any suggestions?

[tiak]

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hi all! i am a person who has applied to medical schools before and have been rejected(i applied last year only to be faced with great disappointment). when i applied last year, i also applied to graduate schools(PhD) thinking that if i did not get into med. school i would go to grad. school(mind you, it was the second time that i applied to med. schools and failed both times). i am a first year grad. student at columbia and i have to say that as each day goes by, i know that i was meant to be in med. school. so, i am thinking about applying again in june but i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a few things:
1) i am volunteering at both mount sinai and cornell, but only on the weekends(because that is the only time that i have left). what other "extracurric." things do you guys think adcoms are looking for?
2) my grades in college were not that great(due to a personal reasons) and my mcat scores are not fantastic(i had to retake them this august and as you all know, those scores are not out yet. i had to retake them because i took them in 1998 and got a 30, but i can't use those anymore!). which schools should i be applying to(i am looking for those schools that are way down on the ranks and their avg. gpa/mcat scores aren't that high!)
3) any suggestions at all on anything?
thanks for all of your help guys and good luck to those applying this year!!

 

[LP1CW]

Are you in a PhD or masters level program. What area of graduate work? From what I've been told, medical schools don't like taking students from graduate programs that they haven't completed.

A 30 is not a bad MCAT. Wait, to see what your MCAT from this August. Have you submitted your amcas yet? Have you considered osteopathic too? Apply to your state schools too? Where are from? Apply to large private places that take lots of outsiders too like NYMC and Albany.

I believe if you're doing something you don't want to do, you'll never be happy with that choice. I truly hope that things work out for you. Good luck

 

[Tezzie]

1) There are plenty of ways to add ECs. You can volunteer on campus or join a group. Usually they have meetings once a week for 2-3 hours. You can also shadow a physician. Other than that you can check on the web : join cancer awareness programs , assistance for smokers who want to quit online etc etc.

2) A 30 is not bad at all! You can also include in your personal statements how hard your years of undergrad were because of all your problems and the result they had on your grades.

I will ask the same question also. Which is your state of residency? If you are NY then Buffalo and their early decision program could be a life saver. Check mdapplicants.com also and notice schools that take people with your scores.

3) Did you contact the adcoms of the schools that rejected you the previous years and ask what can you do to improve your application?

Anyway if i were you i would go all out with volunteering, write killer personal statements explaining my situation and work around schools that historically have accepted people with your stats.

Good luck!

 

[JonnieQuest]

Originally posted by tiak
hi all! i am a person who has applied to medical schools before and have been rejected(i applied last year only to be faced with great disappointment). when i applied last year, i also applied to graduate schools(PhD) thinking that if i did not get into med. school i would go to grad. school(mind you, it was the second time that i applied to med. schools and failed both times). i am a first year grad. student at columbia and i have to say that as each day goes by, i know that i was meant to be in med. school. so, i am thinking about applying again in june but i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a few things:
1) i am volunteering at both mount sinai and cornell, but only on the weekends(because that is the only time that i have left). what other "extracurric." things do you guys think adcoms are looking for?
2) my grades in college were not that great(due to a personal reasons) and my mcat scores are not fantastic(i had to retake them this august and as you all know, those scores are not out yet. i had to retake them because i took them in 1998 and got a 30, but i can't use those anymore!). which schools should i be applying to(i am looking for those schools that are way down on the ranks and their avg. gpa/mcat scores aren't that high!)
3) any suggestions at all on anything?
thanks for all of your help guys and good luck to those applying this year!!

You get my respect for all your hard work. What keeps jumping out at me about your post is 'as each day goes by, i know i was meant to be in med school.'
you want it and i say keep trying until you get it. have you thought about working at stuff besides research--volunteer at a women's shelter, foster a deep interest in something unscientific, etc. and apply to alot of school if you can.
Good luck...we're all rooting for you!

 

[periodic]

What's your state of residence? Don't forget your state schools....

Also, have you considered a post-bacc program? I don't know if some people enter them to retake classes and do better (and show a commitment to medicine), but it might be worth looking into.

I second that it's very important to find out/think about what adcom's may have been looking for that was lacking in your application.

What grad program are you in? Keep in mind, you'll have to explain very clearly why you entered grad school in the first place and why you want to switch to med school.