where do i have a chance?

[mmali2]

---

Members don't see this ad.

DrJohn,
As I mentioned earlier, I just graduated from UCLA. I interviewed at the med school, got a spot on the priority waitlist, but did not get in. Coming that close to your top choice school only to be rejected is like being one digit away from winning the Super Lotto Jackpot. It hurts like hell. I do not wish it upon anyone. That being said, don't put all of your hopes up on one school, especially if that school is one of the most selective in the country (and boasts a 4.6% acceptance rate). My numbers were not nearly as impressive as yours, but I was given the opportunity to interview at Geffen. I personally know a UCLA graduate who had a 3.9, 37, publications, etc etc. He did not land an interview at UCLA, but he's at Harvard med school now.

What are your odds of getting in to LA? Rediculously slim. But they are rediculously slim for everyone . I'm sure they see hundreds of applicants with 4.0/32+ with all of the other ingredients, so it's anyone's guess which of those 4.0/32+ guys they pick.

So, if staying in LA is your top priority, you should certainly apply to USC, and Loma Linda in addition to UCLA and express special interest in all of those schools in the secondary. And if staying in LA is really really a priority, you might even consider getting a DO from Western University in Pomona.

I hope you dig up this post 2 years from now and laugh at my advice while sipping coffee from Kerkhoff, but I doubt it.

good luck.

 

[wends]

i want to be mean and say.....GO STROKE YOUR OWN EGO and not look for some lovin in here!! 😡 😡 ..... you freakin have a flippin 4.0 and 3.9... 👎

 

[DrJohnSez]

DrJohnSez

i don't even have to say anything... the word "*******" below your name describes everything... 500+ posts and i'll bet alot of money that over half of those 500+ were aimed at harassing people... dude you've bothered me since the first day i posted this... get a life and leave us alone...

oh yeah i still don't know what a troll is...

 

[constructor]

uh oh, here we go... dr.johnsez is about to start reeling off some passionate, soul-stirring replies to each and every post on the page for the next 2 hours... 😛

 

[calstudent]

uh oh, here we go... dr.johnsez is about to start reeling off some passionate, soul-stirring replies to each and every post on the page for the next 2 hours... 😛

 

[Code Brown]

I think the problem with everyone getting on you was with how you phrased your question. "Can I get in with a 4.0/35?" sounds pretty stupid, because the obvious answer is yes. What would have been better would have been to say "Will great stats like a 4.0/35 get me into a specific school(s) that I really want to attend?", which is probably what you wanted to hear in the first place.

 

[DrJohnSez]

Its pretty hard to give you reliable, honest advice when you MAKE UP your MCAT score. Write back when you get your real score.

I agree that some people on SDN can be hateful towards 4.0/35S applicants, but usually the insults start flying when someone appears to be posting just to stroke their own ego. So, next time post your specific concerns...being new here you probably have no idea how many "where do I have a chance" threads there are on this board.

With regards to applying to UCLA, I would recommend talking to someone in UCLA's Admissions Office and ask for their input. It is a bit of a double-edged sword to cite family obligations as your reason for making UCLA your top choice. Be honest, but don't leave them with the impression that you may have so many obligations that you would be distracted or overburdened in med school. Most schools look favorably upon applicants that have interests and responsibilities outside of medicine as long as the applicant understands the commitment level required to study medicine.

I was limited to applying only to UCONN due to my husband's job and not wanting to move away from family support. I had no problems fortunately. It is difficult, but getting into one particular school can be done. There is a thread somewhere here on SDN about how to do this - check the re-applicants or non-traditional forums - I think it is in one of those.

Good luck!

well like i said... i consistently scored quite a bit higher in practice, but i didn't want to post this score because of people like stinkycheese and constructor... i wanted to get some opinions so i threw out 32Q cause i feel like it's a score that i could have gotten based on past performance...

and i realize that people can be hateful towards high scorers because of these "where do i have a chance" threads... but that is no reason to go off on other people... if you don't like something... walk away... i GUARANTEE you that every single one of these people would not say a damn word to my face if i said this out in public... these are the people that ridicule others behind the safety of their monitors...

my family obligations don't require too much of my time... it's more like my prescence that helps out my family rather than my actual time and energy... hard to explain but if you want to know for some odd reason message me...

and i am not limiting myself to only one med school... i am still open to others because i do realize how hard it is to get in to any medical school... however, UCLA is still my primary goal and i will work at it until this business is over... thanks for the advice... and congrats on getting into UCONN... i hope you're doing well there...

