less competive medical schools

[doc4u]

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Can anyone list some less competive medical schools? My wife is applying for her fellowship and I will be applying for medical school, and would like to be in the same area as my family.

We are open to area, but I need to look at less competieve. Currently I am a grad student in Computer Science at Harvard and doing Postbacc work. I will apply 07-08 year for med school. I have a very high GPA in grad school, but my BA work was low, so I hope that my Harvard work and postbacc will do the trick.

She is applying for fellowship for June 07 now.


Any help or listing would be great.

 

[Antigunner]

That's kind of like asking for a list of non-expensive Ferraris... 🙄

Any medical school is going to be competitive, but I think being in-state for any school is going to increase your chances. I would suggest getting the MSAR and comparing average GPA/MCAT scores if you're really serious about trying to find schools that are "less competitive"

 

[Ypo.]

Can anyone list some less competive medical schools? My wife is applying for her fellowship and I will be applying for medical school, and would like to be in the same area as my family.

We are open to area, but I need to look at less competieve. Currently I am a grad student in Computer Science at Harvard and doing Postbacc work. I will apply 07-08 year for med school. I have a very high GPA in grad school, but my BA work was low, so I hope that my Harvard work and postbacc will do the trick.

She is applying for fellowship for June 07 now.


Any help or listing would be great.

Well,
how is your GPA now? If your undergrad wasn't too bad (lower than 3 is bad)_-then doing really well at Harvard would probably help.

My suggestion is to meet with an actual person from whatever medical school you are setting your sights on-they will give you advice-on what that particular school looks for in applicants-how to improve your app.

also, Have you considered DO school? They are much more embracing of nontraditional applicants (and more forgiving of mistakes we make in undergread-for those of us who didn't 'always' know we wanted to be doctors). If you want to go into an ultracompetetive residency-it puts you at a disadvantage-but otherwise I think its a good alternative.

If you are closed to that idea-I would recommend getting in touch personally with schools-as well as applying to schools within your 'range'

Goood luck

 

[Law2Doc]

Can anyone list some less competive medical schools? My wife is applying for her fellowship and I will be applying for medical school, and would like to be in the same area as my family.

We are open to area, but I need to look at less competieve. Currently I am a grad student in Computer Science at Harvard and doing Postbacc work. I will apply 07-08 year for med school. I have a very high GPA in grad school, but my BA work was low, so I hope that my Harvard work and postbacc will do the trick.

She is applying for fellowship for June 07 now.


Any help or listing would be great.

I agree with the other posters -- there are no US allo med schools that are "easy" to get into. If your undergrad GPA is too low, you may need a significant amount of postbac to remedy it. Your grad GPA won't offset your undergrad GPA -- a lot of schools tend to look at graduate work more as a good EC than as a GPA source -- it helps, but won't offset. Your postbac will be heavilly considered in terms of what pulls your undergrad GPA up.

 

[zinjanthropus]

I agree with the other posters -- there are no US allo med schools that are "easy" to get into. If your undergrad GPA is too low, you may need a significant amount of postbac to remedy it. Your grad GPA won't offset your undergrad GPA -- a lot of schools tend to look at graduate work more as a good EC than as a GPA source -- it helps, but won't offset. Your postbac will be heavilly considered in terms of what pulls your undergrad GPA up.

This topic is discussed extensively in the "Pre-Allopathic" forum, so you should try your question there. Also, your state residency will play a big role in this question (very different than law and grad school), as well as your MCAT score.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Can anyone list some less competive medical schools? My wife is applying for her fellowship and I will be applying for medical school, and would like to be in the same area as my family.

We are open to area, but I need to look at less competieve. Currently I am a grad student in Computer Science at Harvard and doing Postbacc work. I will apply 07-08 year for med school. I have a very high GPA in grad school, but my BA work was low, so I hope that my Harvard work and postbacc will do the trick.

She is applying for fellowship for June 07 now.


Any help or listing would be great.

