I must have been totally insane about applying to med school

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

Psycho Doctor

*** Angel
10+ Year Member
5+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2004
Messages
8,508
Reaction score
7
Members do not see this ad.
**ugh I just wrote a long thread and then did this site go down? anyway i lost it so here is an abridged version of it:

I feel totally helpless and hopeless now. I am new to this board and actually quite new to pre-med. The problem is I am going into my senior year. i am a pre-med major but i just switched from engineering this year.

It seems that the more io read here the more obvious it is that i am lost....i know nothing and am douing everything far far too late.

I just read jalby's excellent post and it scared the crap out of me:

"First off, the MCAT. Take the April one. No ifs, ands, butts about it. The reasoning why will be explained later with regards to timing of your application. Or even better, if possible take the August MCAT the year before you are going to apply. But above all else, DO NOT TAKE THE AUGUST MCAT THE YEAR YOU ARE APPLYING. (The only exception to this rule would be the very best candidates. If you have a 3.8-3.9 from a top 25 school and can score above a 34 on the MCAT, the august MCAT won?t hurt you)"


I go to a top school, but my GPA is just borderline 3.8 and I haven't taken the MCAT yet.

"The day you finish the MCAT, you should start working on your personal statement. Finish it a LONG time before you need to turn in the app. Get it proofread about three or four times from people who are knowledgeable about what medical schools want."

"Next, start working on the online app the second the online application is (NOW!!!). At least put in all of your classes and activities. At this time, not many applicants have started entering the data, so the app shouldn't be slow. Also mail off your transcripts to AMCAS in early may and call to be sure that they have them. "

I've done none of this. Yea i know, i know..i entered this way too late and i'm really paying for this now.

Should I just wait and apply next year? 😕

Is there a reason I should or shouldn't take the MCAT now if i was to retake in April and apply next year? What are the positives and negatives of that approach?

When i reads about research some of you have done, i feel like i can't even compete..i'm just the average kid who finally had a dream and now find it's crushed already...

Ok so what should I do? I desperately need help. After a morning on this board in between my orgo summer course and MCAT studying, i am anxious and panic-striken. :scared:
 
There are plenty of people who have gotten in with an August MCAT and less than a 3.8 GPA. Do a search on Aug vs. April MCAT and you will see what I am talking about. I think you will be fine; don't let this board freak you out too much!
 
Wow calm down. Seriously. Whoever told you that you can't take the August MCAT of the year you are applying is full of it. Seriously full of it and they don't know what they're talking about. You can DEFINITELY have a decent shot at getting accepted if you take the August MCAT, and you don't need a 34 like he/she said. Look, I only had a 3.5-3.6gpa and I took the August MCAT (my 2nd try actually) and got a 29. And I'm going to med school next year. So relax! I won't deny that applying in April gives you a better shot at getting in, but the August sitting won't kill your chances by any means either. Remember to take everything people post on SDN with a grain of salt, and I guess my advice is included within that. There are several threads pertaining to August MCATs, just search for them.
 
Take a deep breath.

A 3.8 is above average, and at a top school all the better.

Lots - dare I say most - of the applicants haven't done research at all...if you've done some you're at least with the curve.

Do well on your MCATs. Jalby's advice is, in my opinion, accurate and ideal, but is not the ONLY route into medical school. SDN, as well as other applicants not on this site, is filled with pilots, lawyers, engineers, nurses, etc. that make for an outstanding mix. Do your best, apply, and let the schools decide how you rate.

Good luck

dc
 
3.8 is not borderline, however, if I was in your position I would apply next year. IF you take the August MCAT your application will be held until they have received the score...probably the middle of October (way too late). Instead, spend the year off doing something productive, such as volunteering, EMT work, or lab research. When you apply you will be up against pre-meds that have done this type of work. 😀
 
Well, it depends on some things. First, of course since you have not taken the MCAT, you have no idea how those scores will factor into the application. Also, having no research experience is not a big deal if you have been involved in other activities especially health care related (shadowing, volunteering etc). My suggestion is to take a year and nail those MCAT's and bolster the application. A true dream is not crushed in an instant. You have plenty of time and you should do it right. Do not rush!!! I know that this is difficult, but worth it. With a GPA of 3.8, you should be very competitive if you take the time to put everything in place.
 
I'm one of those without any research experience. You'll find that adcoms value certain parts of your app more - USF didn't care about research very much from what I could tell and I'm heading there in August.
 
