getting into med school via attrition

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[sistahnik]

hey I think that its worth a try!! I would definitely continue to let them know that I was serious about going to their school!! give it a shot.

 

[LUBDUBB]

does anyone out there know anyone who got into med school more out of persistence than paper qualifications?

in other words, someone who had low stats and is a poor canididate but may have applied for several years straight, and after the same adcom had interviewed them several times, they finally gave in and decided that this person must be serious about med school after getting rejected so many times and keep coming back with complete sincerity each time.

any thoughts?

thanks!

If they had been trying for several years, one would hope that their application improved over those years. I think one can go from a poor candidate to a fairly decent one over several years. So, if a school saw this improvement, they might give the student a chance.

 

[sistahnik]

that makes since lubdubb!!

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

A doctor that I know well spent three years trying to get into medical school. And I don't mean in undergrad - three years after he graduated trying to improve his chances after each rejection. He took the MCAT three times, went through a post-bac program, and worked 80 hrs/wk at times- full time in a research lab (for free), and then full time as a cab driver at night. He's not any brighter than the typical guy you see working at thankless dayjob - he just worked his ass off to get into medical school. Unbelievable, on his third application cycle (after being rejected two years in a row), he got into a top 20 school. Go figure - hard work pays off.
BTW - he carried that work ethic with him to medical school, and is now an oncologist.

 

[sistahnik]

woooow sandiegosod!! that is a great story!! now see consistency does pay off!! that's why I always say to ppl, just keep trying. you won't lose anything but you may gain something. 😉 a whole lot of something at that!

 

[gschl1234]

I met a guy who applied to University of Washington for 3 years strait (with low GPA~3.1/MCAT=28) and finally got in the third year. I'm not sure whether it was persistence or some other factors.

Edit: He never retook the MCAT so I think his application was quite static over the 3 years.

 

[TravellinDoc]

A med student where I work told me his friend and classmate at the Univ of WA applied 6 times!!!! 😱 After the fifth time, he met with the Director of Admissions and was told that they would be afraid to reject him the next time he applies for fear of his retaliation (of course they were joking). But nobody knows why he was accepted the 6th time and not the 5th, 4th or 3rd. His application didn't change that much from year to year, but each class is tailored to a specific desire of the committee on admissions. This really proves that it's a crap shoot process. Also, this guy is at the top of his class, so he obviously had the smarts.

 

[UCLAMAN]

This really proves that it's a crap shoot process.

getting into med school is NOT a crap shoot process. Its a saying that is perpetuated on these boards. If you are qualified you will get into medical school, period. I think too many people view it as a crapshoot process and then apply with subpar stats and numbers. They think "well i have low stats but hey, its a game of luck right? what if i am lucky?" People are better off getting their stats and credentials up to par before applying. Sure, there are many uncertainties surrounding the application process but dont believe for a second that applying to med school is a "crapshoot." If it were as easy as shootin' dice on the corner then everyone would get in.

my 2 centavos

 

[Pinkertinkle]

That's probably not the ideal way to get into medi school.

 

[Mr. Rosewater]

getting into med school is NOT a crap shoot process. Its a saying that is perpetuated on these boards. If you are qualified you will get into medical school, period. I think too many people view it as a crapshoot process and then apply with subpar stats and numbers. They think "well i have low stats but hey, its a game of luck right? what if i am lucky?" People are better off getting their stats and credentials up to par before applying. Sure, there are many uncertainties surrounding the application process but dont believe for a second that applying to med school is a "crapshoot." If it were as easy as shootin' dice on the corner then everyone would get in.

my 2 centavos

here here. i hate reading that bs.

 

[Pre-Med-Guru]

Getting into medical school is NOT a crapshoot, BUT getting into YOUR CHOICE of medical school IS.