* American International School of Medicine (Guyana)
* University of Health Sciences (Antigua)
* American University of the Caribbean (St. Maarten)
* Central American Health Sciences University (Belize)
* Grace University School of Medicine (Belize)
* International University of the Health Sciences (St. Kitts)
* Medical University of the Americas (Nevis)
* Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica)
* Saba University School of Medicine (Saba)
* Spartan Health Sciences University (St. Lucia)
* University of Sint Eustasius Medical School (St. Eustasius)
* St. George's University School of Medicine (Grenada)
* St. James School of Medicine (Bonaire)
* St. Mary's School of Medicine (St. Lucia)
* Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine (Mexico)
* Universidad Iberoamericana (Santo Domingo)
* Windsor University School of Medicine (St. Kitts)
* St. Martinus (Curacao)
* Saint Theresa's Medical University (St. Kitts)

 

[DropkickMurphy]

* American International School of Medicine (Guyana)
* University of Health Sciences (Antigua)
* American University of the Caribbean (St. Maarten)
* Central American Health Sciences University (Belize)
* Grace University School of Medicine (Belize)
* International University of the Health Sciences (St. Kitts)
* Medical University of the Americas (Nevis)
* Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica)
* Saba University School of Medicine (Saba)
* Spartan Health Sciences University (St. Lucia)
* University of Sint Eustasius Medical School (St. Eustasius)
* St. George's University School of Medicine (Grenada)
* St. James School of Medicine (Bonaire)
* St. Mary's School of Medicine (St. Lucia)
* Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine (Mexico)
* Universidad Iberoamericana (Santo Domingo)
* Windsor University School of Medicine (St. Kitts)
* St. Martinus (Curacao)
* Saint Theresa's Medical University (St. Kitts)

 

[Fantasy Sports]

Don't be such a tool OSUdoc08, it was obvious he wanted to stay close to his family because his wife is going to be a FELLOW (so if you're going to mention non-US programs, you could at least limit it to Puerto Rico, however unlikely that site is for him)

Well, one answer would be you can go to DO school, apparently reading comprehension isn't required. 🙄

But a better answer would be trying to match in-state. I dont know your situation, but if your wife went to medical school or residency in the same region as your state of residence (which I imagine is very likely), you have a better chance of getting into your state school, just as your wife will have a better change of getting a fellowship due to regional factors. Good luck.

* American International School of Medicine (Guyana)
* University of Health Sciences (Antigua)
* American University of the Caribbean (St. Maarten)
* Central American Health Sciences University (Belize)
* Grace University School of Medicine (Belize)
* International University of the Health Sciences (St. Kitts)
* Medical University of the Americas (Nevis)
* Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica)
* Saba University School of Medicine (Saba)
* Spartan Health Sciences University (St. Lucia)
* University of Sint Eustasius Medical School (St. Eustasius)
* St. George's University School of Medicine (Grenada)
* St. James School of Medicine (Bonaire)
* St. Mary's School of Medicine (St. Lucia)
* Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine (Mexico)
* Universidad Iberoamericana (Santo Domingo)
* Windsor University School of Medicine (St. Kitts)
* St. Martinus (Curacao)
* Saint Theresa's Medical University (St. Kitts)

 

[doc4u]

Don't be such a tool OSUdoc08, it was obvious he wanted to stay close to his family because his wife is going to be a FELLOW (so if you're going to mention non-US programs, you could at least limit it to Puerto Rico, however unlikely that site is for him)

Well, one answer would be you can go to DO school, apparently reading comprehension isn't required. 🙄

But a better answer would be trying to match in-state. I dont know your situation, but if your wife went to medical school or residency in the same region as your state of residence (which I imagine is very likely), you have a better chance of getting into your state school, just as your wife will have a better change of getting a fellowship due to regional factors. Good luck.

I met with a Postbacc advisor and he stated that my harvard GPA in CS (3.99) would help no matter what and will show I can handle work. My undergrad was approx 2.5, so not to hot. I have 3 possible research articles coming up, so that will help.
Also, I was told that a phone call or two helps from the right people. We know many people, having my whole family as docs. All different fields, GP throught Nerosurg.

I was advised to finish my grad program and take my postbacc, but its a royal pain to do both. I talked with the program dir at my wife's hosptial, and he said that I need to finish harvard as well. So everyone is saying thats a plus..

We have no idea where we will land for her fellow, she will go through ERAS and should know maybe March. Even then, I will not apply until 07-8 year.

 

[PAPPAPPAP]

I met with a Postbacc advisor and he stated that my harvard GPA in CS (3.99) would help no matter what and will show I can handle work. My undergrad was approx 2.5, so not to hot. I have 3 possible research articles coming up, so that will help.
Also, I was told that a phone call or two helps from the right people. We know many people, having my whole family as docs. All different fields, GP throught Nerosurg.

I was advised to finish my grad program and take my postbacc, but its a royal pain to do both. I talked with the program dir at my wife's hosptial, and he said that I need to finish harvard as well. So everyone is saying thats a plus..

We have no idea where we will land for her fellow, she will go through ERAS and should know maybe March. Even then, I will not apply until 07-8 year.

