reapplicants

[curious dummy]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

if you've been rejected, what did you do to gain admission? do all reapplicants get into med school, since they know what they need to do? or do they still have to reapply again? any 3rd time reapplicants? i ask these dumb questions because i'm curious. two times is my limit when i apply to med schools, so i wanna know how successful the 2nd time applicants are. thank you.

 

[jdub]

hey,

hopefully it won't happen to you . . . it does happen though, and more often than not. i would give it at least two attempts though, three is optional . . .

off of that note, i applied twice to us medschools and did not get in. my last effort landed me eight interviews and i ended up on six waitlist, at some pretty cool programs like tulane and temple. some might say that i interviewed poorly or that i didn't have the numbers. of course that is possible, but i figure if that was true i would not have gotten so much interest or ended up on so many waitlists.

anyhow, some folks will definitely disagree with this, but it is working out for me so far. i said screw it and applied to st georges in the caribbean. now that i am almost done with my first semester i realize that it was not that bad of an option. granted it is hard living down here, the people are not the most agreeable at times, and the school really grills us, perhaps more than they need to, to be honest, it feels like the weeder courses in undergrad. also, a lot of people don't make it through the program, but i am a strong student and was not worried about that. more importantly, i strongly believe that if i do well on the boards, and i see no reason why i shouldn't, i will most likely end up where i want to be, as will many of my classmates. there are quite a few people down here who could have gotten into schools in the us, but for some reason didn't . . . who knows why?

so, this option, ie caribbean school is not the best for everyone, but it is definitely a valid option, and in the end people here match in plenty of nice places.

 

[ispic]

Hi,

This is going to be a really long response, but I'll put in my "2cents". I am a 3rd-time applicant, and I got in this time around! So, it just takes a little "resumee-polishing" to get in if you've had a spotty undergrad record, but if medicine is what you really want to do, then I know you'll find a way to get in.

As far as applying multiple times, if you are not successful the first time, sit down with a member of your local med school's adcom or the dean of admissions. I know that a well-written email about your situation will get them to notice you or at the very least, give you a couple of suggestions about how you can strengthen you application. You can also check this board. There are several instances of people writing about the same things that I did to "build up" the application. I took the MCAT again and took some post-bacc upper-division science courses to help me out, and it did. You can also go the route of one of those structured post-bacc programs that several med schools offer, and they are listed on the AAMC website. That's about it for the app work.

I also have something to add about "paradigm", since jdub sorta mentioned it. He figured the best way to get to where he wants to be is to open your mind a little about the possibilities of attending medical schol in the caribbean, and it worked out for him! I definitely suggest that option since it may be the only recourse for some applicants. As for attending a non-LCME accredited school, as long as physicians pass the required licensure examinations, they're "good to go" and can practice anywhere. The whole "foreign vs. non-foreign" argument is bogus anyways. I live in a state that has many foreign-trained physicians, primarily from mexico and the caribbean, and they are wonderful practitioners that in reality, had to work just as hard as the other LCME-school-trained physicians to obtain their licensure, so, if other options do not turn up, I would suggest going the caribbean route. I used to have and issue with the carribbean schools, but after talking to several students, and looking on many message boards, I can honestly say that my issues with them stemmed from ignorance and prejudice, because attending a "foreign" med school was something I told myself I would never do.

In the end, look at your situation and strengthen those points on your app that you need to, take the MCAT again if need be, but as you reapply, keep your options open about practicing outside the LCME-circle, and don't listen to those on this forum or elsewhere that would criticize you about considering the foreign option, it is well worth it if it will get you to your final goal. Email me if you have any ?????. Take care.

