Can I get into med school?

[HumanBeing]

I know this gets asked a lot but everybody's different so I hope you don't mind me asking about my situation. I would like to know if my chances are moderately feasible or only slightly feasible. So I came up with a list of my assets and liabilities:

Assets:
Grad school GPA of 3.95 - MS degree
Postbac prereq GPA of 4.0 (hopefully) - unofficial postbac program
5 years college teaching experience
Successful small business owner
Cancer survivor
Losing one eye - survivor (asset??)
Worked in field of computer science 5 years

Liabilities:
Undergrad GPA of 2.91 - 10 years ago
Recovering alcoholic
One DUI misdemeanor
One false statement misdemeanor

Unknown: I don't know how an admissions committee views these:
Age: 32 now, 34 at start of med school
8 year marriage
4 year old child
Recovery from depression

Lastly, I'm in CO and there is only one med school in CO. They accept 175/2000 applications, less than 10%. If my chances are less than average and I can't get in to my one state school do I really stand a chance at out of state schools?

Thanks!

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[Grobular]

I know this gets asked a lot but everybody's different so I hope you don't mind me asking about my situation. I would like to know if my chances are moderately feasible or only slightly feasible. So I came up with a list of my assets and liabilities:

Assets:
Grad school GPA of 3.95 - MS degree
Postbac prereq GPA of 4.0 (hopefully) - unofficial postbac program
5 years college teaching experience
Successful small business owner
Cancer survivor
Losing one eye - survivor (asset??)
Worked in field of computer science 5 years

Liabilities:
Undergrad GPA of 2.91 - 10 years ago
Recovering alcoholic
One DUI misdemeanor
One false statement misdemeanor

Unknown: I don't know how an admissions committee views these:
Age: 32 now, 34 at start of med school
8 year marriage
4 year old child
Recovery from depression

Lastly, I'm in CO and there is only one med school in CO. They accept 175/2000 applications, less than 10%. If my chances are less than average and I can't get in to my one state school do I really stand a chance at out of state schools?

Thanks!

Wow, it sounds like you had an interesting life; I would love to hear some stories. If you're honestly interested in medicine, think really hard at what inspired you and what you want from a career. While undergrad GPA matters, it matters a lot less with time. University of Colorado has better acceptance for in-staters, about 25% acceptance.

So study hard for the MCAT, and see where it'll get you.

Good Luck

 

[Funky]

I know this gets asked a lot but everybody's different so I hope you don't mind me asking about my situation. I would like to know if my chances are moderately feasible or only slightly feasible. So I came up with a list of my assets and liabilities:

Assets:
Grad school GPA of 3.95 - MS degree
Postbac prereq GPA of 4.0 (hopefully) - unofficial postbac program
5 years college teaching experience
Successful small business owner
Cancer survivor
Losing one eye - survivor (asset??)
Worked in field of computer science 5 years

Liabilities:
Undergrad GPA of 2.91 - 10 years ago
Recovering alcoholic
One DUI misdemeanor
One false statement misdemeanor

Unknown: I don't know how an admissions committee views these:
Age: 32 now, 34 at start of med school
8 year marriage
4 year old child
Recovery from depression

Lastly, I'm in CO and there is only one med school in CO. They accept 175/2000 applications, less than 10%. If my chances are less than average and I can't get in to my one state school do I really stand a chance at out of state schools?

Thanks!

Although I wouldn't really know how good your shot is (mainly because i'm not sure how good your shots are in CO), if you get a good mcat, maybe the admissions committees will overlook many of those weaknesses. There are plenty of people who get in with children who are well above your age (pandabear for one). Maybe the non-trads should ring in on this.

 

[DrBowtie]

Moving to the Non-Trad forum where you'll get better responses.

 

[OncoCaP]

Your chances of getting in somewhere are very good if you do very well on the MCAT in my opinion (make sure you have at least the average score of whatever school you want to get into -- they post averages on their web sites). Be sure NOT to limit yourself to CO (apply at least at 10 schools) and be sure to apply to some DO schools as well.

