ADCOMS: Semi-Solicited Advice [Part II]

[KCT15]

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Adcom:

It's looking like I will be reapplying. I am limited to the Chicago area for at least the next application cycle. After my husband has been in his role for 3 years we could expand to a few more areas. My question is can I send update LORs from the same people? I recently had my LORs critiqued by a M4 and based on his feedback he thought that one letter written by my former boss did not make it clear enough that she was my boss and felt it would be counted more as a personal reference than a REAL LOR. Another letter I had was from an instructor that taught an A&P class I took and that letter was not clear that she was my instructor. Again the person that critiqued my letters thought that this letter would also count as a personal reference rather than a REAL LOR. Do I need to find new people to write LORs for me? Or could I have the writers clarify some things in their letters and submit those? I would be reapplying to the same schools that I applied to this year. I am certain that with a little coaching they both could write awsome LORs for me and would be able to stand behind everything that they say. My problem this time is that I am a non-trad and so some of the people I asked to write my LORs are not experienced in writing them for med school applicants. Your advice would be greatly appriciated.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

hi adcoms. thank you so much in advance for your valuable insights.

what are the essential elements of a letter of intent? the most important element seems to be telling the top-choice school that we will withdraw from all other schools if accepted. but should i list out the other (good) schools to which i've been accepted in order to put my cards on the table and express my commitment, or will this just seem tacky? any no-no's you can think of that applicants are likely to do?

 

[soeagerun2or]

I'm on the adcomm now and really all we're looking for are students who fit our system.. Surely what you write in your PS will get you an interview at our school and after that... its up to you what you have to say.. e.g. if we show your academic & social profile to a screening comitee of students and they feel you are worth a look we perhaps consider you. really after that it comes down to who you know or how well you do on tests

 

[Avenger9]

Question regarding letters of recommendation:

I'm ~5 years removed from undergrad and have worked as a research tech since I graduated (first 3 1/2 yrs in industry, since then in academia). I just got back in touch with my college advisor, who is also the HPA now. He recommends 2 letters from science professors, 1 letter from "other" (misc).

Problem is I only have one science professor in mind who I feel actually knows me well and will remember me -- and that's him (my advisor)! If I had to choose a second undergrad science prof, it would be his wife. Now, would that look odd to you? How much do you weigh the writer and his/her role with the applicant vs. the content of their recommendation. I had thought my letters would be: undergrad science prof/advisor, PhD boss from industry, and another undergrad non-science OR current MD boss.

Would your adcom rather see more letters from undergrad profs or from recent work (albeit lab) experience? If anyone else is or has been in a similar situation as myself, I'd be interested in your experience. Thanks

 

[gujuDoc]

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)

Thanks for your time.

I'm not on an adcom but from what my experiences talking to several different adcoms, the consensus is that med school want to hear that you did something productive to show your continual interest in medicine and also they want to see the things that make you unique so if you have any talent or hobby besides playing video games and partying, i.e. you are a dancer or a singer and perform at various functions, you are an athlete and competed in tournaments in your year off, etc. Those sort of activities are looked highly upon. Other activities might include study abroad, research, volunteering either abroad or in underserved areas or just general hospital volunteering. Getting a job in a research lab or medically related job also is good. Overall most adcoms here in Florida have come to the consensus that as long as you are doing something productive a year off does not hurt. At REL's school (USF), many a student I've known has taken a year off before attending due to similar reasons as yours. They did things such as the above or they chose to get another degree such as the one year MPH degree we have at our university or a degree like a pharmacology masters. The ones who had great GPAs like yours did the MPH while the ones with lesser stats did a science masters.

Another idea would be to get a job as a teacher.

Overall, as long as you do something productive you'll be ok. Just don't be lazy and say you did nothing but sit around and play video games or go clubbing and partying. 😉

As per the MCAT score range, I'd venture for an Alabama resident a 28+ would be a good score to get based on averages. Your GPA and other extracurriculars looks good for most general state schools. UAB is a bit more competitive because its slightly up there in the middle of the rankings list, but based on averages and what their website says, 28-30 is a good score. I'd talk specifically with the USA and UAB admissions directors for more specifics on what they recommend you should get.

