this might be a stupid question

[the unconquered]

Hey all,

I've got a question which might be recieved as *****ic to some, but ask you to please bear with me as i am a recent pre-med. Here goes:

If i am interested in a particular med school, is it bad form to email the dean (or whomever serves as the contact for the med school) and simply ask her/him: "I am interested in your program because (insert reason) and my credentials are (insert credentials), do you think i am a competitive applicant? If not what should i do to be more competitive?"

please let me know before i make a fool of myself

dave

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[astrife]

if you do end up doing it (I have no idea about your original question), use a disposable e-mail address

 

[masterMood]

I don't think it's a bad idea or *****ic to say the least. It's probably a good idea to show that your interested in the med. school and you want to be a well-rounded student for the particular med. school. In fact, I think you should call up whoever you wanted to talk to because it'll make thigns a lot less informal since it's not someone "anonymous" over the internet.

 

[thegenius]

Showing interest in a school is a good idea, but I would approach it differently. I would just set up an appiontment to see the dean, then you can explain why you are interested in that school and go over your application. You can get a lot more out of a meeting than an email.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Hey all,

I've got a question which might be recieved as *****ic to some, but ask you to please bear with me as i am a recent pre-med. Here goes:

If i am interested in a particular med school, is it bad form to email the dean (or whomever serves as the contact for the med school) and simply ask her/him: "I am interested in your program because (insert reason) and my credentials are (insert credentials), do you think i am a competitive applicant? If not what should i do to be more competitive?"

please let me know before i make a fool of myself

dave

That is a fantastic idea. It shows you have initiative, and if you continue to stay in touch with that dean, by the time you apply there you'll be good to go. That said, some deans are nicer than others, but in all honesty I don't think this could do any harm to you, and the insight you can gain from the answer(s) would be awesome.

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

Hey all,

I've got a question which might be recieved as *****ic to some, but ask you to please bear with me as i am a recent pre-med. Here goes:

If i am interested in a particular med school, is it bad form to email the dean (or whomever serves as the contact for the med school) and simply ask her/him: "I am interested in your program because (insert reason) and my credentials are (insert credentials), do you think i am a competitive applicant? If not what should i do to be more competitive?"

please let me know before i make a fool of myself

dave

Great idea actually... I found myself doing this after receiving my lousy MCAT score last month. The feedback I received ranged from "your chances are very poor" to "we look at the total applicant so apply anyways." I just got my first interview so I know it doesn't hurt if you do so. Get those e-mails out on the double

 

[rocketman]

I agree that you should set up an appointment with the dean for admissions at the medical school you are interested in. Don't simply send an e-mail as those are sometimes ignored.

 

[the unconquered]

Thanks to everyone for the advice...

perhaps i will start by emailing and if that doesnt seem to get results, i will certainly call and set up an appointment with the dean...unfortunately, i am currently living on the west coast and my desired school is in on the east coast, so i will probably have to hold of on a personal meeting until i make it back out east

thanks

dave

 

[MoosePilot]

I scheduled a meeting with the director of admissions at a school I was very interested in. We discussed the school, my credentials, and she said I had a good shot if I retook the MCAT and got a current score comparable to my original score which was too old to consider. I took her advice. Due to some career issues, I couldn't apply for two years, but when I did, I got in on the first possible date. I think my ongoing correspondence helped rather than hurt me in the process. Just be extremely courteous, professional, and be ready to accept their advice or you might as well not ask.