 

[blee]

There's no way to know in this process, but your numbers are certainly not worse than many who have succeeded. The MCAT will be very important (not that it isn't always important) and I suspect that a great score will make your application look very strong. I also encourage you to apply to a lot of schools; you never know what your state school has in mind when it comes to admissions.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Colorado will be opening up a DO school soon. I wish I could offer more advice but you'd probably be best to contact a few schools to discuss your situation and I agree do not limit yourself to colorado only if you can. Oh and what is your MS in?

 

[Abby Normal]

How long ago was your DUI and false statement? Did you plea "nolo" for either? Because if you did, then they aren't on your record anymore, are they?
Also, have you checked your school's policy for background checks? They might not really care about a misd.

 

[FenderHM]

i got no love from Colorado but I got into New York Medical College, so def check out some private schoools (and even public like SUNY downstate that accept many OOS)

 

[efex101]

You can possibly get in but you will need to apply to other schools. The key is to apply to as many as you can possibly afford and in places/schools that you will go to. You may have to explain your DUI but I would try to leave the alcohol/depression out of the picture if at all possible. Admissions committees can be very conservative and the less they know about mental illnesses the better served you will be. There is a large number of medical students that become depressed during their training so having suffered from depression before puts you at a higher risk. Adcoms are looking for folks with "minimal risk" potential. Good luck!

 

[HumanBeing]

Wow, it sounds like you had an interesting life; I would love to hear some stories. If you're honestly interested in medicine, think really hard at what inspired you and what you want from a career. While undergrad GPA matters, it matters a lot less with time. University of Colorado has better acceptance for in-staters, about 25% acceptance.

So study hard for the MCAT, and see where it'll get you.

Good Luck

Thanks for the response. Yes I believe I have had some interesting "life experiences", which I think can count positively toward the admissions process and a medical career in general. Right now I'm still trying to research feasibility to see if I really have a shot at this and you're right I think I do if I ace postbac courses and the MCAT. Thanks.

 

[HumanBeing]

Your chances of getting in somewhere are very good if you do very well on the MCAT in my opinion (make sure you have at least the average score of whatever school you want to get into -- they post averages on their web sites). Be sure NOT to limit yourself to CO (apply at least at 10 schools) and be sure to apply to some DO schools as well.

Thanks for the feedback! I will definitely apply at schools other than CO. I hear the recommendation is 30 schools. If you go over 30 they think you are desperate (which we ARE heh heh)?

 

[HumanBeing]

There's no way to know in this process, but your numbers are certainly not worse than many who have succeeded. The MCAT will be very important (not that it isn't always important) and I suspect that a great score will make your application look very strong. I also encourage you to apply to a lot of schools; you never know what your state school has in mind when it comes to admissions.

Thanks for the info. I don't mind spending the money to apply to a ton of schools like 75 or so, but do I hear right that admissions boards think applying to over 30 shows signs of desperation? Also don't out-of-state schools drastically prefer their own state students? Am I at a huge disadvantage having only one state school?

 

[HumanBeing]

Colorado will be opening up a DO school soon. I wish I could offer more advice but you'd probably be best to contact a few schools to discuss your situation and I agree do not limit yourself to colorado only if you can. Oh and what is your MS in?

Thanks, I prefer the allopathic route (can you believe that?)

My BS and MS were both in computer science. I'm pretty good in that field but it's reached a point where computers are dull and unfulfilling and unsatisfying.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Myself being in a somewhat similar situation (stats-wise), even my post bacc GPA of 4.0, MCAT 33 (10/10/13), 1000 hours volunteering, 125+ hours shadowing has resulted in 0 interview invites let alone actual acceptances during my first application process. It's a long road for we non-traditional types with academic baggage dragging behind us. Just remember that major and minor setbacks, as well as many months of stress and uncertainty, await you. I don't plan on giving up the war, but will accept defeat in certain battles along the way in this process.

 

[HumanBeing]

You can possibly get in but you will need to apply to other schools. The key is to apply to as many as you can possibly afford and in places/schools that you will go to. You may have to explain your DUI but I would try to leave the alcohol/depression out of the picture if at all possible. Admissions committees can be very conservative and the less they know about mental illnesses the better served you will be. There is a large number of medical students that become depressed during their training so having suffered from depression before puts you at a higher risk. Adcoms are looking for folks with "minimal risk" potential. Good luck!

