Admissions Consultant advisable for me?

[hellomister1]

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hey guys im new here and i've finally decided to sign up here because of a pretty depressing incident today.

yesterday i was talking to my dad about my future career choice and it was the first time i ever heard him to tell me not to pursue med school.

he thinks my GPA is too low and my work ethic/discipline is lacking. this is all because during my second quarter of my first year at UCLA (currently a 2nd year), i got 3 Cs in three science classes. dumb i know, but whats done is done and i can only look forward now. since then i've been getting mostly B+s in science classes and im trying really hard right now to get an A in a science class. currently i believe i have around a 2.8 sGPA and an overall 3.27 GPA

but going back to the original point of this topic, i recently met with the pre-med career counselor and got the worst advice of my life. needless to say, i left the office disappointed with the ucla faculty and i'm seriously looking for a professional admissions consultant.

before i decide to hand out extra money i cant really afford to spend, do any of you guys think this is unnecessary?

personally, i feel like i'd be a lot more disciplined if i had a "coach" to help me get into med school. i feel like my sGPA is way too low and even though people might say that if you cant get into med school without help, you certainly wont survive med school, i feel like i should take things one step at a time and focus on getting into med school.

i would really like to have an admissions consultant but i want SDN's opinion also on this topic

thanks for reading and any advice/input would be appreciated

 

[kcin]

You left out a lot of info. Could you tell us what the pre-med advisor told you? What degree are you doing? Do you have a lot of science classes left? If you're only a second year then you have time to turn things around.

edit: I missed the part about wanting a coach.. You're looking at at least a seven year commitment AFTER you get accepted to a medical school. If you can't muster the drive or commitment for undergrad, then you have some thinking to do.

 

[BADMD]

...i recently met with the pre-med career counselor and got the worst advice of my life. needless to say, i left the office disappointed with the ucla faculty and i'm seriously looking for a professional admissions consultant.

before i decide to hand out extra money i cant really afford to spend, do any of you guys think this is unnecessary?

personally, i feel like i'd be a lot more disciplined if i had a "coach" to help me get into med school. i feel like my sGPA is way too low...i feel like i should take things one step at a time and focus on getting into med school.

i would really like to have an admissions consultant but i want SDN's opinion also on this topic...

Having seen the quality of Medical school advising, after talking to residency candidates, it is clear that there is some bad advising out there. At the same time, without knowing what you were told, how can be sure it was bad advise. Unless it was "Don't worry, have a beer" it may have been spot on, but not what you wanted to hear.

As you have identified, you science GPA is bad for medical school. An admissions consultant won't fix that. An admissions consultant won't make you work harder or focus your attention. An admissions consultant will give you ideas on how to improve you GPA, discuss studying for the MCAT, come up with ways to make you look more attractive and help come up with schools for you to apply.

Frankly, it sounds like you should spend your money on a tutor or a study skills course, before you pay for a consultant.

 

[hellomister1]

You left out a lot of info. Could you tell us what the pre-med advisor told you? What degree are you doing? Do you have a lot of science classes left? If you're only a second year then you have time to turn things around.

It wasn't a pre-med advisor persay but more of a career counselar. Obviously she told me the usual, "from now on try to get all As". then she told me i should consider a post bacc program if my GPA is less than stellar come application time. and she just told me to study the MCATS and attend workshops. just general advice that i already knew, which is why i dismissed her counseling. i felt like she wasnt genuinely into giving me advice

but i'd give her the benefit of the doubt and as a second year, theres not much for me to do right now besides looking into clinical volunteering, getting As, and other ECs (any suggestions btw SDN brahs?)

Having seen the quality of Medical school advising, after talking to residency candidates, it is clear that there is some bad advising out there. At the same time, without knowing what you were told, how can be sure it was bad advise. Unless it was "Don't worry, have a beer" it may have been spot on, but not what you wanted to hear.

As you have identified, you science GPA is bad for medical school. An admissions consultant won't fix that. An admissions consultant won't make you work harder or focus your attention. An admissions consultant will give you ideas on how to improve you GPA, discuss studying for the MCAT, come up with ways to make you look more attractive and help come up with schools for you to apply.

