New Pre-med.. Need help guys....!

[kingo]

Hello SDN..! I currently switched from being pre-dent to pre-med. I have applied the last 2 years to dental school and ended up being rejected. 1st year due to application probs (dont ask it was a stupid mistake wrong ssn???) DONT LAUGH..lol Currently in the 2nd cycle.. but no interview yet, class is full.
i graduated after 3 years in undergrad with a 3.4 gpa.. my dats werent good but after taking it only after 3 semesters and getting an 18 i THOUGHT it wasnt bad.. the dean of admissions said my coarse load was very impressive since ive averaged 19 credits mostly sci each semester. she told me to retake the dats but i know 4 of my close friends that got 18 and 19s that got accepted with a lower gpa and coarse load. she told me to take the masters program.
Now i am currently taking a masters program at a medical school, started as a predent, not worrying about my gpa. (since nobody gets a masters to get accepted to dental school).. i started out with a 3.2... i can improve but it will be hard.
having no research, limited volunteering hours and lots of shadowing, i will need a high mcat score..
but how high?? i know i have to get in the 30s.. i will study my life off...
what else can i do before the app cycle this summer

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[specter]

why are you switching into pre-med?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Umm why did you switch? Maybe your application for dental school needs to be improved. I think you might want to go back to undergrad and try to obtain a minor and increase your cum gpa. What was your science gpa? I want to see what could have been red flags for your application to dental school.
But in my opinion switching to medical school attempts means you need to do so much more. Volunteering, mcats, shadowing at the least you'll be screwed another 2 years preping for medical school.

Your masters gpa will do very little to improve your chances. You need at least 100 hours of volunteering/clinical experience! There is no exception, a 4.0/40mcat would not get into medical school without clinical experience.

I think really unless you really want to go into medicine( not because you think its easier to get inot then dental, because its a hell of a lot harder) just improve your application for dental school by going to the Dental section of SDN and try to apply this cycle.

 

[kingo]

why are you switching into pre-med?

for many reasons, 1st of all, i chose dentistry for the wrong reasons.. grad from high school i made up my mind to become a dentist becasue i had a great SALARY and much less time in school.. after getting rejected and breaking my bubble.. i kept asking myself why do i really want to become a dentist.. and those 2 reasons that i mentioned were the only things that i thought of.. now taking classes at the medical school, with the same profs, notes and similar exams.. not only that, being at an environment surrounded by hospitals it really helped me decide what i wanted to become.. my family has many health problems (none genetic, thank god) one of which my brother having renal failure and going through dialysis 3 times a week..what im trying to say is,, i know and have been experienced what doctors do on an everyday basis.. ive always wanted to work in the health field.. and i will not stop applying to medical schools even if i get rejected,,

thank u for asking,, but trust me i am done with dentistry.. i think its a great job, but i dont think ill enjoy doing it for the rest of MY life.. dentals students love what they are doing, and when i ask them why dentistry, they give me an answer and i just reply by saying yeah Bull Shi* its all about the money

 

[kingo]

Umm why did you switch? Maybe your application for dental school needs to be improved. I think you might want to go back to undergrad and try to obtain a minor and increase your cum gpa. What was your science gpa? I want to see what could have been red flags for your application to dental school.
But in my opinion switching to medical school attempts means you need to do so much more. Volunteering, mcats, shadowing at the least you'll be screwed another 2 years preping for medical school.

Your masters gpa will do very little to improve your chances. You need at least 100 hours of volunteering/clinical experience! There is no exception, a 4.0/40mcat would not get into medical school without clinical experience.

