Help me please.

[Nandi]

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First of all hello everyone. I have been a lurker on this site for years but now feel compelled to seek advice.

(D.O. isnt a bad option but I am not very informed on it but for now I have a preference for allopathic)
I have not taken my MCAT yet plan on taking it Jan 29 but i still wont sign up for it unless I am making over 30s on the practice tests

I was strongly discouraged by the health pro. advisor from applying to this cycle because 1) I am so late in the app cycle, 2) I have yet to take the MCAT (which i orginally planned on taking next month) and I was also advised to invest in more coursework before applying to med school. I am researching post bacc's such as Wake forest, Medprep, Medpath, Drexel DPMS, and more. I however would appreciate any and all knowledgeable advice as to what would make my next move the best one.

In addition, I was wondering is more eduation a must? Was it a good move to not finish Which post bacc is most appropriate? What are all my options on how to get to Medical school? I will not let go of my goals but I mos def am conflicted and feeling equally discouraged.

 

[njbmd]

You have been given good advice by your pre-med counselor. You are too late and non-competitive for this cycle no matter what your MCAT score. A better course of action would be to enter an SMP (for credential enhancement) and ace that program (no grade less than B+/A-). Depending on your age, you are likely a good candidate for the GEMS program at Georgetown (Google this) but you need to get moving fast.

Armed with a strong performance in an SMP, you could greatly increase your chances of acceptance. In spite of what you read on this website, being an applicant (URM or not) with such a low uGPA is going to kill you. Take the time to make yourself competitive. Good luck!

 

[Nandi]

Thanks for the information. I am so time is an issue for me(as in i'd rather do a one yr SMP).GEMS was another SMP that I was looking into...however I am quite a bit apprehensive about applying to a program that does not have any sort of a linkage program. I am not throwing GEMS away due my lack of knowledge on the prog. but do you or anyone have any additional SMP/post-bacc suggestions? As I do plan on applying to several programs I would like to get a good list going.

 

[redlight]

your adviser gave you good info. improve your academic record and TAKE THE TIME TO REALLY CRUSH THE MCAT. invest the time and money necessary (does not mean you need to take a prep course btw. check out the mcat forum, specifically the 30+ thread at the top of that forum.) to do very well on that exam if you really want medicine. i feel that far too many urms don't take that exam as seriously as most applicants (mostly due to lack of education about how important the scores are and how much time and money needs to be invested in achieving a good score..there are probably more substantial contributing factors but that's what i can think of at the moment).

how are your clinical experiences btw?

 

[Nandi]

your adviser gave you good info. improve your academic record and TAKE THE TIME TO REALLY CRUSH THE MCAT. invest the time and money necessary (does not mean you need to take a prep course btw. check out the mcat forum, specifically the 30+ thread at the top of that forum.) to do very well on that exam if you really want medicine. i feel that far too many urms don't take that exam as seriously as most applicants (mostly due to lack of education about how important the scores are and how much time and money needs to be invested in achieving a good score..there are probably more substantial contributing factors but that's what i can think of at the moment).

how are your clinical experiences btw?

I was shadowing a doc (but have taken time off to kick mcat butt) i will resume sometime next month or oct and hope to rack up 300 hrs or so. I had 6 months education on lab techniques, scientific article writing skills, experimental execution structure and did a 6 months of genetic research on drosophila using chemical and behavioral manipulations.

I am goin to check out that mcat forum right now! thanks for the reminder/info 👍

 

[ucsfstudents]

I agree with everyone's posts above.

Forget about your age right now. The ADCOMs swill pay more attention to your qualifications than your age. Unless you're in your 40's, you should make you age less of a priority. (I know it's hard to believe.)

Take the time to get your application more competitive before applying.Take more upper division classes and do well in them. Do not apply this cycle.

Don't take the MCAT unless you're scoring above 30's on practice exam, and DO NOT take the MCAT if your verbal score is running below 8. I have heard too many horror stories from students who think somehow their score on the actually exam will be miraculously higher than their practice exams. It doesn't happen that way.

Finally, once you decide to apply, and are ready to apply, do everything possible to turn in your application in July, early August.

Good luck.