Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[buckhunter]

Great website! Very informative

My question is should I apply?
I am a Mississippi resident with a 23O MCAT and a
3.83 GPA with a Medical Technology (Clinical Lab. Scientist)
degree. I have published three times and working on number
four. I have plenty of clinical experience and am working in
a lab now. I have excellent recomendations and many
activities while in college including Student Pres. of a
National Organization.
Besides my MCAT score my only other hurdle(that I know of)
is that I am a white married guy and will soon have two
children?

What are my chances?
Thanks buck

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by varun1s
Thank you for your valuable advice. I’m also doing mentoring freshmen students, which I’ll continue. If you were looking at me from a medical school’s point of view, would I fare well among the applicants of those 3 medical schools? Are there any weak areas that I should know?

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There’s not enough information to make a good educated guess on where you stand for one of those schools. Quite frankly, this forum is not an appropriate place to assess your candidacy that only an in-depth, personalized assessment can provide. If you are interested in having one of our expert consultants review your candidacy and give you a good estimate, give us a call at the number below.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by sush

1. Do Med schools have specific policies against granting admissions for Non US Citizens/ Permanent residents?
2. Could you name a few schools that accept international students?
3. Are there merit based/need based scholarships available from which international students are not excluded? ( are there any kind of shcolarships available for international students?)
4. Do you know where I could get statistics as regards med schools with most international students…/most financial aid given etc..
5. Any personal advice as to how I might go about the whole thing.. ( I am a 3.8+ overall GPA electrical engg (junior this fall) ..have a few extra curriculars no research exp until now..m)

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1) There is no universal policy barring international students from attending medical school in the United States. Individual schools have their own policy regarding international students and it’s up to you to identify those schools by inquiring directly.

3) Privately-endowed need/merit-based scholarships will have their own set of criteria. Thus it’s quite possible that a particular medical school will have scholarships set aside for international students. This is something that you’ll have to find out from the med school directly. I can tell you that, as an international student, you will not qualify for US Government-sponsored need/merit-based monies.

4) I am not aware of a source that breaks down each medical school’s student body by country of origin. The fact is international students attending US medical schools is pretty rare, and those who do attend US medical schools tend to be MD/PhD students.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by buckhunter

I am a Mississippi resident with a 23O MCAT and a
3.83 GPA with a Medical Technology (Clinical Lab. Scientist)
degree. I have published three times and working on number
four. I have plenty of clinical experience and am working in
a lab now. I have excellent recomendations and many
activities while in college including Student Pres. of a
National Organization.
Besides my MCAT score my only other hurdle(that I know of)
is that I am a white married guy and will soon have two
children?

---

Medical school admissions is a complex animal. There are many factors that go into determining who will enter medical school in the Fall. I appreciate the attempt to provide as much information as possible, but the reality is this forum makes it next to impossible to give as much information as is needed by the AdCom.

I can suggest, however, you re-take the MCAT and shoot for a better score. If you are interested in having one of our expert consultants give you an honest assessment of your candidacy for med school, give us a call at the number below.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[platnymbit]

This is an excellent site!

I am also majoring in Clinical Lab Science (Medical Technology) and I had two questions regarding applying to Medical School w/ this major.

1. Would I still be considered as a regular “science” major?
2. During both semesters of our senior year, we are required to rotate through the university hospital’s different laboratories and pass a practicum in each. Could this be considered as clinical experience, and would the medical school interviewers consider this as just a lab that supplements a class (ex: like taking a chemistry course w/ a lab)?

P.S. Here is a link to the clinical laboratory science curriculm at the university I attend: http://www.cpnahs.howard.edu/AHS/Cls/Curriculum.htm
I will be taking Orgo I and II w/ and Physics I and II, and have taking Calculus I.

Thank you very much for your help!

[MEREUEL]

HELLO, I WILL BE A SENIOR AT AN SMALL HBCU IN ALABAMA NEXT FALL, BUT NOW I AM SCARED ABOUT MY FUTURE. OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS MY GPA HAS NOT BEEN TYPICAL OF A STUDENT TRYING TO ENTER MED SCHOOL. IT ONLY A 2.70. ALSO MY MCAT SCORES WERE VERY LOW, NO EXTREMELY LOW AND I AM TAKING IT AGAING IM MAY. WHAT I DO FEEL STRONG ABOUT THOUGH IS MY MEDICAL EXPERIENCE. I STARTED VOLUNTEERING IN THE HOSPITAL AT MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, THEN I WORKED AS A PATIENT CARE TEC. FOR TWO YEARS AND CURRENTLY IM A PHLEBOTOMIST AT THE MAJOR HOSPITAL IN NORTHEN AL. ALSO I HAVE SHADOWED TWO GENERAL SURGEONS. I ALOS HAVE HAD LEADERSHIP POSITION IN MANY OTHER EXTRA CIRICULAR ACTIVITES AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. IM VERY SCARED AND IM NOT SURE IF I SHOULD SPEND ALL THAT MONEY APPLYING TO MED SCHOOL NEXT YEAR EVEN THOUGH THERES NOTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD I WANT TO DO BUT PRATICE MEDICINE. PLEASE HELP, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

