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Please assess my chances of getting into med school
- Thread starter wclubin
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Hi-
My first instinct to reading this was, "I don't think this is the best place to get advice...afterall most people don't have the slightest clue as to your chances and since some people are too nice or too rude it might actually hurt him."
My situation is this...I was a dance major (my mother's obsession) and since my motivation was pretty low I did poorly. That was about nine years ago. When I returned to school I was pretty resolved with the idea that I was going to kick butt when I went back (I felt as though this was my last chance to prove to myself that I could do something productive with my life). I have attained thus far a GPA of 3.85.
The catch my old grades pulled them down to a 3.24. Ugh!! However, I am still going to apply and continue to kick butt all the way.
If you want to know your chances call the admissions office of the schools you are interested in and talk to them. They will tell you the truth. Have you taken the MCAT...that is a big part of your numerical credentials. I would take your Bio class over. Get an A at all costs and show them you can perform academically. Mainly I would say throw yourself in the medical atmosphere and start networking. It is a big help.
Hope this helps....good luck.
Heb
P.S. Something one of my professors told me once that I haven't been able to forget is..."YOUR ONLY AS LIMITED AS YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE."
My first instinct to reading this was, "I don't think this is the best place to get advice...afterall most people don't have the slightest clue as to your chances and since some people are too nice or too rude it might actually hurt him."
My situation is this...I was a dance major (my mother's obsession) and since my motivation was pretty low I did poorly. That was about nine years ago. When I returned to school I was pretty resolved with the idea that I was going to kick butt when I went back (I felt as though this was my last chance to prove to myself that I could do something productive with my life). I have attained thus far a GPA of 3.85.
The catch my old grades pulled them down to a 3.24. Ugh!! However, I am still going to apply and continue to kick butt all the way.
If you want to know your chances call the admissions office of the schools you are interested in and talk to them. They will tell you the truth. Have you taken the MCAT...that is a big part of your numerical credentials. I would take your Bio class over. Get an A at all costs and show them you can perform academically. Mainly I would say throw yourself in the medical atmosphere and start networking. It is a big help.
Hope this helps....good luck.
Heb
P.S. Something one of my professors told me once that I haven't been able to forget is..."YOUR ONLY AS LIMITED AS YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE."
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My background is somewhat similiar to yours and I was accepted to med school this year.
I have a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University in 1990. My GPA was very low; about 2.5 due to a chronic illness which required numerous surgeries.
I worked for almost 7 yrs at a hospital as a clinical engineer and have been an active volunteer EMT/EMS Instructor since the mid-1980s. I also have 2 daughters, ages 4 and 6, and had been a stay-at-home mom for them.
This is what I did when I decided that I wanted to pursue medicine as a career :
* Summer 2001 - Took both semesters of General Chem at UCONN to see if my brain still worked in an academic setting and to prepare for taking Organic Chem (it had been 14 years since I had looked at a periodic table). GPA: 4.0
* Fall 2001 - Took General Bio as a review, Cell Bio and Organic I at UCONN. GPA: 4.0
*Applied to UCONN's Post-Bacc Program for Spring 2002, but was rejected. They wanted to see another semester of good grades.
* Spring 2002 - Full class load at UCONN - Adv. Cell Bio (grad class), Organic II, Organic Lab, Spanish. GPA:4.0 I also shadowed with an Internal Medicine resident team 1 day/week at the hospital where I had previously worked. Applied to UCONN Post-Bacc again and was accepted.
*Summer 2002 - Took Physics I (GPA: 4.0) as a review for the MCAT and enrolled in a Kaplan MCAT class. Studied 4-5 hrs a day for about 8 weeks and took the MCAT in August 2002 - Score: 11V, 11 BS, 11PS, Total: 33S.
* Fall 2002 - Full class load at UCONN as part of Post-Bacc program: Biochemistry, Genetics, Physics II, Physiology.
GPA: 4.0
Applied and accepted to UCONN School of Medicine, Class of 2007.