 

[alman]

adcom,
I have a simple question about LORs. I recently talked to my pre-health adviser about obtaining a letter from my current boss, who I have worked under for 3 years, and she said it wouldn't be a good idea since he doesn't have the experience writing these letters. But, I feel that he knows me very well and I this job has been a big part of my college life, being that I paid my way through school with this job in the restaurant business. Would a letter of recommendation from him be a good or bad idea?

Thanks alot

 

[lsk87]

I'm actually not applying until 2008, but I was wondering if it was likely for me to have a chance in texas schools with an upward gpa trend. My current gpa is a 3.623 and my science gpa is a 3.33, but I still have a year before I apply and AT LEAST 4 upper division sciences left before I apply. I take the mcat this august as well.

 

[squeakyuk]

I will have a lower UGrad GPA (3.0 at best when I get it transferred into US grades) because I got my BSc in the UK (and the different systems really threw me as well as having a child my first year and having my dad pass away right before exams last year). I still have to take the pre-med classes and will at the Harvard Extension program.

So basically, if I do really well with pre-med science classes (because I've always done really well in science and won awards in high school for it, so I should be 3.5+), do you think that would compensate for a lower UGrad GPA from a foreign school (I'm an American by the way)?

Thanks!

 

[wjustice]

adcom, thank you for taking the time to answer all of these questions!

I am volunteering for a year with AmeriCorps teaching about environmental public health to diverse community groups, schools, etc. Although I am not working in a clinical setting, does this demonstrate commitment to a career in medicine? I am hoping to explain it does in my PS. Hope it's convincing, since I took the position wanting to go to med school. A little worried, because I have only 100 volunteer hours and 55 shadowing hours -- hoping this doesn't hold me back, and that my AmeriCorps job can compensate. I'm going to start applying this summer, and hopefully will have an extra 50 hours of volunteering and 16 or so hours of shadowing. How is AmeriCorps volunteering viewed in general by adcoms? Thank you!

 

[deadeyedk]

adcomm,

i'm applying at the university of oklahoma and i've heard that their admissions committee meetings are open to the public. i've had my interview and i think it went ok, but i'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of attending the meeting in which they'll discuss my app.

any advice on that note? i figure they might not care at all, or they might hate it. i definitely don't think it will help my chances, i'd just like to hear what they say if i don't get in (so i'll know exactly what to work on for next year).

thanks for all your help.

 

[xylem29]

Dear Adcom member,

One of the criticisms I have received during this cycle was that I had no clinical or shadowing experience. I wanted to know if it would be wise for me to get some right now - after I have already applied - and then provide it as an update?

What would you think of an applicant who did this?

 

[Disinence2]

Dear Adcom member,

One of the criticisms I have received during this cycle was that I had no clinical or shadowing experience. I wanted to know if it would be wise for me to get some right now - after I have already applied - and then provide it as an update?

What would you think of an applicant who did this?

Out of curiosity...do u think there going to tell you "No, you don't need any clinical experience"

The real question is why are you avioding clinical experience if you want to be a doctor?

(sorry adcoms, i had to jump in)

 

[xylem29]

Out of curiosity...do u think there going to tell you "No, you don't need any clinical experience"

The real question is why are you avioding clinical experience if you want to be a doctor?

(sorry adcoms, i had to jump in)

I didn't avoid it - as far as I'm concerned, volunteering at a geriatric centre with alzheimer's residents provided me with direct patient contact - and this is actually listed as "clinical experience" under AMCAS - YET, I was criticized by some interviewers for not having shadowed any physicians - so it's not clinical experience, but shadowing experience that I lack.

My question is: "how would my shadowing doctors, after i've already applied and am in the middle of the cycle, be looked upon?"

