help....

[Katusha]

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Hey guys, I am a pre med student last year of college i messed up my gpa a bit by geting a C in orgo 2 and also messed up in bio but i am taking cell bio to kind of overweight the gen bio grade.

i am planning on taking the mcat at the end of august/ beggining of sept .... means i will get the scores by october. first question am i still on time with the application if i apply in october?

you guys already went through it so i wanted to ask you other than asking undergrads like me who tell thing on the "i heard" or "someone told me" basis.

my gpa right now is a 3.5 hoping to raise it a bit with the advanced bio course and some other classes... hoping for a high mcat... (is a month enough to prepare?)

anyone had a not so great gpa and still got into a US med school?

thank you!! i know its a bit all over the place but its been bugging me for a long time now...😱
🙂

 

[adeline]

you are very unlikely to get in for 2010 if you are applying in october of 2009.

 

[UnfeatyOblation]

Yeah, that's pretty late in the game. You might have a small shot, but I don't think it'd be worth it.

 

[Katusha]

so what is the latest i can apply to be able to get in for fall of '10 ?

 

[adeline]

june of 09
maybe july 23

 

[Katusha]

can i maybe send in the application now and then just send my mcat score later on?
one medicalschool says that the mcats should be taken no later than september 12, so maybe i can send it separately

overall did anyone have a similar situation to mine? academically and timewise?

 

[red10]

You can apply still this year but know that you are going to be late in the game and although doable, you'll be in line behind everyone else. You'll need to do well on the MCAT to make up for applying late and having a lower GPA.
If you do decide to apply this year submit your AMCAS ASAP. The scores can be added later. Also, start working on secondary essays now so that when you get secondaries you can send them back the same day.

Also, I'd advise you to talk to your pre-med advisor at your school because a lot of people on here are going to make you feel hopeless because most people on here are already done with applications and are just waiting to hear about interviews. If you're early in the real world you're on time here. If you're on time in the real world its late on SDN. and if you're late in the real world (like you will be), everyone on here will make it seem alot worse than it is (although its still not great)

 

[Katusha]

thank you, and you are sooo right about people here telling me its hopeless, you are actually the first person that did not tell me that i am completely f****d..... 🙂

i will fill out the applications like this weekend or so, and then email my pe med advisor (its a bit weird though because the was collecting all the information for a commitie letter about not that long ago... or is that for secondaries?)

again thank you for giving me at least some hope

 

[Schemp]

I don't mean to be discouraging, but I would strongly recommend waiting.

I'm taking my MCAT on August 5th and that is very late as it is. If you were already mostly prepared for the MCAT I wouldn't have such strong reservations, but one month is almost definitely not enough to prepare. I kind of underestimated it, and a week away after studying for a few months (not particularly hard for the earlier part) I still don't feel all that well-prepared. It's not a joke, and not something you can do well on just because you've taken all of the bio, chem, and physics classes.

Maybe try taking the free practice MCAT at e-mcat.com, and see how you do? I don't want to completely shut you down and say it's impossible, but it is very very unlikely that you'll get a score high enough to offset the lateness of your submission and your mediocre GPA, especially with so little time to prepare.

Is there some reason you absolutely have to apply this year? Maybe a year off would be valuable. I may end up not applying this year, depending on my MCAT score. I just don't want to see you a) spend all the money applying and b) get a worse score on the MCAT than you're capable of and end up taking it again for next year's application cycle anyway.

 

[Forsberg]

The bottom line is that the application process is expensive and not worth the risk without even knowing what kind of MCAT score you are capable of. If you have not yet taken the MCAT, you really should not waste your first attempt because you felt the need to rush your studying. People study for that beast for over 4 months (I did) and still many people struggle with low scores. My honest opinion is that you take one year off, maybe apply to a post-bacc program to get your GPA higher and give you way more time to study for the MCAT. Then next application cycle you will be ready to go at the beginning, in which you'll be at an advantage, instead of a disadvantage like you are now.

 

[TopSecret]

Hey guys, I am a pre med student last year of college i messed up my gpa a bit by geting a C in orgo 2 and also messed up in bio but i am taking cell bio to kind of overweight the gen bio grade.

i am planning on taking the mcat at the end of august/ beggining of sept .... means i will get the scores by october. first question am i still on time with the application if i apply in october?

you guys already went through it so i wanted to ask you other than asking undergrads like me who tell thing on the "i heard" or "someone told me" basis.

my gpa right now is a 3.5 hoping to raise it a bit with the advanced bio course and some other classes... hoping for a high mcat... (is a month enough to prepare?)

anyone had a not so great gpa and still got into a US med school?

thank you!! i know its a bit all over the place but its been bugging me for a long time now...😱
🙂

You haven't started studying for the MCAT? Take a practice test now and see how you do. If it's 30+ then apply. If not, wait till next year.