I think really unless you really want to go into medicine( not because you think its easier to get inot then dental, because its a hell of a lot harder) just improve your application for dental school by going to the Dental section of SDN and try to apply this cycle.

thank you,, but i am doing research next fall (is that too late -after submitting an application).. trust me i am trying to get one this summer, but i have to study for my mcats.. and i can get well over 150 hours of volunteering since i know somebody.. but what else is holding me back

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

for many reasons, 1st of all, i chose dentistry for the wrong reasons.. grad from high school i made up my mind to become a dentist becasue i had a great SALARY and much less time in school.. after getting rejected and breaking my bubble.. i kept asking myself why do i really want to become a dentist.. and those 2 reasons that i mentioned were the only things that i thought of.. now taking classes at the medical school, with the same profs, notes and similar exams.. not only that, being at an environment surrounded by hospitals it really helped me decide what i wanted to become.. my family has many health problems (none genetic, thank god) one of which my brother having renal failure and going through dialysis 3 times a week..what im trying to say is,, i know and have been experienced what doctors do on an everyday basis.. ive always wanted to work in the health field.. and i will not stop applying to medical schools even if i get rejected,,

thank u for asking,, but trust me i am done with dentistry.. i think its a great job, but i dont think ill enjoy doing it for the rest of MY life.. dentals students love what they are doing, and when i ask them why dentistry, they give me an answer and i just reply by saying yeah Bull Shi* its all about the money

Well then my friend. I recommend you going back to undergrad after your finish your MS and improving your Ugpa and Sgpa. While doing so get clinical experience and attempt to get a very good mcat.

 

[kingo]

Umm why did you switch? Maybe your application for dental school needs to be improved. I think you might want to go back to undergrad and try to obtain a minor and increase your cum gpa. What was your science gpa? I want to see what could have been red flags for your application to dental school.
But in my opinion switching to medical school attempts means you need to do so much more. Volunteering, mcats, shadowing at the least you'll be screwed another 2 years preping for medical school.

Your masters gpa will do very little to improve your chances. You need at least 100 hours of volunteering/clinical experience! There is no exception, a 4.0/40mcat would not get into medical school without clinical experience.

I think really unless you really want to go into medicine( not because you think its easier to get inot then dental, because its a hell of a lot harder) just improve your application for dental school by going to the Dental section of SDN and try to apply this cycle.

oh yeah sci gpa 3.3.. non sci 3.67.. ive takin many extra sci classes on top of the ones that were required.. all in 3 years no summer or spring just fall and winter.. i combined many classes such as taking peotry for 1 english and it also counted as one of the reqs for another section that i needed to grad.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

thank you,, but i am doing research next fall (is that too late -after submitting an application).. trust me i am trying to get one this summer, but i have to study for my mcats.. and i can get well over 150 hours of volunteering since i know somebody.. but what else is holding me back

I think that your cum is low and might improve with many a return to undergrad and your sgpa is relatively low, but not that bad.
There's really nothing too getting into medical school. Just have some life experiences and what not and good grades. The best thing you can do here is do a good amount of studying here on the specifics of MD/DO schools. If you can understand them and be sure to apply early and broadly you'll be good.

My advice is that applying to DO medical schools might be good. Because your MS and non trad status makes you more interesting to DO schools whom a lot of there students are non trads.

 

[kingo]

Well then my friend. I recommend you going back to undergrad after your finish your MS and improving your Ugpa and Sgpa. While doing so get clinical experience and attempt to get a very good mcat.

go back to undergrad??? is that even possible,, can that change my gpa.. i never heard of that.. but why would i have to go back, instead of cont masters.. i just started masters last semester..

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

go back to undergrad??? is that even possible,, can that change my gpa.. i never heard of that.. but why would i have to go back, instead of cont masters.. i just started masters last semester..

Finish the masters, and yes you can always go back to undergrad for another minor to improve your stats.
I'll have to say that if you can score a 28+ on your mcat you'll be competitive for DO schools and maybe able to get into a MD school if you apply broadly in your current stats.

 

[Catalystik]

You had a 3.4 cGPA in undergrad, and are now earning only a 3.2 in a medical masters program (I'm assuming this is not an SMP). You are not in a good place for med school acceptance. An MCAT score of 33+ would get you some looks, but they'd stop looking if you have a falling GPA trend, so you need to get at the top of your game in your current program and then possibly do another year of undergrad to get your uGPA and BCPM GPA higher.