 

[ssk123]

haha - you really set yourself up for some bashing.

your stats are fine in terms of getting into med school. whether you will get into a first tier school is another matter. that is a completely crapshoot, and you should depend more on your letters of recommendation, essays, and extracurriculars to help determine that.

your extracurriculars sound pretty good - just get the message across that you are passionate about what you're doing and not that you're just packing your resume.

and chill out! med schools don't want (i assume) another crazed, overly anxious pre-med psycho in their first year class. I sure wouldn't.

you don't stand a chance anywhere. your cumulative is far from perfect, your science gpa is suspicious, and your MCAT...let's not even go there. with all of these people on mdapplicants and SDN with their 40+ MCATs, you might as well not send in an application.

please tell me you're joking. "is it cumulative or science that's more important?" you're either trolling or terribly silly. 3.985? 4.0? sheesh. just keep it up and have some faith. given your impressive record, you have no reason to be stressing out.

the one thing you DIDN'T mention is clinical experience--if you haven't done that, get your butt going

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Yeah, that 32, tricky issue.

 

[DrJohnSez]

uh oh, here we go... dr.johnsez is about to start reeling off some passionate, soul-stirring replies to each and every post on the page for the next 2 hours... 😛

wow... i... can't... believe... you... read... all... my... posts... loser...

if you're gonna read all these posts to help someone... then you are helping others and you deserve nothing but praise... but if you read them all just to ridicule someone else... you are a loser buddy... do yourself a favor and go get a life and get off the computer... please...

 

[calstudent]

like an above poster said, why not UCI, USC, loma linda, maybe even UCSD?
is there something specific about UCLA (unless it is next door or something). Los Angeles area is very spread out--consider all those schools

 

[calstudent]

wow... i... can't... believe... you... read... all... my... posts... loser...

if you're gonna read all these posts to help someone... then you are helping others and you deserve nothing but praise... but if you read them all just to ridicule someone else... you are a loser buddy... do yourself a favor and go get a life and get off the computer... please...

by the way, drjohnsenz, i do have a problem with people who post for help, but who don't take the time to answer questions for others on different threads.

 

[DrJohnSez]

I think the problem with everyone getting on you was with how you phrased your question. "Can I get in with a 4.0/35?" sounds pretty stupid, because the obvious answer is yes. What would have been better would have been to say "Will great stats like a 4.0/35 get me into a specific school(s) that I really want to attend?", which is probably what you wanted to hear in the first place.

you are actually absolutely correct but i didn't realize that there would be so many people hating on me... that's why i didn't even bother to explain my whole life story to them and why i want to attend UCLA med so bad... thanks anyways...

 

[constructor]

dr.johnsez, you're over-reacting man, come on... nothing wrong with keeping things light in here... i have to admit that when i saw your first post i thought you were just trying to be funny like we all do sometimes. but i then realized that you're pretty serious about it. i also agree with calstudent that if you don't help others in any way but expect to be spoon-fed answers it doesn't reflect too well on you... but that's just my opinion.

i mean, think about it this way... if this was a stress interview right now and i was your interviewer, you would've bitten my head off by now. and that ain't good for neither of us...

 

[DrJohnSez]

like an above poster said, why not UCI, USC, loma linda, maybe even UCSD?
is there something specific about UCLA (unless it is next door or something). Los Angeles area is very spread out--consider all those schools.

by the way, drjohnsenz, i do have a problem with people who post for help, but who don't take the time to answer questions for others on different threads.

i've posted the answer to your question so many times in this thread, but since you're asking again i'll answer it... i live in the san fernando valley, about 20 minutes away from UCLA without traffic... i have many family obligations at home, the most important one being to help raise my 10 year old brother... my other brother who is 19 isn't the best role model and i don't want the 10 year old to end up like him... i need to be at a place where i can concentrate on school yet hang out with him and be a role model for him when i find the time... that is why... those other schools that you mentioned are very good as well... but they're not within reasonable driving distance when you're in medical school...

and i am also considering other LA schools as well just as a previous poster had stated (USC, Loma Linda, etc.)...

oh by the way i DO answer other threads as well to try to help out other people... truthfully many of them are in defense of people like me who are asking for help yet are attacked by losers like stinkycheese who has bothered me since day 1 of this post... i've joined SDN recently though, so i haven't had much time to post enough replies for you to consider me a person who "does not put out the time to answer questions for others"...