 

[Poliscidoc]

I would wait, I would study for the MCAT, get in a few more EC's and then apply for 2011 Admission.. I know it seems like a long wait but I would rather get into a Top/Mid tier medical school then rush it and get into a lower medical school.. With a High MCAT and a 3.5 or higher and some good interview skills a Top medical school isn't such of a long shot is compared to your current state....

Hope this help

 

[Katusha]

What if i was faced with a decision of going to an away school or waiting a year, what would you recommend?

 

[TopSecret]

What if i was faced with a decision of going to an away school or waiting a year, what would you recommend?

A volunteer position in Central America or New Zealand and really close to the beach. You could also do research.

 

[Poliscidoc]

What if i was faced with a decision of going to an away school or waiting a year, what would you recommend?

An "away" school as in meaning studying abroad? If this is your question it can be a great experience where you can also study for the MCAT and also take advanced classes. Also if you volunteer abroad it would show that you have different perspectives of health care on a world view....


But if thats not your what you mean, please make it more clear.. Sorry

 

[Katusha]

A volunteer position in Central America or New Zealand and really close to the beach. You could also do research.

lol does that mean no away school?

 

[Katusha]

An "away" school as in meaning studying abroad? If this is your question it can be a great experience where you can also study for the MCAT and also take advanced classes. Also if you volunteer abroad it would show that you have different perspectives of health care on a world view....


But if thats not your what you mean, please make it more clear.. Sorry

by away school i mean island medical schools... because i can deffinately make it into one of those for the fall '10 admission and that way i dont loose a year. but i am wondering if thats a good idea

 

[Poliscidoc]

by away school i mean island medical schools... because i can deffinately make it into one of those for the fall '10 admission and that way i dont loose a year. but i am wondering if thats a good idea

Well are you looking to just "go to medical school" or do you want to try and get into a Good medical school in the U.S. and if funds are tight you could go in state to a public school.. I mean its up to you but I would prefer a good medical school than just getting what I can get. This will end up being your career, I would argue that a mainland medical school would open up more doors for residency and so on

 

[adeline]

order of preference for getting any residency but especially a good one:
1. us allo
2. canadian/uk/irish/aus allo
2. do
2. "real" foreign schools (1st world asia, france, italy, germany, etc)
12. carib

 

[TopSecret]

lol does that mean no away school?

It's an option. A very expensive option.

You could do something just as impressive for a fraction of the cost for that year. Just something to consider. If an application were to come across my desk and the applicant wrote about her adventures in Central America and how she helped the local communities with basic infrastructure needs and took on a leadership role in launching public health initiatives, I would be extremely impressed.

 

[TopSecret]

by away school i mean island medical schools... because i can deffinately make it into one of those for the fall '10 admission and that way i dont loose a year. but i am wondering if thats a good idea

Island medical schools are kind of iffy. It's tough to get a good residency if you graduate from those schools.

You could try the medical school in Ireland. I know someone who did that and became an ER resident in LA somewhere.

 

[FuturaDocta]

by away school i mean island medical schools... because i can deffinately make it into one of those for the fall '10 admission and that way i dont loose a year. but i am wondering if thats a good idea

I'm not going to knock the "away" schools, but I think you will find it hard to make a stellar(or passing) grade on your step one if you go over there. If you look at some of the statistics of students that go over to the "away" schools, only the a few students make it to great residencies (rarely). Plus, you may find that a lot of students transfer after just two years because they don't want to do their clinical rotations there. Why is that? Maybe for some good reason.

If I were you, since your GPA is pretty much average for an MD applicant as far as GPA goes, I would just apply to a few of the schools you seriously interested/competitive in with your future MCAT score as well as make plans for the year off. If you end up not making it into the 2010 cycle, then you will still have a backup plan to build up experience (study abroad, research, or pick something from your bucket list-skydiving).

As a side note: an "away" school can also be an English program European school if you are interested in traveling as well. You shouldn't go for an island since there is not much to do on there and you may find it getting smaller everyday you are there.

 

[Googleman]

Are you considering DO schools, though?

I'm in a similar boat with you and thinking about posting a new thread to get people's input and help with the decision.

 

[Katusha]

Are you considering DO schools, though?

I'm in a similar boat with you and thinking about posting a new thread to get people's input and help with the decision.

yea that would be good when u start the thred post a link to it plz so i can look at what people are saying.. this situation is very frustrating since medical schools and the whole doctor process is long as it is i dont really want to loose a year. 🙂

but i was not really looking at DO school, my pre-med advisor is not that great so i feel like i am in the dark about all this stuff. what is the real difference between DO and MD?

oh and i was thinking of still taking my MCAT's at the end of august/ begining of sept seing what my score is in october and then based on that send out my applications.. does that sound like a good plan??
because then if anything i can apply to island schools in sprng (thats worse case senario, i am still hoping for a us school)

 

[Katusha]

Futuradocta ------ok that sounds good, so if i take my mcats lets say beginning of september and get my score in october and then after that send out applications if i like my score? does that sound like a good plan?

