How late is too late to apply for entrance in fall 2011?

[xunshyn]

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Yikes! I just found this SDN resource! I have not spoken with any admission advisors yet. I don't know who or where I can ask around first. My undergrad premed advisor who may not be useful to non-trads like us? I was very discouraged back then due to their emphasis on trying other things outside of medicine due to my very poor GPA.

As it has been 9 years since undergrad graduation, I now have great experience supervising an advanced esoteric molecular genetics lab and 22+ accepted abstracts as posters or oral presentations at professional meetings. I've gained so much exposure to patients, nurses and docs due to the clinical nature of the tests we run and I love it!

I quit my high paying full-time job to study for the MCAT a few months ago and have just taken it on Aug 4th. If I did decent on the MCAT and if I pull the rest of the application together by Sept 1st, will I make it in time? Do I have a chance? Should I aim to submit it the next round?

Also, I'm afraid that they will make me take post-bacc courses to prove my academic abilities. How do I know for sure if I need to take more courses? I was a Bio major in undergrad and didn't intend to go to med school then. I thought I would just do research or be a med tech and be happy with it, so I just squeaked by.

This is a great thread! Thank you all for your advice!

 

[GoodmanBrown]

You're cutting it pretty close. The key here is when you submit your application, turn your secondaries around really, really fast. Like within a day or two.

Additionally, with your pre-med course work being from over 10 years ago, some (many? most??) schools won't count it and you'd have to retake the courses. Before you apply, call up the schools your interested in and see what they say.

You're in a tough spot, and you may want to postpone for 1 year to give yourself a better chance at the schools you're really interested in.

 

[mspeedwagon]

I see a potential HUGE problem. What is your undergraduate GPA and what state are you a resident in? If your GPA isn't a 3.x you probably are going to need to do post-bac work before you apply (even with a 45 on the MCAT) to get an M.D. acceptance. There is a chart that shows how many people got in with corresponding GPAs and MCATs and you should take a look at it.

If your GPA is low, I would take more classes and plan to apply next year. If you apply now, you are already late.

Also, I'm afraid that they will make me take post-bacc courses to prove my academic abilities. How do I know for sure if I need to take more courses? I was a Bio major in undergrad and didn't intend to go to med school then. I thought I would just do research or be a med tech and be happy with it, so I just squeaked by.

This is a great thread! Thank you all for your advice!

 

[xunshyn]

Good idea! I will call them up tomorrow. I had a feeling I need to be looking at post-bacc courses now.

Funny, I was just talking with a family doc today and he told me not to read these forums. That it'll just cause anxiety, but I do find it helpful and makes me feel relieved. Med school wasn't as competitive back then as it is now b/c MCATs weren't even required! They said to just have experience and be personable. *sigh* They don't understand.

 

[Catalystik]

Here is the data that mspeedwagon referred to: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpagridall2007-09.pdf

Prerequisite coursework doesn't expire at every med school if it's been awhile, but many med schools will want to see some recent academics that prove you have what it takes to pull off great grades in upper-level science. If you "just squeaked by" in undergrad, a postbac is definitely in your future.

These forums may indeed be anxiety provoking, but at least you won't run into any surprises at the last moment if you read them widely, like "What do you mean it's an unwritten requirement that I need some community service on my application?"

 

[xunshyn]

"We do not give application advice to current or prospective applicants. The decision to apply is entirely your own. Please let us know if you have any further general questions. Thank you."


So, who are Adcoms and where do I find them? I just wanted to know if I am ready or if should take some post-bacc courses.

 

[glamqueen]

"We do not give application advice to current or prospective applicants. The decision to apply is entirely your own. Please let us know if you have any further general questions. Thank you."


So, who are Adcoms and where do I find them? I just wanted to know if I am ready or if should take some post-bacc courses.

I suggest getting a copy of the latest MSAR book to see where you stand for the schools you want to go to. If your GPA is lower than what they accept on average, and if you don't have a good MCAT score - take more undergrad classes to boost your BCPM, then retake the MCAT and then apply.

You don't need an admissions committee member to tell you when you are ready to apply. This is not how this process works. No one will ever do that for you.

Look at where you want to apply, see if you fit in their normal range of accepteds, retake the MCAT if you need to rocking it out of the park, and do more volunteer/shadowing work if you need to and/or research depending on the schools you want to go to - then apply when you feel ready.

This has to be a decision you make on your own, and if you can't make this decision - I think you really are saying to yourself that you aren't emotionally ready to handle the maturity and self-responsibility of being a medical student and all that implies.

I hope this helps...best of luck!

 

[xunshyn]

Oh I'm emotionally ready for sure. That's not what I meant. Thanks. Was questioning if the doors would be completely shut on me just based on a GPA 9 years ago. Wasn't sure if it would be a waste of hundreds of $ on applications now, when they will reject me just based on the GPA alone right off the bat.

I have extensive clinical and research experience, but wondered if I didn't even make their initial cut. Sounds like from the past few posts that I should take some post bacc courses and apply the next cycle instead.

 

[glamqueen]

Oh I'm emotionally ready for sure. That's not what I meant. Thanks. Was questioning if the doors would be completely shut on me just based on a GPA 9 years ago. Wasn't sure if it would be a waste of hundreds of $ on applications now, when they will reject me just based on the GPA alone right off the bat.

I have extensive clinical and research experience, but wondered if I didn't even make their initial cut. Sounds like from the past few posts that I should take some post bacc courses and apply the next cycle instead.

Yes - every single class you have ever taken for college credit will be listed and counted on your application. I don't know what your GPA is, but if it is not in the acceptable range for the schools that you want to apply (average for their accepted) - I would take more classes if I were you. College credits from 10 years earlier for me were listed alongside everything I ever took when I applied. It is what it is, so take more classes if you need to boost your GPA. Many people spend 2-3 years taking more classes to do GPA repair. That is pretty normal for non-traditional students, so don't feel bad about having to do that.

I think the average accepted GPA is around a 3.65 or so and the MCAT score for average accepted is either a 30 or a 31 (I think it is going up). Hope that helps you figure out what you need to do. Good luck!

 

[mspeedwagon]

What's your GPA? If it's anywhere under 2.79 then the doors are completely shut even with a 45 on the MCAT (see chart that catalystik posted above). I would hold-off, take post-bac classes and apply early as possible next year to avoid wasting your money. The extensive experience won't matter without a good GPA/MCAT (I have a link in my signature that shows that I have more than 5 years of clinical research experience and was told by an admissions director that without an MCAT score in the 30s I was not a strong candidate for an M.D. program because of my "low" GPA (3.5 cGPA / 3.4 science).

Oh I'm emotionally ready for sure. That's not what I meant. Thanks. Was questioning if the doors would be completely shut on me just based on a GPA 9 years ago. Wasn't sure if it would be a waste of hundreds of $ on applications now, when they will reject me just based on the GPA alone right off the bat.

I have extensive clinical and research experience, but wondered if I didn't even make their initial cut. Sounds like from the past few posts that I should take some post bacc courses and apply the next cycle instead.