People who didn't get in this year (2006)

[LadyWolverine]

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The Georgetown SMP post in the Post-Bac Forum gave me this idea.

I was a reapplicant this cycle, and was successful at gaining admission to medical school. I'd like to pass on what (little) I know, in hopes that others may enjoy the same success. (I don't mean for this to read like an advertisement...I apologize if it does!)

When I was waitlisted all summer of 2004, I waited until it was nearly too late to come up with a backup plan. In late July, I figured that I needed to come up with something, so I applied to one of the only programs I could find that was still taking applications - Georgetown's M.S. in Microbiology & Immunology.

I'm so glad that I did. Without it, I wouldn't have had the graduate degree, grades, recommendations, classes, and experiences that I'm CERTAIN pushed me over the edge this time around. If you have found yourself in the same situation that I was in back in 2004 (decent UG grades from a good school, solid MCAT, "X" years of research, yadda, yadda, yadda...) and found yourself disappointed this year, maybe you should think about an M.S. I would highly recommend my program at Georgetown, and, as it turns out, all of the biomedical departments that offer M.S. degrees are having an open house on April 7. Check it out:

http://biomedgrad.georgetown.edu/openhouseinfo.html

I have offered to volunteer for the open house again this year, so I will most likely be there to answer q's, go on a tour, etc. I have insight into a few of the programs, as I took a broad range of courses (namely M&I, Biochem/Molec, and Biostats). PM me if you have any questions. (A couple of these programs are brand-spankin' new...unfortunately I don't know anything about them.)

And if you go to the open house, PLEASE ask questions and get involved! Last year, the prospective students kinda sat around like bumps on a log and hardly asked anything! Even if you think it's stupid, please ask!

Good luck to you all, and don't give up. If it's your dream to be a doctor, then do what it takes to get there!

 

[jebus]

Thanks for the helpful words, lady, but there's still time this cycle! Please let me hold on to this scintilla of hope, this lone ray of light, this last cookie from the oven (ok, that part wasn't too eloquent). My point, I haven't heard from 6 schools, yet. It used to be 7 until a couple of weeks ago, then I got an interview from a school that was silent for months. You can't blame me for holding out for hope, can you?
It's good to hear that the SMP has been so successful for so many people (and I fully expect to see tacrum add his name to that list soon); a couple of weeks ago I applied to the SMP for next year and hopefully I will be accepted within the month. (but I not-so-secretly hope I don't have to go!)

 

[LadyWolverine]

Nothing wrong with hanging on, Jebus. Hell, I "hung on" until August two years ago.
My point is only that I wish I had done a better job of planning ahead. Know what your options are, in case plan A doesn't pan out. And a lot of these programs have deadlines earlier than July, which sucked for me. 🙂

But you are right, you still have plenty of time. Good luck, Jebus!

(PS which Simpsons ep is that from? I remember Homer saying it, but can't put it in context.)

 

[DCDAWG]

Nothing wrong with hanging on, Jebus. Hell, I "hung on" until August two years ago.
My point is only that I wish I had done a better job of planning ahead. Know what your options are, in case plan A doesn't pan out. And a lot of these programs have deadlines earlier than July, which sucked for me. 🙂

But you are right, you still have plenty of time. Good luck, Jebus!

(PS which Simpsons ep is that from? I remember Homer saying it, but can't put it in context.)

The MS in Micro and Immuno with a specialization in Biohazrdous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases is a good program to look into. Lady Wolverine wasnt in that program, but took all our classes and wishes she was.

 

[LadyWolverine]

Hey J...I was wondering if you'd show up in here. 🙂

And for the record, I only took 3 classes with you. Remember? I was off taking REAL science courses.

On a more serious note, did you check out the new course offerings and new M&I degree requirements? They revamped both of our programs significantly. They look much better this year.

 

[jebus]

I think it's from the one with Betty White, the PBS pledge drive, and Homer's missionary work. Not that I pay much attention to the Simpsons.

 

[DrHuang]

just curious, where ya headed next year LW?

