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Originally posted by mecooperI had a question about my med school admission potential. I recently graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Linguistics with a 3.93 GPA. I was in the honors program and have tons of ec’s and volunteer experience (medical and otherwise), and I will be starting a Nursing Masters program this fall at my state medical school which is intended for students who have an undergrad degree in anything other than nursing. I have always had in the back of my head that I wanted to go to medical school, but thought that CRNA might be the better route for time/admissions security reasons. However, I have recently decided that medical school really is the way I want to go, but now that I have accepted admission to a program at my state med school, I feel that I have to follow through or if I did ever want to apply to med school there in the future, it would be an automatic strike against me since I accepted admission to a program and then didn’t matriculate. The program lasts 16 months, and I was thinking about working for about a year and half as an RN before starting a post-bac program and applying to medical school. I was wondering that all things pending (future grades, MCAT, etc.), if I would still be a viable candidate for med school, or if my academic background may make me appear too flighty, unsure, etc. I REALLY want to become a doctor, but I just wanted to make sure it’s not a pipe dream before I put so much time and effort into something that isn’t really a realistic option in the first place. Any advice is much appreciated!! Thanks so much in advance for all your help!
Dear Mecooper,
Thanks for your inquiry. The good news is that there are many ways to accomplish your goals of becoming a physician. Going to nursing school first and getting some valuable clinical experience as a nurse would be a terrific background. I know a number of doctors who were first nurses. On the other hand, if you really don’t want to go to nursing school, then I don’t think there would be as much risk as you are suggesting to just decline the offer. It happens. But if you do that, you should definitely move forward with more clinical volunteer and work activities, completing the premed requirements, MCAT’s and all that. So it’s up to you. Give it some thought and I bet you will make a good decision.
Best,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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Originally posted by mderrybeI just finished my undergrad degree, and because of unforeseen circumstances I have a lower GPA (3.16) and a different degree than I wanted (General Studies). My junior year I had one surgery in the fall during finals week and a second the following summer, after a doctor made a medical error during a procedure and then lied about it. I was in the hospital for 8 days after I had to be taken home 3 weeks before finals. I have taken the required Pre-Med courses and I am moving to Arkansas hoping to get in to UAMS as a resident. If I do well on my MCAT, do you think admissions will be able to overlook my GPA? Also, if I get back my MCAT score and I’m not happy, the next MCAT date I will be able to register for is August 5th–is that too late?
Dear Mderrybe,
Thanks for contacting us. There is no easy or simple answer I can give you to your question. In general I think you want to be really ready from an academic point of view before you go to medical school. Sometime prospective applicants do a post bac in medical sciences to better prepare themselves for the rigors of medical school. Also you want to make sure you are ready to take the MCAT–I wouldn’t take it unless you are consistently getting the kinds of scores on practice exams that you are hoping for on the real exam. I would not recommend that you retake the exam so quickly if you get a low score the first time.
Sorry I can’t be more specific. But I hope these comments point you in the right direction.
Best wishes,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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Originally posted by ttam_ma_iAdmissions Consultants,
I graduated approximately 6 months ago from a state university here in GA with a degree in biology. My science and cumulative GPAs are both 4.0. When I took the MCAT in September, I earned a 24T (10-Bio, 7-PS, 7-VR).
I was a very active participant in student organizations, and held numerous leadership positions. I also have experience shadowing physicians and other healthcare providers. & I am currenly working as a researcher/technician at a local medical school for the experience and patient contact hours.
I have research experience, but we are still waiting for the items to be published. There is also a chance that I could have something published as part of my job here as a researcher.
Letters of rec. are plentiful, and come from undergrad professors and some of the physicians with whom I am currently working.
Additional demographics: 22 y/o, not an underrepresented minority, not economically/medically disadvantaged.
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My question is.. what are my chances of getting into a US allopathic school, given that my MCAT score is so abysmal? I want to re-take, but I am not sure that I will do all that much better given the amount of time that I have to study. Any advice for me?
~ Med. School Hopeful
Dear Med School Hopeful,
Thanks for contacting us. You can try to apply to your state medical school where you are an in state resident and see what happens. In general your MCAT score will likely be a barrier to admission to U.S. M.D. programs. So in all likelihood, you will have to study for and retake the MCAT. I would suggest to be sure to take a lot of practice exams and get your scores on the practice exams up into the range you are shooting for. The other alternative is to apply to D.O. programs or Caribbean schools. Hope this helps.
Best wishes,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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Originally posted by zsazsa913Hello,
I just finished the first year of medical school at an osteopathic institution with good academic standing and I would like to transfer to an allopathic school for personal reasons. I feel that my degree will always be scrutinized and not quite as equally accepted as an M.D. degree. I always wanted to practice medicine, however my MCAT score was too low for an allopathic school: 24 (I took it twice with scores 10PS 6VR 8BS and 9PS 6VR 9BS). My science GPA was 3.5 and an overall GPA of 3.7. I am conversationally fluent in 3 languages, however I started learning English only in High School in the U.S., and I think that this was the reason for my difficulty with the verbal portion of the test. I know that my reason for transfer is not as compelling, but it is important to me. After working so hard for a medical degree I would like it to be recognized as such without doubts or questioning.