[tontran]

Here’s my situation:

– 2.0 GPA (was previously on academic probation)
– “D+” in CHEM 11A
– “C” in PHYS 50, “F” in PHYS 51, withdrawl in PHYS 52
– “C” in Calculus I, “F” in Calculus II
– 2 semesters where I completely withdrew from

The CHEM, PHYS and MATH courses were taken to satisfy requirements for a BS in Computer Engineering. The CHEM and PHYS courses are not the same as those required for medical school (CHEM 1A, PHYS 2A, etc.). Those courses were science courses geared towards engineering students. Anyway, those are still science courses that I failed and obviously show a weakness in science.

Ok, so I’m now undeclared. I want to go to medical school and I don’t know what major to choose. For a student with my rap sheet, what major would give me the best shot of admissions to a medical school. Let’s just assume that get all A’s in my newly chosen major and all A’s in the courses required by med schools. Should I chose Biology and prove to them that I can actually succeed in science? The only majors that I’m interested in right now are Biology and English.

I know that a lot of you are looking at my previous grades and question my motivation, my reasons for choosing medicine, etc. But for the sake of helping me, ignore all of that and help me do whatever I can to have a shot. I ruined a lot of options by my academic performance over the past four years but now I know what I want and I’m going to do whatever it takes.

Tony.

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by platnymbit

I am also majoring in Clinical Lab Science (Medical Technology) and I had two questions regarding applying to Medical School w/ this major.

1. Would I still be considered as a regular “science” major?
2. During both semesters of our senior year, we are required to rotate through the university hospital’s different laboratories and pass a practicum in each. Could this be considered as clinical experience, and would the medical school interviewers consider this as just a lab that supplements a class (ex: like taking a chemistry course w/ a lab)?

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1. On first glance your major sounds more like a vocational program than a hard science, but after reviewing the curriculum, it seems as if it’s got a rather hefty load of science courses. The course sequence just seems a few short of being a biology major. I believe it’ll be up to each medical school AdCom to decide whether or not you’re a “real” science major. It shouldn’t matter, however, as the courses you take are more important than the name given to your major.

2. Ideally no, but the whole point in having clinical experience is to have something that will highlight your motivation for entering medicine. When clinical experience is built into your curriculum that’s great and it saves you time, but you would not be able to list it separately in the extracurricular activity section because, well, it’s not extracurricular. The AdComs would like to see you volunteer your free time toward exploring medicine or helping out your community.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by MEREUEL

HELLO, I WILL BE A SENIOR AT AN SMALL HBCU IN ALABAMA NEXT FALL, BUT NOW I AM SCARED ABOUT MY FUTURE. OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS MY GPA HAS NOT BEEN TYPICAL OF A STUDENT TRYING TO ENTER MED SCHOOL. IT ONLY A 2.70. ALSO MY MCAT SCORES WERE VERY LOW, NO EXTREMELY LOW AND I AM TAKING IT AGAING IM MAY. WHAT I DO FEEL STRONG ABOUT THOUGH IS MY MEDICAL EXPERIENCE. I STARTED VOLUNTEERING IN THE HOSPITAL AT MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, THEN I WORKED AS A PATIENT CARE TEC. FOR TWO YEARS AND CURRENTLY IM A PHLEBOTOMIST AT THE MAJOR HOSPITAL IN NORTHEN AL. ALSO I HAVE SHADOWED TWO GENERAL SURGEONS. I ALOS HAVE HAD LEADERSHIP POSITION IN MANY OTHER EXTRA CIRICULAR ACTIVITES AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. IM VERY SCARED AND IM NOT SURE IF I SHOULD SPEND ALL THAT MONEY APPLYING TO MED SCHOOL NEXT YEAR EVEN THOUGH THERES NOTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD I WANT TO DO BUT PRATICE MEDICINE. PLEASE HELP, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

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It sounds like the extracurricular portion of your application is ripe with experiences. You’ll have a realtively easy time writing a personal statement and speaking about your motivation during the interview. That’s half the battle.

Medical school admissions is not solely focused on the numbers. I know as premedical students we were all subjected to that kind of mentality, but the honest truth is, there’s much more that goes into admissions than just the numbers. A 2.7 GPA puts you all the way to the left of the curve for students matriculating into the 126 medical schools, but it certainly doesn’t put you out of the running — it just makes that mountain much tougher to climb.

