Pre-med Advising Help

[seh435]

I am having some difficulty receiving pre-med advising at my university. There is no official "pre-med" major at our school, so the biology advisor is in charge of everyone who is going in the direction of medicine. The problem lies in the fact that this is her first year advising pre-med students and her knowledge about the application process, individual med schools, interviews, etc. is mimimal at best. She has offered LITTLE service to the post-bac students (me).

I was just wondering if there are other places that I can receive assistance in my application process, which will begin June 2008. I was in STL for my first 2 years of undergrad (semesters), transfered to Ohio for my final 2 yrs (quarters), and now I am completeting my post bac work (semesters) - I need help interpreting my GPA, science GPA, etc from 3 different transcripts so I can have idea of what schools to apply to based on my credentials.

The MSAR book suggests looking into National Association of Advisors
for the Health Professions (NAAHP).

Is anyone in a similar situation or tried NAAHP?

I was considering going to another local university to work with their pre-med advisor, but I don't know how favorable that will look seeing as my school DOES have an advisor.

Thanks in advance

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[Dendrite]

I have heard of some medical schools that are open to advising students - perhaps you can look into some schools you are interested in and seeing if this is possible.

I am sorry I could not help any more than this.

 

[WiscDoc]

I think the best source of advice/ help that I got during undergrad and in the application process was from upperclassmen who have been through the process, or from students ready to start med school. Make some friends before june, and get help! Even the best of advisors only know stuff that you can readily google (in my expereince). Go on some of the class threads (on SDN) of schools nearby, and see if anybody would be willing to meet up with you over the first few weeks of summer (most med students would be free then).

Finally, about getting the applicaton together properly, you can always call the AAMC people and ask them how best to add this class/grade or whatever. They are helpful, even if the wait (on hold) can get long). Best of luck.

 

[TexPre-Med]

I am having some difficulty receiving pre-med advising at my university. There is no official "pre-med" major at our school, so the biology advisor is in charge of everyone who is going in the direction of medicine. The problem lies in the fact that this is her first year advising pre-med students and her knowledge about the application process, individual med schools, interviews, etc. is mimimal at best. She has offered LITTLE service to the post-bac students (me).

I was just wondering if there are other places that I can receive assistance in my application process, which will begin June 2008. I was in STL for my first 2 years of undergrad (semesters), transfered to Ohio for my final 2 yrs (quarters), and now I am completeting my post bac work (semesters) - I need help interpreting my GPA, science GPA, etc from 3 different transcripts so I can have idea of what schools to apply to based on my credentials.

The MSAR book suggests looking into National Association of Advisors
for the Health Professions (NAAHP).

Is anyone in a similar situation or tried NAAHP?

I was considering going to another local university to work with their pre-med advisor, but I don't know how favorable that will look seeing as my school DOES have an advisor.

Thanks in advance

I don't see why you need help. It is pretty simple to calculate a g.p.a. 4 points for an A, 3 for a B, etc. If it isn't in the Math/Bio/Phys/Chem dept., then it is non-science.

Also, don't take the MSAR as the bible. Apply to all state schools, and OOS with the lowest numbers if you think you aren't competitive. I received interviews from schools I didn't think I had a shot with, and got flat rejected from schools I thought I was guaranteed an interview. It is semi-random. Apply EARLY and broadly for a decent chance. If your g.p.a. is below 3.3 consider D.O. No knock on D.O.'s here. I have 3 GOOD friends who applied D.O. in round 2 with g.p.a.'s under 3.3 and all got accepted. They all said they should have applied D.O. in year 1! They are now extremely happy.

 

[Bacchus]

In regards to BCPM, here is the link to the AAMCAS handbook. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to show how to do a quarter-semester hour conversion. I believe however, its quarter hours * 1.5.

Link: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2008amcasinstructionsrvs.pdf

 

[seh435]

Thanks for the responses

My concerns aren't necessarily limited to figuring out my GPA, pre-reqs, etc. I am more interested in having an advisor that can serve as a set of "final eyes" for me in my application process. The more guidance, critique, suggestions I can receive from those who have experience in the process the better.

 

[HumidBeing]

You can accomplish a lot of that on here. There are people who volunteer to review personal statements and secondaries. Many are always willing to suggest schools to add & chime in about which are long shots.

I think ahaydt gave you the formula backwards. 3 quarter hours = 2 semester hours. Our advice isn't perfect, but when it's taken as a whole, it can be very helpful.

 

[mvenus929]

I agree with HumidBeing. SDN is the best advice I got, far better than those that would have been given to me if I had known who the pre-med adviser at our school was.

 

[Concordia]

SDN is a great source...not necessarily to have somebody look over your apps, but as a guide to what problems people have run into and how they have solved them.
As for having somebody to look over your apps, it is not essential to have an advisor. My school didn't really have one and I relied on some of my friends in med school, on co-workers and grad students to look over my PS and advise me on some finer points of the process.
Another option is to contact the med school affiliated with your undergrad institution. Some of them have fantastic resources. My friend has contacted them for help and they went all out to assist him--mock interviews, M1 student mentor, shadowing opportunities, volunteer opportunities...
But if in the end you cannot find some institution-based help, this process is do-able on your own. It is frustrating but not impossible. Just make sure you have your LORs lined up and have people critique your PS and secondaries.
Best of luck