ADCOMS: Semi-Solicited Advice [Part II]

[Revilla]

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Hi Adcoms!

I have a question regarding awards. It was just announced that I received my college's Outstanding Biological Sciences Student Award. My friend asked if I'm going to put it on my med school application, but I really didn't know what to tell her.

Is that something people list or is it too small and petty to list? I'm proud of it because I'm a nontraditional student who didn't have the best undergrad track record. I returned 6 years after I graduated college and thus far, I have 30+ science credits with a 4.0. I've made a complete turnaround, so I feel like the award emphasizes that. I'm just not sure if it's the type of thing that belongs on the application since I'm sure many pre-meds receive awards and scholarships that are much more prestigious.

 

[LizzyM]

Hi Adcoms!

I have a question regarding awards. It was just announced that I received my college's Outstanding Biological Sciences Student Award. My friend asked if I'm going to put it on my med school application, but I really didn't know what to tell her.

Is that something people list or is it too small and petty to list? I'm proud of it because I'm a nontraditional student who didn't have the best undergrad track record. I returned 6 years after I graduated college and thus far, I have 30+ science credits with a 4.0. I've made a complete turnaround, so I feel like the award emphasizes that. I'm just not sure if it's the type of thing that belongs on the application since I'm sure many pre-meds receive awards and scholarships that are much more prestigious.

If it is based on your gpa and the gpa is 4.0, then it seems redunant. If you need to pad your application, there is a place on the application for Awards (under the Experience section) but if you leave it off, no one will notice its absence.

 

[Revilla]

If it is based on your gpa and the gpa is 4.0, then it seems redunant. If you need to pad your application, there is a place on the application for Awards (under the Experience section) but if you leave it off, no one will notice its absence.

It doesn't have to do with GPA. It's voted on by a committee made up of science faculty and awarded by the Biology Dept. I didn't have the highest grade in any of my biology classes, but I was nominated by two of my professors for other qualities they felt I had. So you're saying it looks like application padding then? I would only want to include it if it's going to help.

 

[Wasik]

I had a question regarding what adcoms consider characteristics of a strong letter of recommendation. Is there anything that would make a LOR stand out, especially from a professor?
​

 

[LizzyM]

It doesn't have to do with GPA. It's voted on by a committee made up of science faculty and awarded by the Biology Dept. I didn't have the highest grade in any of my biology classes, but I was nominated by two of my professors for other qualities they felt I had. So you're saying it looks like application padding then? I would only want to include it if it's going to help.

I've never seen an award of the certificate or trophy type that impressed an adcom member to the point where it was mentioned -- awards of fellowships and research funding are another story.

 

[LizzyM]

I had a question regarding what adcoms consider characteristics of a strong letter of recommendation. Is there anything that would make a LOR stand out, especially from a professor?
​

Who is writing (their academic standing and experience), what is written and what is not included pretty much sums it up.

To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart on a case involving the definition of hardcore pornography, "I know it when I see it."

 

[Aynsl156]

Hi LizzieM. Thanks for answering all of our paranoia.

I'm applying to some top-tier schools, where my lack of publications might hurt me. I know this, which is why I'm currently involved in a lot of clinical research (chart reviews, surgical databases, etc.) which publish a lot faster than the hardcore dev-bio, mouse work stuff. My issue is this: medical schools are well aware that it takes less work to publish on a chart-review paper, and so are they going to give correspondingly less weight to my clinical research even if I publish a couple of papers within a year?

 

[LizzyM]

My issue is this: medical schools are well aware that it takes less work to publish on a chart-review paper, and so are they going to give correspondingly less weight to my clinical research even if I publish a couple of papers within a year?

No. If anything, it is more relevant to clinical care.

 

[Bust-A-rhyme]

You simply need to fulfill your prereqs before you matriculate at a med school. So you can apply while you take those courses.

Hospital experience is not a requirement, but good for patient contact and clinical experience. However, it seems that your volunteer exp is quite adequate assuming that you patient contact and that you have also done some shadowing.

Masters will be useful if you have gotten decent grades and research done. Competitive research schools and MD/PhD programs especially look for research experience.

thank you so much for ur input!

 

[AzuraDragon]

Hello Adcomm gurus!

I have been placed on 4 separate waitlists with no acceptances. In the last few weeks, I have been doing everything to improve my chances at these schools; take postbacc classes, work fulltime in a lab, and send periodic emails to remind the schools that I'm committed to what I do and why they should be interested in me.

