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I don't know of any other way to euphemize this, but what's a typical profile of a rejected MD applicant? Below 30 on the MCAT, < 3.0 GPA, and few ECs? Just curious. We all have fears. Thanks.
MoosePilot said:I didn't get accepted at USUHS the first time I applied with approximately a 3.3 overall, 3.0 sci, 32 MCAT (all at or above 10). I had few ECs.
redstar18 said:There are more factors than just numbers that will lead to rejections. I have a friend who has >30 MCAT and >3.6 gpa and was rejected by the wide range of schools he applied to (twice). How's that for a profile?
redstar18 said:He applied late (waiting for August MCAT), and he didn't improve his second application that much. Otherwise, I think he would have gotten in somewhere. He applied to many out of state private schools where I think he had a good shot at if he just applied earlier.
MoosePilot said:Ah. Is this the magic year for him?
scooter31 said:Another aspect of this process to think about, reapp- wise: timing. I see a lot of people scrambling and reapplying because they didnt get their stuff in on time, and got waitlisted everywhere, due to late interviews and such. So get your stuff in early and beat the rush!!!
Moosepilot- Whats up with USUHS? I thought the road to going there was a bit easir if youve had prior service. That stinks-- I thought being an AF brat would make life a bit easier for me to get into there, but listening to your story, maybe it isnt
snowhite said:I knew someone who had an 3.8 and MCAT=33 and didn't get accepted, yet I know of people who made Mcat scores of 19 and 20 with 3.3ish GPAs and got in. I personally did not have the greatest scores and got into two schools.
Lonestar said:I was happy for a while until I found out later that the school had picked some *****s with GPAs of less than 3.0 and MCATs of less than 27.
coffeeluver said:Yup, you're right, definitely *****s if they can't score above a 27.
akalin24 said:If that's true than how did someone matriculate with a 17? I thought the average GPA for Umass matriculants was around a 30? I don't know the rest of her profile however, I do know she scored a 17.
Nebmuse said:Don't forget that for every 3 applicants to medical school only 1 gets accepted, which means that there are a lot of qualified applicants who aren't admitted in any one cycle. I had a friend who got a 39 on her MCAT and didn't get in her first time around. I also know a person who got a 29 on the MCAT and got in first try to the same school. Go figure!
akalin24 said:The MCAT is a very small factor regarding med school admissions dispite what some may say. I know a student at Umass Worcester who scored a 17. That score is below the minimum cut off for Osteopathic programs which is an 18. There are many other factors that go into the decision process. If you have a unique application you're in! It's that simple.
Cofeeluver: you need to shrink your head a bit. There's obviuosly some reason (excellent interview) that those other candidates got selected over you? "Class room" performance only takes you so far in medicine! I know a few doc's who are suffering from big head syndrome... it's not a good thing.
Out.
exgatr said:I had a 34 and 3.75 GPA and got rejected from UF, USF, Miami, UAB, Emory (waitlisted and never got the call), & Duke.
The second time around I applied to 18 schools and stopped interviewing after I got into Tulane
Good advice- but I disagree with you about the interview- I think in general a good or bad interview is what calls the shots. i know of many cases where the interview was the deciding factor- although it may be different at your school.deuist said:I am reapplying. Luckily, my numbers are up slightly. I've also picked up a volunteering EC. I think that medical schools care about two things as far as EC's go: significant research and volunteering. While everything else is nice -- or unless you were the president of a student organization with 200+ members -- med schools really don't pay too much attention to what else you've done.
Speaking of rec letters, they are the biggest help as far as getting accepted. They give the admissions committee an understanding of who you are. While most people who apply to medical school have high numbers and can write a personal statement that says what a wonderful person he/she is, the rec letter talks about your behavior from a different perspective. Unfortunately, many medical schools want as many as 5 letters. I don't know five profs who know who I am, much less who are qualified to write a letter. I realize now that it's very important for students to start talking to profs and EC advisers very early. You should go to their office hours and let them know who you are. BUT DON"T BE OBNOXIOUS OR FAKE. Many people -- particularly physical science professors -- don't really care for pre-meds because of their perceived snotty attitude.
Interviews are not a major contributor to your acceptance. Most schools already have an idea of whether or not they want you. The interview merely confirms their beliefs. Most students do a pretty mediocre job of interviewing -- and admissions committees understand that most people will be nervous and will not be able to give the best answers. So long as you don't completely suck, your position coming into the interview is the same going out. For people who are borderline, however, the interview can be a benefit. A solid interview may convince a school to take you despite your average scores, ECs, and rec letters.
These are just my observations over the past two years. Feel free to disagree.
kwgold said:Creepy...I had a 33 and 3.8, got rejected from UF and Emory (pre-interview), USF and UAB (post-interview). I filed the Duke secondary in the circular filing cabinet. This year I'm applying to 11, including Tulane. Maybe things will work out for me. Please share your tulane interview experience with me.
Why didn't you attend any of the DO schools?I am also one of them REJECTS:
GPA: 3.5 (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
MCAT: 26
I applied only once to 5 ALLOPATHIC, and 5 OSTEOPATHIC schools. I was rejected from all allopathic schools, but was accepted at 3 OSTEOPATHIC schools. However, I ran to the Carribean instead.
Reasons for my rejections
1) Aplied very late
2) I was not a US citizen back then (yes, I am a fist generation FOB)
3) I was very nervous during the interviews, and almost knew nothing about the US health care system.
4) A relatively low MCAT and GPA
5) Too few EC activities (I was a book worm)
6) I worked in research labs as an undergraduate (you know "dish washer/scut jobs", but never published
I wish I had stayed and applied a second time to more allopathic schools.
Anyway, too late now. I will be graduating next year from the Carribean, and going off to residency in General Surgery (hopefully).
Good Luck to you all.