 

[LadyWolverine]

just curious, where ya headed next year LW?

Haven't decided 100% just yet. I currently have 3 acceptances, 1 W/L, and am waiting for a decision from 1 more interview. I was very blessed this year. Quite a change from 2004.

 

[Crake]

Do you think this M.S. route is better than the GT SMP route? (Just wondering b/c they're probably similar $ when it's all said and done)

 

[Ypo.]

I took a broad range of courses (namely M&I, Biochem/Molec, and Biostats). :

I just wanted to let people know that these classes will really help you out a lot in your first year! You will be much less stressed because you'll pretty much cruise through the classes you took in your masters program.

 

[chookie]

Was your MS a 1-year or 2-year program? I am also in the throes of being routinely rejected and am considering an MPH, but don't know if an additional 2 years would make me lose too much steam.

The Georgetown SMP post in the Post-Bac Forum gave me this idea.

I was a reapplicant this cycle, and was successful at gaining admission to medical school. I'd like to pass on what (little) I know, in hopes that others may enjoy the same success. (I don't mean for this to read like an advertisement...I apologize if it does!)

When I was waitlisted all summer of 2004, I waited until it was nearly too late to come up with a backup plan. In late July, I figured that I needed to come up with something, so I applied to one of the only programs I could find that was still taking applications - Georgetown's M.S. in Microbiology & Immunology.

I'm so glad that I did. Without it, I wouldn't have had the graduate degree, grades, recommendations, classes, and experiences that I'm CERTAIN pushed me over the edge this time around. If you have found yourself in the same situation that I was in back in 2004 (decent UG grades from a good school, solid MCAT, "X" years of research, yadda, yadda, yadda...) and found yourself disappointed this year, maybe you should think about an M.S. I would highly recommend my program at Georgetown, and, as it turns out, all of the biomedical departments that offer M.S. degrees are having an open house on April 7. Check it out:

http://biomedgrad.georgetown.edu/openhouseinfo.html

I have offered to volunteer for the open house again this year, so I will most likely be there to answer q's, go on a tour, etc. I have insight into a few of the programs, as I took a broad range of courses (namely M&I, Biochem/Molec, and Biostats). PM me if you have any questions. (A couple of these programs are brand-spankin' new...unfortunately I don't know anything about them.)

And if you go to the open house, PLEASE ask questions and get involved! Last year, the prospective students kinda sat around like bumps on a log and hardly asked anything! Even if you think it's stupid, please ask!

Good luck to you all, and don't give up. If it's your dream to be a doctor, then do what it takes to get there!

 

[LadyWolverine]

Chookie, the MS in M&I that I did was a 1-year program, and was course-based. You could have potentially done some research, but you are required to have at least 30 credits. I would advocate taking more, if you can handle it. There are a lot of great courses being offered. I tried to load up as much as possible, and still had time for volunteering/going to the gym/having a social life.

One caveat - as I said, there is a definite focus on coursework. This program was optimal for me because, as a non-trad, I already had several years of research & publications under my belt. I therefore didn't feel the need to do a research-based MS/thesis project...I went into this program specifically because I wanted to prove that I could get good grades in tough graduate-level courses. (Well, that, and I am genuinely interested in the subject matter.) So if you think that research experience is a weak point in your application, maybe you should think about a 2-year program that has a research/thesis requirement. 1 year was optimal for me, but 2 may work better for you. (I did have this past year off after graduating. I began working in a field totally unrelated to my MS, or to science in general. This can be construed as a good or bad thing...true, I'm not using all of my intended skillset, but I'm making 3 times as much as I was when I was doing research! So having a year off to do something lucrative or totally unrelated may not be so bad, after all. Plus it gives you lots of time to fill out apps, go on interviews, etc.)