What you need is to have your application in polished form for the admissions committee. The application is your only communication tool with the AdCom, and when you can explain certain details about your premedical life, the AdCom may just find you really extraordinary.

Good luck to you.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by tontran

Ok, so I’m now undeclared. I want to go to medical school and I don’t know what major to choose. For a student with my rap sheet, what major would give me the best shot of admissions to a medical school . . . I’m interested in right now are Biology and English.

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The data on medical school admissions gives us a few hints as to which majors seem to have more success in getting in and which majors make it a little more difficult. The bottomline is, however, doing well in your chosen major is extremely important whether it be Computer Engineering or English. The first piece of advice I’d give you is choose a major you’re truly interested in and get a whole string of As. If that happens to be Biology or English, then it should be Biology or English — you decide on that one.

A thorough discussion of major selection is not easy in this forum, however, if you’d like to discuss this give us a call at the number below. We’ll custom tailor our discussion to your needs and your record.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[reruchan]

Various people, including rworkman, have casually mentioned “lower tier” med schools. However, I haven’t been able to find an actual list, such as of the bottom 50 ranked schools in the U.S. There are some vague mentions of “Caribbean schools” and certain state schools, but I’d like a concrete list of private U.S. med schools that are the easiest to get into. Any help? Thanks.

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by reruchan

Various people, including rworkman, have casually mentioned “lower tier” med schools. However, I haven’t been able to find an actual list, such as of the bottom 50 ranked schools in the U.S. There are some vague mentions of “Caribbean schools” and certain state schools, but I’d like a concrete list of private U.S. med schools that are the easiest to get into. Any help? Thanks.

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The terms “lower-tier,” “higher-ranked,” and “safety” schools are a subjective interpretation of a particular school’s relative strengths. As such there is no good objective way to create a list of medical schools, or any graduate school, based on the same set of factual data that everyone will use. For example, Dr. Workman may consider percentage of medical students winning research funding particularly important and will create his med school “rank list” based on that criterion. I, on the other hand, may consider parking space a particularly pressing issue and will create my list based on that. Asking for a “rank list” can be dangerous as you will exclude yourself from some med schools that may be a great fit for you based on what someone else considers important.

If you’d like a concrete list, come up with your own criteria of what makes a med school good and go about searching out that data.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[dukeraj]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I just graduated from Duke with majors in EE/BME/Compsci and minors in Polisci/chem and am currently taking a year off to do research in BME at Duke. I graduated with a 3.56 GPA and a 3.35-3.4 (depending on how AMCAS lists classes) science GPA and scored a 36 (11V, 12P, 13B) on the MCAT. My recs are strong, and my EC’s are pretty good. I was a freshmen resident advisor for 2 years, member and later co-chair of the judicial board, lots of research (no publication yet), teaching assistant for a few classes, volunteer in hospitals, volunteer in community outreach programs, EMT-B trainnee, and I shadowed a really cool doc. in EP. I’m really worried that my GPA (particularly science) will keep me out of med school. I submitted my AMCAS application, applying to 15 schools ranked in the top 25 in US News and 5 schools that aren’t ranked so highly (GWU, Georgetown, UMD, Wakeforest, Einstein). Would it be recomended to add more lower tier schools? I’m a MD resident and south asian, if that factors into anything.

Thank you so much for your time. It is very much appreciated.

[jsquishy]

Hi. I was wondering if I should graduate a semester early. My initial plan was to take the remaining semester to volunteer in third world countries, but my GPA dropped by almost 0.4 in the second year so now I have a 3.58. I’m a junior right now and if I stay for all four years I might be able to boost my GPA to 3.75. But I’m not sure if this will help because the GPA I report will be based on the grades for the first three years. The main reason why my GPA dropped is because I took too many courses in one semester (physical chemistry,biochemistry,engineering,pubpol,cellbio), and I ended up getting a C+ for cellbio.
I’ve always wanted to go to Hopkins, but is this a realistic school considering that my GPA is below the average by so much?

Thanks.

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by dukeraj

Would it be recomended to add more lower tier schools? I’m a MD resident and south asian, if that factors into anything.

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Being a Maryland resident should make getting into the University of Maryland that much easier. I doubt your science GPA will be as significant a demerit as you seem to think. Remember that the science GPA at your institution, compared with science GPAs from other institutions, are not the same. At any other university you may have done better or worse. On a national level, however, you have demonstrated an ability to do well. Your lower GPA than the mean to get into medical school may be reflective of your heavy science coursework as an engineering major. If all the other parts of your application fall in line, you should have a good chance of getting into medical school.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

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