Naturally, my mother has become increasingly involved in my interaction with these schools. She is putting pressure on me to call the schools weekly and ask about the waitlist. I would usually take this advice, but it seems a bit much.

Would this hurt/help/or do nothing to improve my chances? From my past experience, this in-your-face technique has been met unfavorably. I have been shooed out of admissions offices rather rudely. Perhaps I am not speaking to th right people. Perhaps I should stick with e-mails.
Please help me proceed safely and affectively!

Thank you!

 

[geordon]

In an effort to minimize my costs and springboard into the "higher" pre-req's, I'm looking at testing out of some of the basic classes (Comp 1, Intro to Psych, Intro to Soc and Human growth and development).

Do admissions committees have any opinion, one way or the other, about CLEP credit, especially for non-traditional students?

Thanks!
Geordon

 

[LizzyM]

Hello Adcomm gurus!

I have been placed on 4 separate waitlists with no acceptances. ...Naturally, my mother has become increasingly involved in my interaction with these schools. She is putting pressure on me to call the schools weekly and ask about the waitlist. I would usually take this advice, but it seems a bit much.

Would this hurt/help/or do nothing to improve my chances? From my past experience, this in-your-face technique has been met unfavorably. I have been shooed out of admissions offices rather rudely. Perhaps I am not speaking to th right people. Perhaps I should stick with e-mails.
Please help me proceed safely and affectively!

Thank you!

Call each school once. Ask the preferred method and frequency of contacts to best express your continued interest in the school.

 

[LizzyM]

In an effort to minimize my costs and springboard into the "higher" pre-req's, I'm looking at testing out of some of the basic classes (Comp 1, Intro to Psych, Intro to Soc and Human growth and development).

Do admissions committees have any opinion, one way or the other, about CLEP credit, especially for non-traditional students?

Thanks!
Geordon

No opinion from this adcom member. I think it would appear on the transcript like AP credit meaning that it's there on the transcript without a grade.

 

[Sparkler]

Hi Adcoms,

To whom should a (post-interview) letter of intent be addressed - the Dean of Admissions, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Admissions Committee, or all of the above?

I'm planning to write a LOI to my top-choice school where I have been waitlisted. Please advise...

Thanks!!

 

[caffeineaholic]

I realize that LOR requirements differ from school to school, but I would like to gauge the possibility of submitting a LOR from a biomedical engineering professor as a science LOR. Most engin classes do not seem to be factored into a BCPM GPA, but would seem closer to 'science' than 'non-science' (if needed to be classified as one vs. the other) due to their technical natures. Also, would an ecology biology class that's mostly epidemiological in nature (models for disease transmission, etc) seem too non-science-y to be considered a 'science' LOR even though it's technically under the heading of biology?

Thanks.

 

[IzzyMarieDMD]

Why medicine? How do you know? How have you tested your interest in medicine?

I've always been interested in health professions. I initially chose dentistry because I was impressed with the idea that in usually one appointment I could fix a problem and get people out of pain (this is also true for some doctors too, I know) and I was also interested in performing cosmetic procedures. However, I became really bored with dentistry because I realized that I was far more interested in treating a whole person. I feel like some of my dental shadowing expereince has given me exposure to the doctor/patient relationship, and that it would be valid for med school. This summer I will volunteer at a health department, and I have spoken with a couple of doctors about letting me shadow them.

If I shadow and volunteer this summer will I stand a chance of getting in with my GPA? (I know my MCAT will matter too)
Thanks!

 

[joe123456789]

Adcoms,

I been unfortunate in that I was placed on 4 waitlists with 4 pretty early interviews before Christmas. Does being waitlisted early in the process mean that I probably have a lower chance of getting in than someone who got waitlisted later probably due to the class filling up??

Thanks

 

[NewYorkDoc]

ADCOM,

I much will a F in Bio 101 hurt me? The same semester I also have a D and C-. The prior semester I also received two C's. I have a 40 MCAT. 3.65 GPA Cum and pretty good E/C's... I did poor the semester with the F due to my parents getting divorced and I couldnt handle it. THANKS!

 

[LizzyM]

Hi Adcoms,

To whom should a (post-interview) letter of intent be addressed - the Dean of Admissions, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Admissions Committee, or all of the above?