For me, overcoming a low undergrad GPA was possible because
1) The length of time that had passed since undergrad
2) I proved I could handle a full courseload and maintain a high GPA
3) I scored well on the MCAT
4) I had good extracurricular and work activities which reflected an interest in medicine.
I was also fortunate to receive excellent letters of recommendation (of those that I saw).
I would advise you to set up a meeting with someone from the admissions dept. of a med school that you are interesting in attending. They can give you suggestions on what they believe the best plan of action may be.
Plan to retake all your prereq courses (bio, chem, and physics) if possible. It will help average out those grades that weren't so good from before and it will help you prepare for the MCAT. Although I am an engineer myself, I remembered next to nothing about Physics, but the class was an easy 'A' because of my background.
Nursing is a very different career from being a physician and med schools will want to see that you are 100% committed to a career as a physician. Just be prepared to explain why you pursued a nursing degree (if that is what you decide to do) if you wanted to be a doctor. Consistancy in your commitment is key, especially when you are a non-traditional student who is making a major career change. Extracurricular/volunteer activities are a great way to demonstrate your committment and can be lots of fun. They can also lead to good letters of recommendation.
Enjoy the journey! I've had a great time over the past 2 years and I'm looking forward to beginning the next step in August.
Deirdre
I have a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University in 1990. My GPA was very low; about 2.5 due to a chronic illness which required numerous surgeries.
I worked for almost 7 yrs at a hospital as a clinical engineer and have been an active volunteer EMT/EMS Instructor since the mid-1980s. I also have 2 daughters, ages 4 and 6, and had been a stay-at-home mom for them.
This is what I did when I decided that I wanted to pursue medicine as a career :
* Summer 2001 - Took both semesters of General Chem at UCONN to see if my brain still worked in an academic setting and to prepare for taking Organic Chem (it had been 14 years since I had looked at a periodic table). GPA: 4.0
* Fall 2001 - Took General Bio as a review, Cell Bio and Organic I at UCONN. GPA: 4.0
*Applied to UCONN's Post-Bacc Program for Spring 2002, but was rejected. They wanted to see another semester of good grades.
* Spring 2002 - Full class load at UCONN - Adv. Cell Bio (grad class), Organic II, Organic Lab, Spanish. GPA:4.0 I also shadowed with an Internal Medicine resident team 1 day/week at the hospital where I had previously worked. Applied to UCONN Post-Bacc again and was accepted.
*Summer 2002 - Took Physics I (GPA: 4.0) as a review for the MCAT and enrolled in a Kaplan MCAT class. Studied 4-5 hrs a day for about 8 weeks and took the MCAT in August 2002 - Score: 11V, 11 BS, 11PS, Total: 33S.
* Fall 2002 - Full class load at UCONN as part of Post-Bacc program: Biochemistry, Genetics, Physics II, Physiology.
GPA: 4.0
Applied and accepted to UCONN School of Medicine, Class of 2007.
For me, overcoming a low undergrad GPA was possible because
1) The length of time that had passed since undergrad
2) I proved I could handle a full courseload and maintain a high GPA
3) I scored well on the MCAT
4) I had good extracurricular and work activities which reflected an interest in medicine.
I was also fortunate to receive excellent letters of recommendation (of those that I saw).
I would advise you to set up a meeting with someone from the admissions dept. of a med school that you are interesting in attending. They can give you suggestions on what they believe the best plan of action may be.
Plan to retake all your prereq courses (bio, chem, and physics) if possible. It will help average out those grades that weren't so good from before and it will help you prepare for the MCAT. Although I am an engineer myself, I remembered next to nothing about Physics, but the class was an easy 'A' because of my background.
Nursing is a very different career from being a physician and med schools will want to see that you are 100% committed to a career as a physician. Just be prepared to explain why you pursued a nursing degree (if that is what you decide to do) if you wanted to be a doctor. Consistancy in your commitment is key, especially when you are a non-traditional student who is making a major career change. Extracurricular/volunteer activities are a great way to demonstrate your committment and can be lots of fun. They can also lead to good letters of recommendation.