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

Just had to put in my $.02...I needed some entertainment before I get to sleep, and this thread surely provided it.

 

[DrJohnSez]

dr.johnsez, you're over-reacting man, come on... nothing wrong with keeping things light in here... i have to admit that when i saw your first post i thought you were just trying to be funny like we all do sometimes. but i then realized that you're pretty serious about it. i also agree with calstudent that if you don't help others in any way but expect to be spoon-fed answers it doesn't reflect too well on you... but that's just my opinion.

i mean, think about it this way... if this was a stress interview right now and i was your interviewer, you would've bitten my head off by now. and that ain't good for neither of us...

sorry if i came off like that but geez i just had enough with the bashing that goes on in SDN forums... it's just unnecessary especially because alot of the people who are asking for help really do need it and yet alot of people make them feel EVEN WORSE by criticizing their search for advice... i'm not talking about myself because i feel confident in my achievements and i was just looking for some opinions, but there are people out there who actually ASK FOR HELP because they lack confidence or watever else... yet are just put down even more for their efforts...

and like i said in the post to calstudent, i post replies to help others, quite often in defense of people asking for help but are bashed by others because of their requests... just check out the mcat forums from a few weeks back... i've posted quite a few times there... sometimes asking for advice for myself and ALSO giving advice to those who ask for it... i was actually messaging back and forth with guy from texas during the mcat months about how he can improve his scores... i don't know where you and calstudent got this idea from but i think your source is wrong...

sorry about pushing my stress on you but i think if you were in my situation you would feel the same... UCLA is school that i really need to get into... i've come to accept that if have to leave my family obligations, then i will, but at this point i'm gonna work like crazy out it until this whole thing is over...

 

[DrJohnSez]

Just had to put in my $.02...I needed some entertainment before I get to sleep, and this thread surely provided it.

good to hear that buddy... but it's pretty damn sad to hear that 4 pages of forums keeps you entertained... i know that many pre-meds don't have lives... but geez man you're the epitome of a pre-med with no social life... good night

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

If UCLA is really that important, apply EDP (not sure if they have it, don't have my MSAR with me).

And an edit to this (so I will refrain from double posting...I know it must sound unfamiliar)....you claiming I don't have a life seems to be judging me like everyone else is judging you. Might want to think next time before you are so incredibly hypocritical. And as for me finding this entertaining, it might have something to do with the fact that I just got back from the bar...everything seems funnier when you have had a few beers.

 

[DrJohnSez]

If UCLA is really that important, apply EDP (not sure if they have it, don't have my MSAR with me).

And an edit to this (so I will refrain from double posting...I know it must sound unfamiliar)....you claiming I don't have a life seems to be judging me like everyone else is judging you. Might want to think next time before you are so incredibly hypocritical. And as for me finding this entertaining, it might have something to do with the fact that I just got back from the bar...everything seems funnier when you have had a few beers.

what is EDP? thanks for the advice... dude use your head... if someone's gonna ridicule me, i'm gonna come back even harder... i don't take action against anyone that doesn't ask for it... my judging you ISN'T the same everyone juding me... YOU asked for it... i DIDN'T... i was just lookin for an honest opinion to my question, not to what others think of people who post similar threads... i don't know how you were raised... but i was raised to fight back if someone attacks you, verbally or physically... i don't sit around and let people walk over me... i'm glad you enjoyed your beers but ridicule anyone else cause you can handle your alcohol...

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

First, I never ridiculed you. I simply said that the thread was entertaining, which most flame wars on message boards tend to be. And also, I never "asked for it"...I am not sure how thats possible. Actually, that is a good definition of a troll (someone who posts simply looking for other people to get in a huge argument with them...so that answers your previous question).