 

[TDizzle]

Dear Adcom,

How would doing poorly in advance Math (diffy q, Cal III, etc) and physics (quantum physics, etc.) classes affect me if they were taken during my first year and half of school? Those classes were to fulfill my engeering requirements but I am no longer an engineering major. I recently took a stat class, retook physics (the ones pre-meds take at my school) and got A's in them. How would this affect me?

Thanks

 

[SexyLexie729]

Dear Adcom,
My fiance and I are applying to the same school and we would like to write a letter of intent. Should we mention that the other is applying in our LOI? Thanks for your help.

 

[gujuDoc]

I didn't avoid it - as far as I'm concerned, volunteering at a geriatric centre with alzheimer's residents provided me with direct patient contact - and this is actually listed as "clinical experience" under AMCAS - YET, I was criticized by some interviewers for not having shadowed any physicians - so it's not clinical experience, but shadowing experience that I lack.

My question is: "how would my shadowing doctors, after i've already applied and am in the middle of the cycle, be looked upon?"

I'm not on an adcom, but here's what happened with a friend of mine last year.

She had zero clinical exp. cuz she was in 7 year originally so she was going to do it all in last year before going.. They were required 40hrs shadowing and 40 volunteering. When she didn't make 7 year due to being a pt or two lower on the mcat, she had to apply the reg. way so she applied EDP but still didn't get in, so she went back and did a lot of volunteering and shadowing and constantly updated them. Eventually she got another interview and did it later in the cycle.. She was high tier waitlisted and eventually accepted.

So the short end of the stick is, YES it does help to do things even during the cycle and update them through a polite email or other means. It really is dependent on the school. This usually works at lower tier and state schools but at a school like Yale or an IVY league it might not make a difference.

Of course shadowing is more important at the state schools from what I've seen, whereas the IVY leagues want to see that you've done more research and something that sets you apart.

However, there's always the off chance that you won't get in this year even with going back and doing it. If that happens, then go back and improve upon your clinical experience or other weak areas in the year off and reapply. Hope that helps.

 

[Bubblewrap777]

Dear Adcoms

I am going to be starting the application process next year, that being said.

A little background on myself on why I want to be a doctor, and should I omit this if they ask or not.

Of course I want to be a Doctor to help people (how generic) but my wanting to help stems from the fact that my father was abusive to my mother and me. She left him, and for good reason. He soon found a new girl, who already had a child from another marriage that was about the same age as me (3 at the time). My father soon started to abuse them, I would still see my father ( I did not know what was going on) and now I had a new friend to play with. Time went by and long story short, my father beat a 3 year old to death. I did not find out why I could not see my father until I was about 10.

That is where my drive to become a doctor comes from, should I tell them this or not.

What would you think if you hear this?

More stuff about me, don't know if it is useful.
~GPA: 3.7
~no mcat yet
~5 years working at a hospital (direct patient contact) still there, have been working 24+hours/week entire college career
~1+ years volunteering at another hospital (direct patient contact +shadowing) still there
~married

thank you for your information

 

[Karina 07]

Dear Adcomms,

The dad of a guy I know who is applying to medical school knows someone on a medical school's admissions committee. The dad thinks it would be a great idea for the doctor to write a supplementary reference letter to send to the other schools that this person is applying to and also write in something or otherwise put in a good word for the candidate with the admissions committee at that one school, which this person also happens to be applying to.

The admissions committee person doesn't know the student. Would this help or hurt the student?

Thank you!

 

[move2west]

Dear adcomms,

I am planning to apply to MD/PhD programs next year, and I would like some advice on clinical exposure requirements. I had 10+ hours a week of experience in a hospital setting in high school (ending with the conclusion of my senior year) as a CNA and an EMT-Basic. In college I strayed into the pre-grad school option and away from further clinical experiences. I did do some shadowing of physicians occasionally through this time period, which if added up is probably fairly significant.

I am currently doing post-bac research fellowship for two years, and I recently have decided to pursue a MD/PhD instead of a PhD. All of my clinical certifications have expired, which makes it difficult to find meaningful clinical experiences. I am probably a little picky side about selecting a clinical experience as it difficult to go from direct patient care to just transporting people from department to department. Recently, I have started volunteering in a clinical research lab in which I have some contact with patients diagnosed with a neurological disorder.