I'm planning to write a LOI to my top-choice school where I have been waitlisted. Please advise...

Thanks!!

Dean of Admissions.

 

[LizzyM]

ADCOM,

I much will a F in Bio 101 hurt me? The same semester I also have a D and C-. The prior semester I also received two C's. I have a 40 MCAT. 3.65 GPA Cum and pretty good E/C's... I did poor the semester with the F due to my parents getting divorced and I couldnt handle it. THANKS!

That sounds like a pretty bad year. Your gpa didn't take a very bad hit so you must hav done very well in the rest of your courses. It might help if you talk over the situation with your school's pre-med committee or your academic advisor. Sometimes these folks will include a sentence or two in the LOR about the academic difficulty that was associated with a discrete, high-stress time in your life and the evidence that you've bounced back and are now doing well academically.

 

[LizzyM]

Adcoms,

I been unfortunate in that I was placed on 4 waitlists with 4 pretty early interviews before Christmas. Does being waitlisted early in the process mean that I probably have a lower chance of getting in than someone who got waitlisted later probably due to the class filling up??

Thanks

No.

 

[LizzyM]

I've always been interested in health professions. I initially chose dentistry because I was impressed with the idea that in usually one appointment I could fix a problem and get people out of pain (this is also true for some doctors too, I know) and I was also interested in performing cosmetic procedures. However, I became really bored with dentistry because I realized that I was far more interested in treating a whole person. I feel like some of my dental shadowing expereince has given me exposure to the doctor/patient relationship, and that it would be valid for med school. This summer I will volunteer at a health department, and I have spoken with a couple of doctors about letting me shadow them.

If I shadow and volunteer this summer will I stand a chance of getting in with my GPA? (I know my MCAT will matter too)
Thanks!

Your gpa is on the low side for most med schools -- without your MCAT score it is hard to make a prediction. You are going to need some clinical experience in medicine before you can prove that you've considered medicine and made an educated decision. It might be best to skip a year and apply in 2008. In the meantime, you can work, do research, and build up a year of activities aimed at testing your interest in medicine.

If you do physician shadowing, you could combine medicine and dentistry shadowing into one category and list all the different professional you shadowed over the years. You might also want to explore this topic in your personal statement as it is an unusual (rarely seen) road to medical school.

 

[souslepont]

Hi Adcoms! No one answered my question in the thread I made (how sad), so I'll try to be brief:

I have AP credit for general chem, and some of the schools I have been considering require a "year of upper level chemistry with lab" if you already have credit for general chem. Does biochemistry count? It's a 400-level course under both the biology and chemistry sections of my undergrad catalog. I'm assuming orgo doesn't count since it's a requirement in itself.

Also, since there is only one semester of biochem lab, should I take another semester of some other upper level chem lab to get a full year's worth of credit?

Thank you so much in advance!!

 

[Playmakur42]

This is addressed to any Adcom who feels like answering:

I'm currently doing organic chemistry research w/ the U.S. Naval Research Lab. I have an opportunity to write an article to be published in a major chemistry journal. Is this a worthwhile endeavor in your eyes? Should I spend my limited time elsewhere?

I took Physics 1 as a pass/fail. Do I need to retake it, or take an upper level Physics class to complete my pre-reqs? I also took AP English in High School. Does this count towards my pre-reqs?

I have a 3.0 gpa in Kinesiology(graduated in '01) and am consistently getting 30 on practice MCAT's. Am I remotely competitive for MD schools? DO?

I played D-1 college football and there is a substantial difference in my GPA between the in-season (2.7) and off-season (3.4). Are the time contraints of a scholarship athlete and subsequent grade trends truly considered when evaluating GPA?

Thanks for the help.

 

[NewYorkDoc]

That sounds like a pretty bad year. Your gpa didn't take a very bad hit so you must hav done very well in the rest of your courses. It might help if you talk over the situation with your school's pre-med committee or your academic advisor. Sometimes these folks will include a sentence or two in the LOR about the academic difficulty that was associated with a discrete, high-stress time in your life and the evidence that you've bounced back and are now doing well academically.

Thanks for the quick reply! Youre very helpful!

 

[LizzyM]

This is addressed to any Adcom who feels like answering:

I'm currently doing organic chemistry research w/ the U.S. Naval Research Lab. I have an opportunity to write an article to be published in a major chemistry journal. Is this a worthwhile endeavor in your eyes? Should I spend my limited time elsewhere?

