What options are there if rejected from Med Schools?

[the Undergrad]

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you complete all your lower and upper div. courses...take the mcats...do research...finally it comes time to apply for med schools!

the waiting period....2..3...4 months...YOUR REJECTED!!!!!!


Well, thats what i wanted to know...what now??????

i mean you're still gonna get your BS degree..but no acceptance into medical school...now what????


what are the options for such people?????????? please be specific and serious. thank you.

(as evident by my i.d., i am an undergrad...a bio/psych major..wanna go to med school...so i just wanted to get a little idea what happens if worse comes to worst...)

 

[Fenrezz]

Apply again.

 

[relish]

This is hardly a worse case scenario. I would say, if medicine is your true desire, apply again next year. Ask specifically why your application/interview was rejected, and I guarentee those schools will tell you why specifically. Improve what was lacking then apply again, to more schools maybe to up your chances. One year in the whole grand scheme of things is nothing. If anything it will give you more time to relax, which you should do. I have met several people who were initially rejected, but simply applied again next year with success. Think if it as time off before you start the heavy work. Good Luck.

 

[ispic]

Hmmm, well, the best thing I can tell you is to apply to some post-bacc programs that specialize in students like yourself. I played the game for three years and I finally got in this year. All it takes is some patience and some additional hard work on your part. Sorry if it sounds "corny", but if becoming a practitioner is what you really want to do, then you should find out your options from your pre-med advising office, or go to the AAMC website, they have all of the post-bacc programs offered in the mainland US with their requirements. Some of those programs come with some strict caveats, so read the program descriptions thoroughly before applying to them. What I did was to take some upper-division science clases to strengthen my science GPA. The neat thing is that since you're graduating now, whatever classes you take from now on wil be counted towards a "post-bacc" GPA on the AMCAS application. This gives you the oportunity to "start over" and show adcoms that you can "handle" the curriculum, since that is the level of instruction that you will be experiencing in med school, although at a much higher volume. It really helped out in my case. Relish is also right about the school choice. Pick those that fit in you GPA/MCAT range and most importantly of all, apply early, it puts your name "at the top of the list", so to speak, and gives you a little bit of an advantage over the other students applying to the same school, sometimes that's all it takes. Email or PM me if you want to talk about it some more, but good luck in the application process.

 

[msgbueno]

Definitely apply again. Maybe try applying outside the country like Mexico or Ireland. But if you don't want to wait a whole year, you could apply to carribean schools. They pretty much have a rolling application process, and you can start your studies at any semester. Just be careful at where you apply. Some of those schools are not really an educational institution, but a business. Lastly, you can definitely join the army and fight against Iraq.

 

[ramsestiger]

Hey buddy, I was in a similar situation last year, so I can offer some really good advice. The best thing you can do is secure some options and evaluate each one carefully.

Four points that will help you:

1. Take the OAT or DAT. The 4 sciences necessary (Physics, Chem, Orgo, and Biology) are the same as the MCAT. You don't have to put forth a great effort and you'll still do quite well as long as you know the very basic aspects for each science.

I received an acceptance from Cal-Berkeley Optometry. After 4 years of school, most people make around $100K/year, and after a few years of practice, that jumps up even more. Optometry is not as competitive as general medicine, and most students at Berkeley told me they study less than they did in undergrad. It's a great, great option. I honestly had to have some serious heart-hearts with a few physicians before I said no to Berkeley. It really broke my heart. Dentistry will make you rich, comfortable, and respected (and you also have the more magnanimous aspects like physicians), but make sure you like it if you're going to compromise. Financially, dentistry is definitely the best way to go... pound for pound, you make the most money that way. BUT, a lot of dentists report very low levels of satisfaction with their work, and there's that suicide thing - I'm sure you've heard. If you're in the medical field primarily for the money, then you should very seriously consider dentistry.

2. Apply to post-bac. and masters (2 years at most schools) programs. I got accepted at MCP Hahnemann which is now Drexel - you don't have to take the GRE... your MCAT can be substituted. They train you specifically for the MCAT for about 8 months - about 95% of their students get accepted into med. school. I know a couple got into Georgetown Med. last year... not too shabby. I didn't want to study hard or take the extra loans and pay $40K for a masters that is virtually useless (although it supposedly helps you when you apply for residencies after med. school). I know that I could have easily gotten an MD via this route, but it required more money and effort than I wanted to invest. Some people feel differently - who knows, maybe you'll be one of them.