 

[Poliscidoc]

[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Osteopathic [COLOR=blue ! important]medicine[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
is practiced by D.O.s in the United States. Osteopathic medicine was developed in 1874 by Dr. A.T. Still who stated "Any variation from health has a cause, and the cause has a location. It is the business of the osteopathic physician to locate and remove it, doing away with the disease and getting [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]healthy[/COLOR][/COLOR] instead." He believed that many medications (at that time) were useless and even harmful. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key component for good health.

• Both D.O.s and M.D.s typically have a four year undergraduate degree prior to medical training.
• Both D.O.s and M.D.s have spent four-years in medical education. Both take the MCAT and are subject to a rigorous application process. Historically, D.O. schools are more open to the non-traditional candidate.
• D.O.s, like M.D.s, choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine and complete a residency program ranging from 3-7 years. Some D.O.s complete the same residency programs as their M.D. counterparts.
• M.D. students take the USMLE exam and D.O. students take the COMLEX exam . Both must pass a state licensing examination to practice medicine.
• D.O.s perform surgery, deliver children, treat patients, prescribe [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]medications[/COLOR][/COLOR] and work in the same settings as M.D.s. D.O.s use the same tools, treatments and technologies of medicine as M.D.s.
• D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system, which make up the muscles and bones of a person.

The main difference between the two types of [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]physicians[/COLOR][/COLOR] is that D.O.s have been specially trained to perform osteopthic manipulations on patients. They view the patient as a 'total person" and focus on preventative care. They view the whole body rather than treat specific symptoms or illness. D.O.s use Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) in their practice. This involves the use of their hands to diagnose injury and illness and to encourage [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]your [COLOR=blue ! important]body's[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] natural ability to heal. Osteopathic medicine is a fast-growing segment of the United States healthcare field. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) states that:
"Because of this whole-person approach to medicine, approximately 60 percent of all D.O.s choose to practice in the primary care disciplines of family practice, general internal medicine and pediatrics. Approximately 40 percent of all D.O.s go on to specialize in a wide range of practice areas. If the medical specialty exists, you will find D.O.s there.
While America’s 47,000 D.O.s account for only 5 percent of the country’s physicians, they handle approximately 10 percent of all primary care visits. D.O.s also have a strong history of serving rural and underserved areas, often providing their unique brand of compassionate, patient-centered care to some of the most economically disadvantaged members of society."




http://www.mommd.com/whatisdo.shtml

 

[Katusha]

so there is virtually no difference..... but is it easier to get into a DO school?

also are DO's looked down upon as "failed MD's" sry for a weird question but its just weird that everything seems the same but yet mostly ppl apply for MD's

 

[Poliscidoc]

so there is virtually no difference..... but is it easier to get into a DO school?

also are DO's looked down upon as "failed MD's" sry for a weird question but its just weird that everything seems the same but yet mostly ppl apply for MD's

While America’s 47,000 D.O.s account for only 5 percent of the country’s physicians. I believe this says it all!

 

[Googleman]

so there is virtually no difference..... but is it easier to get into a DO school?

also are DO's looked down upon as "failed MD's" sry for a weird question but its just weird that everything seems the same but yet mostly ppl apply for MD's

There is really not much of a stigma associated with being DO among the laymen. Most people don't know what a DO really is - but they don't take the time to check and assume that if you work in a hospital you are a legitimate doctor.

The stigma comes from among your peers. When I was shadowing a dermatologist, the doctor would look down upon all of his DO and make snide comments about them. He was a prick. But what can you do? You'll always come across haters in your life. Can I get a ... what what?

 

[Katusha]

what about floria medical schools, are they considered a lower standard or something? i just took a look at their req and they hav a much lower ones..

 

[adeline]

Florida?

I think they are mostly staties.

 

[Katusha]

Florida?

I think they are mostly staties.

well even if so all the New York state schools require higher stats than the FL ones...
im just brainstorming schools and came across them, i mean its nice to see that not all have sky high reqs.

 

[adeline]

~ny~ is a mecca for medicine.

florida, not so much.

 

[Katusha]

but they are still good though right?

i mean they are still US medical schools, i know new york medical schools are great but they are also over populated and extremely hard to get into

 

[adeline]

yup, florida is good.

 

[Omni]

Honestly, I wouldn't rush it. You're in a bit of a fragile state right now. Your GPA is below national average, you're applying late, etc. You should concentrate all your efforts on doing well on your MCAT and apply in the 2010 cycle when you're all solid.

 

[Katusha]

well my plan right now is to concentrate on my mcat take in sept 10th see my score in october and then send out applications if i like my score =)... i checked the deadlines for the schools that i want to get into.

if not then its not meant to happen this yr and then ill be faced with a decision of either going to the islands or waiting a yr. =)

im still hopefull thugh