I hear that recovery from alcoholism *could* be acceptible or even a beneficial "life experience", but I also hear the flip side. And then I hear just to avoid it if possible. Oh what to do, oh well I have some time to think about it. Thanks. I am sure the admissions people do love the straight-arrow student.

 

[HumanBeing]

Myself being in a somewhat similar situation (stats-wise), even my post bacc GPA of 4.0, MCAT 33 (10/10/13), 1000 hours volunteering, 125+ hours shadowing has resulted in 0 interview invites let alone actual acceptances during my first application process. It's a long road for we non-traditional types with academic baggage dragging behind us. Just remember that major and minor setbacks, as well as many months of stress and uncertainty, await you. I don't plan on giving up the war, but will accept defeat in certain battles along the way in this process.

What are you going to do if you don't get in this year?

 

[LifetimeDoc]

What are you going to do if you don't get in this year?

Go over my application with my pre-med advisor again, call the schools I applied to and ask their advice, finish this semester (make sure I get all A's again, I was hoping not to have to work so hard but oh well), get a job as a tech at the local hospital ER, and apply again...and again. After the third try, I don't know what I'll do.

I'm not going to do this, but I did once fantasize about changing my identity and starting all over again! It'd be a hell-of-a-lot easier! lol

 

[efex101]

Hi there, if this is your second time applying and you hear nothing come deadline time...I would consider getting a professional advisor. It seems that your GPA/MCAT is solid and there may be some other factor holding you up. Here are some questions I would ask.....Did you apply early? did you apply to as many schools as you possibly could? did you apply to a broad selection of schools? did you have outstanding LORs? did you have enough EC? is your PS excellent and not too pompous? I wish you the best of luck!

 

[fobw]

I hear that recovery from alcoholism *could* be acceptible or even a beneficial "life experience", but I also hear the flip side. And then I hear just to avoid it if possible. Oh what to do, oh well I have some time to think about it. Thanks. I am sure the admissions people do love the straight-arrow student.

Wow, my stats are about the same as yours and I'm an alcoholic in recovery as well. I'm about 8 years sober and I do a lot of AA.

My friends in and around AA think my recovery is the most interesting thing about me, and that I'm silly to leave it off my med school app.

Everybody else who knows I'm sober will smile and be nice about it and not get it at all.

I'm betting the latter group is more like adcoms. It's a tough one to call. Thankfully I think there are plenty of other interesting things about me.

Anybody else want to vote on this? Should sober med school applicants keep their sobriety to themselves?

 

[Faze2]

I guess this is kind of related so I'll ask. When and if adcoms ask me why I did so poor in undergrad, is saying that I wanted to party and drink too much a bad thing to say, cause that is really all I was interested in at college. Obviously drinking so much affected a lot. (Miss class, sleep late, hangovers, memory problems, depression, etc.) I do not think I was an alcoholic but i definately had a problem with drinking too much. Should that be brought up with interviews or should I limit the detail of what "partying" entailed? I am worried that they might say something like, "What makes you think that problem with drinking won't come up again during med school?"

 

[HumanBeing]

Wow, my stats are about the same as yours and I'm an alcoholic in recovery as well. I'm about 8 years sober and I do a lot of AA.

My friends in and around AA think my recovery is the most interesting thing about me, and that I'm silly to leave it off my med school app.

Everybody else who knows I'm sober will smile and be nice about it and not get it at all.

I'm betting the latter group is more like adcoms. It's a tough one to call. Thankfully I think there are plenty of other interesting things about me.

Anybody else want to vote on this? Should sober med school applicants keep their sobriety to themselves?

Wow, congrats on 8 years, that is awesome. So where are you in the med-school applying process?

Yeah I really don't know what to do about the AA thing. But the reason I think it might come up anyway is because of my DUI and one of the best ways for me to explain that is to say that that was a very sobering experience and after that I decided to quit drinking and join AA, which is true. So yeah there is plenty to talk about oneself that is interesting besides alcoholic recovery, but unless all I want to say is I quit drinking, I will need to explain recovery some.

