Incredibly Confused, desperately looking for advice

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ConfusedFulbrightScholar

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I'm a senior about to graduate. 3.65 cGPA, 3.42 sGPA, taking MCAT in June (First MCAT --> 23, thought I could take it after prereqs and didn't study, anyways latest diagnostic Kaplan is at around 95% percentile...I've been studying for 4 months, taking NO chances).

I'm graduating with a teaching license, and have a job secured at a High School in my home town. I'd be living with my folks, and taking classes at the local college to raise my science GPA. I'd be applying for admissions this summer (late June verification) to 25 schools.

But I know my chances, even with a great MCAT, are questionable so I am preparing for a 2nd cycle.

Yesterday morning, I got accepted for a Fulbright ETA position in an Asian country. Being a Fulbright Scholar is very prestigious, and I don't know what to do.

If I go, I'd have no post-bacc, so my GPA would stay the same. Flying between there and here for interviews is not a hinderance, I've spoken to my host country about this.


ANY ADVICE?!? FREAKING OUT! I have to say yes or no by next week.

Adcom input would be great, what would you recommend to a potential applicant? @Goro @LizzyM and any other adcoms!!

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If you were my own child, this is what I'd say:

Take the scholarship, go and learn and teach

Then come back and retake MCAT, but only after you're fully ready.

Med schools aren't going anywhere.


I'm a senior about to graduate. 3.65 cGPA, 3.42 sGPA, taking MCAT in June (First MCAT --> 23, thought I could take it after prereqs and didn't study, anyways latest diagnostic Kaplan is at around 95% percentile...I've been studying for 4 months, taking NO chances).

I'm graduating with a teaching license, and have a job secured at a High School in my home town. I'd be living with my folks, and taking classes at the local college to raise my science GPA. I'd be applying for admissions this summer (late June verification) to 25 schools.

But I know my chances, even with a great MCAT, are questionable so I am preparing for a 2nd cycle.

Yesterday morning, I got accepted for a Fulbright ETA position in an Asian country. Being a Fulbright Scholar is very prestigious, and I don't know what to do.

If I go, I'd have no post-bacc, so my GPA would stay the same. Flying between there and here for interviews is not a hinderance, I've spoken to my host country about this.


ANY ADVICE?!? FREAKING OUT! I have to say yes or no by next week.

Adcom input would be great, what would you recommend to a potential applicant? @Goro @LizzyM and any other adcoms!!
 
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If you were my own child, this is what I'd say:

Take the scholarship, go and learn and teach

Then come back and retake MCAT, but only after you're fully ready.

Med schools aren't going anywhere.
Thanks. My parents are one of my biggest deterrents as they want me to go to med school like yesterday.

I am def taking my MCAT in june though because I've studied too long and am scoring favorably on my practice exams.

The only question is to apply now or not. I almost feel like I need an SMP or a post-bacc because of my horrible sGPA.
 
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If I was interviewing a student with a vastly improved MCAT and it came up that he/she skipped a Fullbright in the speculative chance for an improved MCAT to apply to medical school my jaw would drop and likely react highly unprofessionally with "YOU DID WHAT?"

Then I would regain my composure and note questionable judgement of the applicant and immaturity based to parental influence.
No, no. I'd have my MCAT done before I'd leave.

My MCAT is this June and my Fulbright starts in August. The two don't interfere with each other.

I'm only in two minds as to whether to

1) Stay, raise my GPA and apply stateside

2) Go, be a Fulbright Scholar, and fly back for any potential interviews I have. In the case I get none, come back, start taking classes, and apply, matriculating nearly 2 years after I graduate.
 
Honestly, if you're scoring in the 95th percentile, you will get a good MCAT and get an acceptance. I would go with Fullbright Scholar. It's more experience and if you do well on the MCAT the GPA won't matter as much
 
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I was hoping to also gain a better understanding of how adcoms perceive a Fulbright as opposed to general teaching stateside?
 
Do the Fullbright for sure, your grades are decent and you won't see that much of a difference from taking a few sci classes. Also your classes wont be on your app this coming year but your Fullbright will.
 
And a lot of secondaries ask "what are you doing right now since you are done with school?" and you can be like "Fullbright !!!!"
 
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sGPA is not Harvard caliber, but it is still competitive.

Thanks. My parents are one of my biggest deterrents as they want me to go to med school like yesterday.

I am def taking my MCAT in june though because I've studied too long and am scoring favorably on my practice exams.

The only question is to apply now or not. I almost feel like I need an SMP or a post-bacc because of my horrible sGPA.
 
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Hi OP,

I completed a Fulbright ETA last year (2013-2014) in an Asian country as well, and just finished up this application cycle with an acceptance from a top 5 school.

My advice is to take the MCAT before leaving the country, and then TAKE THE FULBRIGHT. It was an amazing experience that you simply cannot pass up. Take this year to teach, learn, travel, and grow. If you do take the Fulbright, I would advise you not to apply this upcoming cycle. Trying to write personal statements and secondaries while adjusting to a new culture and network of friends will be overwhelming. You won't get to fully enjoy and immerse yourself in the Fulbright experience, nor be able to give your all to the applications. I took the MCAT during the summer of 2012 while all the material was still fresh, did the Fulbright, then took another gap year doing research while applying.