Frankly, it sounds like you should spend your money on a tutor or a study skills course, before you pay for a consultant.

yes i know my sGPA is bad but its not something i can fix overnight, hopefully after this quarter i will have that A i've been striving for. what i meant in what i wanted from a pre-med consultant was one that would cater to my current circumstances and help me make the right decisions (whether to heavily focus on ECs, which ones i should go to)

at the same time, of course im trying to do my own research every day on how to become a better applicant. my main motivation for hiring an admissions consultant is that i feel like i'd be more motivated to work harder and i would be more confident during my years of college as a premed student. it may sound dumb and unnecessary but i imagine the best admissions consultant for me would be one that would help me find the right ECs and basically become my "coach" in getting into med school

 

[kcin]

Her advice was perfectly reasonable, and that's what most of the advice on here amounts to.

1> do well on classes
2> do well on mcat
3> do ECs
4> smp if you must

It sounds like she did her job well. If sounds like you just want someone to nag you. Have you though about getting married? ZING. Kidding.

"it may sound dumb and unnecessary but i imagine the best admissions consultant for me would be one that would help me find the right ECs and basically become my "coach" in getting into med school"

You're absolutely right, it sounds dumb. You're supposed to be an adult now, you need to learn to do these things on your own.

 

[BADMD]

It wasn't a pre-med advisor persay but more of a career counselar. Obviously she told me the usual, "from now on try to get all As". then she told me i should consider a post bacc program if my GPA is less than stellar come application time. and she just told me to study the MCATS and attend workshops. just general advice that i already knew, which is why i dismissed her counseling.

getting As

(whether to heavily focus on ECs, which ones i should go to)... help me find the right ECs and basically become my "coach" in getting into med school

I think you actually got very good advice from the career counselor. You may need to do a post bacc to get your grades up.

You should focus on improving your grades and doing very well on the MCAT, not broadly doing a bunch of other stuff. Extracurricular activities won't make your application significantly better unless you achieve something significant or show a remarkable dedication to a cause. Being the president of the Pre-med club or volunteering at a hospital a few time won't buy you much.

Extracurriculars are supposed to be something that you actually enjoy doing outside of school and not check off boxes that make your application look better. CV builder EC are transparently obvious, like people who got their EMT certification, but never did EMS or get a job that required it.

Now it is slightly different if your EC is actually significant, e.g. have an on-going support role in MSF or do some really bang up research. Those will help your application, but will still not overcome a low GPA and/or mediocre MCAT scores.

Bottom line: spend your time studying (or maybe even learning how to study more effectively), smoke the MCAT, improve your GPA and find 1 or 2 things that you really like to do outside of school and run with those.

 

[DoctwoB]

Her advice was perfectly reasonable, and that's what most of the advice on here amounts to.

1> do well on classes
2> do well on mcat
3> do ECs
4> smp if you must

It sounds like she did her job well. If sounds like you just want someone to nag you. Have you though about getting married? ZING. Kidding.

"it may sound dumb and unnecessary but i imagine the best admissions consultant for me would be one that would help me find the right ECs and basically become my "coach" in getting into med school"

You're absolutely right, it sounds dumb. You're supposed to be an adult now, you need to learn to do these things on your own.

Agreed. You won't have a coach in med school. Grow up and motivate yourself.

 

[NickNaylor]

"Admissions consultant" is just a glamorous phrase for "highway robbery."

 

[hellomister1]

so i read all the above posts and see waht you guys mean about how useless someone else's motivation is for yourself and why a admissions consultant might be unnecessary.

but are there any benefits to hiring one? seems like everyones really against it, certainly there are instances where a lot of people had good help from these admissions consultants

 

[conchita1286]

=)

 

[BADMD]

so i read all the above posts and see waht you guys mean about how useless someone else's motivation is for yourself and why a admissions consultant might be unnecessary.

but are there any benefits to hiring one? seems like everyones really against it, certainly there are instances where a lot of people had good help from these admissions consultants

Admission consultants can be helpful for some applicants, such as:

Applicants that have little or poor advising
Applicants who need to apply more broadly/outside the area their school is familiar
Applicants who need/want everything they do reviewed
Applicants who are re-applying and need to beef up their application.

From what you are saying, the road is clear. A consultant may be helpful when you go try to figure out where to apply, as you may need to apply outside of California, if you want to be successful.

 

[rHinO1]

Save your money and at least wait on the admissions consultant.

Right now, don't start up any ECs. You need to focus 100% on raising your GPA. To put it bluntly, your GPA right now will not get you into an MD or a DO school. It is significantly too low, you are not even border line right now. However, you are only a sophmore, so you still have time to raise it, as well as do well on the MCAT.

