Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
So, I am having trouble deciding whether or not to send an update letter to schools. I would only really be including 2 updates: 1) I got a 4.0 in my classes last semester, 2) I just started a new job that is not clinical, but is related to healthcare policy.
Regarding the GPA, the general advice I have read has said don't write a letter solely for fall semester grades. However, I originally finished undergrad in 2007 with a 2.8 GPA, and last year I took mostly basic science classes at my local community college. As such, this fall was my first full-time post-bacc semester at a 4-year university, and I took a difficult courseload including Biochem, Genetics, and Pathophysiology. While it will only bump up my overall GPA a negligible amount, I thought that the successful semester would demonstrate to adcoms that I can actually handle a tough workload despite my weaker GPA/sGPA.
As for the job, I am also on the fence on whether it would have any bearing on most adcoms' decision, as it is not really a medical job. Specifically, I have activated with the Army Reserve to work at the Office of the Surgeon General, where I am serving as an administrative law attorney for the next 6 months. While I realize it is not clinical in nature, it is really interesting work and will allow me to gain hands-on experience with some aspects of healhcare policy at a high level. It seems like a cool gap-bridging job at the intersection of my previous career (law) and the one I'm entering (medicine), so I thought it might be something that would make me stand out a little in the crowded field of pending applications.
Anyway, I could really use some advice on the matter. Are these worth sending, or should I just let it ride?
Regarding the GPA, the general advice I have read has said don't write a letter solely for fall semester grades. However, I originally finished undergrad in 2007 with a 2.8 GPA, and last year I took mostly basic science classes at my local community college. As such, this fall was my first full-time post-bacc semester at a 4-year university, and I took a difficult courseload including Biochem, Genetics, and Pathophysiology. While it will only bump up my overall GPA a negligible amount, I thought that the successful semester would demonstrate to adcoms that I can actually handle a tough workload despite my weaker GPA/sGPA.
As for the job, I am also on the fence on whether it would have any bearing on most adcoms' decision, as it is not really a medical job. Specifically, I have activated with the Army Reserve to work at the Office of the Surgeon General, where I am serving as an administrative law attorney for the next 6 months. While I realize it is not clinical in nature, it is really interesting work and will allow me to gain hands-on experience with some aspects of healhcare policy at a high level. It seems like a cool gap-bridging job at the intersection of my previous career (law) and the one I'm entering (medicine), so I thought it might be something that would make me stand out a little in the crowded field of pending applications.
Anyway, I could really use some advice on the matter. Are these worth sending, or should I just let it ride?
