Lost After 4 years of UG

[Machiavelli25]

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I was hoping some one would be kind enough to give me some advice.

I am finishing my Hon. B.Sc. and after getting rejected from the med schools that I applied to, I am wondering wheter to stay for a 5th year of undergraduate classes or do a M.Sc. or even a Ph.D. before applying again. My plan is to not only get my MD but also become an active clinical researcher.
My MCAT score was a 29Q (VR8, PS10, BS11), and my GPA at the end of these four years will be around a 3.2. Also I am a Canadian studnet.
I was wondering if any one has been in a similar situation and has been able to make it into a medschool. Also would it be better to do a fifth UG year or a graduate degree, or should try my luck in a Carrabian med school???

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate the advice.

 

[alibubble]

I was hoping some one would be kind enough to give me some advice.

I am finishing my Hon. B.Sc. and after getting rejected from the med schools that I applied to, I am wondering wheter to stay for a 5th year of undergraduate classes or do a M.Sc. or even a Ph.D. before applying again. My plan is to not only get my MD but also become an active clinical researcher.
My MCAT score was a 29Q (VR8, PS10, BS11), and my GPA at the end of these four years will be around a 3.2. Also I am a Canadian studnet.
I was wondering if any one has been in a similar situation and has been able to make it into a medschool. Also would it be better to do a fifth UG year or a graduate degree, or should try my luck in a Carrabian med school???

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate the advice.

You should try to research all your options as much as possible and make an informed decision when you feel ready. In addition to talking to people on medschool forums, which does help a bit, try contacting the schools. Find out why you were rejected-- I am guessing it's your GPA mostly. I don't know about Canadian schools and if they are any different from US allopathic programs, but in my experience, an improved graduate GPA does not completely undo a poor undergraduate GPA. Admissions committees will look at both and combine them in some way (possibly giving more weight to the more recent graduate grades, or possibly averaging them). So, the short answer here is: make up the premed courses if the grades are not stellar, but don't bother retaking other courses that are not part of the premed prerequisites. You can do this as part of your undergrad, or you can do a post-bacc.

If you are planning on pursuing your own research, you will need a PhD at some point. There are combined MD/PhD programs out there that will save you a little time, but they are really competitive. Also, if you plan to go directly into research, you will want to get into a prestigious school so you should really think carefully about foreign medschools (depends on where you want to practice/do research as well). The name of the medical school usually doesn't make a difference in clinical medicine since it's the reputation of the residency that really counts. For research, however, the reputation of the medical school is important. So, you might consider retaking the MCAT. A 29 is a great score, but in order to secure a spot in a more competitive school or program, you'll want to have something in the mid 30's. This is not absolute-- there are people that get into these schools with less. You want to eliminate as many "red-flags" as possible on your application, though, and as I mentioned, poor undergraduate grades do not fall off the radar.

There are tons of sources out there. Don't make this decision too hastily because the consideration you put into the list of schools to which you apply is just as important as the effort you put into improving your application. It might be worthwhile to look into osteopathic (DO) programs as well. Canada has granted full licensing rights to DOs as have other countries and there are plenty of DOs working alongside MDs in both clinical and research settings. Hope this helps.

 

[Machiavelli25]

just some additional info

I have been working in a lab for about a year and a half and already have one publication and another one on the way.
I also applied to American med schools pretty late, around end of mid-Oct.

I was wondering if anyone knows if I stand a chance if I apply earlier, or do I need a graduate degree first.

I really appreciate everyone's comments ... thanks all these forums are great with lots of info.

 

[fourthyear]

It's all a numbers game - increase your odds - apply as early as possible to tons of programs. Your stats are decent - I suspect the only reason you didn't get in the first time was not applying to enough places and/or not early enough.

 

[DORoe]

I was hoping some one would be kind enough to give me some advice.

I am finishing my Hon. B.Sc. and after getting rejected from the med schools that I applied to, I am wondering wheter to stay for a 5th year of undergraduate classes or do a M.Sc. or even a Ph.D. before applying again. My plan is to not only get my MD but also become an active clinical researcher.
My MCAT score was a 29Q (VR8, PS10, BS11), and my GPA at the end of these four years will be around a 3.2. Also I am a Canadian studnet.
I was wondering if any one has been in a similar situation and has been able to make it into a medschool. Also would it be better to do a fifth UG year or a graduate degree, or should try my luck in a Carrabian med school???

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate the advice.

Have you investigated DO/PhD programs. It seems like it might be a good fit based on your desire is to do research and current stats. There are a number of DO schools that have these programs.

 

[Minerva25]

How far did you get in the process? If you got interviews, then getting more degrees or doing more research isn't necessarily going to help. I applied for three years - kept getting interviews, but not making it in. I decided I was too generic, so I joined a volunteer corps and moved to Alaska. After that, I got in almost every where. If you are getting interviews, then you just need that 'hook.' Something that makes you stand out.

If you're not getting interviews, then work on your GPA or MCAT scores. It is the numbers that get you in the door, the rest is up to you.

Regardless, do something that you enjoy. Happy people make better students, and I think that shows at interviews as well. Good luck!