And EDP is early decision program. You have to get in all your materials by like August 1st, and you are then only allowed to apply to one school (the school you are applying EDP). If you are accepted (which happens very early compared to regular action) you are bound to go to that school. Its a good option for those who are limited in their choices, because its the ultimate way to show how much you want to attend a given school.

 

[mdsh00]

"no actually i took it just this august... i put 32Q, but i actually scored quite a bit higher on timed, proctored practice tests... i just put a more modest score down so that i could see what people would say about how competetive i am for top end schools like UCLA... oh yeah i also did that due to fear of haters and hecklers... apparently they still showed up and made nice comments..."

About your aim for UCLA. I think you have a good shot for it as long as you apply with passion and show good personality. I'm sure you've met some of the UCLA medical students and you've noticed that a lot of them are very laid back and all that. So come across like that in the interview and be very proactive about it, sending supplements and thank you's.

 

[DrJohnSez]

First, I never ridiculed you. I simply said that the thread was entertaining, which most flame wars on message boards tend to be. And also, I never "asked for it"...I am not sure how thats possible. Actually, that is a good definition of a troll (someone who posts simply looking for other people to get in a huge argument with them...so that answers your previous question).

And EDP is early decision program. You have to get in all your materials by like August 1st, and you are then only allowed to apply to one school (the school you are applying EDP). If you are accepted (which happens very early compared to regular action) you are bound to go to that school. Its a good option for those who are limited in their choices, because its the ultimate way to show how much you want to attend a given school.

well the entire thread is about how i want to go to ucla due to family obligations and how i argue with people who ridicule me, so you calling my conversation with others entertaining and worth 2 cents is kinda ridiculing me don't ya think? 😕 you asked for it by introducing yourself into a conversation without any good advice (your first post) while ridiculing the participants... thanks for the definition of the troll, but that's not why i posted... i posted 24362623453 times on why i posted (family obligations) so you can just go ahead and read those posts rather than have me explain it again...

despite all that... thanks for the advice on EDP... i've heard that UCLA doesn't have EDP, and either way it is quite risky... so i probably won't do it...

 

[stinkycheese]

You're acting like a f*cking idiot. I guess now we know how 'stellar' stats applicants blow it for themselves: they must have personalities like yours. Get a grip.

 

[dr.z]

Good luck with your application. I think you have a great shot at any schools. I didn't read the whole thread since it is long but get some really EC activities to add to your credential. Also most important, get your letters early. Try to get them so that the letters can be mailed early in July or about time when you start getting secondaries. Letters can slow down the process a lot.

Your brother must be lucky to have a brother like you!

 

[DrJohnSez]

You're acting like a f*cking idiot. I guess now we know how 'stellar' stats applicants blow it for themselves: they must have personalities like yours. Get a grip.

haha put the time out to read all my posts about you as i can see... i apologize for being a person who can defend themselves when someone else attacks them... i'm sure you're used to people like me... i'm sure most of the time you just go on making fun of their requests for advice/help while they just try to ignore you... it's ok to get frustrated when you don't get your way anymore... totally understandable... oh and thanks for callin my stats "stellar"... we'll see if i blow it or not sometime next year...

 

[DrJohnSez]

Good luck with your application. I think you have a great shot at any schools. I didn't read the whole thread since it is long but get some really EC activities to add to your credential. Also most important, get your letters early. Try to get them so that the letters can be mailed early in July or about time when you start getting secondaries. Letters can slow down the process a lot.

Your brother must be lucky to have a brother like you!

thanks for the advice... it's funny how "a great shot" is still a pretty slim shot when it comes to med schools... yeah i've heard about the pain of rec letters... sucks cause sometimes they're just out of your control cause the writers can take long at times... haha i try to be the best for my brother... thanks for the compliment...

 

[UCBShocker]

This is not directed at anyone in particular, and I am not claiming that I am any better, but...

I weep for the future of medicine.