Aside from numbers, you should aim for 1.5 years of weekly clinical volunteering, 60-80 hours of physician shadowing, a year of research and if possible some teaching and leadership experience. You will not be ready to apply this summer.

 

[kingo]

I think that your cum is low and might improve with many a return to undergrad and your sgpa is relatively low, but not that bad.
There's really nothing too getting into medical school. Just have some life experiences and what not and good grades. The best thing you can do here is do a good amount of studying here on the specifics of MD/DO schools. If you can understand them and be sure to apply early and broadly you'll be good.

My advice is that applying to DO medical schools might be good. Because your MS and non trad status makes you more interesting to DO schools whom a lot of there students are non trads.

non trads??? yes thats what im talking about.. nobody in my family is a doctor.. i dont have any problems with DO, i dont even know any diff, other then working abroad.. i will apply to both.. i am sorry if i disapoint people by applying to so many schools, but now im desperate, and after applying to 1 dental school the last 2 yrs. i think i learned my lesson

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

You had a 3.4 cGPA in undergrad, and are now earning only a 3.2 in a medical masters program (I'm assuming this is not an SMP). You are not in a good place for med school acceptance. An MCAT score of 33+ would get you some looks, but they'd stop looking if you have a falling GPA trend, so you need to get at the top of your game in your current program and then possibly do another year of undergrad to get your uGPA higher.

Aside from numbers, you should aim for 1.5 years of weekly clinical volunteering, 60-80 hours of physician shadowing, a year of research and if possible some teaching and leadership experience. You will not be ready to apply this summer.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[kingo]

You had a 3.4 cGPA in undergrad, and are now earning only a 3.2 in a medical masters program (I'm assuming this is not an SMP). You are not in a good place for med school acceptance. An MCAT score of 33+ would get you some looks, but they'd stop looking if you have a falling GPA trend, so you need to get at the top of your game in your current program and then possibly do another year of undergrad to get your uGPA and BCPM GPA higher.

Aside from numbers, you should aim for 1.5 years of weekly clinical volunteering, 60-80 hours of physician shadowing, a year of research and if possible some teaching and leadership experience. You will not be ready to apply this summer.

true dat..

SMP?? no its BMS.. i have over a 100 hours of shadowing.. i have everything but no research.. i will start that in the fall.. its 1 semester long. part of the masters program.. i tried really hard the last couple months to find one, this is prob the best one.. trust me i am very new to this medical field.. i dont know what i am doing lol but i cant waste my time.. i will retake classes to improve my gpa and do whatever it takes to be more competitive. but i wont wait 1.5 years to apply.. if i get rejected so be it.. this way i will know what the school wants.. like i said i just switched

 

[Catalystik]

If you're applying this coming summer, then DO med schools are your best shot. Aim for an MCAT of 28+.

A good number of DO schools want a LOR from a DO physician. Some let you substitute an MD letter. A few don't require any physician letter at all.

For more information, see SDN's PreMed Osteopathic Forum next down on the forum list.

 

[kingo]

If you're applying this coming summer, then DO med schools are your best shot. Aim for an MCAT of 28+.

A good number of DO schools want a LOR from a DO physician. Some let you substitute an MD letter. A few don't require any physician letter at all.

For more information, see SDN's PreMed Osteopathic Forum next down on the forum list.

you are the best.. honestly MD and DO arent that much different in the US.. whats the main diff in your opinion

 

[Catalystik]

The main difference is that if you intend to practice internationally, there are some countries that don't recognize the DO degree, so you may not receive full practice rights if you go there.

 

[kingo]

The main difference is that if you intend to practice internationally, there are some countries that don't recognize the DO degree, so you may not receive full practice rights if you go there.

is there any diff IN the US