Suggestions?

[Bhoot]

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If anyone can offer an ideas on my particular situation, please let me know.
I am an older student who applied to US MD/DO schools in 2003 but was rejected for them. I graduated with a gpa of 3.22 and MCAT of 22, but due to the large amount of classes I took in my 20s, it pulled my cum gpa down to 2.5. I then went to an off shore school and passed all of my basic sciences classes but couldn't pass the comprehensive exam at the end of basic sciences and was dismissed. Just a note: I was going through a really bad marital separation involving abuse and threats and was left in the middle of medical school to fend for myself financially.

So here I am: 2 years after dismissal, still wanting to go to medical school, and now single. Of course I'll need financial aid to continue, which means any school off shore that might have taken me advanced standing for some of my previous work is not an option due to the fact that those schools do not have federal financial aid. So, my choice is apply to one of the big 4 that do offer federal financial aid and start over OR do some sort of post bacc and re-apply to US schools, or ....? Any suggestions.

 

[dragonfly99]

You won't be able to get in to a US MD school with the 22 MCAT, and to get in to DO school would be very hard also I think. Also your GPA will keep you out of US MD schools, and perhaps DO schools also. If you did some sort of post-bac, perhaps one affiliated with a school (like some of the DO Schools have) then you might be able to get in if you did quite well in the postbach, but I think it would be hard. I would definitely talk frankly with the admissions folks at those postbach programs before you pay the money to go to one.

I would think about this long and hard. It might be better to stay here in the US and go to PA school or NP school. I'm not saying this to down you at all...I honestly think it is a GREAT job and they make excellent money and they honestly do 90% of the stuff that we (internal medicine doctors) do. Yes, there are a few things you can't do, such as doing surgery or reading X-rays all day like a radiologist, or maybe taking care of the really complex curve-ball type cases, but honestly it is a good paying medical career in which your day to day work resembles what a DO or MD does. And you would not have to take out more student loans for an uncertain shot at another offshore medical school.

If you go to an offshore school, I would only go to one of 2 or 3 that have a high % placement in US residencies. Also, I would think about it really hard. If you aren't a great standardized test taker, then I think these offshore schools are super risky. The reason is you could go down there and not pass their internal/comprehensive exam, or you could pass but then not be able to pass the US medical licensing exam. For me, that would be too much of a risk to take if I were in your situation.

You haven't told us a lot...like how old you are, whether you have kids, and what your present employment is.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

If you are interested in DO schools you don't have to do a formal postbac just retake some of the undergraduate courses you did poorly in and retake the MCAT and score a 27 or better. Other things that are highly recommended to show improvement this second time around would be to get recent volunteering and clinical experience, taking upper level biology courses, shadowing a DO to get a LOR if you don't already have one, and most importantly APPLY EARLY like the first day AACOMAS opens. Good Luck.

 

[fahimaz7]

PA school is almost as hard to get in to as medical school! Some of them require >1000 clinical hours!

If you're looking for a post-bacc type of experience, look into getting a thesis-based masters. Most of these programs provide a stipend (2-3k/month) and they pay your tuition and fees too! During this time, you could take undergraduate classes to build your GPA and also take the graduate classes that are needed to complete your degree!

In a few years, you could have increased your undergraduate GPA, completed a master's program, and re-taken the MCAT (which is only good for 3 years). Best of all... It would have been paid for!

Get control of your application. Address any weaknesses and apply when you have them improved!

Good luck.

 

[gman33]

I'd start by talking to your former school.
It's going to be a hard sell to get accepted somewhere else after being dismissed from a previous school. I understand there were other circumstances, but most places won't be too sympathetic.

I like the idea of PA school or something similar. I'd talk to some of those programs as well.