Improving the chances of getting into a med school

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neuro_phd

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hi,

I plan to put in my med school application in 2006. I need advise on improving my chance of admission.

I did my Bachelors in Engineering in india and was first in my univ. with a percentage of 87.9%.GPA wise it is just 3.5 and it looks bad. My Masters GPA was a abysmal 3.2. But graduate GPA is US is 3.79.

I already have 2 conference papers and have two journal papers in the pipeline.
And I will be writting MY MCAT this August.

Can some one tell me how good or bad my resume is , and any other things I need to better my chances of getting into a med school.
 
It is difficult to assess your chances without a cumulative GPA and MCAT score, as these are the two primary components of medical school admissions. Additionally, it sounds like you may have taken some of your med school prerequisites outside of the U.S. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but many medical schools dictate that the standard prereqs (gen chem, organic chem, bio, physics) must be taken at a post-secondary institution in the U.S. or Canada. Therefore, you may run into a bit of trouble in terms of satisfying the basic prerequisites for medical schools. It sounds like you have a good amount of research under your belt, which will help in either MD or either MD/PHD admissions (not sure in which you are interested, but I'm assuming MD/PHD since you posted in this forum).

Are you planning to apply this coming summer/fall, or the summer/fall after that? If you are taking the MCAT in August, I would recommend delaying your application until next year for the reason that those who take the August MCAT tend to have a more difficult time with admissions. Because your application may be "borderline" in the sense that your prerequisites come from outside of the U.S. (?) and it seems your cumulative GPA will be at or below the average of those accepted to medical school (3.5), it will behoove you to delay applying until the year after taking the MCAT, in my opinion. If you are set on applying this next cycle, try to take the MCAT in April, or else do very, very well on the exam.

A few other things to "better your chances": take more classes to raise your GPA. This may include taking the standard prerequisites over again at a U.S. institution if I am not mistaken about medical schools stance on this matter. If the classes you took in India were quality and you did well, this shouldn't be much more than a GPA-padding affair. You might want to consult individual schools about the prerequisite situation. Volunteer at a health clinic, hospital, or in another health setting. Other volunteer activities are good as well. Continue to work hard on your research. The better you understand what you have done, the more impressive it will be in interviews and your essays.

With all this said, it is impossible to give you a numerical approximation of your chance of gaining admission to medical school. The process is random at times, and you must be prepared for that. You have components of a good application, and with more information we could probably better assess your situation.

Apply early, apply to a smorgasbord of schools, and hope for the best.

Good luck!
 
It's much more than GPA. I had a 3.5 undergrad, and higher in my masters work. I did math, and you did engineering, and med schools respect majors that aren't bio or chem (interviewers told me this). I had 2 acceptances, and 3 waitlists (one at a top 4 school). My MCAT was 31 (11/10/10/Q), which I think made a difference. By the way, I took it in August, so in my opinion, I don't think it matters when you take it. If someone tells you to take it in April in case you do bad, and retake it in August, don't do it; it is better to take it once when your ready and do well than to have a low score and a high score on your record. It's also about your total package, and how your interview goes...

I didn't have any "bench" research, or papers like you. With all that you've done, I'd say you were older, and there isn't much your going to do to change your application, particularly in the GPA department. If I were in your position, I would study hard for the MCAT; I took a Kaplan course and it sure helped doing 9 full length practice exams. I would say that it's worth the money.

Take the MCAT, apply widely, and practice for your interview. Also, make sure to get some good letters from people who can write, not just people in important positions. Good luck to you!

I'll bet your application is stronger than you think.

🙂
 
neuro_phd said:
hi,

I plan to put in my med school application in 2006. I need advise on improving my chance of admission.

I did my Bachelors in Engineering in india and was first in my univ. with a percentage of 87.9%.GPA wise it is just 3.5 and it looks bad. My Masters GPA was a abysmal 3.2. But graduate GPA is US is 3.79.

I already have 2 conference papers and have two journal papers in the pipeline.
And I will be writting MY MCAT this August.

Can some one tell me how good or bad my resume is , and any other things I need to better my chances of getting into a med school.

Are you applying to a US Med School? If so, do extremely well on your MCAT. Depending on your age, this may be your best bet as suggested by one earlier post. Good Luck!
 
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