You can ask for applications and apply now - they expect late applications. Call each medical school in your state and ask if they have programs for students like you.

3. Familiarize yourself with osteopathy (shadow a DO) and apply to all 16 osteopathic schools. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. It's a much better option than the Carib. MD schools. Trust me, I know. I only applied to 7 because I knew I would get accepted somewhere since my stats were pretty good. If yours are really shaky, apply to every one and hope that someone takes pity on you (I am not patronizing you). To be quite honest, osteopathic med. schools aren't exactly Harvards or Stanfords, so they will try to look past your numbers, but make sure you give yourself a chance there by volunteering and/or doing some typical premed. activities (leadership positions like student government or something).

DOs are MD equivalents clinically, and I confirmed this by having frank discussions with several physicians - both MDs and DOs. Most said that only a very snotty little bastard would be condescending, and that might happen 2-3 times in your whole life. Overall, most MDs and DOs are men and women with character, so they won't try to rub your nose in entrance stats and other such stuff.

You will be a fully trained physician with another modality for treatment (osteopathic manipulation). An added benefit is that DOs can enter competitive DO residencies and enter fields like orthopedic surgery where they might have had trouble at a lower ranked MD school. If you enter a residency or are an attending at an institution with MDs, you will not be paid less or treated any differently. The professors and environments are nice, and you will do well in life if you're willing to put in the work. If you study less or treat this as a backup option, then you might easily flunk out or land somewhere undesirable. As long as you are true to yourself and work hard, you will be an excellent physician. I chose this option because I could chill for a year after undergrad. and I wouldn't have to waste my time getting a masters or a postbac. degree. I am not dissing the postbac.-to-MD option, but I knew it wasn't for me - you have to make your own decisions in life. Overall, getting a license to practice medicine is tough, and if you really want to do it, go for it!

4. Find allopathic schools with the lowest entrance stats and apply. I didn't do this, but I wish I had. You never know what a school might like about you. I got into an excellent school like KCOM with the following average stats for the school: 27 MCAT, 3.4 GPA, 3.4 Science GPA, and some with masters degrees. It's always best to just apply and evaluate the option after you have it in your hand.

5. Retake the MCAT and study hard core for it. Again, I didn't really study for it "hard core," and I think I would probably have scored a few points higher in the science portions if I had.


E-mail me if you have any questions. All of this sounds like a lot of work, but it's really not. If you're efficient, you can do 4 applications in one day with relative ease. All of them are pretty much the same, but make sure you APPLY EARLY (I made the mistake of applying late, but got lucky anyway). You will be alright as long as you work hard. Take great pride in whatever you do, and stay true to yourself... the rest will take care of itself. Take care, buddy.

 

[shag]

To reiterate Fenrezz, Apply again!

In the meantime, shore up your weaknesses. If your MCAT is subpar, study hard and improve it. If you undergrad GPA sucks, take a graduate course or two. It won't figure into your application GPA, but will demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are motivated and can do well. If lack of activities are a problem, volunteer at a hospital or work in a research lab.

Above all, schedule a meeting with the admissions director at the schools you most want to attend as soon as you get your rejection letter. Ask questions about your weaknesses and then fix them. This shows motivation on your part, and believe me, a note about your meeting will be placed in your folder and will be looked at when you apply again.

I applied my first time with a 27 MCAT and 3.3 undergrad GPA (3.4 science). I med with the admissions guy who told me that my MCAT was subpar and my GPA sucked. He also suggested that I get better letters. I took his advise and increased my MCAT score to 32. I took 2 graduate level courses and made A's. I got a job working for the hospital that is fed by my current medical school and made as many connections as possible, securing 2 great letters. I was successful on the second attempt.

Good Luck! The hardest part of medical school is getting in!

 

[MadE]

I am not writing to give advice but to tell you a story about a specialist I took my daughter too...Very nice person..great doctor. When he found out my husband was applying to med school, he chuckled. The first year out of college, he applied to over 8 med schools. Did not get into a single one......The next year, He was in.
Don't give up if it is your dream.....Your time will come.
😉

 

[the Undergrad]

You guys are all so kind. All of your replies really lifted my spirits...literally!

