indecisiveness-2008

[chunder66]

hello all,
this is my first time writing on the sdn. i am in a bit of a pickle and need some advice from those who might have the proper experience and knowledge to get my through.

i just received notice that i got rejected from all the medical schools i applied to (22 of them). I graduated with a chemistry degree and have a 2.8 science gpa and 3.01 gpa overall. i also have a 23 on the mcat. i have loads of extracurriculars and strong letters of rec. i am sure my personal statement was strong as well.

i am currently doing a masters degree in london and will finish at the end of this year.

my question: what to do? do i (a) re-apply on amcas with the same stats and a masters degree under my belt to less schools, (b) do a post-bac to boost my grads? (c) blow off the US medical school system and apply to the carribean so to not waste time--i do want to practice in the states (d) retake the mcat? it would be my third time if this is the case.

i am feeling disillusioned and tired of the process and would appreciate any recommendations/advice.

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[xeulee]

I would do a post-bac and retake all the classes where you had low grades. I would also take more upper level science courses and retake the MCAT. It's hard to get back into the states from going to a Caribbean school so I wouldn't even think about that option. When you apply, if you don't mind going to a DO school, apply to those schools as well. This post is also full of people that can help out.

 

[Blade28]

Agree with the above.

Good grades in a Master's program (unless it's an SMP) won't help your app much, unfortunately - certainly not if you don't improve your grades or MCAT.

I agree that retaking any classes that you did poorly in (via a post-bac) and rocking the MCAT will go far in helping out your cause. Figure out what you need to do differently in order to succeed on the MCAT - more practice tests? more study time? prep class? Realize that the average GPA for matriculants is around 3.65, so you've got a tough year's worth of work ahead of you.

When you reapply, do so early and widely (many more than 22 schools!). I had average stats when I was a pre-med and I still applied to a little over 30 schools.

Best of luck.

 

[chunder66]

do you recommend any post-bac programs that are not for disadvantaged students or those who haven't finished their pre-med requirements? i am a cali resident but if you know some good ones i would appreciate it.

 

[Delo_Ohm]

http://services.aamc.org/postbac/index.cfm

Also, consider choosing to work at a school that has a medical school you would like to attend. The more "in's", the better.

Good luck

 

[chunder66]

do you think an SMP would be the way to go? i already will be having a masters degree. by ugrad gpa would still be low if i went this route.

 

[gman33]

Are you interested in DO schools?
If so, you could retake all the courses with low grades.
They will only count your most recent score.

It will be virtually impossible to bring your gpa up to the 3.5+ level.

You could do a year or two of upper level UG courses and follow that up with a SMP.

The current master's degree will do little to boost your chances of admission.
How are you doing in the program?
My main concern is you need to overcome the past pattern of poor grades. You also need to greatly improve the MCAT. Don't take it again until you are doing well on practice exams. Another bad score will really hurt your chances.

 

[Pedsbro]

do you think an SMP would be the way to go? i already will be having a masters degree. by ugrad gpa would still be low if i went this route.

I don't even think you should do any more with ugrad...like one person said, it'll be nearly impossible to bring your ugrad GPA high enough short of doing another bachelors degree. If you got a C- or below in any of the med school prereq classes (o-chem, chem, bio, physics, english), you might want to retake those, but you'd better get above a B+ in them. I would go for an SMP...there are tons of them...Cincinnati, G-town, Boston, Loyola, etc. They are usually only a year long and would allow you to take medical courses or med school-like courses to prove to adcoms that you can hack it. Apply to as many as you qualify for...which most likely means you'd have to take the MCAT again first and rock it. Most SMPs will take you with a lower GPA (their purpose is to help rectify this), but they generally have a minimum MCAT score in the upper 20's or 30, since most SMPs don't offer much in the way of MCAT prep. Yeah it's another Masters, but if you really want to do medicine, you gotta make sacrifices. You can try Drexel's 1 year program..it's a Certificate, not a Masters.

Carib schools would be a last resort for anyone...I would try everything else before doing that. Also, don't forget about DO schools...they are much more forgiving. DO=MD in pretty much every way...don't ever let any ignorant people tell you otherwise.

 

[arlingtondoc]

hello all,
this is my first time writing on the sdn. i am in a bit of a pickle and need some advice from those who might have the proper experience and knowledge to get my through.

i just received notice that i got rejected from all the medical schools i applied to (22 of them). I graduated with a chemistry degree and have a 2.8 science gpa and 3.01 gpa overall. i also have a 23 on the mcat. i have loads of extracurriculars and strong letters of rec. i am sure my personal statement was strong as well.

i am currently doing a masters degree in london and will finish at the end of this year.

my question: what to do? do i (a) re-apply on amcas with the same stats and a masters degree under my belt to less schools, (b) do a post-bac to boost my grads? (c) blow off the US medical school system and apply to the carribean so to not waste time--i do want to practice in the states (d) retake the mcat? it would be my third time if this is the case.

i am feeling disillusioned and tired of the process and would appreciate any recommendations/advice.

what is the master's degree in? advanced science? if so it could be helpful. if it is something unrelated then no. I would stop, take a deep breath, and come up with a plan. you are in london, is an english med school an option? i have heard they can be easier to get into but i know nothing about the process. if that is a no go then you need to boost your numbers. all of them.

other posts mention masters programs in pre-med sciences. you need to try with one of them, and the often have associated programs to help boost mcat scores. i would NOT just sit down and try to retake the mcat. as far as qualifications, the schools vary so you would have to check with them individually.

where did you do your undergrad, they may offer pre-med advising to alumni. my school did and i took advantage of it during and after my post-bacc. sdn is a nice resource but a knowledgeable advisor is HUGE.

as for applications, boost the numbers and apply all over the place, to MD and DO. the reality is you are a physician, the letters after your name are less important.

 

[missmuffin]

do you recommend any post-bac programs that are not for disadvantaged students or those who haven't finished their pre-med requirements? i am a cali resident but if you know some good ones i would appreciate it.

UC postbaccs are well known for disadvantaged students. check out their sites.