What should I do?

[petersoj]

Admittedly, my chances of gaining admission to osteopathic school this year are not great. I earned a 22Q on the MCAT, I have a 2.9 cumulative g.p.a., an M.Ed., four years of teaching experience, limited hospital volunteer hours, and decent references. I am currently waiting to see if I will get interviews from LECOM, PCOM, and NOVA. Heres the deal.... I probably won't get the interviews, but I really want to go to medical school. Would you recommend a post-baccalaureate program, masters program, or just taking select courses from a nearby university? I'm 28 years old, getting married in August, and don't want to wait until I'm 35 to begin school.

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[fmfcorpsman]

Your best chance for admission would be improving your MCAT score. It is the easiest thing to change at this point. A good friend of mine had a 2.9GPA and was trying to get into med school. He took the MCAT 3 times and ultimately scored a 32. It is still difficult to get in but he has had two interviews, one for a MD program and one for a MD/PhD program. Bottom line is that you are not the only one in this catagory. Presistance is usually rewarded.

 

[mj]

You say "but I really want to go to medical school" and I'm not trying to bash you, but your post makes me wonder how committed you truly are.

There is no secret formula for getting in -- good grades, solid mcat, decent experiences and luck. If you "really wanted to go to medical school" you would already know what it takes, not be questioning what you should have already done after you have already applied. You would know your grades have to come up, your mcat has to get stronger and you have to rub your karma stone. This is not rocket science.

How you do it (post-baccalaureate program, masters program, or just taking select courses from a nearby university) is irrelevant. What matters is THAT you do it. Whether or not it takes you until you are 35 is really up to you. How committed are you?

mj

 

[petersoj]

Thanks-----Good point.