Some Encouragement Needed

[deleted483737]

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I am in need of a little encouragement from all of you amazing people.

Every Friday, I shadow my Ob/Gyn. It's a great experience because I get to see how she follows women throughout their pregnancy and how accessible she is to patients re: telling them about their problem in a non-condescending way. I love that about her and she's definitely the doctor I would want to become.

However, whenever we get on the subject of me getting into medical school, all she can say is that my undergrad is weak (a 3.3) and that I need to get an MCAT score of 33+ in order for medical schools to even look at my application. She ignores the fact that that 3.3 has ZERO science and that my grades from my state university (ALL science) is a 3.76 and will get higher after this semester.

I'm not looking to get into Harvard or even Northwestern. Frankly, I'd be perfectly happy getting in ANYWHERE, but she just freaks me out. I have shown great improvement in my score as I started out at a 20 and within a month have gotten up to a 24. I'm taking the test in 2 months and I'm worried that I won't be able to get that 33.

So, I guess I need some encouragement and some advice. Should I be pushing back my MCAT test date from May to June or maybe even until the end of the summer? If I do that, is it feasible to apply this cycle or not? Are my college grades (with no science) going to prevent me from getting anywhere?

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

A 3.3 with good postbac performance will be acceptable to plenty of DO schools. An MCAT of 28 or so ought to get you enough interviews if you apply broadly. If you want to do OB, getting a DO degree won't be a problem at all.

Unless you have plenty of time to study between now and the MCAT, I'd recommend pushing the test date back. The real thing is at least as hard as AAMC's latest practice tests, so you need to be getting good scores in practice under realistic conditions before you take the test for real. Taking the MCAT in June won't be a problem if you have the rest of your application ready to submit the day you get your score back.

 

[QofQuimica]

Well, I'd argue that if you've been shadowing an OB/gyn every week for X number of weeks and you still want to go into medicine at all, then that should be plenty of encouragement right there. OB/gyn is horrible.

All kidding aside, odds are good that she's been out of school for long enough where she may not be so in tune with how admissions works nowadays. It's def not necessary to have a 33 MCAT. Like Chip said though, you do want to be scoring in the high 20s consistently on practice tests before you take the real thing. I think it's realistic to expect that you could pull your score up another 3-5 points over the next two months if you are able to dedicate the necessary time to studying.

Best of luck. 🙂

 

[VictorAlpha]

If you push back the test I would think about applying the next cycle. You could certainly apply for the current cycle even if you pushed the test back and people have gotten accepted that way. But I would never discount the importance of timing in the application process. Keep practicing the test and really pay attention to the questions you are not getting. Learn the relationships that are being tested on those questions. Hopefully you will start to see some patterns. You don't need a 33 but obviously higher is better. I had to retake a 31 because it expired and i knew I wasn't going to re-apply unless I improved...I had to re-take it twice (3x total) to improve. Good Luck!

 

[Weewee]

Applying early is key. Turn in your aamcas ASAP but take the extra time if you think it will make a difference. I started with a 21 and averaged about a 25.5 on my practice tests. Ended up getting a 33. You can do it. You are in a great situation and don't be discouraged. In your ps or secondaries discuss how much you love science and have showed success/improvement in gpa because of this. Cheers to you for getting a higher sGPA...it shows strength. Use your story to convey your strengths and make yourself unique. Every interviewer I had focused on a higher science gap as a major strength. Keep up the good work!!!

 

[deleted483737]

Well, I'd argue that if you've been shadowing an OB/gyn every week for X number of weeks and you still want to go into medicine at all, then that should be plenty of encouragement right there. OB/gyn is horrible.

Best of luck. 🙂

Awww, what's wrong with Ob? It seems to get a bad rap wherever I go. Too much estrogen? 😉

The only reason she tells me these things is that her daughter just applied to 30 medical schools, got a handful of interviews and only one acceptance so far (at UIC). Her daughter's stats are better than mine (3.6 ugrad 3.6 sci) so that's why I think she says I need to rock the MCAT so hard.