Will this more recent experience in a clinical lab and some physician shadowing be enough to be competitive in the medical school application process, especially MD/PhD programs? If not, I would like some ideas of what I could add to my already busy schedule.

Finally, I have heard the rule of thumb is to not include activities four or more years out on med school applications (e.g is not pre-college). I will be a year out of college at the time of application. Should I still put all of my activities from my first two years of college on the application?

Thanks in advance for your help,

 

[TDizzle]

What would be the committee's take if I submitted a DO letter of rec if I was applying to a MD school?

 

[Adcom2]

Just a quick note - I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, my life's been somewhat hectic. I'll get back to it as soon as I can. In the meantime, best of luck to everyone as this cycle winds down. 👍 👍

 

[LoveAndrea]

.

 

[gujuDoc]

What would be the committee's take if I submitted a DO letter of rec if I was applying to a MD school?

Again, not on an adcom but from what LizzyM stated and also my state med schools have said in Florida, a MD or physician letter in general is not required like a DO letter is required for DO schools. What is important is to have 2 science and a non science or substitute that with a committee letter. Some schools will additionally ask you to provide character letters. Some will specify that they want this letter from a peer (friend or classmate or someone your age who knows you well).

Otherwise, its pretty much up to you who you use as a peer letter. As per LizzyM's advice about a year or so ago, it is not advised to get a physician letter just for the sake of having one unless you worked with them i.e. did research with them, were a nurse, Patient Care tech, etc. etc. who worked under them or were actually involved in doing something with them other then just shadowing and observing.

 

[gujuDoc]

Dear adcomms,

I am planning to apply to MD/PhD programs next year, and I would like some advice on clinical exposure requirements. I had 10+ hours a week of experience in a hospital setting in high school (ending with the conclusion of my senior year) as a CNA and an EMT-Basic. In college I strayed into the pre-grad school option and away from further clinical experiences. I did do some shadowing of physicians occasionally through this time period, which if added up is probably fairly significant.

I am currently doing post-bac research fellowship for two years, and I recently have decided to pursue a MD/PhD instead of a PhD. All of my clinical certifications have expired, which makes it difficult to find meaningful clinical experiences. I am probably a little picky side about selecting a clinical experience as it difficult to go from direct patient care to just transporting people from department to department. Recently, I have started volunteering in a clinical research lab in which I have some contact with patients diagnosed with a neurological disorder.

Will this more recent experience in a clinical lab and some physician shadowing be enough to be competitive in the medical school application process, especially MD/PhD programs? If not, I would like some ideas of what I could add to my already busy schedule.

Finally, I have heard the rule of thumb is to not include activities four or more years out on med school applications (e.g is not pre-college). I will be a year out of college at the time of application. Should I still put all of my activities from my first two years of college on the application?

Thanks in advance for your help,

I can't answer the first question. Adcom2 will have to do that or REL or Lizzy M. However, I'll say that if you want some meaningful experiences in which you get to do things, your options are

1. Get recertified if you can.
2. Go and do medical mission trips because those will allow you to get good exposure.
3. At the very minimal volunteer in a clinic or hospital, maybe even a free clinic for a semester or 2.

Those are just a few ideas.

 

[kateycat]

Adcoms,

I am waitlisted at 2 schools (one i loved but other i hated), haven't heard back from 3rd interview, and have an upcoming one in 2 weeks.

Should I send updated transcripts to the three i'm interested in? since amcas, I have completed 35 credit hours with a 4.0 including my last quarter of gen chem and molecular genetics.

If i should send them- should I send them myself, with a letter of interest/update? (I've also been shadowing a doc twice a week and helped out with some exercise science research since amcas.) Or should I just have the transcript sent directly from my undergrad school to the schools i am interested in and hope it finds its way to the right place?

As for the waitlist... should I wait until the list is ranked (april) to send a letter of interest or send it now?

thanks for all your help!

 

[134471]

A little background on myself on why I want to be a doctor, and should I omit this if they ask or not.