As for what I think about this MS program vs. the SMP - they are both completely different programs in terms of required courses, class composition, class size, etc. Physios take a lot of classes with med students. I think that this may be helpful in that you can preview/pass out of some requirements once you actually get to med school. However, keep in mind that the classes are going to be large, and since all of the Physios have the same goal (i.e. get into med school), I'd be willing to wager that there's a healthy amount of competition.
In my program, it was possible to take med school courses. However, this was not advised because traditionally, people in other MS programs have not done as well in them, and I'll tell you why I think that is. Georgetown's med school is on a completely different schedule than the grad school. The grad school takes courses over semesters, while the med school courses are in blocks. Therefore, if you take some grad courses and some med courses, it's hard to study consistently because you need two different strategies. I took physiology with the CAM and Nurse Anesthetists (it is roughly identical in content to about 80% of the med student physiology lecture - as a matter of fact, we used the same noteset and took similar exams), and that was a FANTASTIC class. However, it was formatted to fit the GRAD school (2 hours 3 times a week over the whole semester), and not the med school (they have physio EVERY DAY for like 3 hours, but it's over a shorter block of time.) It basically depends on how you learn - the med students take 2 or 3 lecture-based courses during a block, and have a few blocks a semester (but they REALLY pack it in!!) The grad students tend to take 5 or more courses that are semester-long, plus seminars. So it ultimately depends on your study style/interests. Personally, I would have had a lot of trouble blending the two formats, so I chose exclulsively grad school courses.

As for which is better, I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. The SMP has a very rigourous curriculum with little flexibility, you take a lot of broad courses (physiology, endocrinology, basic immuno, embryo, etc), and you take like 1/2 med and 1/2 grad courses (grad courses are in the dept of physiology and biopysics). The M&I MS that I did had a lot of flexibility, but it also gives you the opportunity to specialize more than than I believe the SMP would. For example, if you are interested in pathogen-host interactions at the molecular level, you can take grad-level biochem, immunology, micro, and mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis, and then take a couple of grad seminars (these were awesome!)...then you could do biostats and take a research rotation to reinforce it.
So "SMP vs. other MS" depends on what you want - is it your goal to take med-school relevant courses, or is there a subject that you really want to learn in more detail?

Sorry this post is so long.

 

[MacchinaDaCaffe]

Thanks for some really great posts LadyWolverine. Just some questions. It sounds like you applied to med schools again after completing the one year MS program (correct me if I'm wrong). What did you decide to do this year while you were applying? Also, what did you do about MCATs? Did you take them again while in the Georgetown program? Thanks for all the info!

 

[LadyWolverine]

Thanks for some really great posts LadyWolverine. Just some questions. It sounds like you applied to med schools again after completing the one year MS program (correct me if I'm wrong). What did you decide to do this year while you were applying? Also, what did you do about MCATs? Did you take them again while in the Georgetown program? Thanks for all the info!

Macchina,

Luckily, I did not have to retake the MCAT. I had taken it in the spring of 2003 (for my "failed" attempt at matriculation in 2004), so my scores were good for this round of applications. I could've retaken it, but my score was relatively solid at 33, and I really didn't feel like putting myself through MCAT hell again. I don't know if anyone took the MCAT while in the program, but I'm sure that the faculty would be understanding and willing to work with your schedule, as long as you weren't shirking your responsibilities to your courses. It's totally do-able. As I said before, I had ample free time for a social life and some extracurriculars. MCAT review could definitely fall under this bracket. Also, I think there is a part-time option, and you could spread your 30 credits out over 3 semesters instead of 2 in order to make more time for MCAT (althought this would be considerably more expensive). Keep in mind, however, that grad school isn't easy, and it's a tough adjustment from undergrad. You won't really be reviewing MCAT-related material, except perhaps if you take the physiology course.

To answer your other question, I used this year to work. I guess I could've applied during my MS year, but I really wanted my GPA to be reflected in my AMCAS application, and also have time to get to know my profs for those oh-so-important recs. Another motive was to make some money to help pay for med school. I probably could've found a research job somewhere, but since I've done a lot of research in the past, I decided to do something totally unrelated to medicine. I started out working as a legal temp, and now I work full-time at a large firm in DC. They pay SO MUCH BETTER than research, and there are lots of perks! The job is relatively low-stress (althogh there are periods where it is hectic...) and I have plenty of time for a life. The good news is that I've saved up a whole bunch of cash, and I'm also well-rested and ready to start plugging away at med school!