 

[HumanBeing]

I guess this is kind of related so I'll ask. When and if adcoms ask me why I did so poor in undergrad, is saying that I wanted to party and drink too much a bad thing to say, cause that is really all I was interested in at college. Obviously drinking so much affected a lot. (Miss class, sleep late, hangovers, memory problems, depression, etc.) I do not think I was an alcoholic but i definately had a problem with drinking too much. Should that be brought up with interviews or should I limit the detail of what "partying" entailed? I am worried that they might say something like, "What makes you think that problem with drinking won't come up again during med school?"

You could possibly explain it by saying you just decided to quit drinking. If not an alcoholic, lots of people can just quit drinking to minimize consequences and improve life.

 

[efex101]

You do not even have to mention "drinking". All you have to do IF that does come up is say that you were young and your priorities were skewed. Trust me, adcoms now what that means. So without going into the gory details you can point to your younger years as being less than mature and now you have moved on. The less adcoms have to know about alcohol/drugs the better you are served. They are very cautious about these issues and no matter how "open minded" you think they may be...they are more conservative than not. Remember your file is reviewed by multiple admissions folks not just the one you interview with. The odds are you will have a majority who frown upon anything that can put you in a higher risk bracket.

 

[ShyRem]

A few words on CU. I was a Colorado resident for 20 years. I had old undergrad grades that were horrible, but went back and graduated with a 3.6 GPA doing a double science major in three years (I basically started over -- my AMCAS was a 3.2 overall). I had a boat-load of health care experience... most of it in Denver. I had a reasonable MCAT (29 - not stellar, not horrible). Did they interview me? NO. I wouldn't count on CU to be kind at all. They never answered emails, never returned phone calls, only took phone messages and never called back... you name it. Needless to say, I find CU to be rather UNfriendly to anyone with anything less than a perfect record dating back to the Big Bang. I'm sure there are those who have differing experiences, but there's mine. Good luck with CU, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

There is a DO school opening next year in Aurora, I think. I would apply broadly. Try SUNY, VCU, and osteopathic schools. Albany and some schools in PA (I forget which at this time) are supposed to be non-trad friendly as well.

Write a killer essay, and slay the MCAT beast. Can you do it? Yes. You may need to be willing to relocate. Will it be easy? Not necessarily. Grow a thick skin and grab a box of kleenex. Get a nice shoulder to cry on, and get a box of your favorite "drowning sorrows" chocolates.

 

[BellyDancingDoc]

You can possibly get in but you will need to apply to other schools. The key is to apply to as many as you can possibly afford and in places/schools that you will go to. You may have to explain your DUI but I would try to leave the alcohol/depression out of the picture if at all possible. Admissions committees can be very conservative and the less they know about mental illnesses the better served you will be. There is a large number of medical students that become depressed during their training so having suffered from depression before puts you at a higher risk. Adcoms are looking for folks with "minimal risk" potential. Good luck!

I agree with the bolded section above, as well as most of the opinions of the other posters.

OP, I know that the alcoholism and depression stuff seem like a good "come from behind" story, but they're honestly just going to raise a lot more red flags. Stick with the stories about (1) how you came to realized medicine was what you wanted so comparatively late in life and (2) possibly the story of how you lost you eye (if it's the kind of thing that you can related to doctoring and survivorship). As for alcohol, etc., efex101's suggestion that you say, "my priorities were skewed and I've moved on from that time in my life" is excellent.

The fact is, you're in no way lacking in things that make you "interesting." Indeed, I suspect that everyone who looks at your app will take a second and then a third look. Your challenge will be to market youself to be as "normal" as possible.

 

[HumanBeing]

I agree with the bolded section above, as well as most of the opinions of the other posters.

OP, I know that the alcoholism and depression stuff seem like a good "come from behind" story, but they're honestly just going to raise a lot more red flags. Stick with the stories about (1) how you came to realized medicine was what you wanted so comparatively late in life and (2) possibly the story of how you lost you eye (if it's the kind of thing that you can related to doctoring and survivorship). As for alcohol, etc., efex101's suggestion that you say, "my priorities were skewed and I've moved on from that time in my life" is excellent.

The fact is, you're in no way lacking in things that make you "interesting." Indeed, I suspect that everyone who looks at your app will take a second and then a third look. Your challenge will be to market youself to be as "normal" as possible.