 

[constructor]

i'll second that... 🙄

 

[NubianPrincess]

Not sure which is worse...when trolls do it or when people are dead serious 😱

 

[DrJohnSez]

Not sure which is worse...when trolls do it or when people are dead serious 😱

when trolls do it cause i don't think what i did was wrong at all... i think that if you were in my situation, you would feel the same...

 

[uic1999]

You're hilarious. Seriously.

 

[DrJohnSez]

You're hilarious. Seriously.

thanks i appreciate your compliment buddy... it's good to know that a forum thread can entertain your oh-so-interesting life... read on for more fun!

 

[brynn7]

YOU MADE UP YOUR MCAT SCORE?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why are we responding to someone that is hypothesizing their statistics????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if i am 6'10" with an incredibly athletic build do you think i have a chance to play high school basketball???? 😕

 

[constructor]

i don't know why, but i see kim chong-il (or someone who looks and talks like him) sitting at his computer making all these comments...

 

[DrJohnSez]

YOU MADE UP YOUR MCAT SCORE?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why are we responding to someone that is hypothesizing their statistics????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if i am 6'10" with an incredibly athletic build do you think i have a chance to play high school basketball???? 😕

yeah why are you responding to me? aaahhh... i see... your sorry 6'10" athletic butt can't find anything else to do except read through forums online and criticize people you know nothing about... it's ok i understand your loneliness... you can talk to us here...

by the way genius i said fifty million times already that i consistently scored quite a bit higher in practice... i posted up a lower score to leave a room for error...

by the way you should go play volleyball... the US men's volleyball team didn't win the gold at the olympics... maybe a 6'10" player could help them out... but then again they like people who practice... not losers who waste their lives away on computer screens... good luck anyhow...

 

[stinkycheese]

I love how this troll is criticizing everyone who posts by saying that we're losers who have nothing to do but sit in front of a computer screen all day, and yet he has posted more than 30 messages to this thread alone

 

[krelian]

Although I've only registered recently, I've been a lurker for a while, and this thread may get bookmarked as one of SDN's classic threads. I remembered the one thread during thanksgiving where Milkdoc (forgot exact sn) made fun of minorities and gunners. We also need Squat n Squeeze back. SDN is so entertaining some time.

Seriously, DrJohnSez, I think you should refrain from adding further fuel to fire. You've already gotten great advice from this thread, and there's prolly no more advice to give (until you start applying that is). No need to keep posting and beat the dead chicken any further.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Although I've only registered recently, I've been a lurker for a while, and this thread may get bookmarked as one of SDN's classic threads. I remembered the one thread during thanksgiving where Milkdoc (forgot exact sn) made fun of minorities and gunners. We also need Squat n Squeeze back. SDN is so entertaining some time.

Seriously, DrJohnSez, I think you should refrain from adding further fuel to fire. You've already gotten great advice from this thread, and there's prolly no more advice to give (until you start applying that is). No need to keep posting and beat the dead chicken any further.

But Squat and Squeeze IS back.

 

[DrJohnSez]

Although I've only registered recently, I've been a lurker for a while, and this thread may get bookmarked as one of SDN's classic threads. I remembered the one thread during thanksgiving where Milkdoc (forgot exact sn) made fun of minorities and gunners. We also need Squat n Squeeze back. SDN is so entertaining some time.

Seriously, DrJohnSez, I think you should refrain from adding further fuel to fire. You've already gotten great advice from this thread, and there's prolly no more advice to give (until you start applying that is). No need to keep posting and beat the dead chicken any further.

i agree with you totally that i've gotten great advice for the time being and that there is no need to look any further for advice at this time... however i have developed a passion against those who just sit around and wait for the next person to pounce on... i've seen many people ask for help about how to handle stress and other similar topics and then get put down even more by responses from naive people who don't think from the other person's point of view... people like stinkycheese ask for it by welcoming themselves into a conversation where they don't have nice things to say... i just feel a need to ridicule their poor logic when they criticize these people who get attacked...

hey loser stinkycheese, i don't sit in front of my screen all day like you mr. "i have 500+ posts since only june 2004"... it just so happens that i get 3235612365 emails from SDN cause of idiots like you who unnecessarily respond to this thread... then i feel a need to point out your poor logic and hypocrisy since you try to criticize me... nice try anyhow... looks like SOMEONE didn't or won't do well on the reasoning questions of the mcat... nice try anyhow... good luck to ya...