My scores are pretty bad. i took a Princeton Review practice test today and got a 25. I make stupid mistakes on some of the Gen Chem, but what really kills me is the physics and bio/orgo. I'm in a TPR class, but it kinda sucks. =\

 

[Goro]

Do not bother applying to any MD program unless you can get that GPA >3.5. Your sGPA will need to be similar. Your MCAT should be >30.

For programs, your 3.3 is fine, and MCAT should be >25


If you really really want to be a doctor, you'll do what you need to do.

I am in need of a little encouragement from all of you amazing people.

Every Friday, I shadow my Ob/Gyn. It's a great experience because I get to see how she follows women throughout their pregnancy and how accessible she is to patients re: telling them about their problem in a non-condescending way. I love that about her and she's definitely the doctor I would want to become.

However, whenever we get on the subject of me getting into medical school, all she can say is that my undergrad is weak (a 3.3) and that I need to get an MCAT score of 33+ in order for medical schools to even look at my application. She ignores the fact that that 3.3 has ZERO science and that my grades from my state university (ALL science) is a 3.76 and will get higher after this semester.

I'm not looking to get into Harvard or even Northwestern. Frankly, I'd be perfectly happy getting in ANYWHERE, but she just freaks me out. I have shown great improvement in my score as I started out at a 20 and within a month have gotten up to a 24. I'm taking the test in 2 months and I'm worried that I won't be able to get that 33.

So, I guess I need some encouragement and some advice. Should I be pushing back my MCAT test date from May to June or maybe even until the end of the summer? If I do that, is it feasible to apply this cycle or not? Are my college grades (with no science) going to prevent me from getting anywhere?

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

Awww, what's wrong with Ob? It seems to get a bad rap wherever I go. Too much estrogen? 😉

The only reason she tells me these things is that her daughter just applied to 30 medical schools, got a handful of interviews and only one acceptance so far (at UIC). Her daughter's stats are better than mine (3.6 ugrad 3.6 sci) so that's why I think she says I need to rock the MCAT so hard.

My scores are pretty bad. i took a Princeton Review practice test today and got a 25. I make stupid mistakes on some of the Gen Chem, but what really kills me is the physics and bio/orgo. I'm in a TPR class, but it kinda sucks. =\

OB means baby gunk on your hands, and the GYN part of OB/GYN means even more disgusting gunk. Besides, 3 AM is for going to bed, not for getting up. I'm glad some people want to make a career of OB, but I'm definitely not planning on being one of them.

Your friend's daughter may have good stats, but you don't know all the story. If she applied late in the cycle or did a poor job on her personal statement and secondary essays, it's quite likely she would end up with very few interviews. GPA and MCAT scores are key elements in getting into medical school, but they are certainly not the only factors.

 

[QofQuimica]

Your friend's daughter may have good stats, but you don't know all the story. If she applied late in the cycle or did a poor job on her personal statement and secondary essays, it's quite likely she would end up with very few interviews. GPA and MCAT scores are key elements in getting into medical school, but they are certainly not the only factors.

This. You never know the whole story of someone else's app. Even they don't know the whole story, because they don't read their LORs, and they don't see their interview score sheets. So you really can't use someone else's app to gauge how you're going to do.

My guess was actually that the OB's daughter probably applied to a top-heavy list of schools. At the most competitive schools, a 3.6 GPA would be average or even below average.

Awww, what's wrong with Ob? It seems to get a bad rap wherever I go. Too much estrogen?

That's part of it. You can't even begin to imagine what truculent trolls a group of OB residents can be until you're stuck under a bridge with a group of them all night long. All I can say is that it was a good thing I did OB in June (at the end of my third year) rather than in July (at the beginning). I might not have come back for my August rotation.

