Help me please

[bubbajones]

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3.0 GPA
2.7 sci GPA
24 MCAT

I want to be a doctor and medical school is my main goal, but I think I need to enroll in a M.S. program. Does anyone know of any good programs that will help me get in? Do they have financial aid, stipends, etc? Please help my advisors here suck

 

[EvoDevo]

Hi there. I've moved this to the Re-Applicant forum as I believe that they will better be able to answer your questions.

 

[BlueMagpie]

Bubba, I'm sure if you searched Google you could find a number of post-bacc programs designed to help you get into med schools. Some of the schools that have these are Loyola, Goucher, and Georgetown. From the little that I know, they do not offer stipends. It may be that you will have to go ahead and take a few hard science courses to get your BCPM up before applying to an M.S. program. You also need to think about retaking the MCAT and figuring out how why you didn't do so well in your classes...so as not to repeat it.

You can also call up med schools and ask them for advice (usually you would schedule a phone appointment) if you think your pre-med advisors are bad.

 

[Pasley]

Case Western Reserve has a one year masters program -
Masters in Bioethics - it is through the school of medicine.
Call Marie Norris - in the bioethics dept.
Sorry I don't have the phone number - look on their web site.
They also have a five year combined MD/MA in bioethics.

 

[Fusion]

Bubba, if you are looking for 1-2 year master's programs where you take some courses with first-year med students, there are several. The most well know are the SMP in Physiology at Georgetown, the M.A. in Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine, the IMS program at Drexel, and the Applied Physiology program at Finch/Rosalind Franklin. If you do a search in the different forums (especially the Post-Bac forum) you will find just about everything you wanted to know about any of these programs.

 

[kc222]

hey bubba....i agree with what bluemagpie is saying. I actually have almost the same stats but opted for the post-bacc program instead. I'm in Cali so i have the luck of choosing a post-bacc program in my state - i'm in the Davis post-bacc right now.

anyhow, i do suggest the conditional post-bacc programs too. So if you do well enough for a year or so they'll offer you a place in their class- Drexel has one. Because it seems like you may have to prove that you can handle the med school courseload since the sci gpa is under 3.0. That may be the biggest concern for adcom. hope this helped.

 

[Sharky]

DO and the caribbean is your only chance.

 

[Uegis]

Drexel IMS program is relatively cheap compared to the others. You can get finanical aid if you qualify through FAFSA. My friend is enrolled int he program there right now.

 

[docX]

3.0 GPA
2.7 sci GPA
24 MCAT

I want to be a doctor and medical school is my main goal, but I think I need to enroll in a M.S. program. Does anyone know of any good programs that will help me get in? Do they have financial aid, stipends, etc? Please help my advisors here suck

Whats up man, unfortunate the first step prior to attaining that medical school interview and be judged for the person you are, is the scores you have earned in the past. It's a numbers game. If medicine is truly your passion, do a Masters program, but do it well. Only this would show you are now serious about your achievements. Keep your head up and good luck.

 

[medanthgirl]

i don't think DO or carribean are your only options. i had similar stats to you for undergrad, 3.1 gpa, 2.7 sci, didn't take the mcat b/c i didn't think med school was an option for me anymore.

since then i've turned things around - did a research project in china, now do breast cancer research in the us, did a master's in public health with a 3.8, and am now retaking some core classes and studying for the mcat. i can't erase what happened earlier, but it's given me a lot of time to pursue other interests, realize that medicine is still my goal for a career, and gave me experiences i never would have had otherwise. if it's your goal, give it a shot, don't wonder what if.

 

[drcrusher]

Bubba, Tulane has a great 1 year Masters program; the director's name is Dr. Ken Munoeka. Give him a call, his number can be found at the departments website.

 

[Disco]

UT Houston also has a masters at the school of public health. A friend of mine did this program before being accepted to medical school. Try going to http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu,
or
www.uth.tmc.edu for a look at all the UT schools in Houston.

 

[pem8erly]

Just to clarify: Drexel's program offers a guaranteed interview in February if you have a B or above average. They do not promise admissions to their med school to students in the post-bacc programs.

 

[benelswick]

Bubba--
My .02$: stay in Texas....they have alot of schools and are partial to state applicants. Learn to speak spanish fluently. spend less time thinking about football and more time studying. take upper level bio courses and ace them. use a photo that doesn't make you look like you're about to lay a mean hit on somebody...just a thought. Maybe use your christian name if applying out of state. Sorry to say it but the name Bubba in combination with you muscular build doesn't cast you in a sensitive, intellegent light. People judge by appearance like or not. Good luck Tex, I'm pullin for you.--Ben.

 

[huseyin]

oh boy

 

[newbie04]

Just to clarify: Drexel's program offers a guaranteed interview in February if you have a B or above average. They do not promise admissions to their med school to students in the post-bacc programs.

^Drexel IMS coursework^ counts toward GRADUATE GPA and not undergrad grades.

Make sure you pick a program that allows you to increase your undergrad GPA as most cut-offs for schools are based on undergrad GPA and MCAT (graduate coursework GPA is a NOT used for initial screens at most schools).

