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[somethingmed]

I am currently on 2 wait lists for 2018, so I still have hopes for medical school next year, but I feel like I need a viable backup plan. I am two years out of undergrad and I have worked in labs and as a scribe so I don't think experience is where I am lacking and I really would like to be in school next year. I was not a traditional premed student, so while I have all the required course work, I don't have much of the suggested. The way I see it is that my two best options for next year, if I do not get in to a medical school, are to do a post-bac or to do a 1 year masters in something related to medicine.

I know that my ultimate goal is to be a doctor and go to medical school, but I am not sure what the best move is. Will a post-bac look good to schools or would it really just be to my benefit in hopefully raising my mcat. Would a masters in something like bio-statistics look good? (the advantage to that is that it would make me employable, if some situation arises in which I can't reapply to medical school). Hopefully I get into a medical school and I don't have to worry about this, but for now it would make me feel better knowing I have some backup plan for next year.

I know some schools offer masters in biomedical sciences. Aside for the degree at the end, is there really a difference between this and a post-bac?

Any help/advise would be great!

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[ryanr]

The first thing I would do is analyze why you didnt match this year. Are you a first time applicant? (You may also want to reach out for schools directly to do a “file review” the the admissions director for this information to try to get some insight)

If your GPA is the problem, doing a special master’s program may help, if you get good grades and show you can handle difficult coursework.
If MCAT is the problem, you may need to re-take it.
Then there’s the extracurricular/research box (they do love people who have been scribes in the past). It sounds like this maybe isnt your issue. Anyhow, make sure you have ample volunteering/community service and medical experience (shadowing, scribing, etc.)

Prepare yourself to put you in the best chance of getting in next year if you need to re-apply. Strengthen your weaknesses. This may mean doing a 1 year masters program makes sense, but it depends on your situation and strengths/weaknesses of your application. Remember that is potentially more debt. If you do have to re-apply, remember APPLY EARLY. Cannot stress this enough.

Still hope for waitlist. I got in off wait list in May (btw, admissions director told me to my face I would have pre-matched if I submitted my app about 1.5 months earlier. to reiterate the above). Good luck

 

[Goro]

I am currently on 2 wait lists for 2018, so I still have hopes for medical school next year, but I feel like I need a viable backup plan. I am two years out of undergrad and I have worked in labs and as a scribe so I don't think experience is where I am lacking and I really would like to be in school next year. I was not a traditional premed student, so while I have all the required course work, I don't have much of the suggested. The way I see it is that my two best options for next year, if I do not get in to a medical school, are to do a post-bac or to do a 1 year masters in something related to medicine.

I know that my ultimate goal is to be a doctor and go to medical school, but I am not sure what the best move is. Will a post-bac look good to schools or would it really just be to my benefit in hopefully raising my mcat. Would a masters in something like bio-statistics look good? (the advantage to that is that it would make me employable, if some situation arises in which I can't reapply to medical school). Hopefully I get into a medical school and I don't have to worry about this, but for now it would make me feel better knowing I have some backup plan for next year.

I know some schools offer masters in biomedical sciences. Aside for the degree at the end, is there really a difference between this and a post-bac?

Any help/advise would be great!

Stats?
State of residence?
ECs?

A post-bac or SMP is only for GPA reinvention.

Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[somethingmed]

The first thing I would do is analyze why you didnt match this year. Are you a first time applicant? (You may also want to reach out for schools directly to do a “file review” the the admissions director for this information to try to get some insight)

If your GPA is the problem, doing a special master’s program may help, if you get good grades and show you can handle difficult coursework.
If MCAT is the problem, you may need to re-take it.
Then there’s the extracurricular/research box (they do love people who have been scribes in the past). It sounds like this maybe isnt your issue. Anyhow, make sure you have ample volunteering/community service and medical experience (shadowing, scribing, etc.)

Prepare yourself to put you in the best chance of getting in next year if you need to re-apply. Strengthen your weaknesses. This may mean doing a 1 year masters program makes sense, but it depends on your situation and strengths/weaknesses of your application. Remember that is potentially more debt. If you do have to re-apply, remember APPLY EARLY. Cannot stress this enough.

Still hope for waitlist. I got in off wait list in May (btw, admissions director told me to my face I would have pre-matched if I submitted my app about 1.5 months earlier. to reiterate the above). Good luck

Thanks!

Second time applicant. I know the first time was mostly my MCAT and applying late. I improved it a lot this year when I took it, but it is still not super competitive (pretty sure its still the weakest point on my application), but I'm doubtful that I can do significantly better and I'm worried that if I take it again, not doing a lot better (or if I do worse) would look really bad.

I plan to do more volunteering regardless of whatever else I do. Math is something I am very good at, which is why the idea of something like bio-statistic is appealing to me, but ultimately I want to make my self a better applicant. So I guess I'm trying to find the right combination of what I'll be good at/what I'll like and what will help me get in.

And yeah, I know its still super early to have heard back about wait-lists and I am hopefully, but unfortunate the other programs have application deadlines too and so I have to figure it out and apply soon and hope I don't need them.

 

[Microbug]

Thanks!

Second time applicant. I know the first time was mostly my MCAT (got sick the day of the first exam, didn't go well) and applying late. I improved it a lot this year when I took it, but it is still not super competitive (pretty sure its still the weakest point on my application), but I'm doubtful that I can do significantly better and I'm worried that if I take it again, not doing a lot better (or if I do worse) would look really bad, also I applied earlier but still later than I would have liked.

I plan to do more volunteering regardless of whatever else I do. Math is something I am very good at, which is why the idea of something like bio-statistic is appealing to me, but ultimately I want to make my self a better applicant. So I guess I'm trying to find the right combination of what I'll be good at/what I'll like and what will help me get in.

And yeah, I know its still super early to have heard back about wait-lists and I am hopefully, but unfortunate the other programs have application deadlines too and so I have to figure it out and apply soon and hope I don't need them.

You still didn’t answer his question, what is MCAT, GPA, hours for EC?

 

[MCATISEZ]

You still didn’t answer his question, what is MCAT, GPA, hours for EC?

It probably would help to also provide your state of residence and the list of schools you applied to.


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