another year off question!@!#!@#@!#@

[travoltage]

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I know many people have posted similar questions to this one, but I really need some advice. I feel as if im walking in the dark with no sense of direction on what to do. I took my MCAT in july, did very poorly on it (i choked, anxiety related w/e) so im planning on taking my retake of the mcat in january so i can still apply in this cycle (i applied to some schools who take january mcat scores). with that being said, if i dont get in this year, ill have a year off. what do i do in that year off? i have boiled it down to three options:

1. get a job as a pharm sales rep, emt, cna, med tech, research in univ/hospital

2. spend another year at my undergrad univ getting a second degree and boosting my gpa (current science gpa: 3.5, overall: 3.4)

3. getting a masters (hopefully at a top notch univ) which would take anywhere from 1-2 years and could help boost my gpa as well...however i would need to take the GRE for this, relatively soon

i have good lor's, good volunteering and exposure...i guess what i would like to know what would everyone else do? does anybody have any other kinds of suggestions? any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[213965]

I know many people have posted similar questions to this one, but I really need some advice. I feel as if im walking in the dark with no sense of direction on what to do. I took my MCAT in july, did very poorly on it (i choked, anxiety related w/e) so im planning on taking my retake of the mcat in january so i can still apply in this cycle (i applied to some schools who take january mcat scores). with that being said, if i dont get in this year, ill have a year off. what do i do in that year off? i have boiled it down to three options:

1. get a job as a pharm sales rep, emt, cna, med tech, research in univ/hospital

2. spend another year at my undergrad univ getting a second degree and boosting my gpa (current science gpa: 3.5, overall: 3.4)

3. getting a masters (hopefully at a top notch univ) which would take anywhere from 1-2 years and could help boost my gpa as well...however i would need to take the GRE for this, relatively soon

i have good lor's, good volunteering and exposure...i guess what i would like to know what would everyone else do? does anybody have any other kinds of suggestions? any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Not that I am an admissions expert by any means, but I am currently re-applying this year and this is what I did -

1) any of those jobs you listed sound good, but could require a full-time commitment and limit your ability to boost your GPA, although it looks fine to me.

2) getting a second degree in undergrad may be worthwhile, but i applied last year with 2 undergrad degrees (BA and BS) with 3.53 sci 3.72 cum and didn't get in anywhere. so going to option 3...

3) if going for another degree, i would recommend a 1 yr-master's (what i am currently enrolled in)... furthermore, my SMP (special master's program) at AZCOM automatically guarantees me an interview at their medical school. and with a 1 yr master's you still walk away with that extra degree, have the opportunity to boost your gpa with GRADUATE level coursework, and you save lots of money paying for 1 yr of tuition versus 2.

outside of my coursework i am shadowing a doctor and continuing with my volunteer work at hospices/nurshing homes.

good luck to you, i hope we both get in somewhere this year!!!

 

[dragonfly99]

OK, I never had GPA problems (not that yours is a "problem" per se, since 3.4-3.5 isn't a bad GPA, it's just that med school admissions is SO competitive) or too many MCAT problems, but I did have to reapply to get in to medical school.

Agree w/retaking the MCAT in January, IF you are ready to do well. Perhaps you need to take Princeton Review or Kaplan to boost your confidence and get test taking tips and lots of practice? Make sure you sleep well the week before the exam and eat well. Take lunch to the exam site so you don't have to go hunt for it.

I think whatever job you get with just an undergrad degree you won't be making a lot of money...I did that and what I made didn't end up being enough to do much with...maybe didn't even offset the inflation of med school tuition in the couple of years I had "off". Not that I'm against getting a job, just realize you'll be at entry level...of the jobs you mentioned, drug salesman would likely pay the best, if you could actually get that job.

Have you considered one of those 1-year postbac programs, or "special master's", whatever that entails? One of the reasons to do that rather than just a dual degree at your college is it might get you face time with faculty at a medical school (i.e. Wake Forest or Georgetown faculty who teach in their postbac program).

 

[travoltage]

OK, I never had GPA problems (not that yours is a "problem" per se, since 3.4-3.5 isn't a bad GPA, it's just that med school admissions is SO competitive) or too many MCAT problems, but I did have to reapply to get in to medical school.

Agree w/retaking the MCAT in January, IF you are ready to do well. Perhaps you need to take Princeton Review or Kaplan to boost your confidence and get test taking tips and lots of practice? Make sure you sleep well the week before the exam and eat well. Take lunch to the exam site so you don't have to go hunt for it.