 

[camstah]

Getting into medical school is NOT a crapshoot, BUT getting into YOUR CHOICE of medical school IS.

well said...and i think that's what most people mean....
when people say getting into med school is a crapshoot, they don't mean that someone applying with pretty good stats will get in nowhere...they'll get in somewhere...what people generally mean is that schools don't seem to make much sense to us as to why they'll reject one applicant while interviewing another, even though the second may have much much lower scores, gpa, and less stellar EC's....
THAT'S what people mean......

 

[mpp]

I don't think the word 'attrition' is being used correctly here...

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

THAT'S what people mean......

Not everyone - Most people are wise enough to agree with your explanation, but there are a number of people, especially on this board, that view the whole thing as a spin of the roulette wheel.

 

[velo]

I don't think the word 'attrition' is being used correctly here...

agreed...the applicant pool is refreshed each cycle so it wouldn't be getting in by attrition.

I guess you're asking about getting in through persistence.

 

[yodaf]

Hey if you can get in through persistence then just start applying when you're in the 8th grade, by the time you get out of college the Adcom's will be so sick of hearing from you you'll be a shoe in.


😱

 

[aggiecrew]

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[wends]

well, my mom says she knows someone who knows someone's kid ( 🙄 mothers), who tried for three years, and on the third try, he wrote the adcom of the school personal letters begging to be taken. and it worked 😀

i admire ppl who are determined like that and can take a beating.....sometimes you have to be persistant and have good work ethics to succeed in a profession like medicine....smarts are nothin without the muscle to back it up

 

[Twitch]

From the experiences mentioned above where persistence paid off in the sense that they finally made it to med school, I think the one of the reasons it worked on try X and not try X-1, is a matter of supply and demand.

One year when the individual applied there was a large pool of applicants that fit the class size, at other times, there were folks that were in the "gray" area neither accepted/rejected. Out of this area there is this guy who is persistenly trying numerous times well... why not?

My 1.69 cents (in this economy).

-Y_Marker

 

[UCLAMAN]

Not everyone - Most people are wise enough to agree with your explanation, but there are a number of people, especially on this board, that view the whole thing as a spin of the roulette wheel.

agreed.

 

[UCLAMAN]

anyway, does anyone else have stories of people who were admitted after many tries to get into med school? or, maybe stories of people who did not get in after many tries might also be of interest to the forum.

thanks!

i have applied to 60+ schools, i have filled out 53 secondaries, i have spent thousands of dollars, that is why i succeed....

ok so maybe the jordan commercial doesnt quite work with med skool apps.

but i did take two cycles to get into med skool and NU is almost a top 20 school. i guess that doesnt count as "many tries" tho.

 

[UCLAMAN]

woooow sandiegosod!! that is a great story!! now see consistency does pay off!! that's why I always say to ppl, just keep trying. you won't lose anything but you may gain something. 😉 a whole lot of something at that!

its a good feel good hollywood story, yes.

however, after going through reapplication myself, my advice to people who are borderline applicants is not to "just keep trying." My advice is to improve your qualifications such that you are a surefire bet to get into medical school in one shot rather than applying multiple times. I think the biggest mistake some people make is going into the process with the "well if i dont get in i'll just reapply" attitude. Do or do not...there is no try. If you get the sense that your qualifications could have you reapplying then you shouldnt be applying to begin with. Instead take the extra year off and improve your qualifications.

Now obviously this doesnt apply to everyone as the real world has many different circumstances...but I'd say in general the whole "crap shoot" and "just reapply" syndromes apply more to borderline applicants. I admit...I had this syndrome once before.

 

[camstah]

Not everyone - Most people are wise enough to agree with your explanation, but there are a number of people, especially on this board, that view the whole thing as a spin of the roulette wheel.

well, of course not everyone will agree with that...but i think that's what most people mean....

 

[camstah]

agreed.

reminds me of captain picard for some reason....
engage.

 

[principessa]

I wonder what Squat n Squeeze would have to say about this.

 

[Quynh2007]

don't some schools discourage people (and sometimes not allow) people from applying more than twice? please tell me if i'm wrong.