My chances of getting into medical school

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

DoctorPardi

In Memory of Riley Jane
Moderator Emeritus
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Messages
3,637
Reaction score
4
I am currently a junior biology major at the university of montevallo in Alabama. I decided late to become a biology major and even later to become a doctor so I am behind most juniors. Here is my information I think would be important for medical schools:

1)GPA- 3.7
2)Research - I plan to graduate with around 20 hours and likely a published paper in at least an undergrad research journal
3)Experience- I work in the OR of Healthsouth Medical Center. Also I work in the lab of another hospital
4)Volunteer- Every tuesday or thursday I volunteer in an orthapedic surgeon's office and have been doing this for over a year now. I plan to continue this until graduation

Here are my concerns with my "profile":
1) MCAT- I have no idea what I will make on it. I did bad on the ACT in high school, and I don't know if that is because I didn't care, didn't study and only took it once or not?
2) I made one D- I made a D in philosophy my first semester of college and since have yet to make a single C or another D. I have made all A's in math/science classes to this point. Also I have retaken the philosophy class and made an A.
3) Volunteer- I "volunteer" in the above mentionted doctor's office but it isn't like I am feeding the poor or anything, will this hurt me? Should I consider doing other volunteer work?

Finally, I am really interested in going to an out of state (out of alabama) medical school. If only given the option to go to UAB or University of South Alabama's medical schools I will. However, I would like to move out of Alabama, see the country more and possibly move to a bigger city type scene like Boston or New York etc.

I appreciate any advice anyone may have on what my chances at getting into medical school are, and what I can do to improve my oppurtunities. Also note I plan on getting a minor in chemistry and possibly a minor in philosophy. Will these help me or are they insignificant?

Members don't see this ad.
 
DoctorPardi said:
I am currently a junior biology major at the university of montevallo in Alabama. I decided late to become a biology major and even later to become a doctor so I am behind most juniors. Here is my information I think would be important for medical schools:

1)GPA- 3.7
2)Research - I plan to graduate with around 20 hours and likely a published paper in at least an undergrad research journal
3)Experience- I work in the OR of Healthsouth Medical Center. Also I work in the lab of another hospital
4)Volunteer- Every tuesday or thursday I volunteer in an orthapedic surgeon's office and have been doing this for over a year now. I plan to continue this until graduation

Here are my concerns with my "profile":
1) MCAT- I have no idea what I will make on it. I did bad on the ACT in high school, and I don't know if that is because I didn't care, didn't study and only took it once or not?
2) I made one D- I made a D in philosophy my first semester of college and since have yet to make a single C or another D. I have made all A's in math/science classes to this point. Also I have retaken the philosophy class and made an A.
3) Volunteer- I "volunteer" in the above mentionted doctor's office but it isn't like I am feeding the poor or anything, will this hurt me? Should I consider doing other volunteer work?

Finally, I am really interested in going to an out of state (out of alabama) medical school. If only given the option to go to UAB or University of South Alabama's medical schools I will. However, I would like to move out of Alabama, see the country more and possibly move to a bigger city type scene like Boston or New York etc.

I appreciate any advice anyone may have on what my chances at getting into medical school are, and what I can do to improve my oppurtunities. Also note I plan on getting a minor in chemistry and possibly a minor in philosophy. Will these help me or are they insignificant?

As long as your MCAT score is at least in the national avg (27-28 or so), you should be good to go, unless for some reason they dont like your essay or interviews or something like that.
 
DoctorPardi said:
I am currently a junior biology major at the university of montevallo in Alabama. I decided late to become a biology major and even later to become a doctor so I am behind most juniors. Here is my information I think would be important for medical schools:

1)GPA- 3.7
2)Research - I plan to graduate with around 20 hours and likely a published paper in at least an undergrad research journal
3)Experience- I work in the OR of Healthsouth Medical Center. Also I work in the lab of another hospital
4)Volunteer- Every tuesday or thursday I volunteer in an orthapedic surgeon's office and have been doing this for over a year now. I plan to continue this until graduation

Here are my concerns with my "profile":
1) MCAT- I have no idea what I will make on it. I did bad on the ACT in high school, and I don't know if that is because I didn't care, didn't study and only took it once or not?
2) I made one D- I made a D in philosophy my first semester of college and since have yet to make a single C or another D. I have made all A's in math/science classes to this point. Also I have retaken the philosophy class and made an A.
3) Volunteer- I "volunteer" in the above mentionted doctor's office but it isn't like I am feeding the poor or anything, will this hurt me? Should I consider doing other volunteer work?

