Guy who "scammed" way into med school

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
E

Euthymia

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
69
Reaction score
29
Members don't see this ad.
I met this guy who found some loophole to circumvent college and enter med school through the back door. In short, he basically crammed for stuff like CLEP exams and GRE Subject Tests and "graduated" from an online college with multiple majors (stuff like biology, math, physics) in a matter of a few months. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen his GRE score sheet and credits the college granted him for it. Then he took the few required labs and science classes at a community college and applied to medical school. Since most of his credits were earned through exam and didn't contribute to his GPA, he only needed to ace those few classes at the community college to apply with a 4.0 GPA. I thought maybe he got lucky and squeaked in somewhere, but he says he was offered interviews everywhere he applied, and according to him, everywhere thought it was amazing and he supposedly attended med school on scholarship. I'm a little concerned because he's been telling some high school and college aged people about this and some are biting hard. But it sounds too good to be true. Finish your degree in a couple months for $1-2000, skip college / more years to work for physician income, easy 4.0 and med school scholarship. Is this a viable option for most people? Sounds insane. Why haven't other people figured this out?
 
in a couple months? CLEP exams aren't super difficult but they require studying usually to get the score needed for credit.

I'm assuming he took the MCAT and did well
 
PL198 said:
in a couple months? CLEP exams aren't super difficult but they require studying usually to get the score needed for credit.

I'm assuming he took the MCAT and did well
Click to expand...

A good chunk of the credits came from the GRE Subject tests. You can Google and see there are/were a handful of accredited colleges that would give enough credits for a qualifying score to satisfy requirements for a major. He supposedly crammed for a month, took one of these gre tests, crammed for a month, took another, did some CLEP tests, took another subject test, and graduated within a few months with multiple majors. I saw his scores. I don't know if it's true that he only studied a month for each exam, but one GRE subject test was completed in like October, one a month later in November, and another in maybe April. Dunno about MCAT, but I assume well enough to get into a program.
 
I bet its slightly more complicated than that and they had previous credits from another degree or something.
 
If he got away with sneaking around the vast waste of time and money that is "higher education" in 2015, more power to him.

Does not sound like a scam in any way.
 
I can def believe this. I've taken quite a few CLEP exams, and they require typically 1-5 days of studying beforehand. Pretty good way to get credits if you ask me.
 
Euthymia said:
A good chunk of the credits came from the GRE Subject tests. You can Google and see there are/were a handful of accredited colleges that would give enough credits for a qualifying score to satisfy requirements for a major. He supposedly crammed for a month, took one of these gre tests, crammed for a month, took another, did some CLEP tests, took another subject test, and graduated within a few months with multiple majors. I saw his scores. I don't know if it's true that he only studied a month for each exam, but one GRE subject test was completed in like October, one a month later in November, and another in maybe April. Dunno about MCAT, but I assume well enough to get into a program.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying you're wrong, but the GRE subject tests are no joke (I have no idea about the CLEP tests though). I took the regular GRE and the GRE Chemistry subject test to apply to grad school (before I decided on med school). The chemistry subject test included material from 2 semesters of gen chem, 2 semesters of organic chem, 2 semesters of analytical/instrumental methods, one semester of physical chem / thermodynamics, one semester of quantum mechanics, one semester of chemical dynamics/kinetics, and about a half semester of organometallic chemistry. There is no way I would have come even close to a decent score without having taken four years of rigorous courses in the chemical sciences. Maybe he had some sort of strong background you weren't aware of? Maybe he's a savant?
 
JingleChips said:
I'm not saying you're wrong, but the GRE subject tests are no joke (I have no idea about the CLEP tests though). I took the regular GRE and the GRE Chemistry subject test to apply to grad school (before I decided on med school). The chemistry subject test included material from 2 semesters of gen chem, 2 semesters of organic chem, 2 semesters of analytical/instrumental methods, one semester of physical chem / thermodynamics, one semester of quantum mechanics, one semester of chemical dynamics/kinetics, and about a half semester of organometallic chemistry. There is no way I would have come even close to a decent score without having taken four years of rigorous courses in the chemical sciences. Maybe he had some sort of strong background you weren't aware of? Maybe he's a savant?
Click to expand...