But also, yeah, like Chip says, birth is disgusting. The first baby I helped deliver was to a mother with a 4th degree laceration. When it was all over, the woman's business end looked like raw hamburger meat. I asked the OB how she even knew what to suture together, and she laughed and said that she just knew. Which led me to believe that she was probably just sewing random bits of pulverized flesh together. Plus, the sight of vernix and the smell of placenta both make me want to gag. And women giving birth can be just....weird. I'm still traumatized by the one who made me do a "placenta print" by pressing her bloody placenta to a piece of paper. I would have refused if I had been alone, but the nurse's enthusiasm for this macabre art project quickly disabused me of any notion that either of them would care about my offended sensibilities.

 

[deleted307836]

That's hilarious . For me as the reader, anyway.

 

[Lys Ile Glu Leu]

I've had some success at osteopathic schools with my meager stats, which are very similar to what you're showing and a 29 MCAT. I may yet get accepted into my state allo school as well.

Be conservative and be realistic when you apply, but remember, it is possible.

Good luck.

@Goro - I'm not sure why exactly, but when I read your posts, it comes out sounding like my imagining of what God sounds like. My head doesn't quite explode, but I'm sure you get the point. And I hope you're wrong, in an absolute sense, about the MD thing. It'd be nice not to have to move states away from my family. Decision in 2 weeks. In any case, I'm ecstatic that I'm on my way to achieving my dream.

 

[deleted483737]

Applying early is key. Turn in your aamcas ASAP but take the extra time if you think it will make a difference. I started with a 21 and averaged about a 25.5 on my practice tests. Ended up getting a 33. You can do it. You are in a great situation and don't be discouraged. In your ps or secondaries discuss how much you love science and have showed success/improvement in gpa because of this. Cheers to you for getting a higher sGPA...it shows strength. Use your story to convey your strengths and make yourself unique. Every interviewer I had focused on a higher science gap as a major strength. Keep up the good work!!!

That's kinda where I'm at right now. What kinds of tests were you taking? I'm taking Princeton Review Tests and they are really hard.

I don't know. I just overanalyze things and convince myself I'm a bad applicant because of so many things. Now I'm worried because I only took 2 science courses a semester. I would take seminars that counted for 1 credit each time, but I just worry now that they won't think I can handle the course load. Then I worry that they won't respect the school I did my prereqs at (a state university- Northeastern Illinois University) since it's not as good as the other state university (University of Illinois - Chicago).

 

[deleted483737]

Do not bother applying to any MD program unless you can get that GPA >3.5. Your sGPA will need to be similar. Your MCAT should be >30.

For programs, your 3.3 is fine, and MCAT should be >25


If you really really want to be a doctor, you'll do what you need to do.

The 3.3 is from ugrad and doesn't factor in the science classes I've taken. I calculated it and my cGPA including all of the classes I've taken is a 3.47. I will probably get another couple of As this semester so that should bump it up a little bit.

Do you suggest that I take another year of classes and apply next cycle because my grades are not high enough?

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

That's kinda where I'm at right now. What kinds of tests were you taking? I'm taking Princeton Review Tests and they are really hard.

I don't know. I just overanalyze things and convince myself I'm a bad applicant because of so many things. Now I'm worried because I only took 2 science courses a semester. I would take seminars that counted for 1 credit each time, but I just worry now that they won't think I can handle the course load. Then I worry that they won't respect the school I did my prereqs at (a state university- Northeastern Illinois University) since it's not as good as the other state university (University of Illinois - Chicago).

Only taking two science courses at a time won't be a problem if you're also working. Don't worry about your school choice either. Med schools don't care where you did undergrad or postbac as long as it's an accredited four year college. I went to the worst state school in Colorado for undergrad. I did my postbac at University of Alaska Fairbanks, which is the best college in Alaska but still isn't any good. The quality of my schools was never an issue and it didn't come up in interviews.

The 3.3 is from ugrad and doesn't factor in the science classes I've taken. I calculated it and my cGPA including all of the classes I've taken is a 3.47. I will probably get another couple of As this semester so that should bump it up a little bit.

Do you suggest that I take another year of classes and apply next cycle because my grades are not high enough?

