- Joined
- May 20, 2011
- Messages
- 207
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I am one for following my dreams; you reading this right now makes me believe that you are as well. Not only that, but it also proves to me that we share a similar dream: for me, I desire to become an excellent physician and practice medicine among people that really need it; for you, your considering some sort of healthcare field. First of all, Congratulations on aiming high! Serving others in need is one of the greatest callings one can have in life and I wish you the best of luck in your goals. I want to share something with you I wish I had heard when I was where you are.
Being that I am a bit farther up the road than you, no matter what your perceived field is, you will have quite a process to go through to get there, but you can do it. Here is my advice to you as to how to order your priorities:
o Extracurricular activities*
o Grades
o Admission Test Scores
o Shadowing
o Extracurricular activities*
o Interviews
o Acceptance
Grades and Admission Test Scores. Your Grades and Test Scores are Huge… no- not Huge, they are the most important part of your application. Truth #1: You will not be considered without competitive stats, you have to play the numbers game to compete. I say this not to dampen your drive to succeed, but to save you trouble and/or spur you on to a higher level of commitment to your dreams. I applied last year to medical schools with mediocre stats, 24 on my MCAT (8/8/8 [average score, not great = bad]) and a "B" average (3.0) in my overall and science GPA's. For more on the MCAT and what it means to get a 24 on it read this: http://www.usnews.com/education/blo...sions-doctor/2012/02/27/demystifying-the-mcat. Truth #2: Your science GPA applying to medical school includes all of your math, biology, chemistry, and physics courses and they don't practice grade replacement. So if you don't think you are doing well in a course, W/F it and don't allow your GPA to be brought low!
I share my experience with you so you can learn, out of the 25 schools I applied to, I was considered at one of them… and I didn't make it in. My stats were not good enough. You have to play the numbers game if you want to compete and you can't blame professional schools either, think about it. You have say 5 to 6 THOUSAND applicants applying for, anywhere between 100- 250 seats of a program for any given year on average. How would you, as an admission director, trim that applicant pool down? What is one of the first and most objective measurements of your academic ability to succeed? It is your proven academic success, your track record, your GPA!
Extracurricular Activities. But hold on, great Doctors, Nurses, PAs, Dentists, P.Ts, and etc. (probably the person that inspired you to become what you want to be) all have big hearts and great ability in relating with people and that's not showcased in a GPA or a Test Score so how do you make this evident in your own life? Your Extracurricular Activities. I have it listed with a star by it twice in the order of priorities because it is a peculiar part of your application that is often misunderstood, especially in my own case. Truth #3: You will not get in on the nice person card. Your volunteering and such needs to be combined with good scores.
Extracurricular Activities are a must and you need them on your application of course, but they alone are not enough. You already know my stats, however, my extracurricular are extensive: 2000+ hours of mission work (12 short and long term missions to Guatemala and Mexico), 1500+ hours of volunteering with my church, Phlebotomist with a stellar letter of recommendation from an old boss, 80 hours of shadowing, founder and president of a campus club, etc. Again, I applied to 25 schools and had one interview.
Your application needs to be a perfect storm. Certainly not in the sense that everything on your application must be perfect because it won't be and nobody's is, but rather every piece of it must come together to show your individuality, capacity to succeed and ability to "wow" an admission committee. Your experiences will show them that this brainiac with an awesome GPA and stellar admission test scores ALSO has a heart for others and wants to give back to the world! "Good on you young person, you're the type we want at our school!" That is the response and thoughts you want going through someone's brain when your application hits their hands. With your Extracurricular Activities, don't look to fill an hour requirement, look to make a difference in somebody else's life and start early. That is what you want to do with your career anyways isn't it, make a difference in somebody else's life? Start early.
Shadowing. I highlight shadowing for a good reason. Medical schools in particular, have an attrition rate that averages about 4%. That number means that out of the thousands upon thousands that enroll into medical schools each year, a meager 4% of them don't finish their program and don't become doctors, but 96% of them do. For law school the attrition rate is a lot higher, Prelaws don't shadow lawyers. The point here is this- how do you truly know you want to pursue this profession (whatever it is?) Have you seen the "dark side" of it? Did you know that it is not what you have witnessed on TV? Have you really proved to yourself without a doubt that this is what you will spend the rest of your life committed to? You need to shadow for these reasons otherwise admission committees will answer these questions for you if you have not.
Truth #4: "It won't get you in, but it can leave you out." I heard this a lot during my years as a premed. Apply this statement to every part of your application (GPA, test scores, extracurricular activities, shadowing, personal statement, secondary applications, letters of recommendation, interviews) work hard to show your commitment and don't throw in the towel if you are below par in some area(s)!
Interviews and Acceptances. Finally, you are probably super excited, focused, and hoping for these: interviews and acceptances. Channel that energy into the first five parts of your application first (Extracurricular activities, Grades, Admission Test Scores, Shadowing, and of course Extracurricular activities) and you have some of these coming your way! I don't have a 24 MCAT or a 3.0 anymore, I have brought both scores up considerably and am now completing a post bac program in hard relevant medical school science and currently have 4 medical school interviews coming my way this year so follow your dream and take my advice. Good Luck!