First thing to do is breathe. If you have a 3.8 from a top school, chances are you are pretty smart and hoepfully you'll do well on the MCAT. What have you been getting on practice tests? If you take the August MCAT and get above a 30, you should be a pretty strong applicant I would say.

What are your EC's like?

Most importantly, don't let other people freak you out in this whole process. Pre-meds, by and large, are overly neurotic. They give you horror stories of this person and that person who didn't get in with a 40 MCAT and a 4.0 GPA because they applied one day after the AMCAS came online, etc...

Just get your AMCAS in right now, make sure it's verified and send in your transcript. Prepare well for the MCAT and hope for the best. You have a good shot (depending on the score and the EC's).
 
That thread was written 3 years ago for people who were applying. It is how you should apply if you want the best shot. I do believe that taking the august MCAT instead of the April MCAT does hurt you and will knock you down a school or 3. But it doesn't mean you won't get into a school.

The third paragraph that you quoted probably isn't relevant anymore. The first two years when they were doing the online aplication the computers were sooooooo slow that in June it would take you 30 hours to input your information because everybody was on.
 
The only real downside to applying this year is you may not get in. Some of the top-tier schools will ask you not to apply a subsequent year if they do not offer you admission on your first try, so that might be something to consider. Aside from that, you don't really have any need to take a year off (at least I don't think so). You don't have an abominable GPA (it's really good actually) and I inferred from your post that you have SOME (although not the greatest) research experience (and hopefully some clinical). I think really the only gamble you're taking is your late MCAT score -- however, if you do take the MCAT in August, your score will be available to medical schools regardless of if you apply now or next year. If you're considering completely blowing off the August MCAT because you don't feel prepared for it, that's one thing (you might want to wait another year). However, if you are taking the MCAT now, why not take a shot and apply to med schools too? Except for the really top-tier schools, you can always apply next year if you don't get in. Good luck with it all.

By the way, what have you been scoring on your practice MCATs?
 
Your thread/post was excellent, it just scared the **** out of me. the whole board was starting to freak me out in general and maybe your post just clinched it for me.
 
Okay, first off, I'm still in premed and nowhere near ready to take the MCAT, so I can't speak to the specifics. However, I CAN tell you that this is an ENDURANCE race, not a sprint. Don't be in such a rush, or so set on a specific schedule. I can only aspire to as great a GPA as yours. And I have every intention and every expectation to be able to get into med school. If you are really concerned about your chances of being accepted, then contact the schools you plan on applying to and find out what you need to do to be competitive there. I don't know how old you are, but I get the impression from your post that you are young. Even if you wait a year before taking the MCAT and applying, you'll still be young. Heavens, I'm 48 and just starting premed.

Now, relax. Take everything one step at a time. Don't quit the race before you're even out of the starting blocks. The surest way to lose is to never enter the race in the first place.
 
I would say go ahead and apply, but only to top schools. I think with a 3.77 from a top school and a good MCAT, you will be able to get into one of them. Don't apply to a ton of schools because most likely you will get in someplace while you think you should have gotten in at a different place. Then if you don't get in, follow my post and you will get into a gret school the next year without having wasted to much $$$$.
 
Psycho Doctor said:
Your thread/post was excellent, it just scared the **** out of me. the whole board was starting to freak me out in general and maybe your post just clinched it for me.
Click to expand...

well you name IS psycho doctor.
 
Don't let this board freak you out. Most of the vocal SDNers were toilet trained at gunpoint.

I didn't have a personal statement written until August (the advantage to applying super-duper early is that you know earlier whether you're in or not, and it improves your chances for rolling admit schools), and did fine. The August MCAT thing is a bit more tricky -- it really does delay your application quite a bit; however, if you take it in August and do quite well, you can always save the score for next year, or use it to apply this year. Just don't take it and do badly, you know?

A 3.8 is great.

Anka
 
Sadly and regretfully i hate to admit that i've only taken one practice test just to ascertain my strengths and weaknesses. V-9 PS-8 BS-7 The scores also made me realize how unprepared i am for it. I'm just taking orgo now and had just started it when i took this test, and I also just switched to a bio major this past year but have really crammed in the courses. I'm hoping with study to bring up the scores significantly but i really don't know if i have enough time to significantly improve them.