A 3.47 is good enough for DO. Definitely don't wait another year before applying unless you're absolutely dead set on MD, which you shouldn't be. Depending on your MCAT, MD is by no means out of the question if you keep those grades up. Wait until you get your MCAT score back and then decide what schools you're competitive for. Either way, MCAT studying will be a more effective use of your time than taking additional classes.

 

[deleted483737]

Only taking two science courses at a time won't be a problem if you're also working. Don't worry about your school choice either. Med schools don't care where you did undergrad or postbac as long as it's an accredited four year college. I went to the worst state school in Colorado for undergrad. I did my postbac at University of Alaska Fairbanks, which is the best college in Alaska but still isn't any good. The quality of my schools was never an issue and it didn't come up in interviews.

I was always working part time when I took 2 classes. The one semester I took 3 (Psych, Bio and Orgo 1 + Orgo 1 seminar), I wasn't working. I started teaching a seminar and working at a learning center and only took 2 classes.

A 3.47 is good enough for DO. Definitely don't wait another year before applying unless you're absolutely dead set on MD, which you shouldn't be. Depending on your MCAT, MD is by no means out of the question if you keep those grades up. Wait until you get your MCAT score back and then decide what schools you're competitive for. Either way, MCAT studying will be a more effective use of your time than taking additional classes.

I really want to go to UIC (probably my top), Rush or Loyola (the latter is a reach) just because then I can stay near my parents who are getting up there in years. Midwestern University is the only DO school around here and is very expensive, hence my desire to go to UIC.

 

[Weewee]

That's kinda where I'm at right now. What kinds of tests were you taking? I'm taking Princeton Review Tests and they are really hard.

I don't know. I just overanalyze things and convince myself I'm a bad applicant because of so many things. Now I'm worried because I only took 2 science courses a semester. I would take seminars that counted for 1 credit each time, but I just worry now that they won't think I can handle the course load. Then I worry that they won't respect the school I did my prereqs at (a state university- Northeastern Illinois University) since it's not as good as the other state university (University of Illinois - Chicago).

I was taking the aamc tests under testing conditions. You are not a bad applicant. I did the same thing trying to psych myself out, but realized it doesn't matter! Don't pressure yourself. There will always be someone that is smarter, better, faster. You have to see yourself as unique and use your essays to sell yourself. As for pre-reqs I took all of mine at community college 10-12 credit hours a time because I was working full time. Didn't hurt me!

Honestly, now that I look at all the people's acceptances/rejections I wish I would have been more confident in my ability throughout the whole process and stopped comparing myself to others. It eliminates a lot of unnecessary stress! Now I see myself as a special little flower just right to be in my med school's bouquet and that is why they picked me!! 😍

 

[deleted483737]

I was taking the aamc tests under testing conditions. You are not a bad applicant. I did the same thing trying to psych myself out, but realized it doesn't matter! Don't pressure yourself. There will always be someone that is smarter, better, faster. You have to see yourself as unique and use your essays to sell yourself. As for pre-reqs I took all of mine at community college 10-12 credit hours a time because I was working full time. Didn't hurt me!

The thing is I was only working part time. I teach a 2 hour seminar once a week (since January '12 and then work 8-10 hours a week at a learning center so I feel like they would write me off as lazy or something since I didn't take more classes.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

It looks like your schedule is full enough that nobody is going to write you off as lazy. Stop worrying so much.

 

[deleted483737]

Applying early is key. Turn in your aamcas ASAP but take the extra time if you think it will make a difference. I started with a 21 and averaged about a 25.5 on my practice tests. Ended up getting a 33. You can do it. You are in a great situation and don't be discouraged. In your ps or secondaries discuss how much you love science and have showed success/improvement in gpa because of this. Cheers to you for getting a higher sGPA...it shows strength. Use your story to convey your strengths and make yourself unique. Every interviewer I had focused on a higher science gap as a major strength. Keep up the good work!!!

I actually just looked at changing my exam date until the end of May and I would have to wait until the end of June. -_- I'm sure it would definitely help, but I'm not sure if I could apply this cycle. 🙁 What do you all think?