Doc4U, dont take this the wrong way, but I'm sure most people reading this would like to know...
How does one swing getting into graduate school at Harvard with a 2.5 undergraduate GPA? Just Wondering...but congrats on the grad GPA... I think if you take the right science courses and get the right MCAT you'll be competitive at most allopathic schools. Also, look for schools that like non-trad applicants. Philly is a good center for hospitals and medical schools.

 

[MD Rapper]

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[Antigunner]

I was advised to finish my grad program and take my postbacc, but its a royal pain to do both. I talked with the program dir at my wife's hosptial, and he said that I need to finish harvard as well. So everyone is saying thats a plus..

Definitely finish whatever programs you've begun. An admissions advisor told me once that they don't like to see that you've dropped out of stuff or not completed it. I guess the idea is that they don't want someone that may decide in a year that they don't feel like finishing medical school.

 

[doc4u]

Doc4U, dont take this the wrong way, but I'm sure most people reading this would like to know...
How does one swing getting into graduate school at Harvard with a 2.5 undergraduate GPA? Just Wondering...but congrats on the grad GPA... I think if you take the right science courses and get the right MCAT you'll be competitive at most allopathic schools. Also, look for schools that like non-trad applicants. Philly is a good center for hospitals and medical schools.

As far as Harvard, I did a fair amount of research and have held great positions in the business / IT world. Again, who you know... Sad but true and just so happens it works, and others it dosn't.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I hate to break it to you, but a couple of those school are actually alright... and yes.. I'm a future US allopathic medical student. I think Carib schools in general have an unimpressive reputation because of the lack of quality control.... some schools are excellent while many are lackluster.

Alright? Maybe.

Less competitive? YES.

 

[-Goose-]

* American International School of Medicine (Guyana)
* University of Health Sciences (Antigua)
* American University of the Caribbean (St. Maarten)
* Central American Health Sciences University (Belize)
* Grace University School of Medicine (Belize)
* International University of the Health Sciences (St. Kitts)
* Medical University of the Americas (Nevis)
* Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica)
* Saba University School of Medicine (Saba)
* Spartan Health Sciences University (St. Lucia)
* University of Sint Eustasius Medical School (St. Eustasius)
* St. George's University School of Medicine (Grenada)
* St. James School of Medicine (Bonaire)
* St. Mary's School of Medicine (St. Lucia)
* Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine (Mexico)
* Universidad Iberoamericana (Santo Domingo)
* Windsor University School of Medicine (St. Kitts)
* St. Martinus (Curacao)
* Saint Theresa's Medical University (St. Kitts)

smart a$$.

 

[bigbassinbob]

Alright? Maybe.

Less competitive? YES.

Gimme a break, if you want a list of less competitive medical schools, every DO school would qualify. And I have absolutely nothing against osteopathic schools because I was accepted to and seriously considering attending a few of them - but they are the least competitive medical schools in the US. Here were my stats post-interview at medical schools when I applied: 100% acceptance rate at DO schools, 14% acceptance rate at MD schools. To the OP: since connections are apparently what make the world go 'round, and you've got plenty of them, I think you'll be ok.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Gimme a break, if you want a list of less competitive medical schools, every DO school would qualify. And I have absolutely nothing against osteopathic schools because I was accepted to and seriously considering attending a few of them - but they are the least competitive medical schools in the US. Here were my stats post-interview at medical schools when I applied: 100% acceptance rate at DO schools, 14% acceptance rate at MD schools. To the OP: since connections are apparently what make the world go 'round, and you've got plenty of them, I think you'll be ok.

No, some of the upper tier state-funded DO schools have stricter admissions policies than some of the lower tier MD schools.

 

[Scrub MD]

No, some of the upper tier state-funded DO schools have stricter admissions policies than some of the lower tier MD schools.

Which ones?

 

[OSUdoc08]

Which ones?

TCOM, for example.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

okay, just looking at my usnews thing, and tcom looks to be about on par if not slightly more competitive than easier to get into allopathic schools, including mercer, east carolina university, southern illinois university and michigan state. so, i guess it's fair to say that tcom (and even osu and umdnj-som) are on par with the easier state schools. for example, tcom has an average mcat of 8.9 and gpa of 3.54. siu has an average mcat of 8.7 and gpa of 3.54. osucom has an average mcat of 8.7 and gpa of 3.56. mercer is 8.4 and 3.58. ecu is 3.5 and 8.8.

i guess this supports one of my earlier arguments from that do you crack on your do thread. it would be ridiculous for an allopathic physician in a state with a relatively easy med school to get into to feel really superior to do's. in fact, a do from california likely has higher stats than an md from north dakota.