Enjoy the journey! I've had a great time over the past 2 years and I'm looking forward to beginning the next step in August.
Deirdre
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i had a situation that resembles yours a few years ago. i finished my junior year undergrad with a 2.6 gpa and realized i wanted to be a doctor. since that time, i've maintained a 4.0 gpa to finish out my degree and 2 years as a post-bac student. you can overcome your weaknesses if you really work hard . . . i have. anyway, at that time, i was advised to take classes and demonstrate my capability while volunteering and such....so i would recommend you do the same. retake those classes and work at a 4.0 gpa...make sure you don't do it at community college because med schools don't like that so much. and like BEANBEAN said, you might have to explain your nursing program. good luck!
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hey wclubin,
looks like you are pretty serious about taking on this adventure to medical school, which i think is great. i mentioned the advice regarding the C.C. courses because I was strictly advised by the Univ. of FL COM to stay away from it even though i had previously gotten a degree from a 4 year university. i almost took those "pre-med" classes at a C.C., but the med school claimed that an A in organic chem from a post-bac program is more respected than an A from C.C. and would greatly strengthen my application. it makes sense, especially considering that i wanted to demonstrate my improved academic approach and what better way than to do it in a competitive environ.
this might only be the case in FL though, so my advice would be to call a few of the med schools you are particularly interested in and ask what they would like you to do. also ask them about your dilemma regarding nursing school.
looks like you are pretty serious about taking on this adventure to medical school, which i think is great. i mentioned the advice regarding the C.C. courses because I was strictly advised by the Univ. of FL COM to stay away from it even though i had previously gotten a degree from a 4 year university. i almost took those "pre-med" classes at a C.C., but the med school claimed that an A in organic chem from a post-bac program is more respected than an A from C.C. and would greatly strengthen my application. it makes sense, especially considering that i wanted to demonstrate my improved academic approach and what better way than to do it in a competitive environ.
this might only be the case in FL though, so my advice would be to call a few of the med schools you are particularly interested in and ask what they would like you to do. also ask them about your dilemma regarding nursing school.
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wclubin,
Here's my two cents, so take it for what it's worth (about 2 cents)...
Ask yourself how much you want to be a doctor. If the answer is "very, very much so," then don't let anything dissuade you. One thing that med schools like is persistence. I have known VERY few people who really wanted to go to med school but didn't go because they couldn't get it.
It may take awhile (~5-7 years if you have some sort of deficiency in your record), but if you're persistent, you will succeed.
Again, worth 2 cents...
edit- the post-bacc programs that I know are non-degree awarding programs, but they do give you a "certificate" of completion at the institution. Basically, if you enrolled in a pre-med post-bac program, it's just taking all the pre-med classes for a grade but you don't get a degree.
Here's my two cents, so take it for what it's worth (about 2 cents)...
Ask yourself how much you want to be a doctor. If the answer is "very, very much so," then don't let anything dissuade you. One thing that med schools like is persistence. I have known VERY few people who really wanted to go to med school but didn't go because they couldn't get it.
It may take awhile (~5-7 years if you have some sort of deficiency in your record), but if you're persistent, you will succeed.
Again, worth 2 cents...
edit- the post-bacc programs that I know are non-degree awarding programs, but they do give you a "certificate" of completion at the institution. Basically, if you enrolled in a pre-med post-bac program, it's just taking all the pre-med classes for a grade but you don't get a degree.
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"Post-bacc" refers to any undergraduate or non-degree classes you take after completing your bachelor's degree such as taking pre-req classes for med school. These classes can be taken on your own or as part of a formal program. There is a list of schools offering post-bacc programs on the AAMC website and there are NUMEROUS threads here on SDN (use the search function). Some of these programs are restricted to minority or in-state students, some are very expensive, and some are offered by med schools and others have links to certain med schools.
It is not necessary to enroll in a formal program. However, some of the best post-bacc programs are well worth the effort. At UCONN, we have advisors at both the university and the med school and have opportunities for research and shadowing time at the med school. It is a small program of only 12-15 students and you are not just a number in a sea of applications. About 85-90% of the UCONN post-baccs are admitted to med school.