The Fulbright will not only benefit you personally, but professionally as well. Basically 80% of my interviews were spent talking about my Fulbright experience (Fulbright was also in my personal statement), because it made me a unique and interesting applicant. The faculty member who interviewed me at my accepted school said in his congratulatory email that it was partly my more "worldly" experiences that made me an attractive applicant.

Please feel free to PM me about anything and I'll be more than happy to answer your questions!
 
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Congratulations on the Fulbright--no second thoughts here, take it!

Look, you will have plenty of time to figure out what to do about medical school once you're done.

A gap year or two doing something like this and then getting your ducks in order is not as big of a deal as you might think. (I agree with @blank_space and their advice.)

I'm worried that the real reason you are feeling the need to get medical school taken care of immediately is this external pressure from your parents. If that is the case, then it's not fair to you and I'm sorry.

This decision is truly yours alone, not theirs. Figure out what you want and do it, and I say this with all the respect in the world towards your parents. Ask them for their support in making your decision. Nobody wants to live life with these sort of regrets, and I would certainly regret not taking a Fulbright if I had been offered the opportunity.

Best wishes to you.
 
Does Fulbright notify all the winners on the same day?
 
I'm a senior about to graduate. 3.65 cGPA, 3.42 sGPA, taking MCAT in June (First MCAT --> 23, thought I could take it after prereqs and didn't study, anyways latest diagnostic Kaplan is at around 95% percentile...I've been studying for 4 months, taking NO chances).

I'm graduating with a teaching license, and have a job secured at a High School in my home town. I'd be living with my folks, and taking classes at the local college to raise my science GPA. I'd be applying for admissions this summer (late June verification) to 25 schools.

But I know my chances, even with a great MCAT, are questionable so I am preparing for a 2nd cycle.

Yesterday morning, I got accepted for a Fulbright ETA position in an Asian country. Being a Fulbright Scholar is very prestigious, and I don't know what to do.

If I go, I'd have no post-bacc, so my GPA would stay the same. Flying between there and here for interviews is not a hinderance, I've spoken to my host country about this.


ANY ADVICE?!? FREAKING OUT! I have to say yes or no by next week.

Adcom input would be great, what would you recommend to a potential applicant? @Goro @LizzyM and any other adcoms!!

Yea I curse my existence for having taken the MCAT without ANY true studying. I got a 23 as well....but my GPA was lower lol
 
I think its pretty obvious from all the responses you are getting that the Fulbright is where you want to go. You can always take a post-bacc when you get back if you feel it's necessary (which everyone here is also telling you it isn't).

I spent a number of years abroad (not on a Fulbright) teaching and the only other piece of advice I would have is to keep in touch with the people you intend to ask to write your LOR. It's more difficult if you find they've moved Universities and you can't catch up with them. I luckily did not have that problem, but after 5 years abroad I had literally no current references when I tried to apply for jobs here and no one wanted to call the far east . . .
 
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Just to be clear: Fulbright ETA is English Teaching Assistant position in a foreign country as a classroom assistant to an English teacher. It is not as prestigious as a Fulbright scholarship to do research abroad.

That said, it is a bit of a novelty among med school applicants and interviewers tend to enjoy learning about novel things rather than the common activities that pre-meds do so they are more likely to talk about something like that than a common activity among pre-meds.

Your sGPA is below average for matriculants but unless you took very few undergrad science courses it will be hard to move the needle now. If you already have a low MCAT on your record you may be hindered if a school takes an average of all MCATs (the best predictor of success in school compared with "most recent" or "best result in each subsection" or "best overall").

I can't say that one option is better than another but I do think that for maturing and getting out of one's comfort zone there is nothing better than a year abroad. Even if you end up coming back and making a career of classroom teaching, the year teaching abroad will be beneficial. And, as @Goro says, medical school will still be here when you get back.
 
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I am a classroom teacher right now (doing my internship) and while I loved Teacher's College and being a teacher is fun, it is definitely not something I could do forever, medicine is truly my only ambition.

And yeah, so I've only taken about 30 credits of sciences, so taking more upper-levels does make a huge difference in my case. Maybe I could take correspondence classes?

@LizzyM you mentioned that maybe I should try a classroom career. Do you think my shot at MD is blown because of two MCAT scores? I know someone at my school who took the MCAT 3 times and just got into Cooper MD.

Just to be clear: Fulbright ETA is English Teaching Assistant position in a foreign country as a classroom assistant to an English teacher. It is not as prestigious as a Fulbright scholarship to do research abroad.

That said, it is a bit of a novelty among med school applicants and interviewers tend to enjoy learning about novel things rather than the common activities that pre-meds do so they are more likely to talk about something like that than a common activity among pre-meds.

Your sGPA is below average for matriculants but unless you took very few undergrad science courses it will be hard to move the needle now. If you already have a low MCAT on your record you may be hindered if a school takes an average of all MCATs (the best predictor of success in school compared with "most recent" or "best result in each subsection" or "best overall").

I can't say that one option is better than another but I do think that for maturing and getting out of one's comfort zone there is nothing better than a year abroad. Even if you end up coming back and making a career of classroom teaching, the year teaching abroad will be beneficial. And, as @Goro says, medical school will still be here when you get back.
 
How old are you? When did you graduate undergrad?
 
Definitely take the scholarship!! I had nearly identical stats as you with a MCAT >30, took 2 years off before applying, and will be enrolling at my top choice this fall. Considered a post-bac but then decided gaining real work experience was a better fit for me.
 
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