Kinda of a strange question

[Trollfeeder]

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I'm a recent biology graduate at University of Hawaii with a 3.7 GPA and a 30 on the MCATs 11PS, 9BS, 10VR, and last year was rejected from every medical school I applied for (I think 22 total). I only got one interview at John Burns, but they didn't take me. I'm thinking about attending this program at Georgetown called a Special masters in physiology or something like that, but I also got accepted for a Caribbean medical school- SGU- with a partial scholarship.

Since I have a year to burn and money really isn't a huge issue for me, what do you think would better help my app? I mean if I go in the Fall to SGU then in the same time I'd finish at Georgetown, I would have like a year done at a Med School. And if I went to SGU could I still apply at American med schools as a new student? I figured both cases I'd be taking medical school classes, but at least they would count at SGU. I know being a foreign med school grad affects things like the residency match, so that's why I'd like to go American.

Any ideas?

 

[drizzt3117]

Going to SGU for a short time is a bad idea. I think doing the Georgetown SMP or simply improving your application with postbac is your best bet. A lot of US schools wont want to touch you if you matriculate at another med school and even if they were the logistics of interviewing while enrolled in med school in Grenada would be ridiculous.

 

[DrMidlife]

I'm a recent biology graduate at University of Hawaii with a 3.7 GPA and a 30 on the MCATs 11PS, 9BS, 10VR, and last year was rejected from every medical school I applied for (I think 22 total). I only got one interview at John Burns, but they didn't take me. I'm thinking about attending this program at Georgetown called a Special masters in physiology or something like that...Since I have a year to burn and money really isn't a huge issue for me, what do you think would better help my app?

With a 3.7 in your pocket, your app doesn't need more coursework, imho. Have you done everything you can to collect feedback on why you weren't successful applying? Did you have a bum LOR? Is your PS too generic? I'd spend a few hundred dollars on a consultant before I spend thousands on more classes. An MCAT retake, if you can bump up to 35, might be worthwhile.

But what I'd suspect is the problem, assuming you're 21 or 22 and you've not worked for a living yet, is that you don't impress adcoms with your maturity and perspective gained from independent experience. You might need some more "bake time." There's no schedule here, and a "year to burn" isn't a reapplication strategy. Any interest in the Peace Corps? Want to work on the mainland for a couple years, in healthcare, biotech or at an NGO? I'd even recommend a traditional masters program (which I never recommend), if this gets you out of your comfort zone and helps you define your passion. If your financial and other security is coming from your parents, that may actually be hurting you.

, but I also got accepted for a Caribbean medical school- SGU- with a partial scholarship.

Imho it would be a shame to take that 3.7 to a Carrib school.

I mean if I go in the Fall to SGU then in the same time I'd finish at Georgetown, I would have like a year done at a Med School.

Nope, you'd still start as an M1. If you go to an SMP at med school X and then matriculate directly into med school X, you might get to not repeat some of the 1st year curriculum, but you never get off the hook for time or tuition. Other med schools, where the curriculum isn't a perfect match for X, will just make you take everything in the curriculum "again."

Edit: now, you can transfer from SGU to a US med school, but this would be an extraordinary event. Here's a blog from a guy who got into Drexel after 2 years at SGU: http://rumorsweretrue.wordpress.com/. He "lost" at least a year by doing so, and he had to take the first set of boards before transferring.

And if I went to SGU could I still apply at American med schools as a new student?

Not without lying on your apps, so you'd get no credit for time served.

I figured both cases I'd be taking medical school classes, but at least they would count at SGU.

They only count at the school that grants your MD.

I know being a foreign med school grad affects things like the residency match, so that's why I'd like to go American.

The fail-out rate at Carrib schools, and the cost, are problems as well. Again, with a 3.7, I'd really hate to see you go this way.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Trollfeeder]

Thanks guys, any particular programs or work experience you would recommend? I have a lot of coursework in neurobiology and virology. I would not mind to do something in biotechnology. I also heard about the Harvard Exchange Program. is that useful at all?