I agree with the above posters that CC courses are not looked upon as favorably as university courses. I was highly encouraged to take my courses at UCONN's main campus and not at any of the branch campus locations. I had already taken some pre-reqs at one of the branches, but took all of the rest of my courses at the main campus. Orgo I at the branch campus was just as hard as Orgo II at the main campus; however, the perception remains that at a smaller campus you are not competing against the top students. If you had a recent 3.8 GPA from a highly regarded university it might be a bit less important. However, like me, you have been away from school for a bit and need to demonstrate the ability to achieve a high GPA with a heavy courseload.
I know you aren't looking to go to Harvard, but as many premeds will state: There are no "easy to get into" US Medical Schools. Any school you apply to will be very competitive and if you are planning to invest a few years of you life preparing for med school it is important to put forth the strongest application possible.
Do you plan to start a nursing program and then start med school before you graduate? Leaving a degree program is not looked upon in a positive manner by adcoms. It can appear that you have difficulty finishing what you start and that you are unsure of your direction in life. Be prepared to explain this carefully.
On a positive note, my background in engineering was viewed very positively. People know how rigorous engineering school is and will commend you for it.
It is not necessary to enroll in a formal program. However, some of the best post-bacc programs are well worth the effort. At UCONN, we have advisors at both the university and the med school and have opportunities for research and shadowing time at the med school. It is a small program of only 12-15 students and you are not just a number in a sea of applications. About 85-90% of the UCONN post-baccs are admitted to med school.
I agree with the above posters that CC courses are not looked upon as favorably as university courses. I was highly encouraged to take my courses at UCONN's main campus and not at any of the branch campus locations. I had already taken some pre-reqs at one of the branches, but took all of the rest of my courses at the main campus. Orgo I at the branch campus was just as hard as Orgo II at the main campus; however, the perception remains that at a smaller campus you are not competing against the top students. If you had a recent 3.8 GPA from a highly regarded university it might be a bit less important. However, like me, you have been away from school for a bit and need to demonstrate the ability to achieve a high GPA with a heavy courseload.
I know you aren't looking to go to Harvard, but as many premeds will state: There are no "easy to get into" US Medical Schools. Any school you apply to will be very competitive and if you are planning to invest a few years of you life preparing for med school it is important to put forth the strongest application possible.
Do you plan to start a nursing program and then start med school before you graduate? Leaving a degree program is not looked upon in a positive manner by adcoms. It can appear that you have difficulty finishing what you start and that you are unsure of your direction in life. Be prepared to explain this carefully.
On a positive note, my background in engineering was viewed very positively. People know how rigorous engineering school is and will commend you for it.
You actually have a very good BCPM GPA of above 3.5! And two scientific masters degrees with respectable GPAs.
Schools like Yale will take a close look at you because you are different. Don't let their high averages scare you. A master's degree in Engineering will cause them to evaluate you separately from the rest of the pool.
Some medical schools will consider engineering GPAs which are lower than usual, especially with the awesome science GPA. Emphasize that you have something very unique to offer medicine.
Also do the following to increase your chances.
Continue to get A's in your post bacc courses and try to raise your undergrad GPA to a 3.0. Apply to a wide range of schools, don't be afraid to include a few Osteopathic schools in the mix and also consider including St Georges in the Carribean which is another tried and true path to becoming a doctor despite what some will tell you.
Schools like Yale will take a close look at you because you are different. Don't let their high averages scare you. A master's degree in Engineering will cause them to evaluate you separately from the rest of the pool.
Some medical schools will consider engineering GPAs which are lower than usual, especially with the awesome science GPA. Emphasize that you have something very unique to offer medicine.
Also do the following to increase your chances.
Continue to get A's in your post bacc courses and try to raise your undergrad GPA to a 3.0. Apply to a wide range of schools, don't be afraid to include a few Osteopathic schools in the mix and also consider including St Georges in the Carribean which is another tried and true path to becoming a doctor despite what some will tell you.
