Anyone have a discouraging pre-med advisor?

[premedgrl1]

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So my pre-med advisor, who knows absolutely nothing about my background except for that I graduated with a 3.0 GPA in Biology, thinks I shouldn't waste my time doing an SMP because with a 3.0, I don't stand a chance at getting into medical school. I understand advisors are there to "advise" you in the right direction, but I also believe if you really want something, you can make it happen. As long as I can prove myself with the SMP, MCAT, and the rest of the application, I don't think my undergraduate GPA is going to kill my shot at getting into medical school. I even spoke to an medical school admissions director who told me "if you do an SMP, as long as you have at least a 3.0, you stand a chance." Even so, my pre-med advisor's discouraging comments bug me...

What do you guys think?

 

[alt12345]

Yeah, I definitely had discouraging pre-med advisors. They don't know the whole story and usually haven't gone through the process themselves so take what they say with a grain of salt. If I were you, I would look into doing the MCAT first and then see if you want to go for the SMP. They're ridiculously expensive, and it adds up if you pay for an MD on top of that.

 

[DoctorWhoo]

You have a tough road ahead of you, but it is by no means impossible to get in with a 3.0 + SMP (assuming you do well on the MCAT). That said, your advisor does make a fair point... it will be extremely difficult to bring your GPA up, and the MCAT is no walk in the park. After that you will have to have managed a ton of extracurriculars and put together a solid app. If you aren't committed, I would not "wast your time"... if you are committed, I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Kochanie]

More like advisor. He is urging me to transfer out of my university all together lol.

 

[Admissions to Medicine]

Maybe your advisor is giving you the fuel that you need to really push yourself. Clearly it is working as you are on this website seeking some direction and have some level of determination to prove him/her wrong. On the flip side, you still have a chance at becoming a doctor. Anything is possible, you have to believe this yourself despite what anyone tells you.- Admissions to medicine.

 

[GoPelicans]

My undergrad advisor stunk... old guy with very outdated knowledge of applying to medical school. SDN was my real advisor!

 

[chenzt]

Impossible? No. Will it take a ton of effort and luck? Yes.

Your advisor advise ton of students every year and he'd probably not be okay if he told all the students with long odds to just "go for it!"

Probability wise, he's right. You are likely to waste your time in an SMP. But if you think that you are different and believe that you can be one of the few who can succeed, then by all means go for it. Only you can truly answer that question.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I always found it ridiculous that someone could give you advise on a career when they have zero personal experience with the process. The only good advisors do is make you aware of in school programs.

 

[LostinLift]

So my pre-med advisor, who knows absolutely nothing about my background except for that I graduated with a 3.0 GPA in Biology, thinks I shouldn't waste my time doing an SMP because with a 3.0, I don't stand a chance at getting into medical school. I understand advisors are there to "advise" you in the right direction, but I also believe if you really want something, you can make it happen. As long as I can prove myself with the SMP, MCAT, and the rest of the application, I don't think my undergraduate GPA is going to kill my shot at getting into medical school. I even spoke to an medical school admissions director who told me "if you do an SMP, as long as you have at least a 3.0, you stand a chance." Even so, my pre-med advisor's discouraging comments bug me...

What do you guys think?

I would look into doing a cheaper post-bacc to raise your undergraduate GPA while doing some new ECs. My undergraduate adviser was realistic and said I didn't have much of a shot and should look into PA or something else. I had around a 3.0 after undergrad as well. I took this doubt and used it as fuel to prove him wrong. He was very happy to be proven wrong, although he did help me by writing the committee letter and agreeing that a post-bacc was the best option.

Use the haters/doubters hates and or doubts to your advantage and show them what you can do!

 

[premedgrl1]

I would look into doing a cheaper post-bacc to raise your undergraduate GPA while doing some new ECs. My undergraduate adviser was realistic and said I didn't have much of a shot and should look into PA or something else. I had around a 3.0 after undergrad as well. I took this doubt and used it as fuel to prove him wrong. He was very happy to be proven wrong, although he did help me by writing the committee letter and agreeing that a post-bacc was the best option.

Use the haters/doubters hates and or doubts to your advantage and show them what you can do!

What post-bacc did you do? I've found most post-baccs are only for students who have not taken the science courses. Also, did it really raise your 3.0 GPA by that much?