Of course I want to be a Doctor to help people (how generic) but my wanting to help stems from the fact that my father was abusive to my mother and me. She left him, and for good reason. He soon found a new girl, who already had a child from another marriage that was about the same age as me (3 at the time). My father soon started to abuse them, I would still see my father ( I did not know what was going on) and now I had a new friend to play with. Time went by and long story short, my father beat a 3 year old to death. I did not find out why I could not see my father until I was about 10.

That is where my drive to become a doctor comes from, should I tell them this or not.

I am not an admissions committee member, just offering an opinion. First of all, I want to say I am sorry to hear what a difficult time your family went through. In terms of the application process, my question would be why more specifically this experience makes you want to be a doctor? I think if you can articulate clearly how this contributes to your desire to be a physician, then it would be reasonable to discuss it, especially if this really is the root of your wanting to be a doctor.

 

[viciouz]

Hello Adcom,

First off, thanks for taking the time for looking into everyone's questions in this thread. I have learned a lot.

Here's a brief history of me:
From University of California Irvine
Overall GPA: ~ 3.40
Science GPA: ~ 3.35

Freshmen Year I partied a lot and had to work full time because of family problems, and I had no intention of becoming a doctor then. I messed up in taking a bunch of economics classes. Mainly the reason why I have a low non-science GPA.

Sophomore Year I quit work and focused on school getting good grades, started volunteering at a hospital switching departments periodically. I switched into the Biology Major from Engineering.

Junior Year I am still currently volunteering and now tutoring for UCI in OChem and GChem Department. I also started private tutoring for high school and college chem classes. I am also taking a lot of non-science classes to explore what else my university has to offer. I also started research (summer before junior year) in colorectal cancer cell lines at UCI Medical Center, and will have hopefully 1 publication by start of Senior year after 1 year of research experience and plan on staying in my lab till I graduate.

Will have 3 SOLID Letters or Recommendation (1 Research, 1 Ochem Professor, 1 Business Professor)

Took the MCAT and got 29N (PS 13, V 7, BS 9 N). I didn't take it seriously enough nor studied a lot. Scheduled retake is on the 11th of May. And I plan on scoring a solid 32P or higher.

I plan on submitting my AMCAS roughly around June 3rd to about 30+ schools, particularly those with MD/MBA programs.

Now I have 3 complex questions:

1) Am I a strong Applicant from you point of view? In terms of research, experience, grades, etc? Is there anything I can do to further strengthen my application?

2) What can I do to give me an edge in applying to schools for the MD/MBA degree? What do committees think of applicants who have a strong business mindset? Should I mention how I started 2 businesses, one a website that I failed at and still learned a lot from and my current Tutoring business, where I have a team of tutors now? Are these things noteworthy of in my Personal Statement?

3) I am retaking the MCAT May 11th, and it takes about 1 month for scores to get released... so if I send my primaries before then, will schools look at my first score and automatically reject me or wait for my new score to come in? What would they think of my first score?

Thank You, I know its a lot to read, but I would appreciate it.

 

[TinyHineyRikki]

Hello adcomm,
I was waitlisted last year (2006 cycle ) at a school that I really liked and made it to #2 on the waitlist by the time the summer was over. I talked to the dean and she said that there were a couple of minor red flags (that I spent a year correcting). I was wondering whether my chances of acceptance would be high if I apply this coming June to the same school. One of my flags was lack of patient contact. I was also wondering if 100 hours of volunteering in a hospital would be enough.
Thanks

 

[Jimmydix]

Adcom,

I applied for medical school this year but have not got an interview. I applied to a wide rage of schools, 17 in total, to increase my chances but my MCAT of a 29 (11 V, 10PS, 8 Bio Q) combined with a low GPA of 3.2 in science is my downfall.

I was accepted to a good SMP program and will likely enroll.

So the one question I have, should I retake the MCAT?

I've spoken to my advisor and several adcom members and have received mixed recommendations. Some say retake the MCAT since my 8 can be cause for concern while others say address your academic weakness (SMP). Do you have any advice or does it really come down to me making a decision.