You may very well need to do a post-bac program to raise your GPA to the level of MD schools. Or, you may be able to retake some classes and raise your GPA faster for DO schools. It will be totally up to you, and how hard your are willing to work, as well as what your personal goals.

You will need to start some ECs, eventually, but right now your GPA must be your #1 priority. So ECs can wait.

Edit: You don't need to pay anyone to tell you this.

 

[Kaustikos]

"Admissions consultant" is just a glamorous phrase for "highway robbery."

Especially since you can get it free here and at your undergrad. Considering there is usually a growingly agreeable consensus reached by the end of most threads asking these questions, I wouldn't pay a person a penny for their input on something like this.

 

[IlaEm]

There are a lot of resources available at UCLA for you to learn from your peers.

1. Alpha Epsilon Delta is a great organization. It's a pre-health organization filled with extremely motivated individuals pursuring careers in health including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, etc. There is a gpa requirement to join (I believe it's a 3.3 but don't quote me). If you get your gpa up you should consider joining. They have amazing resources and an intra-organization mentorship program to help people figure out what they need to do to reach their goals. I was a member and I truly feel I have this organization to thank. There are countless leadership opportunities, community service events, and more... Members can let you know about which classes to take, which prep class to take for the MCAT (if you need one...), timelines to apply, great places to gain clinical experience... and so on.

2. Covel offers workshops through their Academics in the Commons. For example, they have a workshop entitled "How to succeed in Math and Science courses" that teaches study skills required to be a successful student. I actually used to teach this workshop so I know it helped a lot of students.

The resources are available. You just have to find them. Don't waste your money. The biggest thing you need to work on is self-motivation. Once you have that....you should be able to tackle everything....gpa, MCAT, ECs, medical school and beyond.

Hope this helped....

 

[hellomister1]

Save your money and at least wait on the admissions consultant.

Right now, don't start up any ECs. You need to focus 100% on raising your GPA. To put it bluntly, your GPA right now will not get you into an MD or a DO school. It is significantly too low, you are not even border line right now. However, you are only a sophmore, so you still have time to raise it, as well as do well on the MCAT.

You may very well need to do a post-bac program to raise your GPA to the level of MD schools. Or, you may be able to retake some classes and raise your GPA faster for DO schools. It will be totally up to you, and how hard your are willing to work, as well as what your personal goals.

You will need to start some ECs, eventually, but right now your GPA must be your #1 priority. So ECs can wait.

Edit: You don't need to pay anyone to tell you this.

although i agree with you 100%, raising your GPA is simply just studying harder. i feel that it is already implied and i really am trying to get an A in the life science class im taking currently.

would starting some clinical volunteer work right now (im looking into DEM: http://www.lacusc.org/services/volunteer/PAH.aspx) be unwise? as a 2nd year should i solely devote all my time into studying?

There are a lot of resources available at UCLA for you to learn from your peers.

1. Alpha Epsilon Delta is a great organization. It's a pre-health organization filled with extremely motivated individuals pursuring careers in health including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, etc. There is a gpa requirement to join (I believe it's a 3.3 but don't quote me). If you get your gpa up you should consider joining. They have amazing resources and an intra-organization mentorship program to help people figure out what they need to do to reach their goals. I was a member and I truly feel I have this organization to thank. There are countless leadership opportunities, community service events, and more... Members can let you know about which classes to take, which prep class to take for the MCAT (if you need one...), timelines to apply, great places to gain clinical experience... and so on.

2. Covel offers workshops through their Academics in the Commons. For example, they have a workshop entitled "How to succeed in Math and Science courses" that teaches study skills required to be a successful student. I actually used to teach this workshop so I know it helped a lot of students.

The resources are available. You just have to find them. Don't waste your money. The biggest thing you need to work on is self-motivation. Once you have that....you should be able to tackle everything....gpa, MCAT, ECs, medical school and beyond.