I think whatever job you get with just an undergrad degree you won't be making a lot of money...I did that and what I made didn't end up being enough to do much with...maybe didn't even offset the inflation of med school tuition in the couple of years I had "off". Not that I'm against getting a job, just realize you'll be at entry level...of the jobs you mentioned, drug salesman would likely pay the best, if you could actually get that job.

Have you considered one of those 1-year postbac programs, or "special master's", whatever that entails? One of the reasons to do that rather than just a dual degree at your college is it might get you face time with faculty at a medical school (i.e. Wake Forest or Georgetown faculty who teach in their postbac program).

i have been taking a 1 year masters deeply into consideration, however my mcat still will hold me back on that. i choked on the mcat (was doing well on practice tests, but choked hard on the actual exam, and yes i took the mcat kaplan course too). dont most smp's or 1year post bacc require minimum mcat scores? i still wouldnt qualify for that

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

Yes the SMP programs will require info on MCAT scores, not sure if they have a hard cutoff or not. FYI Loyola's program only guarantees an interview at Loyola Med School if the two most recent MCATs were above a certain score, I think 28. I was unprepared for the first sitting of the MCAT and, although my recent one was OK, my first one was under 28, so for someone like me (and presumably you) Loyola's program doesn't offer much connection to their school (unless you want to sit for the MCAT 2 more times and earn above 28 both times). There are other programs around, I know Chicago Med School has a prep-type master's degree program, I think it is tied to the school.

These suggestions presume you're not thinking of moving to DC (Georgetown) of Toledo, OH to attend one of their SMPs, given that'd be pretty darn expensive without even guaranteed admission to med school.

My advice rather than those options would be to spend a BIG chunk of time studying for the MCAT. If you're near Chicago proper, take advanced bio or related courses at some inexpensive school like UIC to strengthen your background in any needed areas. I recall one SDN poster who studied it seemed daily for 7-9 months, took every AAMC and Kaplan related test, studied Berkely and Exam Krackers, and scored upper 30's. I had nowhere near that commitment (or time) and am happy with my re-taken MCAT score earned after sitting for 2 more bio courses and studying fulltime for around 6-7 weeks prior to sitting for the test. My take is that schools in general would be more happy seeing an applicant with decent GPA and a 30+ mcat score than a mid-upper 20's mcat score and an SMP.

 

[213965]

i have been taking a 1 year masters deeply into consideration, however my mcat still will hold me back on that. i choked on the mcat (was doing well on practice tests, but choked hard on the actual exam, and yes i took the mcat kaplan course too). dont most smp's or 1year post bacc require minimum mcat scores? i still wouldnt qualify for that

My SMP (first year being implemented at AZCOM) had pretty low entering class stats, which I saw on ppt slides at orientation last week and aren't posted online anywhere. I think most of my classmates scored in the low 20's MCAT or some even had high teens, with sci GPA's in the high 2-3.0's and cum GPA's around 3.1 or so. Not sure if you are aiming for DO or MD, but doing the SMP at AZCOM guarantees me an interview here although my first choice is still my MD state school.

Class just started this week and it's definitely no joke -- in our very first physio lecture we covered material that took 6 weeks to learn at my undergrad university. Another nice thing about my SMP is that it has a very rigorous MCAT prep course (covered as part of the tuition), and yes you do get a letter grade for it but it's for the best because it forces you to study and actually do the work.

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

Best of luck!!

 

[rockydoc]

when do you apply to 1yr post bacc programs??? around December, the spring??? and if you have an MCAT score, do you need to take the GRE??? thanks

 

[213965]

when do you apply to 1yr post bacc programs??? around December, the spring??? and if you have an MCAT score, do you need to take the GRE??? thanks

I just looked at your MDApps and have no idea why you would consider SMP with a 4.00 and 30+ MCAT. Are you asking for a friend?

Typically you apply around the winter/spring of the matriculating fall, and most of them don't require GRE (MCAT is fine). I would say the majority of my classmates are here to boost their GPA's (from the low 3's). I'm here because I've taken way too much time off school and need to show medschools I can still handle graduate level coursework. Either way, good luck to you. But it looks like you won't really be needing it!! 😀

 

[starl3tte]

1. get a job as a pharm sales rep, emt, cna, med tech, research in univ/hospital

How do you go about finding a research position post-graduation? I've been having the most difficult time finding a research job, either at the university I graduated from, or at a hospital. Most of the listings I've come across require some kind of certification.

 

[dragonfly99]

Networking (i.e. ask all the students and grad students you know, ask your favorite science profs is they know who is hiring), apply widely (i.e. all the universities in your area). Consider sending resume and CV to dept. or division chairs at your university (i.e. cell biology, microbiology, etc.).

 

[Blade28]

Remember that taking regular Master's programs doesn't help your undergrad GPA.