What School to Apply To?

[Mimnguyen]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am trying to have as many backups as possible. I'm applying to pharm, but if I don't get in I want to attend a postbac. So I have to take the MCAT and apply to a med school and get rejected, which I can do 😀 Not that I'm proud of it, but hey, gotta work with what you have. Anyhow, I want to apply to a postbac in CA. My problem is AMCAS. Is it ok to apply to a school that I might apply to later? Or should I apply to one that I won't be applying to? Does it make a difference, because AMCAS asks if you have applied to this school before? What do you guys think? Should I apply to a school I'm not going to apply to later?

Mimi

 

[size_tens]

Is it just me or was that post amazingly confusing? First of all if you enter the med school admissions process with the attitude that you'll end up getting rejected then that will likely happen. Don't apply unless you really want to go to med school and honestly feel you have a good chance of getting in. In other words don't "apply just for fun", which is what your question seems to be suggesting.

 

[dara678]

Mimi, I have no idea what you are trying to say. Like size_tens, though, I think you shouldn't go into the admissions process with the attitude that you won't get in. It's good to have backups, but if you're really dedicated to this then you have to have the attitude that you are going to be a physician, no matter what. If you'd rather do pharmacy, or think it might be easier for you to do that, then you should go ahead and apply to a pharmacy school. Rather than being undecided, it's just better to be committed to one thing. A lot of people on SDN got into med school on the second try, by the way.

Don't look down on yourself. Take the MCAT, and see what goes from there. If you have a good GPA, getting into med school shouldn't be incredibly difficult.

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by Mimnguyen
I am trying to have as many backups as possible. I'm applying to pharm, but if I don't get in I want to attend a postbac. So I have to take the MCAT and apply to a med school and get rejected, which I can do 😀 Not that I'm proud of it, but hey, gotta work with what you have. Anyhow, I want to apply to a postbac in CA. My problem is AMCAS. Is it ok to apply to a school that I might apply to later? Or should I apply to one that I won't be applying to? Does it make a difference, because AMCAS asks if you have applied to this school before? What do you guys think? Should I apply to a school I'm not going to apply to later?

Mimi

I too am not sure what you are trying to say, but I think its important to prepare for your MCAT and your application thinking that you will get in. You should probably decide on where to apply after taking the MCAT.

 

[Mimnguyen]

Obviously, people like to be sarcastic on this forum. However, to enlighten your minds, I will give you another description. My main goal is to get into a post bac program because I know I won't get into a med school right away. The post bac program requires that you unsucessfully applied to a med school and have taken the MCATs. So I need to apply to a med school, any med school and take the MCATs. When I apply through AMCAS, what is their reasoning for asking if you have applied to this school before?

My question is: Should I apply to a school that I want to go to now, for the post bac req or apply to one I probably won't apply to later.

If I should decide to go to med school, is it bad that I was rejected before?

Need me to hold your hand? Or are you going to help and stop putting people down? If you don't understand something, just say so. Don't try to be an a**.

For those who can answer this question, thanks for your help and sincerity.

 

[Jet915]

My advice is to forget about the postbacc, study hard and do well on the MCAT and apply to alot of medical schools and try to get into one of them. Then, if you dont get in, you will know you tried your hardest and then you can look into some postbaccs. I know some people who went through the Creighton postbacc and let me tell you, it doesnt sound too fun. They took alot of classes and had to take the mcat again and achieve a certain score to get into the medical program. Some postbacc's might not be like this but I'm sure they are alot of work as well. Good luck.

Jetson

 

[Mimnguyen]

Yeap and I'm twisted myself, thank you. And who said "twisted" was a bad thing? I only have kooky friends because they make life a little more interesting instead of those big-headed, snotty know-it-alls.

Anyhow, I guess this forum is still not getting my question.

What's wrong with applying to a previously rejected school?

 

[Mimnguyen]

I know if i take the MCATs, I'm going to conquer it. I need more help than that. Believe me, I've thought every option through. If I had an inkling I could get into a med school now, this post wouldn't even be up.

I've changed how I studied and just need another year to show it. Kind of late, but as I said before, I gotta work with what I have. I'm about to graduate in the Fall and have no extra units to go a few more quarters. That is why I'm turning to the post bac program. Thanks for all your input.

 

[PrincetonRocks]

Hi fellow Vietnamese sister,

I am not really comprehending what you're trying to say. However, my suggestion is that you seriously apply to medical school. You're not an admissions office...you can't discredit/disqualify yourself before you TRY! I think if you have a decent MCAT (above a 30) and a good GPA (3.7+), you will pretty much get into a medical school. I have also known people who had sub-30s MCATs and GPAs below 3.7 getting into some pretty top-notched institutions.

Beside allopathic programs, you should also try osteopathics. If staying in california is a must...then i think you'll have a problem getting into medical school with a sub-32 MCAT and a GPA lower than 3.7, given your ethnic background. I have well above a 32 MCAT and a 4.0 with research and lots of extracurriculars and i don't think i'm qualified for some of the UCs....

Well, nonetheless, keep faith...and remember your personality matters also!! Don't aim for a post bac...aim for medical school!

 

[Mimnguyen]

Damn, there goes CA out the window.

 

[MNgrrl]

I don't really think there is anything wrong with applying to a school you've previously been rejected from. Most schools will not allow you to apply a third time without permission (and a vastly different application). So if you were to apply and get rejected a second time, but you really wanted to go to that school, you would need to jump through a lot more hoops to prove your app is worth looking at again.

That said, I think schools will see that you really want to go to there if you bother to apply a second time. You will still need to prove that your app is different, but I don't think you would have a problem doing that since you intend todo a pastbac. I would like to echo other comments on this board however, that you don't simply do a sub-par job on your first app, even if you still think you will be rejected. I think schools do save your applications in case you decide to apply again, and I don't think it would reflect well on you as an applicant if you submit an application that you clearly did not think about.

 

[voltron77]

don't give up!!!! things will work out for the best!!!! good luck!!!

🙂 😀

 

[Mimnguyen]

Thanks for the advice. I'm fed up with half-ass jobs that have gotten me into this predicament. Thanks for all your encouragement and support. I will put forward all my effort to apply. I think I'm all set with ap info since I'm done with my pharmacy aps. Now for the MCATs...😀