 

[VFrank]

looks like SOMEONE didn't or won't do well on the reasoning questions of the mcat... nice try anyhow... good luck to ya...

Wow. What a great insult. I'm sorry, but you are such a tool. Are you really that much of a loser that you're trying to bash someone's intelligence based on their MCAT score? If you think YOUR reasoning skills are so high, why can't you take the hint that you're NOT WANTED HERE?!?

 

[morganlefay]

Wow. After lurking on this thread for a while, out of pure morbid curiousity, I have come to one conclusion: this thread needs to die. Sheesh.

🙄

 

[stinkycheese]

Wow. What a great insult. I'm sorry, but you are such a tool. Are you really that much of a loser that you're trying to bash someone's intelligence based on their MCAT score? If you think YOUR reasoning skills are so high, why can't you take the hint that you're NOT WANTED HERE?!?

Thanks for having my back VFrank 🙂 I didn't feel the need to defend my MCAT score since I'm very happy with it, but it sure feels nice to know that the community here doesn't appreciate posters who bash people's scores!

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

Thanks for having my back VFrank 🙂 I didn't feel the need to defend my MCAT score since I'm very happy with it, but it sure feels nice to know that the community here doesn't appreciate posters who bash people's scores!

I think if there is one thing that is not tolerated around here, it is bashing others people's MCAT scores. There really is no room for it, and by doing so, I think DrJohn sez he is a gigantic a$$.

 

[constructor]

the thread is 5 pages long, did you really have to make it down all the way to his last post to figure it out? come on now, it was pretty clear from the start. i think dr.johnsez is going to question your reasoning abilities on this one. 🙂

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

the thread is 5 pages long, did you really have to make it down all the way to his last post to figure it out? come on now, it was pretty clear from the start. i think dr.johnsez is going to question your reasoning abilities on this one. 🙂

[SARCASM] Damn, I knew my lack of reasoning ability would someday come back to haunt me. Must be why I did so awful on the MCAT [/SARCASM]

 

[constructor]

haha, i like how you enclosed your response inside the html-style "sarcasm" tag.

 

[hyphencracy]

everything seems funnier when you have had a few beers.

see! this thread DOES have true statements 👍

 

[DocMizzle]

Words of wisdom to the OP:

Learn to control your temper and better handle criticism, both constructive and non-constructive. You will encounter much more difficult personalities on your med rotations than you have been responding to here on SDN. Personally, I would love to see what happens when you retaliate and shoot a cocky, flaming response at an attending surgeon.

 

[DrJohnSez]

Words of wisdom to the OP:

Learn to control your temper and better handle criticism, both constructive and non-constructive. You will encounter much more difficult personalities on your med rotations than you have been responding to here on SDN. Personally, I would love to see what happens when you retaliate and shoot a cocky, flaming response at an attending surgeon.

you definitely have a great point... i'll admit that i do have a temper problem and i'm quite stubborn at times... i do have to learn to accept criticism better but i'm sorry but i don't like to tolerate people who criticize others for their own entertainment... if you read some of the responses on this thread they say that that SDN is a source of entertainment at times... how? by making fun of people that already feel like ****? i've developed a passion against these kinds of people... i'm not even talking about my own situation... i've seen people on the mcat forums get heckled by others just because they're feeling over-stressed and they're asking people for advice on how to deal with it... i mean really now answer me... is it really necessary to do so? and then make them feel EVEN WORSE when they're just about to give up on themselves? i don't attack people for no reason... if they're gonna criticize me... i'll shoot back... i don't see anything wrong with that... however i've come to realize however that if people want to keep acting like kids by teasing others, let them... i'm no longer gonna sink to their level...

by the way... although not quite to the level you describe, i think my experience as a ophthalmology tech at jsei has given me great experience on how to deal with others... i work for 5 doctors who sometimes aren't the friendliest people in the world when things don't go their way... there are also patients who B*TCH at you when they have to wait 3 hours long, something i have no control over... i think i handle that criticism just fine... however when people on SDN attack people seriously asking for help... that kinda does it for me...