Truthfully, I do not want to take the MCAT again since the only score that will likely change is bio. The others scores could go down since I performed well on them last time. But if the reality of going to medical means i need to take the MCAT again to get 10s accross the board then I will make it happen. Thanks for your help.

 

[kevinp2]

hi adcoms. thank you so much in advance for your valuable insights.

what are the essential elements of a letter of intent? the most important element seems to be telling the top-choice school that we will withdraw from all other schools if accepted. but should i list out the other (good) schools to which i've been accepted in order to put my cards on the table and express my commitment, or will this just seem tacky? any no-no's you can think of that applicants are likely to do?

I'm also curious about this....

 

[armybound]

Can any of you adcom'ers give a little insight into the effect of master's program grades and "screening" or admissions opinions? I'm hearing a lot of different opinions, ranging from "Your master's work will show them you can handle advanced coursework.." to "Only your undergrad GPA matters.. if it's not high enough to pass the screening, it doesn't matter what your masters grades are."

Is any of this true? Do you look at masters grades, or are they irrelevant?

 

[horton thruggle]

Can any of you adcom'ers give a little insight into the effect of master's program grades and "screening" or admissions opinions? I'm hearing a lot of different opinions, ranging from "Your master's work will show them you can handle advanced coursework.." to "Only your undergrad GPA matters.. if it's not high enough to pass the screening, it doesn't matter what your masters grades are."

Is any of this true? Do you look at masters grades, or are they irrelevant?

Let me redefine this question just a bit. Do Adcoms give value to a Masters degree per se, especially if its in a relevant field (say neurobiology)?

One may argue -- probably correctly -- that grades in graduate classes tend to be A's, but does the additional education/training/dedication/research etc. that a Masters implies factor into Adcoms' decision-making? Assume that the Masters thesis advisor provides a very positive recommendation.

Thanks in advance

 

[sandyblonde11]

Hi Adcoms,

Thank you in advance!

I have a question re: LOR. My school sets up a VE (virtual eval I believe) that consists of 5 letters that are then sent off to schools. (You are probably aware of how this works.) So, I have the following 6 potential letters (I say potential because I haven't gotten them yet), and I want to know which I shouldn't send, or if it depends on the school I'm sending it to:

2 science profs
1 non-science prof
1 PI for the lab I work in for credit/volunteer (and he's a prof at the univ)
1 advisor for an extracurricular student org--for sure will write an amazing letter; it's just how she is
1 nurse from my clinical experience volunteering at the hospital--also a pretty good letter

Right now, I'm thinking it's either the extracurricular or the clinical that goes...any thoughts?

😕

 

[runindownadream]

i don't mean to add clutter to such a helpful thread but i just noticed that this one has taken on a life and meaning all its own. it's like the wailing wall for pre-meds...🙂

 

[Dianyla]

i don't mean to add clutter to such a helpful thread but i just noticed that this one has taken on a life and meaning all its own. it's like the wailing wall for pre-meds...🙂

Would you rather that we all start our own individual threads to whine about it? 🙄

Resumes patiently waiting for Adcom to have time for our questions. 🙂

 

[runindownadream]

Would you rather that we all start our own individual threads to whine about it? 🙄

Resumes patiently waiting for Adcom to have time for our questions. 🙂

no no, i didn't mean it to sound bad. i was making a reference to how important this particular thread has become to us, to the point that i made a reference to a religious symbol --> the wailing wall, in jerusalem. 🙂

 

[gujuDoc]

Hi Adcoms,

Thank you in advance!

I have a question re: LOR. My school sets up a VE (virtual eval I believe) that consists of 5 letters that are then sent off to schools. (You are probably aware of how this works.) So, I have the following 6 potential letters (I say potential because I haven't gotten them yet), and I want to know which I shouldn't send, or if it depends on the school I'm sending it to:

2 science profs
1 non-science prof
1 PI for the lab I work in for credit/volunteer (and he's a prof at the univ)
1 advisor for an extracurricular student org--for sure will write an amazing letter; it's just how she is
1 nurse from my clinical experience volunteering at the hospital--also a pretty good letter

Right now, I'm thinking it's either the extracurricular or the clinical that goes...any thoughts?

