Sundarban1 said:
Like one other person advised, look at MDapplicants.com, however be guarded becuause this represents only .00005 of those who are accecpted to med school.
This is true--the sample size is very small. I just think it will let the OP see that many applicants, with statistics much lower, get accepted into US allopathic schools.
troy82 said:
Thanks for the advice guys. The problem is that I don't want to take the post-bacc route and end up wasting a year and 15-20K in the process.
UMDNJ-SOM and UMDNJ-Newark both have "special masters programs." At UMDNJ-SOM you can take classes with the osteopathic students (up to two courses I believe) and at UMDNJ-Newark you can take classes with the allo students. You can also take classes as a nondegree student (at both campuses I believe) if you don't want to shell out too much for a masters program. But if you're looking to improve your credentials, I'd go all out.
I haven't heard of anyone doing the MS in Biomedical Sciences Newark in one year (typically 1.5 years), so if you're hoping to matriculate to med school in 2006 I wouldn't do the program at Newark. If you're willing to postpone your application until the summer of 2006 (in hopes of matriculating to med school in 2007), it would be a good path to take.
The UMDNJ-SOM program, Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS, not MS) is at the osteopathic UMDNJ campus and the program is in the middle of its first year. However, to finish the program in one year, you have to take 30 graduate science credits and you can take two of your classes with the osteopathic students. Even though it's at the osteopathic campus, I think doing well in this program would dispel any idea that you can't handle the sciences and would make you look like a solid applicant for allopathic schools as well (it would give you some credibility if you did well during the program for schools that will look at your Fall grades and it would give you a definite boost if you applied after finishing the program). The curriculum looks solid.
Also, you should definitely look into the University of Pennsylvania Special Science Program. Eligible students (I don't know the criteria) can get a GUARANTEED LINKAGE to UMDNJ-RWJ (I'm quite sure about this). They can start at RWJ right after finishing the program assuming they meet the criteria. You might have a shot at this linkage, I would definitely inquire if I were in your shoes.
troy82 said:
I just spoke with my advisor in school today and she told me a lot about what I needed to know.
Actually I think she gave you all sorts of false info...
troy82 said:
Two things I came away with was that now there is even greater pressure on post-bacc students to compete in the program. She said, as sidewalkman suggested, that I should take the post-bacc option but I would have to maintain an A- average there to be competitive for medical school. That is why I am leaning away from the program that Lindyhopper suggested.
Which program, Newark? Postbac programs such as G-town, BU, and UMDNJ-Newark are considered very demanding. But consider this, if you don't have the confidence in yourself to pull an A- average at a postbac program, what makes you think you can excel in med school (be it allopathic, foreign allopathic, or osteopathic)? Have some faith in yourself; your MCAT is the national average for matriculants, your cume gpa is in the ballpark, and your science gpa isn't
that bad (especially if you have an upward trend). Also, at UMDNJ-Newark you only take a FEW courses with the med students as opposed to BU, G-Town, Rosalind Franklin where you take MOST of your classes with med students. There's at least three SDNers who went the Newark route and I know at least two of them have been accepted. One of them told me that the grad classes weren't nearly as hard as the actual med classes either.
Like everyone else said, your GPA is much higher than most on the postbac forum (except maybe the crowd of highly accomplished career changers) and many of them have been accepted to US allopathic schools. Your advisor's advice that you "can't get in" is unfounded.
troy82 said:
The second thing she told me was that I couldn't get into an MD program with my stats as they are now.
Nonsense. Certainly you aren't guaranteed an acceptance with your stats, but you DO have a shot.
troy82 said:
I don't know if she told me that to discourage me from applying and thus keep Boston College's acceptance % high or whether she really believed it.
Possibly the former...If she actually believes that you have no chance, she's nuts or poorly informed. Unless you've got a really bad downward trend going, I don't see why she doesn't think you have a shot. Your science GPA is a little lower than average for matriculants, but it's definitely not impossible to get in with your stats.
troy82 said:
I think I have narrowed my choices down to DO or FMG, but I am still going to apply to NJ MD schools.
Definitely apply to the NJ allo schools. DO and FMG are reasonable routes, but don't get this idea that you have no shot at NJ allo schools--that's just not true.
troy82 said:
I know that this is not a FMG forum, but do you think it is wise for me to pass up DO and go abroad. The only problem I have with DO is I'm not sure whether they are able to practice around the world (I am uncertain that I will live in the US all my life). Other than that, I wouldn't mind being a DO at all. Like before, any advice you can give me will help a lot. Thanks in advance.
DOs do not have the freedom that MDs do internationally. However, DOs do have full rights to practice in many countries. Look here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=107627
Before you consider offshore medical schools, do you know what specialties you're considering? If you're going for something very competitive (radiology, ortho), you'll have your work cut out for ya. If you're going for a supercompetitive specialty (rad onc, urology, plastics, ENT), it's highly unlikely (but not impossible) to match coming from the Caribbean.
Regarding "Lower Tier"
The term tier, when applied to med schools, is usually made in reference to the US News Medical School Research rankings. A large part of this is how much money the schools get for research. Shocking, I know. The "top tier" schools get a lot of money for research. But schools like SLU (not first tier, not as much research funding) get excellent clinical training and match very well. So really "tier" is overrated. I think what people are really referring to is "less competitive" not tier.
These less competitive schools are often viewed as the backup schools. They are NOT necessarily "bad" schools, but they usually aren't first choices (which is why many of these schools interview more and accept more to assure they can fill their classes.). Schools such as Rosalind Franklin, Drexel, Temple, NYMC, and Albany are sometimes named. But many of these are very expensive and/or had probation issues with the AAMC. Those that were on probation found a way out. Rosalind Franklin is currently on probation, but chances are more than likely (with the measures they're taking) that it's not going to be a big deal. And again, these schools often offer great clinical experiences and have excellent prep for the boards. Some of them match particularly well. However, many of these schools are very, very expensive with all costs considered (which is often a reason that they're "backups")
Anyway, good luck!
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