 

[curious dummy]

thank you guys !!! you gave me good advices, and i will consider caribean schools when i apply. is it that caribean schools' curricula are easier, or are they easier to get in? 😕

 

[jdub]

hey,

as far as cleaning up your resume, ie getting a better score on your mcat, or getting some good grades in some upper division science course, etc . . . i guess it is a gamble like anything else, because ultimately, it won't guarantee you a spot. even those post grad programs, like the one in boston or dc or tulane won't guarantee a spot, albiet, if you do well or polish up your resume a bit it could definitely help you out, just pay attention to this board and you will find plenty of examples of that.

personally, i put a lot of money and effort into applying twice and i felt like i really got hosed, when august comes around and not even one out of six schools calls you, well, that just sucks, and the thought of sitting around for a whole year again waiting and hoping just made me sick . . . my thinking was that i did well enough to get into med school in the states, i had no major hole in my application, and i am ready to go. but that was just me, i didn't feel like i could really improve my resume much without commiting myself to several years of buffing and slurping, so to speak.

BUT, if you are okay with the time commitment and understand that you won't necesarily get in because of it, i would suggest you go for it. there is a certain stigma attached to graduating outside of the us. granted it is harped on a lot more by folks who are not making the decisions, ie premeds and the sort, but it most likely is there in varying degrees through-out medicine. it is one of those things people probably will not agree on and that just about everybody has an opinion about, it is not quite as bad as the whole allopathic vs osteopathic argument, but it has tinges of that debate. as far as is it worth it, will it work, are people qualified,etc. ALSO, living in another country is hard. I personally don't like grenada a lot and if i wasn't commited to being a doctor, i wouldn't be here. there is inconvenience, the little things that add up and annoy the hell out of you. there are cultural things, this island is prodominantly black, so as a white male i do get hassled a bit. it is also really expensive, but if your from new york, this is coming from some of my classmates, it is about the same . . . BUT, i am training to be a doctor and that helps me keep things going.

as far as the curriculum goes, it is the same if not harder than most of the schools in the states, at least here at sgu. the school is trying to weed out people that won't be able to pass the boards, so they really stick it to us. they really push a program they called "the decel program" too, which is pretty much a way to lighten the course work for people who are stuggling and it involves staying in school an extra semester or year, and half of my class is doing it. they set up our curriculum to prepare us for the us boards, and if you do well enough that school says you can take them, you most likely will pass. our pass rate at sgu for first time takers is at the same level as the schools in the states. the catch is that a lot of people who start down here will not take the boards. BUT, if you are a solid student in the first place there really is no reason why you shouldn't do fine.

as far as admissions go, it is definitely easier to get into this school, than the schools in the states. we have two terms that start each year and they want to fill this place up. i started in january and my class started at 280, about 80% from the us, and in august another 300 or so will start. i had a 32 on the mcat and i am on the upper end of things. but, a lot of my friends and classmates had scores down in the low 20's, which is the reason why a lot of folks are down here. i even have a friend that got below a 20 on his mcat, but he is doing fine in school. one of those case of somebody who just couldn't take the mcat for some reason . . .

if you are going to apply to the caribbean schools, i would definitely only consider a few of them, like ross or sgu, but if this becomes and option, i would look into that on your own and get a feel for what people are saying and what oportunity is out there.

best of luck

 

[DarkChild]

for me the "secret" to success was all logistical.
my application was ABSOLUTELY the same the second time around. my essays were a little different, but I was still working the same crappy job I had been the year before last.
but the BIG difference was that this time i:
1) applied across the board and to a lot more schools than last time
2) i applied earlier (i still should have applied even earlier though 🙄 )

i'm a walking example of just how important logistical issues are in the med school admissions game

PS - by early i mean your apps should be COMPLETE in late augu to early september.

 

[dlc]

I had to take the MCAT 3 times and apply 3 times but in the end I lucked out big time! I never could really take tests very well since I have a bit of test anxiety... but for the third time I managed to bring my score up 11 points from just practice, practice practice. That got me the interviews but to actually get the acceptance I wanted I really made sure that I sent in letters of intent and made sure that they knew that I would matriculate if they accepted me. Besides the MCAT, the only thing I had improved about my application was that I was working full-time in a research lab, although I was just a technician. I really don't know if I would have gotten into my school if I hadn't hounded them! Oh, and I really didn't want to have to apply a fourth time so I guess that just gave me more gusto to try everything and regret nothing.
Dana