be brutal if you must

[the unconquered]

So here is the score....I finished my undergrad at JHU (johns hopkins university) in may of 2004. My undergrad major was Natural Sciences and my overall gpa was a 3.25 with a science gpa of about 3.0 (i havent actually calcluated it).

After graduating, i did a year of americorps and decided during that time i wanted to be a doctor. Since then i have been in a scramble to improve my academic credentials. In august 2005, i took the mcat and did well (38 S) and now im most likely going to do a Special Masters Program at Barry University (MS in natural sciences).

With these academic credentials (assume that i have volunteer, medical, and basic research experience) would it be possible for me to get into a top tier med school such as emory in 2007 or 2008? If not, do you have any suggestions as to what i should to strengthen my application?

All advice welcome, even advice that is not so kind. Thanks

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[calvinandhobbes]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=242456

anyways, i think you are an excellent candidate...your mcat is killer. good luck!

 

[crazy_cavalier]

So here is the score....I finished my undergrad at JHU (johns hopkins university) in may of 2004. My undergrad major was Natural Sciences and my overall gpa was a 3.25 with a science gpa of about 3.0 (i havent actually calcluated it).

After graduating, i did a year of americorps and decided during that time i wanted to be a doctor. Since then i have been in a scramble to improve my academic credentials. In august 2005, i took the mcat and did well (38 S) and now im most likely going to do a Special Masters Program at Barry University (MS in natural sciences).

With these academic credentials (assume that i have volunteer, medical, and basic research experience) would it be possible for me to get into a top tier med school such as emory in 2007 or 2008? If not, do you have any suggestions as to what i should to strengthen my application?

All advice welcome, even advice that is not so kind. Thanks

Top tier may be a stretch. What's stopping you from say, middle tier or lower tier?

38 S is a great score btw, and Americorp sounds like it was a great exp for you. With SMP and perhaps more ECs (look into gaining more patient contact) you should stand a pretty good shot at a number of schools.

 

[thegenius]

So much depends on how you position youself. You'll need a good MCAT (which you have) and a good GPA (where you fall short), but you also need to write good essays, have three excellent letters of recommendation, and be a really interesting candidate. Something that you can offer besides the basic, non-needed but required elements of an application. For instance most applicants have some sort of research and clinical experience under their belt.

A quick glance at the MSAR reveals that Emory interviews about 15% of their applicants, and probably offers admittance letters to about 250 people (for a class size of 115). So in reality your chance of getting in is probably

33% of 15% = 5%.

This is an incredibly rough calculation but I think you know where I'm going. Concentrate on your gradepoint and you'll do alright!

 

[the unconquered]

Hey,

thanks for the advice...i am strongly considering doing research outside of clinical practice and usually top tier schools are rated as such because of the amount of research that they do. Also, my bro and sis-in-law and soon-to-be-nephew all live in smyrna (northern suburb of atlanta) so i want to be as close as possible. With that said, i know there are a number of good med schools in Atlanta and florida (my home state) so i am definetly going to do some research on them as well.

Of course in the end, if someone says he/she wants to be a doctor and are not willing to go to the carribean or even further offshore, i question their sincerety. With this said, if the school is US accreditted, im totally game to go there....

Top tier may be a stretch. What's stopping you from say, middle tier or lower tier?

38 S is a great score btw, and Americorp sounds like it was a great exp for you. With SMP and perhaps more ECs (look into gaining more patient contact) you should stand a pretty good shot at a number of schools.