I'm currently in a Princeton Review class (which I find kinda useless) and getting a private tutor to supplement.

 

[sgemmell]

I took my MCAT in May, finished my application up as quickly as possible and applied late in the cycle - I had 6 interviews scheduled within a week of completing my application, and 4 acceptances (the other 2 were wait lists - which is a problem with applying late) within a month of finishing the application.

The problem with applying late in the cycle is that many schools have already started to fill their classes - this means that even if you have a good overall application, the spots may be limited. That said, don't be afraid to apply, even later in the cycle.

I am a 3rd year medical student now - I honestly don't know how your GPA or practice MCATs compare to others applying for medical school now. I do know, where I go to school, every year, the average GPA and MCAT of each class goes up a little bit. My GPA was great (3.96), but my MCAT was so-so at a 30. I just made sure I had done a lot of shadowing, I had published research, and I worked as a microbiology work study all through undergrad. I also secured strong LORs

The best advise I can give you is to study hard for your MCAT, do as well as you possibly can, but also make sure you have a well-rounded application.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

I actually just looked at changing my exam date until the end of May and I would have to wait until the end of June. -_- I'm sure it would definitely help, but I'm not sure if I could apply this cycle. 🙁 What do you all think?

I'm currently in a Princeton Review class (which I find kinda useless) and getting a private tutor to supplement.

A June MCAT means submitting your application in July. That isn't too late at all. August is borderline, and anything later is definitely late, but not entirely out of the question. MD schools don't give acceptances until October 15th or so. At least one DO school accepts students by early September, but either way, there will be lots of seats left for you to apply to. Just have your personal statement written and your AMCAS/AACOMAS primary applications filled out so you can submit them the day you get your MCAT score back. You absolutely should apply this cycle. Waiting another year means one year less of a doctor's life and salary further down the road. Now that I know your GPA will end up being a 3.5 or so, I can say that you will almost certainly get in somewhere if the rest of your application is good and you apply wisely to schools within reach.

Also, take one of the AAMC tests sometime under realistic conditions to see what your score is. One of them is free, and the others are worth the money. I don't know about Princeton's practice tests, but Kaplan scored theirs low on purpose as part of a money back guarantee. A 26 on the Kaplan tests I took ended up being roughly the equivalent of a 30 on AAMC's. You may be better prepared for the MCAT than you think.

 

[deleted483737]

A June MCAT means submitting your application in July. That isn't too late at all. August is borderline, and anything later is definitely late, but not entirely out of the question. MD schools don't give acceptances until October 15th or so. At least one DO school accepts students by early September, but either way, there will be lots of seats left for you to apply to. Just have your personal statement written and your AMCAS/AACOMAS primary applications filled out so you can submit them the day you get your MCAT score back. You absolutely should apply this cycle. Waiting another year means one year less of a doctor's life and salary further down the road. Now that I know your GPA will end up being a 3.5 or so, I can say that you will almost certainly get in somewhere if the rest of your application is good and you apply wisely to schools within reach.

Also, take one of the AAMC tests sometime under realistic conditions to see what your score is. One of them is free, and the others are worth the money. I don't know about Princeton's practice tests, but Kaplan scored theirs low on purpose as part of a money back guarantee. A 26 on the Kaplan tests I took ended up being roughly the equivalent of a 30 on AAMC's. You may be better prepared for the MCAT than you think.

It would be at the end of July that the score would come in. In my gap year, I'm also going to take more classes (Anatomy and Physiology I and II definitely) to raise my GPA further in case I don't get in. I want to start volunteering at a free clinic (doing triage) and have been volunteering at a hospital for almost a month. I also am going to start volunteering on a domestic abuse hotline which is something I've been wanting to do for a really long time starting next week. The problem, I know, is that this is all so late. -_-

I've mainly been doing teaching since I started this journey so I have a lot of experience doing that. I'm going to try and write about how the junction between teaching and medicine and how being a doctor is part being an educator. Something like that. I just have to be careful to not make it sound too trite or overly idealistic.