Hope this helped....

i've heard about AED and i was considering maybe pledging for AED or PhiDE. Not sure yet but I'm worried about the time commitment of pledging (i pledged a social frat)

and are the covel workshops really that helpful? would these workshops just teach study skills?

i know there are resources available but i've overlooked them because the term "how to succeed in math and science courses" didnt really convince me to attend those workshops

 

[IlaEm]

i've heard about AED and i was considering maybe pledging for AED or PhiDE. Not sure yet but I'm worried about the time commitment of pledging (i pledged a social frat)

and are the covel workshops really that helpful? would these workshops just teach study skills?

i know there are resources available but i've overlooked them because the term "how to succeed in math and science courses" didnt really convince me to attend those workshops

If you need a catchy title to attend a workshop...then I can't help with that and I would seriously question your personal drive. It sounds like you are struggling in your science classes and that this workshop would be perfect for you based on the title. It's a free workshop and COULD teach you something...or could not. But if your other choice is to pay for someone to constantly nag you to stay on top of your work.... i'm not sure you have the drive to pursue medicine. Nobody is going to hold your hand and walk you through every step in the process. But you should explore the resources and help that is available to you...regardless of a catchy title.

 

[hellomister1]

If you need a catchy title to attend a workshop...then I can't help with that and I would seriously question your personal drive. It sounds like you are struggling in your science classes and that this workshop would be perfect for you based on the title. It's a free workshop and COULD teach you something...or could not. But if your other choice is to pay for someone to constantly nag you to stay on top of your work.... i'm not sure you have the drive to pursue medicine. Nobody is going to hold your hand and walk you through every step in the process. But you should explore the resources and help that is available to you...regardless of a catchy title.

lol its not that i NEEDED a catchy title but it was my mistake to overlook these workshops. it was my laziness, which im trying to fix right now, that led me to overlook these workshops. ill def check em out though, since you've taught em in the past and recommend it.

and this was all in the past, im posting on SDN to get helpful advice and i appreciate it... i'm trying to become more motivated and i feel like posting on SDN and actively trying to better myself on my road to getting into medical school is the first step. thanks for the criticism, which i appreciate, because its giving me a reality check and teaching me what to improve on

 

[obscurehero]

OP. Here's what I got. I have plenty of anecdotal evidence (personal and otherwise) that tells me that you can get into medical school and do incredible. However, just because someone else did it, doesn't mean you can.

That being said, the whole thing is incredibly multi-dimensional. SDN is full of pre-meds who live, breathe, sleep, and sh** medical school. Some of these people have been dreaming about this since they were 6. They know the in's and out's and a majority of what they're educational and volunteer career was centered around was becoming a doctor. There's nothing wrong with that. However, you need to know this.

Likewise, SDN is full of people who are incredibly self-motivated. They're high achievers and whether or not they put in 80hrs or 40hrs a week they are no strangers to working their arse's off. Hence, the response you're getting: 'Grow up...and just study harder'

Gumption, self-motivation, and self-control are excellent traits that you'll need as a medical student and as a doctor -- make no mistake. However, everyone walks a different road and not everyone ought to walk the same one.

OK. So, advice:

There are multiple factors that might be playing into why you're getting bad grades. You could have social issues (e.g. a lack of friends, or too many might be too distracting and counter-productive...or the wrong friends), you could have bad study habits (eg. you might study a lot, but you choose the wrong locations to study in), you could be malnourished (e.g. surprisingly eating the right foods can help you retain information better), you could be dehydrated, you could have sleep issues, mental issues (e.g. mild depression because of your performance...or parental pressure). Also, you might have some sort of learning disability. Learning disabilities have nothing to do with intelligence. My wife has a learning disability and is a PhD candidate and is one of the best students in the program. She just needs time and half for tests, and a note taker or a recording of the class.

You might also suffer from a lack of direction or a clear focus for your life. We're living in a country where we have the luxury to bemoan our lot, and ponder our purpose. I, for example, really performed poorly one semester where i was really doubting what I was going to do with my life. You don't know why you're doing poorly, and we don't know why. This is where a mentor or counselor could really help you. Your school should offer this, and I know, at least, at my undergrad this was a free service. You actually got a $1000 scholarship for developing a student-faculty mentoring relationship.

As for medical school, in particular, you're not there yet. You're young, and there's plenty of time. You can easily bring your GPA up, and retake classes if need be. You can do a post-bac but you're quite early in your program still to be considering that. There's osteopathic medicine as well! If you're passionate about medicine, there's also nursing and PA school. You have plenty of time to figure out where you're going and what the road looks like. Who says you need to matriculate the fall after you graduate? These boards are littered with non-trads and people who took 'gap' years.

Chin up, and don't simply say you're going to "study harder". That's a bunch of bull. Until you figure out why you're doing what you're doing, you're going to fall into the same problem again and again. Likewise, your dad might be full of it too. OR he might see character traits or performance issues that you're not going to break anytime soon. Chances are, he's over-simplifying and not being sensitive to the uniqueness of your situation.

