Need Advice June 8 deadline

[buffywannabe]

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I will be a third time applicant next year and I have two options of what to do in August. I can start at the masters in micro at tulane. they boast that 90% of thier med school wannabes get into a school the year they are in school. sounds pretty impressive. it is 20,000 plus room and board.

Otherwise I can stay at my job in a neurobiology laboratory. My boss is the chair of anesthesiology and kind of in with the admissions committee at the school I would most like to attend. It told him that I would stay 18 months, so if i left that might mess up my chances at that school.

But I need to look at the big picture, I haven't gotten into any medical schools in the last 2 application cycles, so if screwing my chances at one school will get me a better app at the rest, I probably should go for it.

The schools I got rejected from said my essay sucked and i needed more clinical stuff. I have rewritten my essay and have been volunteering in an ER and shadowing doctors. I have a 34N 3.72

What should I do??????

 

[Krisss17]

Wow, that s a tough one. to be honest, because you told your boss that you will be with him for the 18 months, I think that will speak well of your commitment and reliability. Also, are you getting (or have you gotten) a LOR from your boss? I would hate for that to come and bite you in the tush. What are you feelings about this particular med school that your boss has an in? Is it someplace that you would really like to go? Also, think about the fact that you won't be another 40 grand in debt. Do you want to study microbiology, or is this just so you can get into a med school If you aren't enthused about it, grades could suffer.

In regard to your essay, is that your PS you are talking about? Did you have someone view it before you submitted it? I know that when I wrote my original PS, it too sucked. I got some real good advice, and so far I've been getting some real good reviews.

Hope everything works out for you!

 

[MSmentor018]

I will be a third time applicant next year and I have two options of what to do in August. I can start at the masters in micro at tulane. they boast that 90% of thier med school wannabes get into a school the year they are in school. sounds pretty impressive. it is 20,000 plus room and board.

Otherwise I can stay at my job in a neurobiology laboratory. My boss is the chair of anesthesiology and kind of in with the admissions committee at the school I would most like to attend. It told him that I would stay 18 months, so if i left that might mess up my chances at that school.

But I need to look at the big picture, I haven't gotten into any medical schools in the last 2 application cycles, so if screwing my chances at one school will get me a better app at the rest, I probably should go for it.

The schools I got rejected from said my essay sucked and i needed more clinical stuff. I have rewritten my essay and have been volunteering in an ER and shadowing doctors. I have a 34N 3.72

What should I do??????

how many schools did you apply to? your mcat/gpa is great! you should be able to at least get interviews, if not acceptances somewhere. I wouldn't do the masters program, that'll be a few years your burning. plus it won't look good if you try again next year and end up dropping your masters for med school. I wouldn't rely on your boss too much....it's nice to have some big shots in your corner but it may/may not help. did he help you this year?

just looking at your stats, it's solid. you may not get in where you want, but you will somewhere. there are PLENTY of people in school with lower stats. concentrate on essay and interview skills? bad background? have you applied to DO also? there's gotta be something holding you back.....

 

[buffywannabe]

Thanks guys I rejected the masters degree.

 

[dragonfly99]

buffy...
you need to go to a hospital, accumulate volunteer hours if you don't have any/enough.
Also, have a lot of people read your personal statement.
Having a LOR from a big shot like your boss can help, but isn't necessarily your ticket into med school unless he wants to help you. It seems that with your 34 MCAT and 3.7+ GPA he could have helped you get in last year...some folks are just more helpful than others. Some just write better letters than others. I think if you don't have an LOR from him, then get one in the next few months.

Tell us more about your application. Have you got clinical volunteer hours? What did you do in college for extracurriculars?

Definitely apply early this year, and apply to a lot of schools (like 20+). You should be able to get in somewhere. How many schools did you apply to last year, and where/which ones?

 

[buffywannabe]

I have a mdapps now that answers a lot of those questions.

I just started working at this job in march, so I haven't asked him for a letter yet, because I feel that I haven't really made a significant contribution yet. he told me it would take 6 months to get my footing (electroneurophysiology) so I am not behind or anything, but I haven't been amazing either.

I am pretty sure my last PI got me an interview. I visited him and he was shocked that I had not recieved one, when I got home that day and checked my email I had been offered an interview. It could be a coincidence, but I don't really believe that. So I am under the impression that PI's can be pretty powerful, especially if they are chair and have lots of ties to the med school, which both of mine were.

http://mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=17596

Thanks for the advice!