Some of these online schools only required 40 percentile to award the max amount of credit. Looks like at one if you got 40 percentile you would get 12LD and 12UD credits. At another place, you could get 12LD and 24UD for high enough scores. I think chemistry would be harder, but getting a 40 percentile score in biology, psychology, and some of the softer ones doesn't seem like it would be too bad probably, especially looking back now at the volume of material I was able to cram through med school.

Just out of curiosity, I looked up requirements for a generic BS degree from one of these schools. If you did two GRE Subject Tests (say psychology and biology), it looks like you would only need to CLEP out of a math class, two English, and maybe some Spanish for humanity credits to satisfy their gen ed requirements. And it looks like there is some sort of self-paced 1 credit hour library class, too.
 
Euthymia said:
Some of these online schools only required 40 percentile to award the max amount of credit. Looks like at one if you got 40 percentile you would get 12LD and 12UD credits. At another place, you could get 12LD and 24UD for high enough scores. I think chemistry would be harder, but getting a 40 percentile score in biology, psychology, and some of the softer ones doesn't seem like it would be too bad probably, especially looking back now at the volume of material I was able to cram through med school.

Just out of curiosity, I looked up requirements for a generic BS degree from one of these schools. If you did two GRE Subject Tests (say psychology and biology), it looks like you would only need to CLEP out of a math class, two English, and maybe some Spanish for humanity credits to satisfy their gen ed requirements. And it looks like there is some sort of self-paced 1 credit hour library class, too.
Click to expand...

if it was that easy, there'd be a ton of people doing it.
 
PL198 said:
if it was that easy, there'd be a ton of people doing it.
Click to expand...
Probably, but I'm betting most people have no clue that this is even possible. I'm not saying it's easy, but there are a lot of smart people in med school who are amazing at last minute cramming. This might be a viable option for some people. I know I would have at least tried to do it had I have known about this.
 
I believe it's totally possible. Once you figure out the tricks to standardized tests, they really become very simple. I figured out how to beat AP tests in high school and graduated with nearly two years of credits for classes I never took but passed the exams. Ditto with the MCAT. I would imagine CLEP and other tests are just as beatable.

I do have some trouble believing that his method was so well received. I would have some serious reservations about admitting someone who seemed like they were trying to beat the system, though clearly the story belies someone who is extremely intelligent and self-motivated. I would worry about their commitment to the long term effort required and be afraid they would seek out shortcuts at every turn. I would probably be open to interviewing them, however, and with the right attitude and maturity I might be open to taking a chance on them.

So I think the story is plausible, but unlikely. The truth probably has a little more to the story.
 
I partially believe him. I think there's a bit more to it but in general, I wouldn't be surprised. Props to him.
 
I've argued for a while now that UG1-4 + M1-2 should be online anyhow. If you can pass step 1, you should be eligible to start at medical school. All of that content is available for free online anyhow. This guy is just ahead of the curve.
 
operaman said:
I do have some trouble believing that his method was so well received. I would have some serious reservations about admitting someone who seemed like they were trying to beat the system, though clearly the story belies someone who is extremely intelligent and self-motivated. I would worry about their commitment to the long term effort required and be afraid they would seek out shortcuts at every turn. I would probably be open to interviewing them, however, and with the right attitude and maturity I might be open to taking a chance on them.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, we're talking about an undergrad degree that's virtually free, adding 3 years of physician income + interest, and scholarship money for medical school. That has to be a savings of over a million bucks in the long run. How can you fault someone for that?
 
The reason more people aren't doing it is because it's risky. Doable, yes, but risky. ADCOMs are willing to make the odd exception, but not allow it to be the standard. Your friend was clever, found a way to work the system, and convinced ADCOMs with MCAT and interview to give him a shot. If everyone tried to take the same route, I imagine the success rate of med school matriculation would be less than that of those who took the standard route.
 
