Ask a College Graduate Anything (yes, I did "premed")

[FistLength]

Nice thread

As some background, I am a 3rd year DO student.

Its odd with your stats to not have matched somewhere (not applying broadly enough, interview skills?).

Only thing I wanted to add to this thread is the usefulness of doing research with an important person. If you can research someone with connections, they can make a huge difference in your ability to matriculate. I have seen it countless times in the match process and I have had it personally happen to myself. Scribing is ok if you want to pass the time, but you won't get a meaningful letter from an important person, or you won't have a physician scientist talk to admissions on your behalf. A friend of mine researched with someone on the admissions committee, his PI basically said that if you apply to my school, you will be accepted. As a bonus, getting published, gaining experience, etc is a wonderful part of the process.

I am someone that did pretty poorly in high school and just average in college, but I made fantastic connections (helped get me into med school) and found research with people who make moves on my behalf to help get me into a very competitive residency.

Finding the proper mentor is a whole different discussion (making sure they have clout, making sure they are productive, etc).

Edit: just saw read your post that you have research experience.

Something is odd with your application. Is it 1 stinky LOR? Is it mediocre interviewing? Are you not applying broad?

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[Dr. Stalker]

Nice thread

As some background, I am a 3rd year DO student.

Its odd with your stats to not have matched somewhere (not applying broadly enough, interview skills?).

Only thing I wanted to add to this thread is the usefulness of doing research with an important person. If you can research someone with connections, they can make a huge difference in your ability to matriculate. I have seen it countless times in the match process and I have had it personally happen to myself. Scribing is ok if you want to pass the time, but you won't get a meaningful letter from an important person, or you won't have a physician scientist talk to admissions on your behalf. A friend of mine researched with someone on the admissions committee, his PI basically said that if you apply to my school, you will be accepted. As a bonus, getting published, gaining experience, etc is a wonderful part of the process.

I am someone that did pretty poorly in high school and just average in college, but I made fantastic connections (helped get me into med school) and found research with people who make moves on my behalf to help get me into a very competitive residency.

Finding the proper mentor is a whole different discussion (making sure they have clout, making sure they are productive, etc).

Edit: just saw read your post that you have research experience.

Something is odd with your application. Is it 1 stinky LOR? Is it mediocre interviewing? Are you not applying broad?

Hey thanks for the nice reply. I 100% agree with your points. However, one point I do have some advice on:
research in college vs. research during medical school

Research in college:
Any research is good research. You might *love* the primer cancer research lab on your campus, but if they don't accept you, fear not. Find something you're interested in. Unfortunately, even if your UG does have a medical school, your mentor (the dude who runs the lab that ultimately writes your LoR) can't get you in. Sorry kiddos. I wanted to point this out cause I've seen far too many of my UG peers (my UG has a medical school as well) go after labs where the mentor "knows someone" or is even on the admissions committee. They can't get you in. Sure, they'll talk to the dean for you. The dean will smile and say, "Thanks professor! I'll keep so-and-so in mind when I review his/her application." But without a strong MCAT and GPA your good word from the mentor won't get you in.

Research in medical school:
YES YES YES. Mentorship and connections all the way. You bet program directors are talking. When your researcher (MD or MD PhD) says, "My med student does GREAT research in my anesthesiology lab, btw he's applying to your anesthesia residency, you better take him" that will get you ranked higher #Facts

As far as letters of recommendation go, I'm near certain they're all superb. All my authors knew me personally and wrote me glowing letters.

With regards to interview skills, I think I did fine. I did many mock interviews, and some with admissions committee members that said my skills were fine.

Unfortunately, from what the schools that did interview me and all waitlisted me (ultimately rejecting me...) said was that my old rather weak MCAT wasn't competitive enough because this is the cycle where the new MCAT debuted. They told me (to quote one adcom), "currently we're taking 503s and 505s, not the old 28s and 29s. We have a high standard for the old score this cycle because we aren't quite sure how to gauge and accept students with 32+ on the old score because we're 100% confident in them."

I think it was poor timing. I applied broadly and to all the famous "low-mcat-friendly" US MD schools. I didn't apply to any osteopathic schools or foreign schools. I think I'd have been more successful in terms of admissions there, but I'm not interested (at the moment anyway)!

 

[dentalislife237]

Hey! Was there overlap of content from your ap bio and chem classes in college???

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Hey! Was there overlap of content from your ap bio and chem classes in college???

Hey there!

YES THERE WAS. Gen Chem 1 and Gen Chem 2 were virtually AP Chemistry. When I took AP Biology it was a mixture of cell biology, minimal amounts of physiology, and mostly plants. At my college, we had to take 3 bio science classes to fulfill the premedical reqs of Bio 1 + Bio 2 (You read that correct...3 bio courses to satisfy the one year long stipulation of the AAMC demanding 1 year of college intro biology). Bio 2 was basically AP Bio. Bio 1 was plants and was a joke at my school. Bio 3 was the class from hell, and at my college, the BIGGEST weed out premed class there is!

 

[mwsapphire]

Hey there!

YES THERE WAS. Gen Chem 1 and Gen Chem 2 were virtually AP Chemistry. When I took AP Biology it was a mixture of cell biology, minimal amounts of physiology, and mostly plants. At my college, we had to take 3 bio science classes to fulfill the premedical reqs of Bio 1 + Bio 2 (You read that correct...3 bio courses to satisfy the one year long stipulation of the AAMC demanding 1 year of college intro biology). Bio 2 was basically AP Bio. Bio 1 was plants and was a joke at my school. Bio 3 was the class from hell, and at my college, the BIGGEST weed out premed class there is!

Huh!
Our genetics class was the weed out along with orgo
And Bio I was AP Bio repeat and cell/molecular stuff, and Bio II was ecology!
But yeah Gen Chem= Ap Chem. I loved AP Chem.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Since college is starting in about a week, I figure a few of you may have questions, feel free to ask away!