Need advice!

[Chronic Student]

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I was hoping to get some feedback on what you all think my chances are and advice on the best way to handle the negative aspects of my application.

Part of this has been posted elsewhere as part of another thread. However, It got buried.

As it stands now, I have these things in my favor:

1. I will be a PA (6 months till graduation) and will have a fair amount of clinical experience by the time that interviews roll around (a hopeful assumption on my part).
2. I was a Medical Technologist for several years (this is a BS in laboratory science that required clinical chemistry, hematology, coag, mycology, parasitology, immunology, immunohematology, molecular biology, etc, etc).
3. I was a surgical technologist for six or seven years.
4. I am an EMT-B. (Yeah, I know, I can give O2 and drive like hell. Seriously though I've learned a lot doing it).
5. I have a decent GPA (3.55 with lots of hours, especially in the sciences).
6. I was fortunate enough to do some fairly minor research at a time when it happened to be an important topic. I was able to get it published and my boss graciously allowed me to be first author.
7. I generally interview pretty well, as long as I keep my feet out of my mouth.

All this will, most likely, be balanced by less than stellar MCAT scores, as I have a lot of obstacles in that direction:

I'm in the middle of my clinical rotations and don't have very much time to study.

I have not yet taken physics or organic II and am many years removed (not a decade yet, but close) from my genchem, organic I and biochem classes.

In addition, I am 33 already.

I am not a male model (read short and overweight).

I happen to be a high school droput.

I generally don't do well on standardized tests.

Yes, I can see the look on your face.

You don't do well on standardized tests, eh.

Well thank god you've only got the MCAT, steps 1,2 and 3 and countless other tests to go through if you want to be an MD.

Any advice would be much appreciated

-Mike

 

[67192]

Hey Mike,

First of all, you have a really solid application, so you don't need a really high MCAT score. Just a decent score.

So, I'm assuming you have not yet taken the MCAT. Have you taken any practice MCAT's yet? My advice is to take one of those and see how you do. From there, you can make a plan. If your practice tests are decent (not a decent MCAT score, but decent for not yet having studied), then just study what you are shaky in and proceed from there. If the test is completely overwhelming, then I would recommend taking some kind of prep course, or getting a tutor and making room in your schedule to study. If you're really unprepared, wait until August to take the MCAT.

The Kaplan books are really helpful for review (IMHO). I hadn't finished my physics when I took the MCAT and I was able to learn everything I needed to know from my Kaplan book.

Kaplan also helps with test anxiety (if you are able to afford the class). Even the book has helpful tips (I think) if you can't take the class. I would also recommend taking lots of practice MCAT's, especially since you don't do well on tests.

Don't really know what you being short and overweight has to do with getting into med. school... although of course being overweight can cause future health problems... 😉

My advice: your application is solid; you just need the MCAT to complete the package. So, make it your #1 priority to do well on the MCAT and study, study, study!

Hope that helps... 🙂

Good !

 

[beanbean]

Couple of points....

Be prepared to answer why you chose PA school and now are applying MD/DO. Those of us who are older and changing career direction need to have solid answers to why we now want to be doctors. I think it may be a bit of a red flag that you are just finishing PA school and wanting to jump right to med school. Why did you go to PA school if not to work as a PA? Did you originally think you would be happy as a PA and have a change of heart as you were in school?

Don't take the MCAT until you are prepared. It is always better to have one solid score than to do poorly and take the damn test again with the added pressure. Wait until you have some time to really study. The key to the MCAT in my case was practice, practice, and more practice questions....as in about 2200 questions! I was petrified of taking the test! It had been almost 20 yrs since my SATs and I had no idea how I could prepare. Take it one step at a time, do tons of practice questions and sample full-length tests, and follow the advice on the SDN MCAT forum.

The rest of your application seems solid and unique. Good luck in the process!

 

[Chronic Student]

Thanks lizanne11,

I am really only stressing over the physical sciences portion. You know, "if you don't use it, you lose it', is one of the truer statements I've come across in my life.

About study books, I have an older set of the Kaplan books and one of the large review books that I'm using now.

As for not doing well on tests, it has a lot more to do with my ADD tendencies. My attention wanders during long formal exams and I get very restless. In every class I've ever taken, I am the first or second person to turn in the test.

In response to the short and overweight thing, I have to say that I was under a 100 lbs until the 9th grade and then got huge. I eventually lost like 80 lbs and was amazed at how differently people treated me after I had lost the weight, unfortunately, I found all that weight again. Plus, let's be honest, a trim, tall individual almost always tends to make a better impression. Although, I do realize the other side of that coin is that those folks run into some jealousy issues.

I really appreciate your feedback.



and thank you to beanbean as well,

In response to your response, I actually thought long and hard before I applied to PA school and when I (and I mean this literally) put all the pros and cons down on paper, I found that it was very well balanced for and against each of them.

What finally made the decision was that my wife and I were going to start a family. In the meantime, we have been unable to become pregnant (I mean this figuratively, ladies) and so now things have changed, imagine that! 🙄 .

Also, while I was in the didactic portion of my program, I had some twinges of regret about not going to med school but, it was not all that bad.

Clinicals have been a different thing entirely and I long for medical school on a daily basis. I used to be under the false impression that you had to be a SuperGenius to be a doctor (and I am no SuperGenius, although I will admit to being bright). After having worked very closely with a great deal of MD's (and having been treated very collegially[sp?], I might add), I realize that the majority of them are smart, hard-working folks who want to help others. I fit that bill.

In addition, (patting self on back, j/k) I have been told/asked 10+ 'go to medical school!/why, did'nt you go to med school?'. Well, I finally started listening to those folks and so here I find myself.

-Mike

 

[Chronic Student]

Bump!