Pre Med Myth??

[Gaby]

I was talking to a few of my fellow O-Chem
classmates today and heard something that didn't sound exactly right. So I'll relay it to you guys and see what input I get. Is it true that some med schools will completely disregard ( trash, in other words) your application if they see that you got a C in O-Chem I/II ? This sounds like one of those "urban legend" type thingys. It makes no sense to me!!! What if you aced the MCATS and all of the other reqs? Just because you flubbed up one class like O-chem means that they trash your apps? No way, I don't buy it. What does somebody else think? Has anybody heard this too?

P.S. I don't agree that getting a C in O-chem is a good thing, but gimme a break!!!

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[ckent]

I know someone that got a C in O chem, is not an URM, and got into Wash U (She aced everything else). Watch your back though! (just kidding)

 

[lilycat]

Urban legend. Your classmates are wrong.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Urban Legend. There is NO one thing which would result in your application being trashed (short of being caught in some major lie on it I suppose).

Pre-meds are a devious lot - do NOT believe everything they tell you.

 

[Mikado]

There's also a myth that that even one typo on your application results in all schools giving you the boot. That one is also pure crap.

 

[ana]

Let me just shoot down all these myths in one fell swoop:

1. I have one F on my transcripts. I retook the class for a C+.
2. I got a C in O-Chem.
3. I applied late (turned in my AMCAS in November) with August MCATs.
4. I not only had a typo on my AMCAS, I also had one on my secondary for my top choice (I got in and just graduated).
5. I am NOT AOA, NOT at the top of my class, have NO research. I had a typo on my ERAS residency application. I admitted to everyone who asked that I had considered another specialty and had in fact interviewed at a few places. I still got into my top residency pick for a competitive field.

Obviously, I would not recommend that anyone do any of the above. However, if you find yourself in any of those situations, don't beat yourself over the head because of it -- chances are it would not have made much of a difference.

Best of luck all and try to RELAX and stop psyching yourselves out!

 

[Nanon]

Thank you, ana. Myth mongering is one of the most irritating aspects of this whole excruciating, demoralizing process. Maybe your experience really is the exception, but I think it's probably more common than we're led to believe.

I've been pre-med for six years, and I've heard it all. What I've come to realize is that very little about this process is set in stone. I know many people who've gotten into presigious medical schools after taking ALL of their pre-reqs at community college, some of whom were (at least numbers-wise) "mediocre" students with >3.4 GPA's. All had pretty good MCAT scores (at least 32 cum.). But the trait that all of them share is that they are all outstanding people with obviously keen intellects. One joined the peace corp for two years, in an effort to understand the causes and cycle of poverty in third world countries. Another has a masters in social work, and became interested in medicine after witnessing the substandard medical care her mentally ill clients recieved. She's also an avid music fan and helped to produce music shows in her spare time. Another went to Harvard, but she barely passed ochem. She's now a resident at UCSF, working in her spare time at a sex-workers clinic at night. Another is diabetic, worked to support her siblings, and as a result, graduated with a 3.2. When you talk to her, you get the feeling that she really notices things that the rest of us don't.

These are not cookie-cutter applicants... and I say, thank God for that. All of these women will make outstanding physicians, because they're human and they're OK with that. I rely on their advise, and none of it so far has been all that conventional. "Don't take physics at Berkeley, it's not worth the stress," or "Talk to the dean of admissions at my school, let him know who you are," or, even more shocking, "Stop stressing so much - go home and paint."

I trust them more than I trust a neurotic pre-med...

And on a final note, congrats gaby for maintaining a healthy skepticism. It will save your sanity in the long run.

Nanon

 

[XENA]

Nanon, your friends sound cool

We need more people like that in medschool...

 

[dtreese]

I definitely have to agree with Nanon. I know some people who are and have been adcom members, and they have told me that what they are ultimately looking for is an applicant who has a bright mind, who can think for themselves. The material that Kaplan distributes says that adcoms would get inside your mind if they could. They are absolutely right.

 

[Doc Oc]

Originally posted by Mikado:
•There's also a myth that that even one typo on your application results in all schools giving you the boot. That one is also pure crap.•

I received 13 secondaries...8 of them had either typographical or grammatical errors. One had two #13s. Quite amusing...also, one school sent me an interview invite, but the header with my address had another student's name on it. I had to call the school (MSUCOM) to be sure that the invite was mine, since both mine and the other students' names were on it. Even more coincidental - I knew the other student, did undergrad with her! So hopefully, the typo legend is just that.