 

[premedgrl1]

Impossible? No. Will it take a ton of effort and luck? Yes.

Your advisor advise ton of students every year and he'd probably not be okay if he told all the students with long odds to just "go for it!"

Probability wise, he's right. You are likely to waste your time in an SMP. But if you think that you are different and believe that you can be one of the few who can succeed, then by all means go for it. Only you can truly answer that question.

Just out of curiosity, why do you think an SMP is a waste?

The SMP I'm applying to at Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Newark seems like an amazing opportunity because you take courses with medical students at the Rutgers NJMS, gain research experience, MCAT prep, and are assigned to a pre-med advisor who puts together a committee letter for you.

But please, share your thoughts. I'm very curious. Thank you!

 

[LostinLift]

Just out of curiosity, why do you think an SMP is a waste?

The SMP I'm applying to at Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Newark seems like an amazing opportunity because you take courses with medical students at the Rutgers NJMS, gain research experience, MCAT prep, and are assigned to a pre-med advisor who puts together a committee letter for you.

But please, share your thoughts. I'm very curious. Thank you!

For one I believe they are too expensive, though I don't know how much Rutgers is offhand. Secondly I think doing something like a post-bacc on your own (informally, not the formal programs) shows a great degree of initiative and independence. This is something about my application that received great praise during the interview process and something I was able to use for secondary essays. Finally you will learn a lot about yourself, medicine, and life if you are able to go somewhere new, get a few part-time jobs, make new friends, volunteer/research, and manage to take 3-4 science classes on your own. The responsibility will be entirely on you, not on any structured program which can make it seem more daunting. But the opportunities are endless if you're willing to get up and find them.

This is from personal experience and on SDN so take it with a grain of salt. But I was certainly not ready for medical school after college, nor would a structured program have helped me reach the level of maturity I now have. Will an SMP get you into medical school? Maybe. Will it get you ready for life? I can't answer that for you.

 

[BrawnsNBrain]

So my pre-med advisor, who knows absolutely nothing about my background except for that I graduated with a 3.0 GPA in Biology, thinks I shouldn't waste my time doing an SMP because with a 3.0, I don't stand a chance at getting into medical school. I understand advisors are there to "advise" you in the right direction, but I also believe if you really want something, you can make it happen. As long as I can prove myself with the SMP, MCAT, and the rest of the application, I don't think my undergraduate GPA is going to kill my shot at getting into medical school. I even spoke to an medical school admissions director who told me "if you do an SMP, as long as you have at least a 3.0, you stand a chance." Even so, my pre-med advisor's discouraging comments bug me...

What do you guys think?

Unless your premed advisor is an MD/DO or on the medical school admissions committee for your school I wouldn't listen to him or her. Do your thing, and prove everyone wrong. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something.

 

[chenzt]

Just out of curiosity, why do you think an SMP is a waste?

The SMP I'm applying to at Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Newark seems like an amazing opportunity because you take courses with medical students at the Rutgers NJMS, gain research experience, MCAT prep, and are assigned to a pre-med advisor who puts together a committee letter for you.

But please, share your thoughts. I'm very curious. Thank you!

I don't personally believe one way or another, because I have never experienced. I was just saying, if I were to find 100 students with 3.0 willing to take an SMP to boost GPA for AMCAS, a good majority of them will never make it to med school. I was trying to raise a possible reason as to why your premed advisor was discouraging.

 

[bearded frog]

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[DoctorWhoo]

I always found it ridiculous that someone could give you advise on a career when they have zero personal experience with the process. The only good advisors do is make you aware of in school programs.

I completely disagree. A good adviser may never actually go through the application process themselves (although they could fill out a mock app), but they do live vicariously through the process year after year. I knew NO ONE that had applied to medical school before me... an adviser that could tell me to get my app in on June 1st, that could have warned me about the silence, and that could have helped me isolate distinctions between two schools would have been huge for my application cycle.

That said, an adviser that is not invested in their students is of little use.

 

[Kochanie]

Informal postbaccs

 

[worfndata]

I wish people would just say they THEMSELVES fear they have no chance, instead of falsely attributing it to their academic adviser. Just come out and say it, the internet does not bite.