Logistics said:
The reason more people aren't doing it is because it's risky. Doable, yes, but risky. ADCOMs are willing to make the odd exception, but not allow it to be the standard. Your friend was clever, found a way to work the system, and convinced ADCOMs with MCAT and interview to give him a shot. If everyone tried to take the same route, I imagine the success rate of med school matriculation would be less than that of those who took the standard route.
Click to expand...

Either that, or the US medical education process could become more streamlined in the process.

This fellow basically did what many of us have been saying ought to be the general idea of pre-med (and possibly preclinical medical school) requirements.
 
Maybe my perspective is just different. I got accepted into med school without a bachelor's degree. It took me twelve months at the local community college to knock out all of the science prereqs at the end of which I took the MCAT and did well enough. Out of pocket expense was under $2000 thanks to grants. You'll get no argument from me that the standard four year degree is filled with frou-frou classes, many of which wouldn't be missed if they were omitted and the class load condensed. That said, comparing apples to apples is what most ADCOMs are used to doing.
 
To each their own, but undergrad wasn't just a pre-med degree for me. It's self-evident that medical education could be trimmed down in the U.S., and that would obviously work for a subset. But efficiency isn't everything. I wouldn't trade my undergrad philosophy or history classes for anything. Except maybe gold. Or lotto tickets. Yes, lotto tickets.
 
If the guy can wing that and get a good mcat with letters, then he's no different than anyone. He just didn't waste his time.
 
I don't think he scammed his way in. Some go to college more for the experience rather than just to meet premed requirements. Others, due to financial or other reasons, decide to go a more economical route. In my personal opinion, I don't think it's worth speeding through college and medical school just to work a few extra years. I've been practicing for 10 years now, and plan on working full time for at least another 15. I would not work an extra 5 more years if I had graduated earlier in life. However, given the choice of skipping college and going straight into medical school back then, I probably would have jumped at that chance. In school, I just looked forward to graduating and becoming a physician. Now that I think back on it, I regret thinking that because it made me enjoy the process less. So my advice would be, if you have the means to go college, do it, enjoy it, don't speed through life. The extra money and years of extra work isn't worth it in the long run.
 
Dave89 said:
If he got away with sneaking around the vast waste of time and money that is "higher education" in 2015, more power to him.

Does not sound like a scam in any way.
Click to expand...
Exactly
 
Logistics said:
Maybe my perspective is just different. I got accepted into med school without a bachelor's degree. It took me twelve months at the local community college to knock out all of the science prereqs at the end of which I took the MCAT and did well enough. Out of pocket expense was under $2000 thanks to grants. You'll get no argument from me that the standard four year degree is filled with frou-frou classes, many of which wouldn't be missed if they were omitted and the class load condensed. That said, comparing apples to apples is what most ADCOMs are used to doing.
Click to expand...
So what are you like entering med school at 19?
 
operaman said:
I believe it's totally possible. Once you figure out the tricks to standardized tests, they really become very simple. I figured out how to beat AP tests in high school and graduated with nearly two years of credits for classes I never took but passed the exams. Ditto with the MCAT. I would imagine CLEP and other tests are just as beatable.

I do have some trouble believing that his method was so well received. I would have some serious reservations about admitting someone who seemed like they were trying to beat the system, though clearly the story belies someone who is extremely intelligent and self-motivated. I would worry about their commitment to the long term effort required and be afraid they would seek out shortcuts at every turn. I would probably be open to interviewing them, however, and with the right attitude and maturity I might be open to taking a chance on them.

So I think the story is plausible, but unlikely. The truth probably has a little more to the story.
Click to expand...

