Where should I apply, Just wanna get in US!

[msaleinzap]

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Hey everyone, LOVE SDN, amazing site, best advice for mcat and everything else i needed advice on... really well managed and i never needed to post anything as basically every question is always already answered.

ANYWAY, I took the 6/17 mcat, got a 30T, 10 in each section... im happy with the score but with a 3.1 from Emory University (ATL), im unsure of where to apply and im also considering a sept 11th retake... i just want a US MD degree... I'm having trouble narrowing down which schools i may have a chance at...(the MSAR is way too large for me to understand where to look) any suggestions? Do you guys think I can get into some school here in the US?

I have tons of ECs, LOTS of research, name on 3 papers.. but not sure thatll help me get an interview...also, do you feel im too late in applying (I'll prob get verified and submitted by the end of this month, august).

Sorry if i'm repeating stuff thats suppose to go to some other thread, i just have trouble navigating all the info on the site.. THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT... LOVE SDN!

 

[Geekchick921]

Moving to What Are My Chances.

 

[Lokhtar]

Hey everyone, LOVE SDN, amazing site, best advice for mcat and everything else i needed advice on... really well managed and i never needed to post anything as basically every question is always already answered.

ANYWAY, I took the 6/17 mcat, got a 30T, 10 in each section... im happy with the score but with a 3.1 from Emory University (ATL), im unsure of where to apply and im also considering a sept 11th retake... i just want a US MD degree... I'm having trouble narrowing down which schools i may have a chance at...(the MSAR is way too large for me to understand where to look) any suggestions? Do you guys think I can get into some school here in the US?

I have tons of ECs, LOTS of research, name on 3 papers.. but not sure thatll help me get an interview...also, do you feel im too late in applying (I'll prob get verified and submitted by the end of this month, august).

Sorry if i'm repeating stuff thats suppose to go to some other thread, i just have trouble navigating all the info on the site.. THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT... LOVE SDN!

You might have to do an SMP and ace the classes there to get into a US MD.

But 3.1/30 is still low, so you may have to spend a year in undergrad classes, ace it, get your grades to 3.3, then do a SMP, ace it, and get into a US MD.

Or you could save yourself three years, get some experience with DOs (shadowing, etc) and apply right away.

 

[PennFranklin]

I wouldn't retake the MCAT unless you're sure you can improve by 2-3 points, as the true weakness in your application is your GPA. I would try and retake some of the classes you did poorly in to try and raise your GPA a little. Also, DO is a very viable option that you could pursue right away without having to do a post-bac or anything like that

 

[Catalystik]

You are not currently a good candidate for US MD schools. If you already have a steep upward grade trend, you won't need to do postbac work, but you'll need either an extraordinarily high MCAT score to compensate for the low cGPA (ideally, 35+) or a Special Masters Program to override it. See the Postbaccalaureate Programs Forum for more information.

 

[msaleinzap]

thanks for the excellent advice... i was thinking of SMPs, but i didn't want to waste much time... i do have a steep upward gpa trend, and im doing private tutoring to try and raise my score to a 33 at the least....

im planning this way: if i cant raise my score, i might as well just go to caribbean and get an MD... i would love to do DO but my parents are traditional MDs (indian immigrants of course) and have some kind of stigma against DOs that I cannot shake no matter what i've said.

you guys rock.. seriously this is the best most supportive forum.

 

[Lokhtar]

Your parents are not getting a degree, you are. I'm Indian too - you need to grow up.

Don't shortchange yourself by going to the Carib. IMO anyway.

 

[SOcash]

Your parents are not getting a degree, you are. I'm Indian too - you need to grow up.

Don't shortchange yourself by going to the Carib. IMO anyway.

I agree, unless your parents are paying for your medical school (and won't pay for you to become a DO).

 

[msaleinzap]

yes, my parents pay, and would Caribbean really be shortchanging myself? I've heard that its even harder for DOs vs. Caribbean MD grads at higher academic institutions...

 

[Lokhtar]

You've heard wrong. But don't take my word for it. Pick a higher academic institution (do you want to do research, by the way - that's what they want), and look through their faculty list. Add up DOs vs. Carib grads (not FMGs - those are different, could have been big names in their respective countries).

 

[Lokhtar]

Also, since you do have research, and you want to do research, you can look into DO/PhD programs to become more competitive for the research oriented schools and residencies. There are 4-5 schools with DO/PhD programs in sciences, and a few more with DO/PhD programs in Health Policy and/or public health. All of that will make you an attractive student at the academic research centers. However, that is putting the cart before the horse. You need to do well on the boards, etc and based on your scores so far, it may not be a given (remember you're competing with people who get 35+ on MCAT, and MCAT is correlated with board scores).