Being that I am a bit farther up the road than you, no matter what your perceived field is, you will have quite a process to go through to get there, but you can do it. Here is my advice to you as to how to order your priorities:
o Extracurricular activities*
o Grades
o Admission Test Scores
o Shadowing
o Extracurricular activities*
o Interviews
o Acceptance
Grades and Admission Test Scores. Your Grades and Test Scores are Huge… no- not Huge, they are the most important part of your application. Truth #1: You will not be considered without competitive stats, you have to play the numbers game to compete. I say this not to dampen your drive to succeed, but to save you trouble and/or spur you on to a higher level of commitment to your dreams. I applied last year to medical schools with mediocre stats, 24 on my MCAT (8/8/8 [average score, not great = bad]) and a "B" average (3.0) in my overall and science GPA's. For more on the MCAT and what it means to get a 24 on it read this: http://www.usnews.com/education/blo...sions-doctor/2012/02/27/demystifying-the-mcat. Truth #2: Your science GPA applying to medical school includes all of your math, biology, chemistry, and physics courses and they don't practice grade replacement. So if you don't think you are doing well in a course, W/F it and don't allow your GPA to be brought low!
I share my experience with you so you can learn, out of the 25 schools I applied to, I was considered at one of them… and I didn't make it in. My stats were not good enough. You have to play the numbers game if you want to compete and you can't blame professional schools either, think about it. You have say 5 to 6 THOUSAND applicants applying for, anywhere between 100- 250 seats of a program for any given year on average. How would you, as an admission director, trim that applicant pool down? What is one of the first and most objective measurements of your academic ability to succeed? It is your proven academic success, your track record, your GPA!
Extracurricular Activities. But hold on, great Doctors, Nurses, PAs, Dentists, P.Ts, and etc. (probably the person that inspired you to become what you want to be) all have big hearts and great ability in relating with people and that's not showcased in a GPA or a Test Score so how do you make this evident in your own life? Your Extracurricular Activities. I have it listed with a star by it twice in the order of priorities because it is a peculiar part of your application that is often misunderstood, especially in my own case. Truth #3: You will not get in on the nice person card. Your volunteering and such needs to be combined with good scores.
Extracurricular Activities are a must and you need them on your application of course, but they alone are not enough. You already know my stats, however, my extracurricular are extensive: 2000+ hours of mission work (12 short and long term missions to Guatemala and Mexico), 1500+ hours of volunteering with my church, Phlebotomist with a stellar letter of recommendation from an old boss, 80 hours of shadowing, founder and president of a campus club, etc. Again, I applied to 25 schools and had one interview.
Your application needs to be a perfect storm. Certainly not in the sense that everything on your application must be perfect because it won't be and nobody's is, but rather every piece of it must come together to show your individuality, capacity to succeed and ability to "wow" an admission committee. Your experiences will show them that this brainiac with an awesome GPA and stellar admission test scores ALSO has a heart for others and wants to give back to the world! "Good on you young person, you're the type we want at our school!" That is the response and thoughts you want going through someone's brain when your application hits their hands. With your Extracurricular Activities, don't look to fill an hour requirement, look to make a difference in somebody else's life and start early. That is what you want to do with your career anyways isn't it, make a difference in somebody else's life? Start early.
Shadowing. I highlight shadowing for a good reason. Medical schools in particular, have an attrition rate that averages about 4%. That number means that out of the thousands upon thousands that enroll into medical schools each year, a meager 4% of them don't finish their program and don't become doctors, but 96% of them do. For law school the attrition rate is a lot higher, Prelaws don't shadow lawyers. The point here is this- how do you truly know you want to pursue this profession (whatever it is?) Have you seen the "dark side" of it? Did you know that it is not what you have witnessed on TV? Have you really proved to yourself without a doubt that this is what you will spend the rest of your life committed to? You need to shadow for these reasons otherwise admission committees will answer these questions for you if you have not.
Truth #4: "It won't get you in, but it can leave you out." I heard this a lot during my years as a premed. Apply this statement to every part of your application (GPA, test scores, extracurricular activities, shadowing, personal statement, secondary applications, letters of recommendation, interviews) work hard to show your commitment and don't throw in the towel if you are below par in some area(s)!
Interviews and Acceptances. Finally, you are probably super excited, focused, and hoping for these: interviews and acceptances. Channel that energy into the first five parts of your application first (Extracurricular activities, Grades, Admission Test Scores, Shadowing, and of course Extracurricular activities) and you have some of these coming your way! I don't have a 24 MCAT or a 3.0 anymore, I have brought both scores up considerably and am now completing a post bac program in hard relevant medical school science and currently have 4 medical school interviews coming my way this year so follow your dream and take my advice. Good Luck!
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