getting an interview here or the other 2 schools? And is there anything I can do to improve my chances for the other schools or can I only wait. I know these admissions processes can be crazy but I thought I'd deserve at least an interview at most schools.

Thanks!

 

[Mayday]

How do adcoms looks at ECs? Well, that's perhaps not quite the way to put it. Which would be prefered? All Medical related ECs (shadowing, volunteer work at the hospital etc) or a mix of medical and non medical (shadowing, volunteer at the hospital, and community service type things like being a big sister thorugh the big brothers/big sisters program)?

 

[kevinvo1981]

Here's my situation

MCAT
I took the mcat 3 times
April 2005 6P 5V 9B 20J
August 2006 9P 6V 7B 22L
August 2006 10P 6V 11B 27L

GPA

GPA for AMCAS
Overall 3.67
Science 3.9 ( I took most upper level science courses: genetic, physiology, biochem, immunology)

GPA for TMDSAS(I'm from Texas and have a BS in computer Science)
Overall 3.67
Science 3.67( TMDSAS included Computer Science courses into the Science
GPA calculation)


Interviews so far: 3 out of state, 0 in Texas
Acceptances so far: 0
I applied broadly to 40 schools and most completed by late october.

If I don't get in this year. What should I do?

MCAT
I really don't want to take the MCAT again. I feel I would not improve on
verbal and would risk getting lower score on PS and BS.

GPA
My science GPA for AMCAS is high. So would a SMP or master program help?

My science GPA for TMDSAS is not that high. So would a SMP or master program help?

I have over 300hr of volunteering, and have good letter of recommendation.

Right now I plan to keep my old MCAT score, apply to SMP and apply really early. Is this reasonable?

or should I apply really early without retaking MCAT or doing SMP and just work in the hospital?

Thank you so much for reading this long post.
I really appreciate your input for my situation.

Kevin

 

[Dianyla]

Hello Adcom,

My question is about undergraduate major. I am always hearing/reading that the actual undergrad major one chooses does not matter, it's all about the MCAT/GPA numbers, but I'd like to get your adcommy opinion on this.

My background in a nutshell is:
-- 1 year undergrad at McGill university with less than stellar gpa due to immaturity and, well, I can only call it an emotional implosion of sorts. 🙄
-- 10 year career in the IT field, 8 of them working on the IT infrastructure of a large health system.
-- 1.5 years so far spent at local state school, doing well this time around (Dean's list). Still working fulltime throughout.
-- Actively performing clinical volunteering
-- Honestly truly fluent in Spanish, and I use it every time I volunteer
-- Reasonably think I can score low-to-mid-30s on the MCAT

My 4 year state university offers a major called Bachelor of Science in... Science. The requirements for this major are basically to fulfill a minimum number of hours from at least two different branches of the science realm, a set number of which must be upper-division (300-400) courses. There is no specific specialty or subject focus. By the time I get done with prerequisites for med school, I'll be most of the way there.

I am tempted to pick this generic BS in Science because it is my quickest path towards graduation. But I'm worried that this major will just seem like a lame copout and weaken my application.

My second choice of major is leaning towards something from the Humanities side of the house, such as Applied Linguistics or Philosophy. Will a lib arts major really strengthen my application to medical school?

Thanks in advance for your time. 🙂

 

[premeddick]

You should if a) your science GPA needs help, b) you don't have upper level chemistry courses that show your brilliance, or c) the schools you want to apply to won't take a C as fulfilling their prereqs.

Are there schools that won't accept C's to fulfill prereq's? Thanks.

 

[enviromed21]

nevermind but thanks

 

[enviromed21]

duplicate post

 

[applegreen]

I took the GREs recently so that I have a backup in case this year falls through. I did fairly well on them (800 quant, 730 verbal) and I was wondering if I could send this as supplementary material? I've already interviewed, for what it's worth. If I do send this, how do I do that? Just copy my official score report? Just write it in a letter of intent?

 

[Sqweak]

Dear AdCom,

I have an MSc in public health and was working in public health research until I decided on changing career paths a few years ago when my same-sex partner started having medical problems, and I decided that to be completely fulfilled both professionally and personally I would have to become a physician.

As my partner's health problems were the catalyst for this career change, I will address it in my PS. Trying to avoid anything even minimally political or that may automatically prove to be a strike against me, I've gone through drafts referring to my partner as a "family member" and attempted to avoid mentioning gender and the word "partner". However, this results in very cumbersome language and not the most succinct and well-written PS I can write. Any advice on how to address this issue without automatically hindering my chances of admission?

Thanks so much!

 

[NewYorkDoc]

I got a F in bio 101, and C- in chem 111, A in 8 following bio courses, and A's in 5 following chem courses. AM I going to have a chance at all getting into a top 20 school?

 

[Straight Cali]

Just wondering what the "unofficial" gpa/mcat threshold is to at least be considered by most top-tier schools? And by considered I mean one's ability to receive an interview.

Thanks for the help.