Finally, I am really interested in going to an out of state (out of alabama) medical school. If only given the option to go to UAB or University of South Alabama's medical schools I will. However, I would like to move out of Alabama, see the country more and possibly move to a bigger city type scene like Boston or New York etc.

I appreciate any advice anyone may have on what my chances at getting into medical school are, and what I can do to improve my oppurtunities. Also note I plan on getting a minor in chemistry and possibly a minor in philosophy. Will these help me or are they insignificant?

Don't worry about your low ACT score predicting your mcat score... I bombed (and I mean BOMBED) the SAT's and ended up doing fine on the mcats. Your GPA is strong, and the D in philosophy in your freshman year shouldn't hurt you since it was a long time ago and clearly you have cleaned up your act.

So assuming you do well on the mcat, you look pretty much like all the other med school applicants-- numbers are there, research, volunteering, blah, blah, blah. The problem is when you apply schools are looking at literally thousands of applicants whose primary looks just like yours. What are you into? What turns you on? Do you like sports, reading, clubbing baby seals (if clubbing baby seals is your hobby, I'd leave this off your amcas app)?

I guess I only kinda answered your question. Your application thus far looks good, but make sure you take the time to do the things that you love, too. In my experience med schools tend to favor the applicants who are well rounded individuals with outside interests.

About the minors.... do them if you like to, but forget about them if it's just to buff up your application. I didn't even have a declared minor, and I still got in. Also, reconsider your state schools. Learn to appreciate them because they're cheap and you'll get basically the same education there as you would anywhere else. Big cities are expensive, stay in state if you can.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
silas2642 said:
Don't worry about your low ACT score predicting your mcat score... I bombed (and I mean BOMBED) the SAT's and ended up doing fine on the mcats. Your GPA is strong, and the D in philosophy in your freshman year shouldn't hurt you since it was a long time ago and clearly you have cleaned up your act.

So assuming you do well on the mcat, you look pretty much like all the other med school applicants-- numbers are there, research, volunteering, blah, blah, blah. The problem is when you apply schools are looking at literally thousands of applicants whose primary looks just like yours. What are you into? What turns you on? Do you like sports, reading, clubbing baby seals (if clubbing baby seals is your hobby, I'd leave this off your amcas app)?

I guess I only kinda answered your question. Your application thus far looks good, but make sure you take the time to do the things that you love, too. In my experience med schools tend to favor the applicants who are well rounded individuals with outside interests.

I love tennis and play it at pretty much any oppurtunity. I don't know, I am pretty busy, I work so much so I don't get much time to explore other hobbies. I considered being a music minor to broaden my profile a bit, but at my school (liberal arts!!) it is a 6 semester minor with about a million performance hours. So that was out, but I think I might give getting my philosophy minor a real shot.
 
what happened the first time around with that philosophy class?

oh yeah, like the above poster said, you need to take the mcats. its impossible to say what your chances are without knowing them. if you get the national mean, 24, you may have a lot of trouble, but your grades are great.
 
published paper in at least an undergrad research journal

Haha, an "undergrad" research journal? ;) But you have 20 hours (I'm assuming 20 credit hrs) of research so that's very good. I think it all depends on your MCAT. Get a 30+ and you're safe... for in-state at LEAST. And yea, your ACT score won't predict your MCAT score. I scored 1360 on the SAT and scored pretty high on the MCAT so don't sweat it. Give all you got on the MCAT.

As far as that one D goes, they might ask you during the interview but I don't think it's a make or break thing. As far as volunteering goes, do what your heart tells you (yes it sounds corny as hell) but don't just go out and volunteer because you're extremely worried about your app. Go do it because you want to experience/learn something. It'll be more rewarding.
 
