- Joined
- Jul 5, 2003
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello everyone, I'm really hoping that my situation is unique b/c I'd hate it if it'd happened to anyone else. Basically USF is starting a new medical sciences program this year similar to some other one year programs where you take med school courses, etc. and I applied to it back in March before the deadline. I was told the selections would be made in mid April, and sure enough I received an email around 4/20 telling me I had been accepted and once graduate affairs gave final approval I would receive official notification. There was nothing in the language of the email to suggest that I was anything other than accepted pending a formality with the application, so I preceeded to go to Tampa and sign a lease and do all the things you would normally do in preparation for school, things I don't think are unreasonable considering school starts in June.
A couple weeks had passed since then and I still hadn't received any further info about the program so I made some calls and was told that my MCAT scores had not been verified, so I had them faxed in and then promptly received another email, from the same people who had accepted me before, this time telling me my application was denied. This is obviously extremely upsetting since I was already in the program or so I thought. It reflects poorly upon the program's organization and its taught me to be weary of new programs starting up. All I've been able to get out of anyone is that I could have been accepted but later denied due to the program "refining its focus" whatever that means. I'm trying frantically to call the administrators and set up a meeting or something to discuss it, and I've consulted an attorney about potential action so I'm hoping things can work out, but my most pressing concern right now is what action I should take for the next year in the event that I can't enter the formal program this year...I've signed a lease and don't want to go thru the hassle of trying to get out of it when I'm scheduled to move in 3 weeks from tomorrow. I live in Jax, and I question whether UNF would have the number of opportunities available to me as USF would have, so my potential strategy is this. I'm retaking the August MCAT in hopes of scoring above 30, but my bpcm is right at 3.0, so I think it might be good to spend the next year as a non degree seeking student at USF taking upper level science courses to hopefully raise the science gpa up by a couple tenths of a point. I would also like to potentially get involved with some research since I didn't do any as an undergrad. Hopefully after a year my numbers would be much better and I could either decide to directly apply to med schools or enter the med. masters at USF or another program and go from there. The only drawback to this is I'm not sure if I can get financial aid as a non degree seeking student and I would have no other way to pay otherwise. What do you all think? Any suggestions? I was also considering talking to the admissions director at USF's med school to see what his opinions were. I've talked to him before and he was really helpful. I'm really upset about everythign that's happened in the past couple days with this, but I'm also trying to look on the bright side and see what I can do to improve myself. Thanks everyone!
A couple weeks had passed since then and I still hadn't received any further info about the program so I made some calls and was told that my MCAT scores had not been verified, so I had them faxed in and then promptly received another email, from the same people who had accepted me before, this time telling me my application was denied. This is obviously extremely upsetting since I was already in the program or so I thought. It reflects poorly upon the program's organization and its taught me to be weary of new programs starting up. All I've been able to get out of anyone is that I could have been accepted but later denied due to the program "refining its focus" whatever that means. I'm trying frantically to call the administrators and set up a meeting or something to discuss it, and I've consulted an attorney about potential action so I'm hoping things can work out, but my most pressing concern right now is what action I should take for the next year in the event that I can't enter the formal program this year...I've signed a lease and don't want to go thru the hassle of trying to get out of it when I'm scheduled to move in 3 weeks from tomorrow. I live in Jax, and I question whether UNF would have the number of opportunities available to me as USF would have, so my potential strategy is this. I'm retaking the August MCAT in hopes of scoring above 30, but my bpcm is right at 3.0, so I think it might be good to spend the next year as a non degree seeking student at USF taking upper level science courses to hopefully raise the science gpa up by a couple tenths of a point. I would also like to potentially get involved with some research since I didn't do any as an undergrad. Hopefully after a year my numbers would be much better and I could either decide to directly apply to med schools or enter the med. masters at USF or another program and go from there. The only drawback to this is I'm not sure if I can get financial aid as a non degree seeking student and I would have no other way to pay otherwise. What do you all think? Any suggestions? I was also considering talking to the admissions director at USF's med school to see what his opinions were. I've talked to him before and he was really helpful. I'm really upset about everythign that's happened in the past couple days with this, but I'm also trying to look on the bright side and see what I can do to improve myself. Thanks everyone!
. 