 

[compstomper]

So my pre-med advisor, who knows absolutely nothing about my background except for that I graduated with a 3.0 GPA in Biology, thinks I shouldn't waste my time doing an SMP because with a 3.0, I don't stand a chance at getting into medical school. I understand advisors are there to "advise" you in the right direction, but I also believe if you really want something, you can make it happen. As long as I can prove myself with the SMP, MCAT, and the rest of the application, I don't think my undergraduate GPA is going to kill my shot at getting into medical school. I even spoke to an medical school admissions director who told me "if you do an SMP, as long as you have at least a 3.0, you stand a chance." Even so, my pre-med advisor's discouraging comments bug me...

What do you guys think?

Your only premed advisor should be people who actually went through the application process. Current med students, accepted students, and doctors who are recent graduates. People who did not go through the process have absolutely no clue how things really are.

Don't let your advisor get you down. Your peers and SDN should be your go to advisors.

 

[Itsjustme3]

From my experience, SDN has more specific, statistical, and accurate advice.

Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do with your life.

 

[johnnytest]

Yes, my pre-med advisor is discouraging. You are not alone. It sucks. 🙁

 

[G_Marker]

I've heard this about the premed adviser at my school, too. If you don't have an excellent chance of getting into medical school, the premed adviser may try to discourage you from applying (or encourage a gap year) so that you don't hurt the school's % accepted into medical school statistic. I'm not really so sure about your situation exactly, but I wouldn't put all my trust in an adviser who is motivated to have a good % yield.

 

[dentalduck15]

I have found that the best advisors will be a true mentor. Find someone to shadow and make sure to tell them where you are in your academics and ask for their honest opinion. They are in the shoes you are hoping to fill. Do not be discouraged.

I have a great mentor that has looked at my academics and told me that although I am pursuing a tough field, I have a chance.
But, work on your resume and make something from it stand out.

Like you, I have a 3.05 science GPA. But, I am also a double major with a 3.7 in the other major and I have a fairly good about of extracurriculares in the bag.
Just dont give up. Find those people that can truly lead the way for you, and make sure to do good on placement tests. Once you find a mentor they should be able to help you through the entire process.

Your advisor just knows the minimum most of the time.

 

[Conflagration]

I've heard this about the premed adviser at my school, too. If you don't have an excellent chance of getting into medical school, the premed adviser may try to discourage you from applying (or encourage a gap year) so that you don't hurt the school's % accepted into medical school statistic. I'm not really so sure about your situation exactly, but I wouldn't put all my trust in an adviser who is motivated to have a good % yield.

You know, that's actually a good point.

Is it possible that your adviser's numbers perhaps correlate with their salary/job security, so they don't want to encourage anyone that can tank the average?

Either way, it's not over until the fat lady sings. By giving up, you hand her the mic; but you don't have to! Get back in the ring and kick some STEM asses! 😀

 

[tofuuu]

Don't let your adviser's comment discourage you. It's true that the road is going to be tough and bumpy with a 3.0 GPA, but I'm confident that you'll find a way to get there somehow if this is something that you truly want. The key is to not give up regardless of the odds against you.

 

[allantois]

I actually think that the two pre-med advisers at my school are very accurate in terms of information that they give to students. They won't see students with a GPA of lower than 3.0 and that's their way of saying students to pursue other options.

 

[kthxbai]

I'll keep this short and sweet: my adviser told me I'll have a hard time getting into med school because of my "limited hours" of clinical experience (250 shadowing, 250 hospital, 1000s on the job at a clinical lab).

I'm sitting on two IIs before the middle of August.

Please, for god's sake, chase your dreams like your ass is on fire and the extinguisher is on the horizon.

ONLY YOU CAN SET YOUR LIMITS!!!

 

[FutureOncologist]

My medical school has a "feeder" university that has a post-bacc program. Anyone who changes residencies to this state and gets a certain GPA, MCAT, and has good ECs has a guaranteed interview. I don't remember if there were cutoff scores or not but the post-bacc only accepts around 30 people a year. There is a subforum on SDN that pertains to post-bacc programs that can help you out if you so choose to do that route.

 

[EvenStevens]

You'd probably be better off researching your odds yourself , unless your advisors have first hand exp you probably will have as much knowledge towards the chances as they do after some looking around