As far as ECs are concerned:

*i've worked in medical physics in an oncology dept for two summers
* volunteer work at a crisis center and on a hot-line for 3 years
*volunteer work in radiology and radiation dept starting this month
*volunteered at American Red Cross
*volunteered at a hospice for AIDS patients (2 years, ending just before college..is that too long ago to count?)
*Habitat for Humanity
*Prison Fellowship
*volunteered at homeless shelter and soup kitchen
*tutor at college
*teach Bible study to kids and another one to teens
*some other random, probably unimportant stuff
 
Anka said:
I didn't have a personal statement written until August (the advantage to applying super-duper early is that you know earlier whether you're in or not, and it improves your chances for rolling admit schools)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, about 90% of the schools are rolling. So August is still a tad late.
 
hahaha yea so true. i thought it was appropriate if i was to be a psychiatrist but it also emulates my frustration level :scared:

hey stupid question but i keep seeing the word and now i see it in your comment s ..what is a "gunner"?
 
I'm just totally screwed. 🙁

And i know it's no excuse since i'm a procrastinator at heart, but the best explanation i can come up with (in addition to my late switch of majors and career path) is that I was in a really serious accident in April and was laid up for a month; missed almost half a semester of school and then crammed to make it all up in two weeks, including finals...so when i have to do it, i generally can...but somehow this seems way over my head now and way too important. :scared:
 
Awesome, thanks! 🙂 Congrats!

But the thing is it's not just the MCAT, i haven't even started apps or my PS. I'm screwed. :scared:
 
Psycho Doctor said:
Sadly and regretfully i hate to admit that i've only taken one practice test just to ascertain my strengths and weaknesses. V-9 PS-8 BS-7 The scores also made me realize how unprepared i am for it. I'm just taking orgo now and had just started it when i took this test, and I also just switched to a bio major this past year but have really crammed in the courses. I'm hoping with study to bring up the scores significantly but i really don't know if i have enough time to significantly improve them.
Click to expand...

Ha ha...if you don't know what a gunner is, then you really have got a lot to learn! (Just kidding.)

You're just taking orgo now? Oy. It sounds like you're trying to go through this application process way too fast, on top of trying to complete all your premed requisites. If, by August, you feel ready to take the MCAT, and you've had time to take a few practice tests, go ahead and take it. But if you apply this year you might be too rushed to give your applications the time and consideration that they need. Another issue to think about is if you apply this year, will you have be able to get the letters of recommendation that you need? Do you know your bio professors well enough to ask for a LOR?

If you're already feeling rushed, anxious and panic-stricken, then it might be a sign that you need to slow things down. If you need to take a year off, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. The average age for most incoming classes is 23 or 24 - a lot of people take a year or two off. Don't stress yourself too much - your GPA seems VERY good, and I think you'll be fine.
 
There is nothing wrong with taking a year off. You'll have time to study for the MCAT to get a kick a$$ score (sounds like you need some help in bio anyway) and work on other parts of your application too like your PS, other ECs etc. If you think you are stressed now I'm pretty certain you don't want to go through this horrid horrid process a second time so make sure you do it right the first time. If that means waiting a year so be it. Some schools really look for older students who have taken time off and been in the real world so you could just gain one more advantage by waiting. 🙂 Oh and relax its going to be ok :luck:
 
So you're still not going to tell me what a gunner is? :meanie:

And yea i'm just taking orgo now b/c I switched majors too late. Then my school only offers the first session of orgo in the fall and the second session in the spring. I couldn't wait until next fall to take it so i opted for the summer session.

I don't think i'll have a problem getting LOR from bio profs. They know me quite well and I did well in the bio classes, believe it not, despite my pathetic practice test score. I'm at school now so i can just walk over there and ask for the letters.

I do feel totally rushed and panic-stricken, :scared: but somehow that seems to be my way of life and i somehow manage to get thru it. In my 3 yrs of college, two of the semesters i ended up having to take off for half the semester and just before finals I went nuts trying to catch up in a couple short weeks...but i did get it done and still did fine. (well actually the first time that happened was the killer to my GPA)

My question is, if I take a practice test once a week and then one every day (yikes i have an orgo final that week in addition to all my other work 😱 ) in the last week...will i be able to do ok? But then I guess i need to be doing my apps during that time too.