I think that's the key right here. Assuming the story is true, it could easily be rewritten as "Very smart and driven guy takes a bunch of college courses over a short amount of time and excels in them, then goes on to medical school and does well"
 
colbgw02 said:
To each their own, but undergrad wasn't just a pre-med degree for me. It's self-evident that medical education could be trimmed down in the U.S., and that would obviously work for a subset. But efficiency isn't everything. I wouldn't trade my undergrad philosophy or history classes for anything. Except maybe gold. Or lotto tickets. Yes, lotto tickets.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but isn't an avg undergrad class like $2500. Granted, thats with no scholarship, student aid, whatever... but still.
 
colbgw02 said:
To each their own, but undergrad wasn't just a pre-med degree for me. It's self-evident that medical education could be trimmed down in the U.S., and that would obviously work for a subset. But efficiency isn't everything. I wouldn't trade my undergrad philosophy or history classes for anything. Except maybe gold. Or lotto tickets. Yes, lotto tickets.
Click to expand...

tax on mathematically incompetent

jk I look at it as cheap entertainment but will probably never take part.
 
Pacna said:
I've argued for a while now that UG1-4 + M1-2 should be online anyhow. If you can pass step 1, you should be eligible to start at medical school. All of that content is available for free online anyhow. This guy is just ahead of the curve.
Click to expand...

colbgw02 said:
To each their own, but undergrad wasn't just a pre-med degree for me. It's self-evident that medical education could be trimmed down in the U.S., and that would obviously work for a subset. But efficiency isn't everything. I wouldn't trade my undergrad philosophy or history classes for anything. Except maybe gold. Or lotto tickets. Yes, lotto tickets.
Click to expand...

College is about much more than just cramming in facts to pass an exam and scoring a diploma and degree. Development of critical thinking skills is so important and something many people don't master before (or during) college.
 
quickfeet said:
So what are you like entering med school at 19?
Click to expand...
On the other end of that. I started college at 14 and dropped out (didn't bother withdrawing) at 17 and swore I'd never go back to school. I worked fast food for over a decade, met my wife (coworker), and supported her through her undergrad (art... she wanted to work for Disney). We had three wonderful kids, she got into med school, and I became interested in medicine while helping her study. When I finally figured out that I really wanted to learn medicine, I looked for schools that didn't require a bachelor's, salvaged what credits I could from my youth, and took a heavy year of nothing but the science. I'll be turning 35 this year upon entering med school.

And yes, there's a lot of filler in the traditional four-year college program. But I saw a lot of people enter med school straight from undergrad who never really lived and worked in the "real world", then got into their clinicals and residencies only to find out that medicine wasn't what they'd thought it would be. Short-cuts are great, but you should be very wary rushing into medicine like this. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
 
DokterMom said:
College is about much more than just cramming in facts to pass an exam and scoring a diploma and degree. Development of critical thinking skills is so important and something many people don't master before (or during) college.
Click to expand...
This is why I think people should do something other than college before med school, such as EMT or hospital work. Or anything, really.
 
DokterMom said:
College is about much more than just cramming in facts to pass an exam and scoring a diploma and degree. Development of critical thinking skills is so important and something many people don't master before (or during) college.
Click to expand...

So test for that. You don't need college to develop those skills.
 
Or maybe you could just take AP classes starting your sophomore year in high school and only have 1 year of UG prereqs left when you graduate. It's been done before. You don't need to do the 4 years of meh for a bleh in biology.
 
Pacna said:
So test for that. You don't need college to develop those skills.
Click to expand...

It's true that you don't need college to develop these skills, but college often creates the environment for which those skills (among others) can be developed. I agree that if you are just looking at college from a coursework perspective, the standard four years for a BA/BS can be streamlined. However, at age 18/19, I knew I was not mature enough to take on the rigors medical school (even if i had been able to complete the prereqs within a year or two). What made me feel ready were the four years of triumphs/huge mistakes, friends I made, beer I drank, and experiences I accumulated at college, plus another year that I took off to work a full-time job.