Publications will always impress a adcom members at research-intensive schools. However, you might be better off directing your efforts to seriously weak sections of your application (publication is icing on the cake-- you need to work on the cake)

I took Physics 1 as a pass/fail. Do I need to retake it, or take an upper level Physics class to complete my pre-reqs? I also took AP English in High School. Does this count towards my pre-reqs?

Because pass/fail doesn't contribute to your gpa, it might be useful to retake if you can get a very good grade. Ditto for an English composition course if you think you could do very well. On the other hand, most schools will let you use AP and P/F classes toward pre-reqs.

I have a 3.0 gpa in Kinesiology(graduated in '01) and am consistently getting 30 on practice MCAT's. Am I remotely competitive for MD schools? DO?

You'll need to find schools where the avg gpa is 3.0-3.1 and MCAT is 29-31. This might be pointing more toward DO than MD but I don't know the stats for every school.

I played D-1 college football and there is a substantial difference in my GPA between the in-season (2.7) and off-season (3.4). Are the time contraints of a scholarship athlete and subsequent grade trends truly considered when evaluating GPA?

This is very variable and depends on the individual adcom member. Some adcom members have a tremendous regard for varsity athletes and appreciate the amount of time involved in athlethics. Other are less forgiving. It comes down to, "can you handle the work?"

 

[LizzyM]

Hi Adcoms! No one answered my question in the thread I made (how sad), so I'll try to be brief:

I have AP credit for general chem, and some of the schools I have been considering require a "year of upper level chemistry with lab" if you already have credit for general chem. Does biochemistry count? It's a 400-level course under both the biology and chemistry sections of my undergrad catalog. I'm assuming orgo doesn't count since it's a requirement in itself.

Also, since there is only one semester of biochem lab, should I take another semester of some other upper level chem lab to get a full year's worth of credit?

Thank you so much in advance!!

Check with the individual schools. Otherwise you could be tripped up later.

 

[kronickm]

So, I am in a post-bac program with a linkage to a solid MD school. I just learned, however, that to be considered for linkage you must have a minimum math/science GPA of 3.45. I have a 4.0 in this program which includes all the science pre-reqs for med schools (bio, chm, o-chm, phys), but, in my first undergrad term (8 years ago) I got an F in Bio and a C in Advanced Calc. I took a gen-ed science course w/ lab in my junior year and got an A-. Basically, I calculated that despite my 4.0 in my current post-bac, my math/science GPA cannot be higher then 3.42. Needless to say this was very upsetting as I entered the program with the idea that the 3.45 was the required GPA for this program not all math/science ever taken.


So, this got me thinking. When all is said and done, I will have about a 3.3 undergrad GPA, and a 3.4 math/science GPA. If you examine my grades a bit closer you will see that I had a 2.35 over my first 2 undergrad years, and a 3.8 combined between my last 2 undergrad years and my post-bac.

So the question arises, Will med schools just write me off at first glance because of my overall GPA or will they take the time to examine the fact that since my first 2 undergrad years (a time period which encompasses 4 total years of undergrad classes) I have a 3.8 total, and a 4.0 math/science?

I know people sometimes say that med schools will use overall GPA's in a sense as a first cut to shrink the applicant pool a bit, but is this actually a practice used by ADCOMS? Or will you at least get some consideration beyond 3.3=cut.

 

[olecranon]

To LizzyM...

I plan to apply in this upcoming cycle. I retook the MCAT b/c I did poorly on a previous attempt and the score expired. I got a good score on my second attempt. How do ADCOMS look at a situation like this?

Thank you for your help.

 

[LizzyM]

To LizzyM...

I plan to apply in this upcoming cycle. I retook the MCAT b/c I did poorly on a previous attempt and the score expired. I got a good score on my second attempt. How do ADCOMS look at a situation like this?

Thank you for your help.

I'm unsure if the expired score would even show up on the AMCAS. If it did, it would show both and the time and point difference will be obvious. I can't see how this can hurt.