But the one thing that made me chuckle was that all of you thought I already applied to med school and got rejected too!! Haha. No i'm only an undergrad( a sophmore to be exact ). I havnt applied to any med schools yet and nor have i taken the MCAT yet. By making this post, I just wanted to get an idea what happens if something like this DOES happen. Sorry for the confusion. I am still really touched with all of your replies, especially ramsestiger🙂

I just feel a little insecure sometimes and worrry if I ever will make through and fullfill my dream. And Im only taking GENERAL undergrad science courses! I guess its a natural thing since medicine has such an image in our society as this "really really difficult" career. But I think if you're willing to put the effort, it cant be that bad(difficult, but not impossible).

Once again, thank you all ! Boy, I didnt know this was such a helpful forum.

P.S. Ramsestiger: can i email you? You seem like youve been through a lot and have lots of knowledge abt these things. Are you desi?

 

[shag]

Originally posted by the Undergrad
I think if you're willing to put the effort, it cant be that bad(difficult, but not impossible).

Very true... Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[ramsestiger]

P.S. Ramsestiger: can i email you? You seem like youve been through a lot and have lots of knowledge abt these things. Are you desi?

As I said earlier, e-mail me if you have any questions for me ( [email protected] ). Yes, I'm a desi (that's Asian Indian for those who aren't in the know)!

My advice was intended for someone who had already made some of the mistakes that I did. But if you haven't, I'll offer some additional advice for you:

1. Don't go into a lull and forget why you're in college in the first place. After my sophomore year, I had a med. school application suitable for Harvard Medical School. I had taken lots of honors level classes at a school with a solid reputation like UNC, and I had aced almost all of my premedical requirements. I was involved in campus activities, and I had done all of the "premed. activities." Then, I entered junior year and my attention suddenly shifted away from academics because I "knew" that I would be accepted into almost any med. school. I started doing lots of traditional "college activities," and my grades started dropping. Of course, have fun in life, but try not to go overboard - don't eliminate girlies, alcohol, and other such EVILS (joking!), but try to exercise self-control.

2. Semper paratus - Always be prepared. I still haven't studied for any test, written any paper, or done any preparation for an evaluation other than the MCAT until the night before (that's not a great strategy for everyone, but I used to get away with it a lot until senior level science courses). If I had to do it all over again, I probably still would be a procrastinator (with a little more effort this time), but that really hurt me a lot when I started being a superslacker my senior year. Biochemistry, physical chemistry, and a few other "serious" science courses are not jokes - I found out the hard way when I only studied about 2-3 hours before the tests in those classes my senior year. Boy, my science gpa went from 3.85 to 3.35 faster than I could have ever imagined with a couple of Cs and B-'s.

3. Prepare for the MCAT. I had deluded myself into thinking that I was "naturally smart." I was good friends with students at UNC who scored about 10 points higher than me on the MCAT and went on to Stanford, Columbia and other top notch schools for med. I had a higher SAT, better college grades the first two years, and I often thought that I was smarter than each of them. In the end, your MCAT score is really more important than anything else when you're applying to medical school. Most of the students that do well on it (especially in the sciences) aren't natural geniuses - they literally study for it a lot, and take lots of practice tests. I have always been and always will be proud of everything I accomplish, but some others might regret not putting forth a more solid effort.

4. Only marginally involve yourself with extracurricular activities that you think might get you into med. school. Honestly, your numbers are more important than anything else. If you really want to go to medical school, study a few hours every day so you have the highest gpa and MCAT score possible. Everything else in your application is just background noise. If you don't have the right numbers, you won't be able to say anything or do anything the "right way." If your numbers are great, you won't be able to say anything or do anything the "wrong way." I think you catch my drift.

Ultimately, things seem to be working out for me, but the transition to graduate life could have been smoother if I had been more careful. I have made mistakes and I've learned from them - I fully intend to take advantage of the opportunities I have in front of me in medical school. And again, I am not one of those people that regrets things for extended periods of time. I have a unique perspective, and I really don't have any significant regrets in life - I hope it stays that way!