OP, that's awesome that your friend found his way to get into medical school so efficiently, and I'm sure we would all love to hear his story. However, that is his path and I don't think I personally would have wanted to go down it if I had the chance. I'm a slow mover 😛
 
Even for microwaved degrees from online schools, they aren't just going to take all transfer credits and hand you a degree. Most good schools require you to take the prereqs in a classroom - which isn't just a few classes and would take longer than just a couple months. For the rest of the next to useless classes full of busy work and pedestrian discussions about our feelings - CLEPs sound better, cheaper, and more efficient usage of time.
 
mellow-yellow said:
It's true that you don't need college to develop these skills, but college often creates the environment for which those skills (among others) can be developed. I agree that if you are just looking at college from a coursework perspective, the standard four years for a BA/BS can be streamlined. However, at age 18/19, I knew I was not mature enough to take on the rigors medical school (even if i had been able to complete the prereqs within a year or two). What made me feel ready were the four years of triumphs/huge mistakes, friends I made, beer I drank, and experiences I accumulated at college, plus another year that I took off to work a full-time job.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that at all. I would expect med schools to look more favorably on candidates who took a more traditional 4-year-BS/A-earning route. My argument is that if someone can pass your exams, why have them take the basic sciences of M1-2? Some people are indeed ready without having to do all of the things bolded in your statement. Some are not.
 
Choo said:
Even for microwaved degrees from online schools, they aren't just going to take all transfer credits and hand you a degree. Most good schools require you to take the prereqs in a classroom - which isn't just a few classes and would take longer than just a couple months. For the rest of the next to useless classes full of busy work and pedestrian discussions about our feelings - CLEPs sound better, cheaper, and more efficient usage of time.
Click to expand...

No, some of these schools have no residency/minimum in-house credit requirements.
 
Pacna said:
Nothing wrong with that at all. I would expect med schools to look more favorably on candidates who took a more traditional 4-year-BS/A-earning route. My argument is that if someone can pass your exams, why have them take the basic sciences of M1-2? Some people are indeed ready without having to do all of the things bolded in your statement. Some are not.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree that it can be beneficial to put courses online, but I would argue that while some applicants can pass Step 1, the vast majority are not ready for boards without going through academic and personal growth during M1-2. And almost all would see an increase in their board scores if they were to take the basic sciences (even if it is to review things that were learned in college). Thus, M1-2 may not be needed for a few superstars, but are overwhelmingly important for everyone else, and you've got to cater to the majority.

Disclaimer: I have little knowledge of what taking step 1 is like and have not experienced medical school (Yet!), so I am talking out of my ass :mooning:
 
mellow-yellow said:
Definitely agree that it can be beneficial to put courses online, but I would argue that while some applicants can pass Step 1, the vast majority are not ready for boards without going through academic and personal growth during M1-2. And almost all would see an increase in their board scores if they were to take the basic sciences (even if it is to review things that were learned in college). Thus, M1-2 may not be needed for a few superstars, but are overwhelmingly important for everyone else, and you've got to cater to the majority.

Disclaimer: I have little knowledge of what taking step 1 is like and have not experienced medical school (Yet!), so I am talking out of my ass :mooning:
Click to expand...

Fair enough. It's like the MCAT but with more material. Very little critical thinking - if you know the fact, you'll get the answer.

I think life is hard enough without orchestrating hardship. If step 1 is/was the bar to reach, a single parent could study over the course of 5+ years and take it, rather than doing it all in 2-3 like we all do. And without undergrad requiring superfluous courses and sparsely important information, it could be done at an earlier age. Keep colleges for people like yourself who identify that they need a guided, preparatory school, but there's no reason to require that across the board. Not when tuition is insanely high and the information is available online for free.

But again, you reference personal growth. I'm sure many people on this forum were told they were not mature enough for med school during/after interviews. Maturity can be screened for.
 
mellow-yellow said:
It's true that you don't need college to develop these skills, but college often creates the environment for which those skills (among others) can be developed. I agree that if you are just looking at college from a coursework perspective, the standard four years for a BA/BS can be streamlined. However, at age 18/19, I knew I was not mature enough to take on the rigors medical school (even if i had been able to complete the prereqs within a year or two). What made me feel ready were the four years of triumphs/huge mistakes, friends I made, beer I drank, and experiences I accumulated at college, plus another year that I took off to work a full-time job.