😕

Not on an adcom, but my advice would be to use the 2 character letters that will be the strongest. Which one would be able to write a stronger letter? The nurse or the advisor? Also, which of those activities did you get more out of? THe one that you got more out of or did more with will be the one that will be a stronger letter. For instance, getting a letter from a doctor you shadowed vs. a doctor you actually aided in doing stuff is two different things. THe one you aided would be a better bet because those are often people who've seen you in action. Same deal goes for your situation above.

P.S. This advice is taken from LizzyM who is an adcom at a top tier school. She spoke of this on a very old thread a cycle or two ago.

 

[md2b10]

Dear wjustice,

I can only speak from my experience with our school's committee, but many of our ADCOM members, look at significant public health experience as someone who should look at getting masters in public health. I have heard several members indicate that this person does not need a M.D. to do the work they want to do in the public health field. However, if you can show other significant experinence working with patients hands on (aka not shadowing) in addition to this program then it is a huge plus. A hint, many applicants work in the emergency departments of their local hospitals. Try to be different and your application will stand out!

 

[Adcom2]

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

Probably way too late, but nobody cares, or even notices, if you take 12 or 15 credits in a semester. There's just not enough time to pick over your transcript at that level of detail. Same answer to the question of which class to drop.

 

[Adcom2]

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?

1) never; 2,3) REL claims my information was incorrect, which is not at all unlikely. So I'll retract it pending confirmation; 4,5) I believe only acceptances are shared. Waitlist is handled very differently among schools (unlike acceptance) so sharing that is less useful.

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? ....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)?

I don't think there's any official way for this to be communicated. Obviously, any school to which one applied in the first attempt will know that the applicant is a reapp, and could look up where the applicant got it, but they probably wouldn't bother. School to which the applicant didn't apply the first time wouldn't know unless you told them. This comes up fairly often for reapplicants where our AMCAS does NOT report them as reapplicants because they didn't apply to our school the first time.

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?

You're assuming that a 41S/3.9 applicant is necessary somehow "blessed," which, believe me, is not the case at my school. There's so much that does into a successful application. Certainly a candidate who doesn't express real interest in a school will be unlikely to impress its committee. It's not a waste of resources issue, I think, but rather finding the right fit.

 

[REL]

1) never; 2) May 15 (http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/policies/admissionofficers.htm); 3) Most people accept all acceptances so this probably isn't important; 4,5) I believe only acceptances are shared. Waitlist is handled very differently among schools (unlike acceptance) so sharing that is less useful.

I don't think there's any official way for this to be communicated. Obviously, any school to which one applied in the first attempt will know that the applicant is a reapp, and could look up where the applicant got it, but they probably wouldn't bother. School to which the applicant didn't apply the first time wouldn't know unless you told them. This comes up fairly often for reapplicants where our AMCAS does NOT report them as reapplicants because they didn't apply to our school the first time.

You're assuming that a 41S/3.9 applicant is necessary somehow "blessed," which, believe me, is not the case at my school. There's so much that does into a successful application. Certainly a candidate who doesn't express real interest in a school will be unlikely to impress its committee. It's not a waste of resources issue, I think, but rather finding the right fit.

ADCOM - please correct your answers to 2 and 3 in the first section. You are providing misinformation.