And I WILL be at the GTown Biomedical Sci Open House...I think I'm leading a tour or something. If you are thinking about attending, PM me and maybe we can put you in my group. We can talk more about getting into med school there!!

🙂

 

[infinitejest]

Lady Wolverine - when did you take your GRE's? Or does the Georgetown program accept MCAT scores?

 

[xxbruinxx]

the only thing holding me behind from applying to a lot of these back-ups is the cost...

anyway around this?

i was thinking about just working and retaking the mcat...but i'm not sure how much better i could do

 

[LadyWolverine]

InfiniteJest:

I did take the GRE in late 2001, when I was thinking of applying to graduate school instead of med school. I took the GRE general, which was cake, and the GRE subject in biochem/mol/cell bio...let me tell you, the subject test was 10 times harder than the MCAT ever was. I have a new-found respect for PhD students and what they have to go through to get into competitive programs. Don't take it if you don't have to. But I digress.

I think that Georgetown likes for you to have GRE scores, but I submitted my MCAT scores since they were the most current (April 2003) in addition to my very old GRE general scores. I don't think that any of the programs require the subject test. But it's a good idea to check with the program coordinators to be certain, as each program may have different requirements.

the only thing holding me behind from applying to a lot of these back-ups is the cost...

anyway around this?

i was thinking about just working and retaking the mcat...but i'm not sure how much better i could do

I agree that the costs are somewhat prohibitive. But, for me, I tried "just working and retaking the MCAT" for 3 years after UG...and it didn't pay off when I applied the first time. What really pushed me over the edge, and I reiterate here:
1) A 4.0 in tough graduate courses (totally doable if you are willing to work hard)
2) Outstanding recs from respected profs who really had a chance to get to know me (due to smaller class size, a better student/faculty relationship than at my UG institution, and my own motivation to stand out, knowing full well I was using this program as a stepping-stone to med school)
3) Ample time for clinically-relevant ECs (shadowing, volunteering), and access to faculy willing to let you shadow them (one of the perks of being on the medical campus, but also a function of a proactive attitude on your part)
4) Getting to know faculty that had sway with the adcom

Is this really worth $30K? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on you. For me, the experience and education was worth the tuition, not to mention the perks. But, as I said before, in order for it to pay off, you need to work. Nobody is going to hold your hand and walk you through it, even with the steep price tag. It's only worth shelling out all the cash if you are in the mindset that you are going to use this step to get into medical school, and to learn about a new field in the process. Not to say that you should be a gunner who only cares about grades (you should definitely enjoy and thrive in the program), but you definitely have to keep your eyes on the prize.

As for a way around the cost...I don't think so. You could contact the program and finaid office about work-study, or perhaps a teaching position...but I think they tend to give the TA positions to the PhD students, and there are definitely limited slots. What is doable (a lot of people in my program actually did this!) is to take the curriculum part-time over 1.5 to 2 years, and work part- or full-time while you are taking courses. I think it would be a little harder to stand out as much, since you won't be 100% immersed in the school mindset, but if you are dedicated (and if the financial burden is that prohibitive), it may be ideal for your situation. You can also do what I did - take out loans, work your a$$ off for two semesters, and then use the next year to work and pay back your loans. Apply to med school that summer, and matriculate the following year. That'll give you plenty of time for substantial loan repayment (I have been debt-free since January!! It is possible!)

 

[LadyWolverine]

Just wanted to remind you guys that the Georgetown University Medical Center Biomedical Master's Programs Open House is on Friday.

If you're in the area, and you're interested, come and check it out. (I think you need to register, first, though.)

http://biomedgrad.georgetown.edu/openhouseinfo.html

I'll be there to talk about grad school as a stepping-stone to med school...plus the lunch at the faculty club should be really nice!

🙂