 

[LizzyM]

So, I am in a post-bac program with a linkage to a solid MD school. I just learned, however, that to be considered for linkage you must have a minimum math/science GPA of 3.45. I have a 4.0 in this program which includes all the science pre-reqs for med schools (bio, chm, o-chm, phys), but, in my first undergrad term (8 years ago) I got an F in Bio and a C in Advanced Calc. I took a gen-ed science course w/ lab in my junior year and got an A-. Basically, I calculated that despite my 4.0 in my current post-bac, my math/science GPA cannot be higher then 3.42. Needless to say this was very upsetting as I entered the program with the idea that the 3.45 was the required GPA for this program not all math/science ever taken.


So, this got me thinking. When all is said and done, I will have about a 3.3 undergrad GPA, and a 3.4 math/science GPA. If you examine my grades a bit closer you will see that I had a 2.35 over my first 2 undergrad years, and a 3.8 combined between my last 2 undergrad years and my post-bac.

So the question arises, Will med schools just write me off at first glance because of my overall GPA or will they take the time to examine the fact that since my first 2 undergrad years (a time period which encompasses 4 total years of undergrad classes) I have a 3.8 total, and a 4.0 math/science?

I know people sometimes say that med schools will use overall GPA's in a sense as a first cut to shrink the applicant pool a bit, but is this actually a practice used by ADCOMS? Or will you at least get some consideration beyond 3.3=cut.

This may depend on the school and the adcom member assigned to review your file. If the reader notices 1) your age 2) the gpa trend in undergrad and 3) your SMP gpa, then you may get some "forgiveness" and a closer look at your PS and LORs. That is where you will really lay out your journey to medicine and why you are not the teenager you were in college (presuming that those bad grades were earned right out of H.S.). This is all very dependent on the reader assigned to your file and so you may have to apply to more schools than most applicants to "get lucky" at one or two. The other strategy would be to apply to schools where average gpa is on the low side (compared with other schools).

 

[foofish]

Because pass/fail doesn't contribute to your gpa, it might be useful to retake if you can get a very good grade. Ditto for an English composition course if you think you could do very well. On the other hand, most schools will let you use AP and P/F classes toward pre-reqs.

Is that true? I just find that surprising, since almost all of the schools I applied to specifically stated they would not accept pass/fail for any of the prerequistes (although they did take AP credits). Apparently I applied to the wrong slew of schools or missed out on a major backdoor...wow, just imagine how amazing it would be to take Orgo P/F!

But as usual, I bow to LizzyM's superior knowledge!

 

[LizzyM]

Is that true? I just find that surprising, since almost all of the schools I applied to specifically stated they would not accept pass/fail for any of the prerequistes (although they did take AP credits). Apparently I applied to the wrong slew of schools or missed out on a major backdoor...wow, just imagine how amazing it would be to take Orgo P/F!

But as usual, I bow to LizzyM's superior knowledge!

Well, mostly I base this on the remarkable success of MIT students who take the entire first year of college P/F. The pre-reqs taken that year all count, at least they do at one school 😉 .

If schools specifically state that they won't accept pre-reqs P/F then you have your answer.

 

[ppttie]

Hi Lizzy,

First of all, you rock!!

Second, I got a C+ in Bio 1A from UC Berkeley, and I'm wondering whether I should re-take that over the summer. My UG GPA is 3.3, and I know taking one science class will not raise my GPA significantly, but I'm wondering if that C+ is holding me back on top of my low GPA. Especially for those secondaries where we have to list again the prerequisite classes, I'm worried that the committee will see C+ for Bio 1A and I'm automatically out.

I was thinking maybe I'll take Bio 1A at UC Irvine summer school, get an A, and use that as the prerequsite for first semester of 1 yr of Biology. I know the committee will see I got C+ at Berkeley, but maybe this will help.

What do you think? Not worth it?

 

[BlackSails]

Well, mostly I base this on the remarkable success of MIT students who take the entire first year of college P/F. The pre-reqs taken that year all count, at least they do at one school 😉 .

If schools specifically state that they won't accept pre-reqs P/F then you have your answer.

Couldnt that be due to the fact that MIT students are on the whole, extremely smart and well educated? Not that other students arent, but I think that MIT students as a whole self select themselves to MIT, where they know they will all have to work their asses off.

 

[Wozzeck]

Not sure if this question has been answered, so I apologize for the duplication if it has been asked and answered.

I did crappy my first two years at washu but much better my second two: gpa of like 3.7. I'm now doing independent research in psychology, and am considering getting an M.A. in biology from the same university. I believe I can do well on the mcat (30+), and I just want to get into any school, resident of missouri. Given that I havent taken my mcat yet, It's not possible for me to get into an SMP anywhere, and I dont feel as if skipping a year just to get into SMP is not a good idea. I intend to hit research hard and work my ass off at the masters program, but will I gain any traction?