If I get like a 26 on the MCAT in August and retake it in April and get close to a 36 (yea right) will that really hurt me to take it now? :idea:

How did i get myself into this mess?
 
i don't see why taking a year off is like the end of the world to a lot of people. i took a year off to relax and do some neuro research and pursue a random activity i was interested in, took the august MCAT and still got into a great school. In my opinion, when you're rushed, stuff just doesn't go the way you're planned and with the med school application process...it's better to take your time and be thorough instead of trying to cram in everything within a few months. Seriously, when you look back...will 1 year make that much of a difference?

Also, your GPA is great. I don't know why you're worried. Adcoms are more interested in you as a whole person and your EC's are fine too. Those are the things you did because YOU were interested in them....not because you wanted to impress someone on the medical school admissions board. From what I've learned through the whole application process....there is no exact formula to get into a school therefore the best thing you can do is prepare yourself mentally for the long ride ahead of you....if you feel that you must apply this year.....taking the august mcat is perfectly fine! i hope this helps!
 
Psycho Doctor said:
So you're still not going to tell me what a gunner is? :meanie:
Click to expand...

it's a good sign that you don't know. I only learned the term when I started to read SDN. my advice -- don't read any more SDN for awhile. You got scared, which is a good thing, but too much SDN will convince you that you'll never get in. You'll spend time reading "Yale vs Harvard?" threads instead of kicking ass on the MCAT.

Taking the MCAT while taking organic chemistry worked out great for me; the MCAT questions on that topic just seemed like easy versions of what I had in class a few weeks before. Take a practice test every other Saturday, and you'll eventually get it. One reason schools focus on the MCAT is that it measures your standardized test-taking skills, since you'll be taking standardized tests throughout your medical career.

plenty of people have gotten into medical school with less than half of your ECs and two thirds of your GPA. Just make sure you hit all the application deadlines and you'll be fine. If you want to take a year off, go and do that instead; the application process will wait for you.

p.s. don't read any more SDN.
 
Psycho Doctor -

1: Just because someone got into med school doesn't mean that they are suddenly the authority on the process and that their word is law. There are many different stories of how people applied. Thousands of people get in. They don't all apply the second they're out of the uterus.

2: Acting as hopeless and helpless as you are isn't going to help you reach your goal. Comparing yourself to all the people here isn't helpful for anyone. The people who go on and on about their credentials here might be really insecure, and who knows how that might derail them when faced against you as a med school applicant one day.

3: That being said - just apply already and stop worrying. Then go treat yourself Brickhouse style by getting completely plastered, hooking up with a friend you are physcially repelled by when sober and going to a strip club. 👍
 
pjm said:
but too much SDN will convince you that you'll never get in.
Click to expand...


This is soooo true...
 
Psycho Doctor said:
Sadly and regretfully i hate to admit that i've only taken one practice test just to ascertain my strengths and weaknesses. V-9 PS-8 BS-7
Click to expand...
is that your first diag? whose test is it, AAMC, TPR, Kaplan? In any case, thats not a bad start at all man. A 9 in verbal on the first try is great imho, thats the hardest subject to go up in. I started off in the ~24 range, but after a few months of studying i pulled a 35 on the real deal. You're just getting started, just put in the time, study your material, take practice tests until your hair falls out, and you should be allright. Its a marathon, not a sprint 👍
 
pjm said:
it's a good sign that you don't know. I only learned the term when I started to read SDN. my advice -- don't read any more SDN for awhile. You got scared, which is a good thing, but too much SDN will convince you that you'll never get in. You'll spend time reading "Yale vs Harvard?" threads instead of kicking ass on the MCAT.

p.s. don't read any more SDN.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm super glad I didn't find this site until after the MCAT 🙂
 
When and why did you switch majors?

I was like you - engineering major, became premed as a senior. What I did was I finished my engineering degree and got a job, taking orgo after graduation. I've been out of school a year now and just submitted AMCAS. For me, this way worked out great because I have cash, a fallback career, and no stress from rushing through at breakneck speed. On the other hand, working full-time and volunteering means I can't realistically get any research experience, but I'm choosing to believe that'll be OK despite the SDNers who practically have Nobel prizes 🙂

Anyway, like the others said, you'll be fine and shouldn't freak out. If you have to take a year off, it's far from the end of the world.
 
