New Pre-med.. switched from dental 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 (sci 3.2.. 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

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wishintobedoc]

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 (sci 3.2.. 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

Stats are not everything. If you can do high 20's for the MCAT you're fine for most DO programs and even some MD programs. My MCAT was not the best and I was accepted to several DO programs and the one MD program I applied to. Do more volunteering. Meet with advisors of schools you're interested in to learn what they stress for an applicant to be strong. I had a phone appointment with some advisors and they were very helpful with helping me nail the application. Also, really work on your personal statement. Make sure it is excellent and have people proof it. Finally get awesome letters of recommendation. I really didn't think getting in was that hard, but then again I applied broadly. I sort of made myself a checklist of what an excellent applicant needs to have and tried to complete each area to be well rounded.

 

[Emerald84]

Yep, this is great advice. Couldn't have said it better myself. I would urge you to try to do a bit better in your masters degree program and to find 2-3 hours a week to do medical volunteering. That's pretty important. In your secondaries, you will have to answer many questions about how you knew being a doctor is a good fit for you. Many of these essays are well formed with specific examples from you volunteer and any other medical experience. Really any service type positions will help you. I tutor A LOT, so it was easy for me to incorporate specific examples from those experiences.

Stats are not everything. If you can do high 20's for the MCAT you're fine for most DO programs and even some MD programs. My MCAT was not the best and I was accepted to several DO programs and the one MD program I applied to. Do more volunteering. Meet with advisors of schools you're interested in to learn what they stress for an applicant to be strong. I had a phone appointment with some advisors and they were very helpful with helping me nail the application. Also, really work on your personal statement. Make sure it is excellent and have people proof it. Finally get awesome letters of recommendation. I really didn't think getting in was that hard, but then again I applied broadly. I sort of made myself a checklist of what an excellent applicant needs to have and tried to complete each area to be well rounded.