Thank you! That is excellent advice! I had to laugh at your realistic advice on trying to market myself as "normal" as possible. That is indeed a good idea despite by abnormal past. Heh heh.

 

[awk]

Does that mean you only have one eye? That disability could limit the types of Medicine you can practice....if you wanted to be a surgeon or ER physician and so on.

 

[HumanBeing]

Does that mean you only have one eye? That disability could limit the types of Medicine you can practice....if you wanted to be a surgeon or ER physician and so on.

Yes I only have one eye. I know it seems weird but after a while you get used to it and you see almost as good as most people. Even depth perception is good after a while and you can drive and snow ski and what not. I would not want to do surgery anyhow. I'm most interested in psychiatry.

 

[awk]

Well I don't think that your disablilty will help you gain admission. It won't hurt you either due to the Disabilities act. Good luck with your app.

 

[trustwomen]

Anybody else want to vote on this? Should sober med school applicants keep their sobriety to themselves?

I think recovering alcoholic med school applicants are probably better off keeping it to themselves. Doctors and med students have not insignificant rates of substance abuse (including alcohol), as well as depression and anxiety disorders, usually manifesting during training or practice (not before admission). I think adcomms would probably see a person in recovery (from whatever problem) as more susceptible to relapse and therefore an unsafe bet.

The converse could be argued - a person in recovery has the skill, insight, and support to avoid the bottle (unlike someone encountering it for the first time); but I think their answer would be that becoming and being a doctor involves much more stress than the average life, and therefore those hard-won techniques might not be enough to sustain sobriety. And then you have to look at the notion of genetic susceptibility, which is widely believed among science types, etc...

Overall I would recommend leaving it out, just as I would for any hint of mental illness. I doubt that the depth/significance of the story would overcome their prejudice.

(BTW, almost all med school applicants are "sober" - I know that isn't how you meant it - but perhaps the term is not the best? I am "sober", but that's because I have always been a near-teetotaler.)

 

[trustwomen]

I guess this is kind of related so I'll ask. When and if adcoms ask me why I did so poor in undergrad, is saying that I wanted to party and drink too much a bad thing to say, cause that is really all I was interested in at college. Obviously drinking so much affected a lot. (Miss class, sleep late, hangovers, memory problems, depression, etc.) I do not think I was an alcoholic but i definately had a problem with drinking too much. Should that be brought up with interviews or should I limit the detail of what "partying" entailed? I am worried that they might say something like, "What makes you think that problem with drinking won't come up again during med school?"

Say "I was young and immature and the freedom got to my head. I've grown up a great deal since then - (insert evidence here)." I wouldn't mention the word "partying" - just say "I was more interested in my social life than in my schoolwork, but my (insert recent academic brilliance evidence here) proves that I have shifted my focus back to my schoolwork and my future."

 

[HumanBeing]

I think recovering alcoholic med school applicants are probably better off keeping it to themselves. Doctors and med students have not insignificant rates of substance abuse (including alcohol), as well as depression and anxiety disorders, usually manifesting during training or practice (not before admission). I think adcomms would probably see a person in recovery (from whatever problem) as more susceptible to relapse and therefore an unsafe bet.

The converse could be argued - a person in recovery has the skill, insight, and support to avoid the bottle (unlike someone encountering it for the first time); but I think their answer would be that becoming and being a doctor involves much more stress than the average life, and therefore those hard-won techniques might not be enough to sustain sobriety. And then you have to look at the notion of genetic susceptibility, which is widely believed among science types, etc...

Overall I would recommend leaving it out, just as I would for any hint of mental illness. I doubt that the depth/significance of the story would overcome their prejudice.

(BTW, almost all med school applicants are "sober" - I know that isn't how you meant it - but perhaps the term is not the best? I am "sober", but that's because I have always been a near-teetotaler.)

Thanks for the advice

 

[UMP]

I think if you have significant sobriety time you can use it as an asset... there might be a few people that will write you off immediately, but I think most will look at it in a positive light...
A lot of schools nowadays ask for midemeanor convictions, so you might have to just bite the bullet and take your chances, but I think you will benefit more from disclosing it... if you do any service work or maybe volunteer at a recovery house, that might help you out even more. Show how long you've been sober, and the "quality" of your sobriety, and you should be fine