Thank you for your time.
Dear Zsazsa913,
Thanks for your inquiry. I would just like to question the premise of your concerns, i.e. that a D.O. will be subject to doubts or questioning. At the hospital where I work, we have D.O.’s and I have never heard anyone express such a concern. D.O.’s function as full physicians in the same roles as M.D.’s throughout the health system. So I would suggest that you get the facts clear about this matter.
Regarding transferring to an M.D. program, you will have to target a few schools that you are interested in and contact them directly. In general, transfers from one medical school to another are difficult–much depends on how many spaces happen to be available in the class to which you wish to join.
My advice to you is to stay put and be glad you are on your way to becoming a physician.
Hope this helps.
Best,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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Originally posted by mecooperI will be taking a non-traditional approach to getting into medical school, and I am very interested in attending a pre-med post-bac program to do all my needed pre-req courses. I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on the top rated post-bac programs. I’ve looked online, but I can’t seem to find ratings for pre-med post-bac programs anywhere, and there are so many programs that I feel a bit lost. Thanks so much in advance for all your help!
Dear Mecooper,
Thanks for your question. Because of the demand, there has been a proliferation of post bac programs. So there are many. I am not aware of any kind of ranking of them. Some of the oldest include Georgetown, Drexel and Boston University. Just do a google search and you should find most of them. See which ones are the best fit for you.
Best wishes,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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703.242.5885Keep up with us on:
Hello,
Im a biomedical engineering major who just finished his sophomore year at the university at Buffalo. Presently my gpa is not very good (2.
. I will admit that this was caused mostly by my own immaturity and laziness. However, I have made a few lifestyle changes in order to take control of my academic situation. So my questions are.
1) If I bring my grades up dramatically do you believe I would still have a chance at being admitted to medical school?
2)I want to retake 2 physics, one chemistry, and a differential equations (which is only for engineering). Does it look bad to retake them and would it be a good idea?
3)I was also planning on applying to my university’s masters of biomedical engineering program. Do you think that getting my masters would increase my chances of getting accepted?
Thanksquote:
Originally posted by azdfg1Hello,
Im a biomedical engineering major who just finished his sophomore year at the university at Buffalo. Presently my gpa is not very good (2.. I will admit that this was caused mostly by my own immaturity and laziness. However, I have made a few lifestyle changes in order to take control of my academic situation. So my questions are.
1) If I bring my grades up dramatically do you believe I would still have a chance at being admitted to medical school?
2)I want to retake 2 physics, one chemistry, and a differential equations (which is only for engineering). Does it look bad to retake them and would it be a good idea?
3)I was also planning on applying to my university’s masters of biomedical engineering program. Do you think that getting my masters would increase my chances of getting accepted?
ThanksDear Azdfg1,
Thanks for your inquiry. As you know you are going to have to get your GPA up to be competitive for medical school, which you should be able to do in your last two years of college. A number of applicants who are still trying to increase their GPA’s after graduation complete post bac programs in medical science, some of which are master’s programs. There is always hope if you continue to work hard and make progress. Grades for courses taken the second time don’t count on the AMCAS application, so retaking course won’t help.
So keep working hard and take things a day at a time.
Best wishes,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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quote:
Originally posted by azdfg1wshelton,
Thanks for your help and input, it means a lot to me.
I have just one more question for you.
Being an engineering student there are many classes that focus on physics and chemistry, but in a more practical manner (i.e statics, fluids,etc…). Would these classes be looked at as physics or chemistry credits? Also, would they focus on these classes more then a physics 101 or a chemistry 101 class?
Thanks againDear Azdfg1,
Thanks for your follow up question. My sense is that you will have to take the regular science prerequisites, if you haven’t already. The other, more practical courses you are taking will be looked upon as challenging courses; so if you do well in them, that will be a positive for you. Hope this helps.
Best wishes,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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703.242.5885Keep up with us on:
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Originally posted by FocusedOnLifeOk, so I just graduates with my undergrad degree in Bioengineering. Unfortunately I graduated with a low GPA of 2.89. I haven’t taken the MCAT yet, but I took a practice test a couple years ago before I had taken all my basic bio and ochem and still scored a 31. I am going to apply for entrance to a post-bacc program in January, and I believe I can do well in these programs as I have matured a lot during my time in college. I have had to overcome a lot of personal issues such as financial issues, and issues socially acclimating to my school. In addition to this, my school does not allow you to transfer courses from any other school, and I could never afford summer school, something most kids at my school do in order to take at least one of the more difficult courses (ie. physics, ochem etc) over the summer. My question is, if I do well in the post-bacc program 3.6+ and score well on my MCAT, what are my chances of getting accepted to medical school? Will schools give me the benefit of the doubt when it comes to my undergrad grades?
Dear FocusedOnLife,
Thanks for your question. If you can do well in a post bac program, get a good score on the MCAT and get involved in some meaningful activities related to health care, your chances will be greatly enhanced of getting into a medical school somewhere. I suggest you take one day at a time and work hard. If you are determined to go to medical school, it can work out.
Best wishes,Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
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703.242.5885Keep up with us on:
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