 

[googlinggoogler]

Hi Adcoms,
For the extracurricular section of the AMCAS, do we need to list the contact info for every activity listed? I've worked in many many labs, and only in some of them have I made significant contributions. I am thinking if Adcoms called some of the labs where I did not make much of a contribution, the PI there won't be able to give any significant supporting information to my application, so I am thinking of leaving those out (just listing the experience, short description, but no contact info). I do plan on including contact info only for those that I have asked for letters of recommendations. What is your advice on this?
Thanks!

 

[LizzyM]

Hi Lizzy,

First of all, you rock!!

Second, I got a C+ in Bio 1A from UC Berkeley, and I'm wondering whether I should re-take that over the summer. My UG GPA is 3.3, and I know taking one science class will not raise my GPA significantly, but I'm wondering if that C+ is holding me back on top of my low GPA. Especially for those secondaries where we have to list again the prerequisite classes, I'm worried that the committee will see C+ for Bio 1A and I'm automatically out.

I was thinking maybe I'll take Bio 1A at UC Irvine summer school, get an A, and use that as the prerequsite for first semester of 1 yr of Biology. I know the committee will see I got C+ at Berkeley, but maybe this will help.

What do you think? Not worth it?

I don't know if this strategy would help at some schools; it wouldn't be worth it at the school I know best.

 

[LizzyM]

Hi Adcoms,
For the extracurricular section of the AMCAS, do we need to list the contact info for every activity listed? I've worked in many many labs, and only in some of them have I made significant contributions. I am thinking if Adcoms called some of the labs where I did not make much of a contribution, the PI there won't be able to give any significant supporting information to my application, so I am thinking of leaving those out (just listing the experience, short description, but no contact info). I do plan on including contact info only for those that I have asked for letters of recommendations. What is your advice on this?
Thanks!

For labs you should have contact information. Otherwise, it looks bogus. If you list a lab activity you could be asked about it at the interview and if you appear clueless, the adcom may call the contact and ask if you even did anything there. Maybe you should leave them out all together if you didn't make much of a contribution.

You don't need contact information for hobbies although we sometimes see someone list a piano teacher, but that is really unnecessary.

 

[LizzyM]

Not sure if this question has been answered, so I apologize for the duplication if it has been asked and answered.

I did crappy my first two years at washu but much better my second two: gpa of like 3.7. I'm now doing independent research in psychology, and am considering getting an M.A. in biology from the same university. I believe I can do well on the mcat (30+), and I just want to get into any school, resident of missouri. Given that I havent taken my mcat yet, It's not possible for me to get into an SMP anywhere, and I dont feel as if skipping a year just to get into SMP is not a good idea. I intend to hit research hard and work my ass off at the masters program, but will I gain any traction?

Dear Lord! All those negatives I don't know what you are talking about. Maybe you'd better start drafting and editing your personal statements to be sure they make sense.

Take the MCAT and then you'll know where you stand. If you don't have the stats to get in med school then you'll need to look at SMP but until you have MCAT scores you've got nothing on which to base future decisions.

 

[BlackSails]

Dear Lizzy,

Does it matter what kind of research we do? I am going to be working in a theoretical quantum chemistry lab next year. Even though it has really no relation to medicine, will such research look good on my resume. I am not doing the research to look good (if that were the case, I would certainly do some cancer research in the biology dept), but it is important to think of the future.

 

[LizzyM]

Dear Lizzy,

Does it matter what kind of research we do? I am going to be working in a theoretical quantum chemistry lab next year. Even though it has really no relation to medicine, will such research look good on my resume. I am not doing the research to look good (if that were the case, I would certainly do some cancer research in the biology dept), but it is important to think of the future.

If it interests you and you can be enthusiastic when talking about it, then you seem to have been bitten by the research bug. Schools that are hoping to have medical students who are interested in research (and therefore gravitate to academic medicine careers) will find you attractive.

 

[Wozzeck]

I'm not sure that a personal statement can be related to what's said on a message board, but you're right, that was a confusing statement. What I meant to say is: if i want to get started now on getting accepted for 2009, then my best option, as far as I'm aware of, is to get a masters in Biology (2 years, non-thesis) and get involved in some research. With a culm gpa of 3.2 and a science gpa that is right around the same area, will this be sufficient to grant me admission into a medical school or should I try something else?