 

[JETER]

Bubba--
My .02$: stay in Texas....they have alot of schools and are partial to state applicants. Learn to speak spanish fluently. spend less time thinking about football and more time studying. take upper level bio courses and ace them. use a photo that doesn't make you look like you're about to lay a mean hit on somebody...just a thought. Maybe use your christian name if applying out of state. Sorry to say it but the name Bubba in combination with you muscular build doesn't cast you in a sensitive, intellegent light. People judge by appearance like or not. Good luck Tex, I'm pullin for you.--Ben.

Thats funny -

Just think of the surprise when adcoms learn that the "muscular" football crazed premed is actually sensitive and intelligent. Just be yourself. Conforming is an unacceptable last resort.

If you do a masters, why not learn something from it? If your idea is to a "special masters" where you take many of the same classes as MS1s&2s, then you will be a little bored later on in med school. Look into going into something a little different. Try a masters in engineering or physics or chemistry or something a similar, but a bit more hardcore than a 1yr 'special' masters. They call it special for a reason. The learning curve from a BS to a MS should be steep (the idea is to learn), and this is not necessarily accomplished with a one year, non-thesis masters degree program. Push yourself, and you will more than pleased what you discover and earn. PLUS, you can earn a decent stipend, rather than going into a preliminary debt. Just a thought.

 

[Ypo.]

Thats funny -

Just think of the surprise when adcoms learn that the "muscular" football crazed premed is actually sensitive and intelligent. Just be yourself. Conforming is an unacceptable last resort.

If you do a masters, why not learn something from it? If your idea is to a "special masters" where you take many of the same classes as MS1s&2s, then you will be a little bored later on in med school. Look into going into something a little different. Try a masters in engineering or physics or chemistry or something a similar, but a bit more hardcore than a 1yr 'special' masters. They call it special for a reason. The learning curve from a BS to a MS should be steep (the idea is to learn), and this is not necessarily accomplished with a one year, non-thesis masters degree program. Push yourself, and you will more than pleased what you discover and earn. PLUS, you can earn a decent stipend, rather than going into a preliminary debt. Just a thought.

I think you'll be too busy to be bored.

 

[Ypo.]

To the OP, if you are against becoming a DO, then you have your work cut out for you.

You will need to do post-bac work, or at least shine in a graduate program. you will also need an outstanding MCAT...ask yourself if you think you can do it.

For me, with an MCAT of 28, I applied to DO and MD schools, and am interviewing at both. I believe in the DO philosophy, and would be proud to be either DO or MD. I would rather spend my time improving the reputation of DOs by becoming a prominent and competent DO myself, than waste time taking a test that doesn't really prepare me for medical school. I know I could score a few points higher if I put another big effort in...and if MD is what you really want, then go for it.

Do yourself a favor, skim "the DOs" by Norman Gevitz, shadow an osteopathic physciian. You will learn that they have equal education and opporunities as MDs. MDs have a slight advantage for obscure specialties, but you can overcome this by scoring well on the USMLE and making the right contacts. Ask yourself if you would rather spend time taking the MCAT again, or spend that time studying medicine in medical school, so you can kick a$$ on your boards.

 

[cooldreams]

i think its funny... jus a few ppl are against becoming a DO... most ppl dont know the difference, and the rest dont think there is a difference... i think at some point in time, DO will be just as competitively scoreing, and possiblly the two may still merge... i also think there is a definitive chance that osteopathy may pick up quite a lot of speed very soon. most DOs go into a primary care area so more ppl get to learn about DOs than otherwise, and since the schools are more in tune to a primary care perspective, and the country is really growing in need of primary care docs in various areas, there may be significant government sponsorship to osteopathy...

this is all my opinion of course, but i do see the future of osteopathy only taking off and doing much better... 👍

 

[cliff]

Take The Mcat Again And Do Better- You Can Then Go To Med School- It Sucks To Study For It- You Need To Have A Better Score Or You Are Wasting Your Time Applying.

Just Plan Appropriately- Start Studying And Take It Until You Get At Least A 27-?

Best Of Luck.

 

[Ypo.]

Yeah, but with his GPA he'll need to score much better than a 27 to get into an MD program. Also, he needs to bring that GPA up or do a graduate program and get a splendid GPA in his grad classes.

Actually a science GPA of 2.7 is pretty borderline for DO schools, too. I'm not sure what the minimum is, but the average science GPA is usually around 3.4.
They are much more flexible than MD schools on grades, and if OP has a lot of ECs, volunteering and stuff, he should be able to pull it off.

 

[OrthoFixation]

I would consider doing a Post Bacc program with guaranteed MS entry for a certain GPA. I know that Emory has one, probably others do also. Osteo schools are more foregiving of lower stats.

 

[group_theory]

Just wanted to let you know that your science gpa of 2.7 is on the borderline on some DO school's minimum science gpa requirements to send a supplemental application. There are a few schools where a 2.7 doesn't meet the minimun science GPA requirements to send a supplemental. Of course there are schools with no minimum science or total GPA requirements to send supplemental. You might want to consider taking courses to raise your science GPA if you are on the borderline of the minimum requirements set by DO schools to send secondaries. Just do your research before you decide on applying. You can find out here at the website of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine http://www.aacom.org/home-applicants/index.html


btw, supplemental = secondary application