As if you didn't have enough people's opinions, I may as well throw in my 2 cents. I think it may be advantageous to take some time off and level your mind a little. If you are as rushed as you come across, not only are you going to be extremely stressed for the next year, you may find this is something you don't want to do after all. I don't know you at all, so I don't know your convictions, so don't take this as a shot below the belt. The best way for you to know is to spend some real time shadowing doctors, visiting schools, and preparing yourself mentally for med school if that's what you want to do. At my undergrad, the "premed" majors make up about half the incoming freshman. After the prereqs (orgo, bio, chem, and physics), the premed class is like 10-20 percent of the original number. In addition, when you interview, I don't think it sounds as good to say, "I decided last year to pursue this as a career" versus "This is something I began to think about my junior/senior year and took a year off to explore it further. Also, you said you went to a top university. If this is the case, they most likely have a half competent premed office/advisor. Talk with them directly. If this is something you really want to do, I wouldn't rush it.
 
ugh after a few short days i'm already addicted 😱
 
hahaha i'm not sure about going to a strip club with someone i'm totally repelled by

spending the night with my gf sounds much more appealing
 
i just couldn't se emyself doiung engineering for the rest of my life

i'm definitely a people person; i like talking with people and more than anything being with them and helping them through problems; i thrive on that

i know it sounds dumb but i grew up doing humanitarian things, maybe b/c my parents instilled that in us as little tykes, and so did my church. i've seen alot of painfully horrible stuff and i want to do my part in making the world a better healthier place
 
i think what you said makes so much sense, maybe more than i want to admit

i'm contemplating all i read on this board today; and it's a tough and yea heart-wrenching decison :scared:

believ eit or not, as much as it makes sense to take a year off makes me feel like i'm a failure..that i couldn't do what i attempted to do...crazy...huh? 😱
 
Psycho Doctor said:
believ eit or not, as much as it makes sense to take a year off makes me feel like i'm a failure..that i couldn't do what i attempted to do...crazy...huh? 😱
Click to expand...
Don't be so hard on yourself. I can empathize since I used to set unbelievably high goals for myself, and then beat myself up when I couldn't achieve them. But the thing is, I didn't really want to achieve those goals for themselves, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could achieve them. I'm not saying that that's necessarily what you were doing, but I think you should step back and articulate your real goal: is it to get into medical school, or just to prove to yourself that you could get in under hard conditions? Medical school will still be there next year, and I think it would be better to wait a year and get into medical school, as opposed to rushing around like crazy and not be able to spend enough time on your applications. Don't worry, taking a year off definitely doesn't make you a failure.

P.S. If you didn't find this out already, a "gunner" is, basically, an overzealous med student.
 
Psycho Doctor said:
i think what you said makes so much sense, maybe more than i want to admit

i'm contemplating all i read on this board today; and it's a tough and yea heart-wrenching decison :scared:

believ eit or not, as much as it makes sense to take a year off makes me feel like i'm a failure..that i couldn't do what i attempted to do...crazy...huh? 😱
Click to expand...
Yep, self-induced guilt feels like that.

Remind me again how you consider yourself to be a failure in any regard? Might want to look at your personal checks and balances to make sure your value system makes sense.

Remember, work hard, have no regrets, if medicine does not work out now or later, then continue to live life.

After all the meaning of life, is to live.

Oh, yeah and take all advice with a salt-lined margarita.
 
I know a dating couple who took the MCAT in August and got in at UWisc. Definitely feasible.
 
I guess i haven't had many dreams in my life..perhaps after my first dream died, i've tried not to allowed myself to dream again, so that i'd never have to feel that sense of loss again. 🙁 Then recently I finally allowed myself to set this goal and to actually dream again..it was a big step for me. To not fulfill this now *is* a sense of failure, the only other thing i allowed myself to project and dream and again I lost...? it's hard to explain and maybe makes no sense to anyone else...but to me it's everything. :scared:
 
I think you might have a borderline personality disorder. You might consider getting help (and I'm being serious here)
 
hahaha :laugh: sorry if you really meant this seriously b/c i feel confident that i don't. i'm a normal neurotic med student :scared:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

olofmeister
How much to have saved before med school?
Replies
4
Views
1K
olofmeister
olofmeister
M
Non-Trad applying to Med School. Help with LOR list
Replies
1
Views
7K
Pile O' Nephritis
Pile O' Nephritis
D
Applying to med school while taking Education classes
Replies
7
Views
993
Goro
Goro
Anthodite
Am I supposed to network with med schools?
Replies
4
Views
982
Anthodite
Anthodite
Anthodite
HealthConcerns about med schools
Replies
7
Views
2K
cj_cregg
cj_cregg
Top