I should add I'll be graduating this semester, and my mcat is scheduled for early august.

Dear Lord! All those negatives I don't know what you are talking about. Maybe you'd better start drafting and editing your personal statements to be sure they make sense.

Take the MCAT and then you'll know where you stand. If you don't have the stats to get in med school then you'll need to look at SMP but until you have MCAT scores you've got nothing on which to base future decisions.

 

[chickenlittle84]

Hi! I am having trouble remembering some of the exact dates that I started and stopped particular activities, these things tend to be in flux! Is this a huge problem for the AMCAS application? I was looking at the worksheet on the AMCAS website and noticed they ask for month/day/year. I know the month and year, obviously, as I have always kept this information up to date for my resume, but I do not have exact dates...what should I do?

 

[gujuDoc]

Hi! I am having trouble remembering some of the exact dates that I started and stopped particular activities, these things tend to be in flux! Is this a huge problem for the AMCAS application? I was looking at the worksheet on the AMCAS website and noticed they ask for month/day/year. I know the month and year, obviously, as I have always kept this information up to date for my resume, but I do not have exact dates...what should I do?

Not to infringe on Adcom territory. LizzyM will probably answer in more detail, but as far as I can remember the only time exact date became important was in listing dates of receiving awards. AMCAS only asks for month and year.

LizzyM, perhaps you could comment on whether or not dates become important for secondaries as I imagine they might be different then AMCAS.

 

[LizzyM]

Not to infringe on Adcom territory. LizzyM will probably answer in more detail, but as far as I can remember the only time exact date became important was in listing dates of receiving awards. AMCAS only asks for month and year.

LizzyM, perhaps you could comment on whether or not dates become important for secondaries as I imagine they might be different then AMCAS.

I've never seen more than month and year. Of course, this can make a two day activity look like a 2 month activity. Dates would be nice and more accurately reflect activity duration but adcoms generally recognize the limitations of one's memory.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm not sure that a personal statement can be related to what's said on a message board, but you're right, that was a confusing statement. What I meant to say is: if i want to get started now on getting accepted for 2009, then my best option, as far as I'm aware of, is to get a masters in Biology (2 years, non-thesis) and get involved in some research. With a culm gpa of 3.2 and a science gpa that is right around the same area, will this be sufficient to grant me admission into a medical school or should I try something else?

I should add I'll be graduating this semester, and my mcat is scheduled for early august.

Without the MCAT, you don't know where you stand. If the sun shines on you and you score a 37 or better on the MCAT then despite the poor gpa you might get some interviews & offers despite the relatively poor gpa. If your MCAT is 26 or less, even a 2 year master's degree isn't going to salvage things. (The general consensus is that grade inflation in grad programs is such that everyone has a good master's gpa and Lord help you if you don't because you've dug yourself into a deeper hole.)

 

[Wozzeck]

Without the MCAT, you don't know where you stand. If the sun shines on you and you score a 37 or better on the MCAT then despite the poor gpa you might get some interviews & offers despite the relatively poor gpa. If your MCAT is 26 or less, even a 2 year master's degree isn't going to salvage things. (The general consensus is that grade inflation in grad programs is such that everyone has a good master's gpa and Lord help you if you don't because you've dug yourself into a deeper hole.)

Well, let us estimate that the mcat will be between 30 and 37. What i'd like to know is if this masters program won't do much or anything at all in getting me into med school

 

[LizzyM]

Well, let us estimate that the mcat will be between 30 and 37. What i'd like to know is if this masters program won't do much or anything at all in getting me into med school

If you have a 30, even a SMP won't help. If you have a 37, you won't need the SMP. In between, maybe there is a point where it will help. Point is, there is a big difference (huge difference) between 30 and 37. Very roughly, a 30 is top 10-12%, a 37 is top 3%.

 

[Wozzeck]

So what do you suggest if my plan won't help? please note i'm actually getting an M.A. in biology, and this isn't a true special masters

If you have a 30, even a SMP won't help. If you have a 37, you won't need the SMP. In between, maybe there is a point where it will help. Point is, there is a big difference (huge difference) between 30 and 37. Very roughly, a 30 is top 10-12%, a 37 is top 3%.