 

[Dr. Josh]

Hi Adcomm, thanking you in advance for this valuable service. I am a senior who switched into pre-med only last year and am now playing catch up on pre-reqs. I have an overall GPA of around 3.65, and in my sciences have 5 As, 1 B+ and a D+😳 in orgo which I'm retaking in the summer along with orgo 2. I'm taking 2 sciences now which I'm hoping to get As in. I have not taken the MCAT and after much deliberation I think I'm going to put off applying for another year because I'm just afraid with all the stuff I still need to complete I'd be applying too late. Since I'm probably borderline I think I need to give it my best shot and get my application in early. I have about 125 hours of hospital volunteer which did involve direct patient contact; I volunteered as a research assistant, have minimal lab volunteer experience and have some research but not clinical or published. I have done some shadowing but nothing official but i will get that done and I'm hoping to work with sick pediatric patients. I'm also in the process of trying to put together some sort of pediatric story book with helpful information about cancer treatment. I doubt it will be published but hope it can be used in some departments. I will have about 9 months before applying and a year and a half off before going to med school if I get in. I really need to earn some money. How do you think I should best use my time? Do you think it is wise for me to put off applying this cycle? What can I do to increase my chances and do you think I have much hope of getting in allopathic? osteopathic schools? Thanks!

 

[WhyIsThisSoHard]

ADCOM - please correct your answers to 2 and 3 in the first section. You are providing misinformation.

Does the number of acceptances you are holding influence admissions decisions at other schools?

 

[WhyIsThisSoHard]

Sorry!

 

[stat3113]

my father was abusive to my mother and me. She left him, and for good reason. He soon found a new girl, who already had a child from another marriage that was about the same age as me (3 at the time). My father soon started to abuse them, I would still see my father ( I did not know what was going on) and now I had a new friend to play with. Time went by and long story short, my father beat a 3 year old to death. I did not find out why I could not see my father until I was about 10.

I really think you should NOT mention this in an interview or essay or whatever. It will probably make your interviewer really uncomfortable. These are personal details that are not really relevant (even though they are) to your applying to medical school. AVOID!!!

 

[gujuDoc]

I really think you should NOT mention this in an interview or essay or whatever. It will probably make your interviewer really uncomfortable. These are personal details that are not really relevant (even though they are) to your applying to medical school. AVOID!!!

I tend to disagree somewhat. If they think it will be too emotional to talk about then I agree they should not talk about it. But if they feel that they will emotionally be up to talking about it should an interviewer ask then there is no problem in them mentioning it. I've known people in this position and they chose to talk about it rather even though it meant taking that risk of crying at the interview. They were accepted to medical school and had many an interview.

I already PMed this poster and hope they got the PM but really it is a personal decision and if they choose to talk about it they shouldn't think it will hold consequences in their decision to pursue med school. Its absolutely ok to talk about it but the real uncomfort won't be for the interviewer so much as the person wh went through the experience and suffered from it (the poster who posted about this issue). Because it is the bubblewrap who will have to determine for themselves how they will be able to handle talking about it in a setting.

 

[Adcom2]

ADCOM - please correct your answers to 2 and 3 in the first section. You are providing misinformation.

For now, I'll just retract the answer, if as you say it's misinformation. Please quote the correct info to clear this up.

 

[WhyIsThisSoHard]

Moderator note: Please don't cross post.

Thread here.

 

[futuresplash26]

When i was 17 I was arrest and charged with a felony (Burglary of a Building). I had the case dissmissed and there was obviously no conviction, but I was told that just being arrested would hurt my record regardless of the disposition. I really want to get into med school. How will this affect my ability to be accepted?

 

[REL]

For now, I'll just retract the answer, if as you say it's misinformation. Please quote the correct info to clear this up.

Happy to help out since you do such a valuable service to the applicant population otherwise. I have posted the following on the "Are schools able to see other acceptances thread," item #25.
------------------------------------------------
"Originally Posted by Rocket3004
Can you explain? Are you talking about withdrawing after being accepted, then no record exists of your original acceptance (that you declined/withdrew from)?"

"In spite of my confusing wording you got it. Let me state it more plainly. In a scenario where you have been accepted by schools A, B, and C, the national database will show only schools A, B, and C that you have been accepted to another program. All other schools cannot see this information until they too accept you --- (this changes sometime in mid-March where all schools to which you have applied can also see this information.) If you withdraw from school B the national database will be told by school B that you have withdrawn and your name will dissappear from the national database. The national database will show you accepted to schools A and C. There is no residual area where schools can see where you were once accepted and eventually declined."