 

[bigbassinbob]

okay, just looking at my usnews thing, and tcom looks to be about on par if not slightly more competitive than easier to get into allopathic schools, including mercer, east carolina university, southern illinois university and michigan state. so, i guess it's fair to say that tcom (and even osu and umdnj-som) are on par with the easier state schools. for example, tcom has an average mcat of 8.9 and gpa of 3.54. siu has an average mcat of 8.7 and gpa of 3.54. osucom has an average mcat of 8.7 and gpa of 3.56. mercer is 8.4 and 3.58. ecu is 3.5 and 8.8.

i guess this supports one of my earlier arguments from that do you crack on your do thread. it would be ridiculous for an allopathic physician in a state with a relatively easy med school to get into to feel really superior to do's. in fact, a do from california likely has higher stats than an md from north dakota.

I still don't believe that it's harder to get into any particular DO school than some of those "lower-tier" med schools like ECU. I was an NC resident when I applied, and was rejected twice by ECU (no waitlist even), despite having #'s well above their averages (I was waitlisted by UNC). ECU's acceptance rate is actually lower than UNC's acceptance rate. The thing is, you have to be an URM or disadvantaged or be born in eastern NC to get into ECU, that's why their numbers are so low. Along with a class size of only 70 or so, they've also got the lowest in-state tuition rate in the country, making them pretty competetive for in-staters as well. It's actually extremely difficult to get into. I would imagine that most of the state "lower ranked" MD schools are exactly the same way. My point being that if you have high numbers, you have a very high chance of being accepted at an osteopathic school, but they don't guarantee anything at an MD school.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I still don't believe that it's harder to get into any particular DO school than some of those "lower-tier" med schools like ECU. I was an NC resident when I applied, and was rejected twice by ECU (no waitlist even), despite having #'s well above their averages (I was waitlisted by UNC). ECU's acceptance rate is actually lower than UNC's acceptance rate. The thing is, you have to be an URM or disadvantaged or be born in eastern NC to get into ECU, that's why their numbers are so low. Along with a class size of only 70 or so, they've also got the lowest in-state tuition rate in the country, making them pretty competetive for in-staters as well. It's actually extremely difficult to get into. I would imagine that most of the state "lower ranked" MD schools are exactly the same way. My point being that if you have high numbers, you have a very high chance of being accepted at an osteopathic school, but they don't guarantee anything at an MD school.

Is this from personal experience, or just because you decided this?

The upper tier state DO schools actually rejected people even with high stats.

 

[judgehopkins]

I find it trite and banal that every conversation about the quality of a medical school comes down to test scores and GPA.

TRITE

 

[OSUdoc08]

I find it trite and banal that every conversation about the quality of a medical school comes down to test scores and GPA.

TRITE

Agreed.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I still don't believe that it's harder to get into any particular DO school than some of those "lower-tier" med schools like ECU. I was an NC resident when I applied, and was rejected twice by ECU (no waitlist even), despite having #'s well above their averages (I was waitlisted by UNC). ECU's acceptance rate is actually lower than UNC's acceptance rate. The thing is, you have to be an URM or disadvantaged or be born in eastern NC to get into ECU, that's why their numbers are so low. Along with a class size of only 70 or so, they've also got the lowest in-state tuition rate in the country, making them pretty competetive for in-staters as well. It's actually extremely difficult to get into. I would imagine that most of the state "lower ranked" MD schools are exactly the same way. My point being that if you have high numbers, you have a very high chance of being accepted at an osteopathic school, but they don't guarantee anything at an MD school.

ecu seems easy to get into if you're from east north carolina, which really says nothing about your merits as an applicant. medical school admissions is about numbers, ec's, interviewing and very importantly where you live. life is easier for people from greenville, nc, north dakota, georgia, southern illinois, oklahoma, arkansas, texas, etc. in terms of admissions. so, again, having a us md doesn't necessarily mean that you were a superior applicant to a us do or even a us img. and, one can't say that every single do school is easier to gain admittance to than every single md school.

 

[MD Rapper]

x

 

[OSUdoc08]

It's funny how you agree to that statement, yet you felt the need to list all the caribbean schools in a derogatory manner at the beginning of this thread... with your underlying point being that caribbean schools all suck because they admit low gpa/low mcat students.

I simply responded to the OP's question about less competitive medical schools. This is not my opinion, but a fact that these schools are in less competitive.