Get some help. You won't regret it, and it doesn't mean you're any less of a person. The person who has the humility to ask for help is so much better off than the arrogant student who thinks asking for help is beneath him/her.

 

[rHinO1]

although i agree with you 100%, raising your GPA is simply just studying harder. i feel that it is already implied and i really am trying to get an A in the life science class im taking currently.

would starting some clinical volunteer work right now (im looking into DEM: http://www.lacusc.org/services/volunteer/PAH.aspx) be unwise? as a 2nd year should i solely devote all my time into studying?

I usually advise people to start ECs early, but if you GPA isn't up to par, then there is no point. No amount of ECs will make up for a GPA as low as yours. You need to devote as much time and energy as possible into raising your GPA. After you fix your study habits, then worry about ECs.

The fact you are actively looking for help is a good sign. Just make sure you follow through with some action.

 

[Musclemass]

i know there are resources available but i've overlooked them because the term "how to succeed in math and science courses" didnt really convince me to attend those workshops

I think this says it all.

OP, you don't need a counselor, resources, or anything external. Whatever happens will be a function of what YOU either do or don't do. You've used up your quota of bad grades, so you either need to deliver As or follow your father's suggestion.

Oh, and don't consider that by posting on SDN you've turned over a new leaf. If anything, I'd say don't come back for awhile, you need to spend the time on classwork.

 

[enTropeeeeeeeee]

OP. Maybe your Dad is right?

Your situation is typical here on SDN, but your attitude is atypical. It seems you want everything done for you because you're entitled to become a Doctor. I would advise you get some life experience. Where I come from, you are entitled to nothing. Whether you live or die doesn't affect the world in the slightest bit. Outside of the comforts and priviledges that your family has provided for you (assuming that they did), it seems from your responses that you haven't done much in life. Please do not interpret this as an attack because truthfully it is not.

 

[JustMeditate]

An admissions consultant is, in all honesty, a waste of money.

All the information you need to get into med school and build a strong application is readily available on sites such as this forum, via pre-med advisors, on med-school admissions websites, and in hundreds of excellent books you can order via amazon (I am reading "Med School Confidential" right now, although some of the text is outdated, as it doesn't seem to understand the importance of applying in May/June).

Contrary to what you might think, a med school coach most likely isn't going to make you all that motivated. Getting into medical school is very hard work. I have a very limited social life and spend almost all day studying. I won't even be able to sleep in on the weekends this semester due to a heavy course load. My spare time is taken up with leadership positions, volunteering, tutoring. I've worked full time in a research lab every summer since my freshman year. If the desire to be a doctor isn't strong enough to push you through all the stress and hard work required to make a good application, what makes you think some one nagging you will help? My guess is that you've already been nagged by family members and friends, and if that is the case, do you really think a professional nagger will be a better motivator? Med school is just something you CAN'T do if you don't have the ability to self motivate. You can't fake your way through all the **** required to get into med school. Either you do it or you don't.

However, self-motivation is a skill that takes some people a while to acquire. If you spend some time exploring the behaviors that have caused you problems, why you engaged in those behaviors, and how to stop, you can turn it all around. Spend a lot of time thinking through a schedule. Create an award system for yourself (I get pez when I do well on tests 😀).

 

[IlaEm]

An admissions consultant is, in all honesty, a waste of money.

Contrary to what you might think, a med school coach most likely isn't going to make you all that motivated. Getting into medical school is very hard work. I have a very limited social life and spend almost all day studying. I won't even be able to sleep in on the weekends this semester due to a heavy course load. My spare time is taken up with leadership positions, volunteering, tutoring. I've worked full time in a research lab every summer since my freshman year.

I think this is a bit extreme. I partied a ton in college, slept through/during classes and had a wonderful time. I didn't focus on my grades my first year of college at all...then I realized I should probably focus a bit more. But I've always been a work hard play hard type of person.

OP I don't think you have to give up being social to make it to medical school. You just need to start making small goals that you work towards. E.g. improve gpa, start getting clinical exposure...etc. You may also want to consider taking some time off between college and medical school. I've taken two years off and it has been amazing. I work full-time at UCLA peds and have gotten a lot of exposure to the field of medicine.

Also, since I know you are at UCLA, if you want to meet up and ask more questions about the process and things you can start doing....feel free to pm me. I work basically in CHS so I am really close to wherever your science classes are...