OP, that's awesome that your friend found his way to get into medical school so efficiently, and I'm sure we would all love to hear his story. However, that is his path and I don't think I personally would have wanted to go down it if I had the chance. I'm a slow mover 😛
Click to expand...

college sucks away critical thinking skills, not grants them.

college except for specialized math, sciences or a performing art is literally all about memorizing powerpoints and textbooks and regurgitating it on an exam, just like med school is. those things absolutely drain critical thinking.
 
PL198 said:
college sucks away critical thinking skills, not grants them.

college except for specialized math, sciences or a performing art is literally all about memorizing powerpoints and textbooks and regurgitating it on an exam, just like med school is. those things absolutely drain critical thinking.
Click to expand...

Lower-level bio and psych classes, sure. But I've had a lot of good discussion sessions in intro philosophy/history classes, among many others.
 
Carribean Schools will take anyone 🙂. BWAHAHAH
 
So, tell me. Most of his pre-req science LORs are from instructors/professors at a CC? I mean, I'm not saying there are not profs at CCs that don't do an excellent job teaching the pre-req sciences; but, in general, isn't this risky? I am not saying it should or shouldn't be, as I believe that much of higher education has become strongly about financial profits. I certainly do not mean to be cynical. It's just that it's so overwhelmingly and outrageously expensive; and in fact this is becoming more and more obvious to students. If you can learn the necessary principles at a CC, personally, I do not think there should be any bias from either allopathic or osteopathic schools (although DO schools may show less bias with this). You either have learned the principles and can apply them as needed, or you have not/can not. No sense in getting prissy about where one has learned them, and it's certainly absurd to push students to a place where they dramatically increase their educational debt b/c of "what's in a name." But apparently there is some serious bias out there, and with the competition that already exists, unfair or not, it's something to consider. I think it sucks to break the backs of people unnecessarily. It's an unfair burden to place on students IMHO. But everyone knows that there are spoken rules and then there are unspoken rules--and this doesn't change well after school or any graduate level education. Being that the area of focus is medicine and it deals with illnesses, which, seem rather unfair--especially in many instances, such as pediatrics, med schools can take the attitude that people have to get used to the fact that life is unfair--and if you see it anywhere, you definitely see this in medicine.

So, much of medical school prep and application process seems like doing what you must to increase the odds. It's just problematic on a whole other level that students are pushed to go into greater debt just to get into programs of medical study that will only put them into further and more massively greater debt.
 
jl lin said:
So, tell me. Most of his pre-req science LORs are from instructors/professors at a CC? I mean, I'm not saying there are not profs at CCs that don't do an excellent job teaching the pre-req sciences; but, in general, isn't this risky? I am not saying it should or shouldn't be, as I believe that much of higher education has become strongly about financial profits.
Click to expand...

I got my first bachelor's degree at a small private university consistently ranked in the top 20 schools in the country by US News. I've taken other classes at both for-profit and non-profit schools that were almost completely online, classes at large state universities, and other classes at local community colleges. Throughout my undergrad, my classes were often taught by people whose priority was research and publication, whereas teaching was something they had to do, but weren't enthused about teaching courses to non-majors.

Many public schools have huge class sizes. Students get used to showing up to class, not to being engaged in what is going on. My classes at the community college were typically 10-25 students. There was a lot of classroom interaction, and the vast majority of instructors there were there because they wanted to teach. And English was their first language. Some of my bio labs weren't that rigorous, but not all schools have cadaver labs.

I'm in graduate school (not med school) with students who mostly went to large state schools, and that may be one reason why classes aren't very interactive.