My comment about GPA/MCAT had to do with the statements about some osteopathic medical schools not admitting people with good stats, since they look at other things as well.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

I find it trite and banal that every conversation about the quality of a medical school comes down to test scores and GPA.

TRITE

This is where some on this board are so full of it and so insulting. If you go survey the average student at Stanford or UCSF or any of the top east coast schools, you will find people who spent two years in the peace corps, spent a couple of years doing NIH research or managed to get a publication or two out of earlier research, managed a free clinic for a year, were US olympians, all kinds of amazing extracurricular activities. It is complete bogus BS when you guys claim that top schools look at nothing but numbers.

Some people seem to think that having worked for five years as a computer programmer or having children or whatever should somehow excuse crappy undergraduate grades or deficient MCAT performance, and it's really kind of annoying.

Top med schools are characterized by high academic credentials as well as stellar resumes. What exactly do you think makes for a great doctor? I think most people manage to knock up a woman or get knocked up somewhere along the way. Good for you, but it's not like this "whole person" thing somehow means your 3.4/25 MCAT should get you into med school.

 

[yellowcat322]

This is where some on this board are so full of it and so insulting. If you go survey the average student at Stanford or UCSF or any of the top east coast schools, you will find people who spent two years in the peace corps, spent a couple of years doing NIH research or managed to get a publication or two out of earlier research, managed a free clinic for a year, were US olympians, all kinds of amazing extracurricular activities. It is complete bogus BS when you guys claim that top schools look at nothing but numbers.

Some people seem to think that having worked for five years as a computer programmer or having children or whatever should somehow excuse crappy undergraduate grades or deficient MCAT performance, and it's really kind of annoying.

Top med schools are characterized by high academic credentials as well as stellar resumes. What exactly do you think makes for a great doctor? I think most people manage to knock up a woman or get knocked up somewhere along the way. Good for you, but it's not like this "whole person" thing somehow means your 3.4/25 MCAT should get you into med school.

wait a second, so are you saying that the OP trying to get into a med school is insulting to you? He isn't trying to get into Harvard med -- in fact, he specificaly asked for a list of NON-COMPETITIVE schools (although that is an oxymoron to a degree). Having worked after school and having received a secondary degree from Harvard might be mitigating factors here, don't ya think. Not everyone knows they want to be doctors at 18 when they're going though college.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

wait a second, so are you saying that the OP trying to get into a med school is insulting to you? He isn't trying to get into Harvard med -- in fact, he specificaly asked for a list of NON-COMPETITIVE schools (although that is an oxymoron to a degree). Having worked after school and having received a secondary degree from Harvard might be mitigating factors here, don't ya think. Not everyone knows they want to be doctors at 18 when they're going though college.

Not at all. I wasn't directing my post at the original poster at all. At the end of the day, if you finish a year of internship and pass the three Steps, you're a licensed doctor. At the same time, there are different levels of achievement. I just find it insulting that certain people imply or suggest that top med schools are filled with a bunch of narrow-achieving high-numbers students who have nothing else going for them and that, hence, "top" schools aren't really "top."

 

[yellowcat322]

Not at all. I wasn't directing my post at the original poster at all. At the end of the day, if you finish a year of internship and pass the three Steps, you're a licensed doctor. At the same time, there are different levels of achievement. I just find it insulting that certain people imply or suggest that top med schools are filled with a bunch of narrow-achieving high-numbers students who have nothing else going for them and that, hence, "top" schools aren't really "top."

Oh I see. Well yes I gotta agree with you there. A cousin of mine some years back was applying to med schools with a close to 4.0 GPA and 36 on his MCAT. He had no real ECs though, except for some short time volunteering experience. Anyways, he only aplied to the top ten schools, thinking that his grades would speak for themselves. I don't think he even got one interview. Ended up going for a PhD instead. Although, I still think that had he applied to some second tier schools he would've made it.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Not at all. I wasn't directing my post at the original poster at all. At the end of the day, if you finish a year of internship and pass the three Steps, you're a licensed doctor. At the same time, there are different levels of achievement. I just find it insulting that certain people imply or suggest that top med schools are filled with a bunch of narrow-achieving high-numbers students who have nothing else going for them and that, hence, "top" schools aren't really "top."

i'm curious where you're getting the notion that this thread is even about "top" medical schools, let alone dogging them for having a huge numbers focus. if they do, i don't know. we were discussing the not-so-top schools. i didn't see anybody here claiming that "top" medical schools are fully of boring non-whole people who just made phenomenal scores on their mcats.