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If you're an applicant, this time last year I was sitting in your shoes. Not only did my undergraduate institution not supply me with a letter of recommendation from the health advisor, I was applying with a below average MCAT. In addition, for various reasons, many courses were completed at a community college. In full disclosure, my MCAT was a 28 and my GPA was ~3.9. The reason why I am writing this post, is to help ease the fears of many applicants and debunk some of the common myths encountered on SDN. Out of fear of rejection (most of which originated from SDN), I applied to many schools--30 to be exact. This included both Osteopathic and Allopathic programs.
1. My MCAT was 28 and it was never brought up as an issue during any interview. I was prepared to answer questions, and in some instances, I brought it up myself. I was reassured that most programs use a holistic approach in reviewing their applicants.
2. Many courses were completed at a community college. This was done for financial reasons, but again, this rarely came up in an interview. One interviewer asked me about the rigor of these courses and I explained that they were comparable to the science courses I completed at a four-year university. It wasn't an issue in any other interview.
3. My GPA was very good--in both science and non-science courses. Understanding my MCAT was below average, this certainly helped my application. Do everything you can to control the strength of your application. Your GPA shows your long-term performance. The MCAT reflects performance on one day. If you perform poorly on that day, it's always good to have strength elsewhere.
4. I had very little research experience. If you're not completing formal research at a university, get involved at a hospital, medical school, or other program. Go out looking for it. Even if you're not named first in a paper, you'll be fine. It definitely strengthens your application, so try to find some sort of experience, no matter how formal or informal it is.
5. SHADOW, SHADOW, SHADOW! Some programs won't even consider you without some shadowing experience. Even if it's only 50 hours, it shows that you're interested in medicine. It's also a cool opportunity to check out some cool areas in medicine and pick the brain of a few docs!
6. Volunteer if you can find the time. Maybe it was the programs that I applied to, but they emphasized that they wanted compassionate individuals. It doesn't necessarily have to be in medicine. They want to see that you actually care about PEOPLE. There also good at picking out BS, so make sure you're actually doing something verifiable and something you're interested in--you'll likely be asked about it later.
7. Relax and have fun! I know it's easier to say this after I've been accepted--it's true. But I am giving you perspective from someone who experienced the stress of applying and has the convenience of hindsight. Not only is it healthy, but it will help you out during your application.
7a. Adcoms want to see that you're a person. This means that interesting hobbies, sports, and random
facts about you make you an attractive candidate.
8. Apply to schools that match your statistics. In other words, be reasonable. It's an expensive process.
9. I'm a non-traditional student. The admissions committees often seek a mixture of traditional and nontraditional students. So don't worry if you're one or the other--use it to your advantage.
Of the thirty schools from which I applied, I received an interview at more than half of them. I attended 15 interviews and was subsequently accepted by more than 10 schools. And so the point of this long post is this: Apply smart, apply broadly, and have confidence in yourself. The path to medical school can be stressful, but you have more control over your destiny than you might think!
During orientation, our class was told that the admissions committee had the ability to fill the seats of the class three times over with perfect scores. Many of us didn't have perfect scores. Instead, the admissions committee selected candidates that they felt were a good fit for the school and, equally important, a good fit for the future of medicine.
I hope this helps relieve the stress for some of you. Best of luck to you in your journey!
Sincerely,
Your future colleague
1. My MCAT was 28 and it was never brought up as an issue during any interview. I was prepared to answer questions, and in some instances, I brought it up myself. I was reassured that most programs use a holistic approach in reviewing their applicants.
2. Many courses were completed at a community college. This was done for financial reasons, but again, this rarely came up in an interview. One interviewer asked me about the rigor of these courses and I explained that they were comparable to the science courses I completed at a four-year university. It wasn't an issue in any other interview.
3. My GPA was very good--in both science and non-science courses. Understanding my MCAT was below average, this certainly helped my application. Do everything you can to control the strength of your application. Your GPA shows your long-term performance. The MCAT reflects performance on one day. If you perform poorly on that day, it's always good to have strength elsewhere.
4. I had very little research experience. If you're not completing formal research at a university, get involved at a hospital, medical school, or other program. Go out looking for it. Even if you're not named first in a paper, you'll be fine. It definitely strengthens your application, so try to find some sort of experience, no matter how formal or informal it is.
5. SHADOW, SHADOW, SHADOW! Some programs won't even consider you without some shadowing experience. Even if it's only 50 hours, it shows that you're interested in medicine. It's also a cool opportunity to check out some cool areas in medicine and pick the brain of a few docs!
6. Volunteer if you can find the time. Maybe it was the programs that I applied to, but they emphasized that they wanted compassionate individuals. It doesn't necessarily have to be in medicine. They want to see that you actually care about PEOPLE. There also good at picking out BS, so make sure you're actually doing something verifiable and something you're interested in--you'll likely be asked about it later.
7. Relax and have fun! I know it's easier to say this after I've been accepted--it's true. But I am giving you perspective from someone who experienced the stress of applying and has the convenience of hindsight. Not only is it healthy, but it will help you out during your application.
7a. Adcoms want to see that you're a person. This means that interesting hobbies, sports, and random
facts about you make you an attractive candidate.
8. Apply to schools that match your statistics. In other words, be reasonable. It's an expensive process.
9. I'm a non-traditional student. The admissions committees often seek a mixture of traditional and nontraditional students. So don't worry if you're one or the other--use it to your advantage.
Of the thirty schools from which I applied, I received an interview at more than half of them. I attended 15 interviews and was subsequently accepted by more than 10 schools. And so the point of this long post is this: Apply smart, apply broadly, and have confidence in yourself. The path to medical school can be stressful, but you have more control over your destiny than you might think!
During orientation, our class was told that the admissions committee had the ability to fill the seats of the class three times over with perfect scores. Many of us didn't have perfect scores. Instead, the admissions committee selected candidates that they felt were a good fit for the school and, equally important, a good fit for the future of medicine.
I hope this helps relieve the stress for some of you. Best of luck to you in your journey!
Sincerely,
Your future colleague
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