Will Ferrell said:
what happened the first time around with that philosophy class?

oh yeah, like the above poster said, you need to take the mcats. its impossible to say what your chances are without knowing them. if you get the national mean, 24, you may have a lot of trouble, but your grades are great.

Basically I was in college for no reason, I had no purpose and I didn't really care. I didn't do homework, I didn't study, I barely showed up for classes. Then I got a job at a hospital thanks to my step-mom being a nurse and everything changed. I saw what good could be done and how people's live could be changed and through this how happy I was working in this setting.

So I started volunteering during clinic at this surgeon's office and everytime I leave that office I am the happiest I will be all week. It is amazing how uplifting it is seeing people with new hips or comming off positive surgery. So I suppose before I had no motivation and no drive, and now I have a ton of motivation and to my own surprise possibly the academic abilities to make it in the field. (High school GPA was about a 2.8)
 
Here, let me whip out my crystal ball and tell you. This is a crap shoot. All of us are trying to get in, if we knew we'd get in, none of us will be rejected. And because you got that A in philosophy lets try a game

SDN-ers are not admissions officers of psychics
only admissions officers and psychics know if you will get into a medical school
Therefore SDN-ers _________________

Very good. nobody knows. And as for the comment that you need to get an MCAT around the nat'l average of 28, thats complete BS. I have a 3.9 sci gpa, an over all 3.8 and a 28 and i only got one interview. my PS rocked (i edit them for a living) I had 4 years of research and volunteering. i never fed the poor.

You already know you're a good candidate to apply, so just apply!!! Asking us to tell you the future is just putting off asking admissions candidates for the truth. and plenty of fantastic people get turned down every year. so you just apply again. You are more than your grades, you're your mcat score *grin* or so it seems. but you just need to try and cross your fingers and you'll be fine. you must already know that asking us to tell you what your chances are means nothing to your actual chances. we know as little as you do about why we're being picked, interviewed, waitlisted or accepted. Its easy to say "oh they accepted me because of such and such and you have it too" but no one really knows, except the admissions officers, and they vary from school to school

So don't waste your time asking us to scrye in a pot of black water. Work on your AMCAS essay
 
FictionalGirl said:
Here, let me whip out my crystal ball and tell you. This is a crap shoot. All of us are trying to get in, if we knew we'd get in, none of us will be rejected. And because you got that A in philosophy lets try a game

SDN-ers are not admissions officers of psychics
only admissions officers and psychics know if you will get into a medical school
Therefore SDN-ers _________________

Very good. nobody knows. And as for the comment that you need to get an MCAT around the nat'l average of 28, thats complete BS. I have a 3.9 sci gpa, an over all 3.8 and a 28 and i only got one interview. my PS rocked (i edit them for a living) I had 4 years of research and volunteering. i never fed the poor.

You already know you're a good candidate to apply, so just apply!!! Asking us to tell you the future is just putting off asking admissions candidates for the truth. and plenty of fantastic people get turned down every year. so you just apply again. You are more than your grades, you're your mcat score *grin* or so it seems. but you just need to try and cross your fingers and you'll be fine. you must already know that asking us to tell you what your chances are means nothing to your actual chances. we know as little as you do about why we're being picked, interviewed, waitlisted or accepted. Its easy to say "oh they accepted me because of such and such and you have it too" but no one really knows, except the admissions officers, and they vary from school to school

So don't waste your time asking us to scrye in a pot of black water. Work on your AMCAS essay

Well as I said in the OP I am a junior that is behind most other juniors in my major. So I will not be graduating until fall 07, maybe even wait until spring 08 since I wont be doing anything else and I can pad my gpa another semester.

The reason I am asking is just to make sure I have all my bases covered, I don't want to be sitting here a year from now thinking, wow I should have done X. Everyone else did X and I didn't even know about it. I realize how difficult it is to get in so I just want to make sure I do everything I possibly can to improve my application. While I am still a little time away from writing my personal statement and getting letters of reccommendation.
 
its it me or does the OP have a very competitive application? He has an above average GPA, nice clincal and research experience and will possibly be published. If his only hope of geting into medical school is getting a 30+ on the MCATs, what kind of chance is there for the rest of us without such a resume?
 
You have a chance.

(disclaimer. I only read the title of your thread.)
 
Top