If I had children that weren't academic superstars in high school, I would encourage them to go to a community college that has transfer credit agreements with the major state universities. Since a good chunk of students that start college don't graduate, or don't graduate in 5 years, 3 or 4 years of switching majors or attending then dropping out is much cheaper. If I had children who were academic superstars, I'd encourage them to pick up a few classes over the summertime at community colleges that they needed for distribution credit. I know a music major at my undergrad school who picked up calculus that way.
 
OTStudentSept2014 said:
I got my first bachelor's degree at a small private university consistently ranked in the top 20 schools in the country by US News. I've taken other classes at both for-profit and non-profit schools that were almost completely online, classes at large state universities, and other classes at local community colleges. Throughout my undergrad, my classes were often taught by people whose priority was research and publication, whereas teaching was something they had to do, but weren't enthused about teaching courses to non-majors.

Many public schools have huge class sizes. Students get used to showing up to class, not to being engaged in what is going on. My classes at the community college were typically 10-25 students. There was a lot of classroom interaction, and the vast majority of instructors there were there because they wanted to teach. And English was their first language. Some of my bio labs weren't that rigorous, but not all schools have cadaver labs.

I'm in graduate school (not med school) with students who mostly went to large state schools, and that may be one reason why classes aren't very interactive.

If I had children that weren't academic superstars in high school, I would encourage them to go to a community college that has transfer credit agreements with the major state universities. Since a good chunk of students that start college don't graduate, or don't graduate in 5 years, 3 or 4 years of switching majors or attending then dropping out is much cheaper. If I had children who were academic superstars, I'd encourage them to pick up a few classes over the summertime at community colleges that they needed for distribution credit. I know a music major at my undergrad school who picked up calculus that way.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree with pretty much all of what you say; with the added perspective that profit or "non-profit," one way or another it's about profit somewhere. You can be non-profit and make money. I have worked for such institutions. Money moves around one way or another, but still it is MONEY that is moving.
 
jl lin said:
So, tell me. Most of his pre-req science LORs are from instructors/professors at a CC? I mean, I'm not saying there are not profs at CCs that don't do an excellent job teaching the pre-req sciences; but, in general, isn't this risky? I am not saying it should or shouldn't be, as I believe that much of higher education has become strongly about financial profits. I certainly do not mean to be cynical. It's just that it's so overwhelmingly and outrageously expensive; and in fact this is becoming more and more obvious to students. If you can learn the necessary principles at a CC, personally, I do not think there should be any bias from either allopathic or osteopathic schools (although DO schools may show less bias with this). You either have learned the principles and can apply them as needed, or you have not/can not. No sense in getting prissy about where one has learned them, and it's certainly absurd to push students to a place where they dramatically increase their educational debt b/c of "what's in a name." But apparently there is some serious bias out there, and with the competition that already exists, unfair or not, it's something to consider. I think it sucks to break the backs of people unnecessarily. It's an unfair burden to place on students IMHO. But everyone knows that there are spoken rules and then there are unspoken rules--and this doesn't change well after school or any graduate level education. Being that the area of focus is medicine and it deals with illnesses, which, seem rather unfair--especially in many instances, such as pediatrics, med schools can take the attitude that people have to get used to the fact that life is unfair--and if you see it anywhere, you definitely see this in medicine.

So, much of medical school prep and application process seems like doing what you must to increase the odds. It's just problematic on a whole other level that students are pushed to go into greater debt just to get into programs of medical study that will only put them into further and more massively greater debt.
Click to expand...

Sure having CC LORs probably hurt him a little, but keep in mind he had a 4.0 GPA and likely a very good MCAT (34+).

That's a completely different story from your average CC student with a 3.6 and a 30.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Things to buy/do before med school starts
Replies
9
Views
668
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
F
Helping friend who is applying to medical school
Replies
3
Views
887
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
L
How to identify productive lab in medical school / Getting into research M1?
Replies
5
Views
1K
AJS59
AJS59
Tibial.Tuberosity
  • Question Question
How often can I visit family during med school?
Replies
19
Views
1K
AJS59
AJS59
T
AI Study Resources During Med School?
Replies
16
Views
3K
turtleai
T
Top