Med lab tech

[Aspiringdoctor_56]

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Ik getting into medical school is much more competitive than getting into a Medical tech program but I feel like I already ruined my chances. I got a C in bio, chem lab, calc. I failed gen chem 1 so I'm gonna have to retake it and get a A but will any med tech program accept me with a C in lab? I love working in the lab but I just had a rough time adjusting to my first semester. If I get A's and B's from now with a 3.5 gpa, will I have a good chance of getting into a good med tech program? I would have a BS so if I did get denied bc of my grades, would the only option be to get an associates at a community college to be a med lab technician and then be a MT? Btw Ik MLT to mt is longer but I'm sure it's the only way to be a MT if I don't get accepted to a mt right away. I would appreciate if mt's or mlt's would share what they think got them in or how they boosted their app. Thank you

 

[swivelj]

Current med tech of ~5 years and incoming MS1.

My entering MLS class had the highest GPA at that time for an incoming class, not sure about now.

I had a 3.6 and I would guess most of us were around 3.5. I currently work with a former professor who handled most of the screening, so I will ask her for more details.

Try and keep your GPA above a 3.5, but obviously you wanna get near the 3.7ish range for medical school. Also, work on your typical pre-med ec's like volunteering and gaining clinical experience and you will be fine.

I had to write a couple of essays, so make sure you actually understand what a med tech does and how it aligns with your academic/personal interests.

I think I got in because I did well in the pre-reqs for the program, good letters of rec, and had a little clinical experience. At least at my school, we didn't have any interviews, so I would assume that your performance in the required coursework will be the most important factor.

Good luck!

 

[Petrichor1]

if your goal is medical school with the MT as a backup, I don't think you should apply to this program as an already struggling student. The reason I say this is this program and many others like it can tend to require self-disciple, time-management, and perseverance. You will at times have to juggle a lot of exams like you did in high school in one week and unlike a regular undergraduate major, you won't have the time to space things out; the classes will be preselected for you and despite faculty knowing your classes, they will still drill you even harder. Programs like these tend to not even care about premeds, rather their goal is precisely to base their grades on raw scores...so no curves and no freebies. I would strongly suggest that you sit in on their exam days or regular classes and see what the students go through and objectively view it before saying you want to apply. Regardless of your gpa I am sure you will rethink this major as "a fit" because your gpa may most likely just continue to tank.

 

[Aspiringdoctor_56]

Current med tech of ~5 years and incoming MS1.

My entering MLS class had the highest GPA at that time for an incoming class, not sure about now.

I had a 3.6 and I would guess most of us were around 3.5. I currently work with a former professor who handled most of the screening, so I will ask her for more details.

Try and keep your GPA above a 3.5, but obviously you wanna get near the 3.7ish range for medical school. Also, work on your typical pre-med ec's like volunteering and gaining clinical experience and you will be fine.

I had to write a couple of essays, so make sure you actually understand what a med tech does and how it aligns with your academic/personal interests.

I think I got in because I did well in the pre-reqs for the program, good letters of rec, and had a little clinical experience. At least at my school, we didn't have any interviews, so I would assume that your performance in the required coursework will be the most important factor.

Good luck!

Thanks! Would an upward trend be highly favored? If I don't get in as a med technologist, I could get an associates at a community college and then work a couple years as a MLT to be a mt right?

 

[swivelj]

Depends on what you mean. If you do well in tough classes like animal phys, bio chem, o-chem after starting off rocky then... Yeah I think it would help. But like is said earlier try to stay above a 3.5 and you should be fine.

As far as MLT to MLS-- I'm not sure exactly how this works, but you can definitely do this. I wouldn't suggest this path, because of the lost time, money.... If you wanna do this, just keep your grades up and go MLS, don't set the bar lower.

Edit: thought I should clarify, going MLT is not a lower pursuit in life or any of that jazz. What I mean is if YOUR goal is MLS then go for it!

 

[Aspiringdoctor_56]

Depends on what you mean. If you do well in tough classes like animal phys, bio chem, o-chem after starting off rocky then... Yeah I think it would help. But like is said earlier try to stay above a 3.5 and you should be fine.

As far as MLT to MLS-- I'm not sure exactly how this works, but you can definitely do this. I wouldn't suggest this path, because of the lost time, money.... If you wanna do this, just keep your grades up and go MLS, don't set the bar lower.

Edit: thought I should clarify, going MLT is not a lower pursuit in life or any of that jazz. What I mean is if YOUR goal is MLS then go for it!

Well my goal is MLS but I'm just saying MLT in case I don't get in bc of my gpa (which I expect lol) Just setting up a back up plan instead of getting crushed if I set my expectations higher that's all