Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[sahiljain22]

I am a junior at BU and I recently got accepted to Boston University – School of Medicine through an early program. I havent still accepted the offer and am in double minds if I should do so. Here are some important points I have to put forward

– I am an international student from India (no green card etc..)
– I am a Biomedical Engineering Major .. GPA of 3.9
– MCAT scores : 31Q (2003), 40T(2005).
– Excellent recommendation letters and research/work experience.
– Age : 19

Thus I have a feeling that I could be easily applying to better schools in the country and it should not be a hard at all for me to get into a better medical school. But since I am an international student, I could land myself into a big mess because not a lot of schools take international students. The big PLUS points with going to BU is that I would be familiar with the university, the city, the people around and I will able to decompress the first year medical curriculum tension.
Thus I want to know how good is BU in the medical world? I mean are doctors from BU treated the same as those from NYU, Yale, Columbia, Duke etc.? Should I accept this offer and lead a happy life ?

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by vnewberr

If I do really well on the MCAT, do you think that I have a chance of getting into Med School after that? Would it help to include research experience? There is a 2 year Medical Science program that I can probably get into if I am not accepted. Thanks ahead for any advice.

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The fact that you’ve got some extracurriculars under your belt is certainly helpful. Doing well on the MCAT will help mitigate some of the badness caused by having a low cumulative GPA. The data on medical school admissions shows that applicants with a less than 3.3 GPA have a smaller than 20% chance of getting into medical school (all other things being equal, of course).

So you’re sort of in a tough spot even if you do well on the MCAT. The key to your eventual successful application, even if you do well on the MCAT and imrpove your grades through a postbacc or Masters program, however will be in how it’s prepared. A well-written personal statement and well-described extracurriculars can go an extremely long way and make you seem more like a superstar than the AdComs would otherwise think.

In answer to your question regarding grades, without knowing the specifics of your grades (how they’re distributed, in what courses, etc.), you would probably be best served by going through a “special” Masters program designed for premed applicants who need to beef up their academic credentials such as the programs at Georgetown and Boston Universities.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by sahiljain22

Thus I want to know how good is BU in the medical world? I mean are doctors from BU treated the same as those from NYU, Yale, Columbia, Duke etc.? Should I accept this offer and lead a happy life ?

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Congratulations on your acceptance to BU.

It may seem simple and extremely logical that given a certain set of numbers, an applicant should get into the medical school of his or her choice so long as a certain minimum requirement is met. This is more in-line with what happens at the Canadian medical schools, but not really in the United States. Entering medical students in this country have a wide range of GPAs and MCATs — some with 2.7 GPAs and 24 on the MCATs! A 40T and a high GPA are not guarantees for acceptance.

But you’ll just never know for sure if you don’t try.

Different medical schools will want different students for different reasons. Your motivation to study medicine in the US may be exactly what BU was looking for, and that generated an acceptance. Taking the same application down South to Duke may result in a rejection because you don’t fit their med student profile. Each school has a specific mission and looks for a certain student. You’ll believe me more when you begin med school and notice how many of your classmates share your hopes and dreams in medicine.

With only 125 medical schools in this country, turning out about 15,000 M.D.s every year, I don’t think any medical school can even be considered average. Compare this to the number of law schools and new J.D.s every year (they even have a part-time and on-line law schools) or business schools and new M.B.A.s (a group which also suffers the same dilutional aspects associated with part-time and on-line programs). How well BU measures up against the other schools in question depends on who you ask and what you ultimately want to do with your career. I’ve never heard of any doctor being treated poorly just because he didn’t go to Harvard Medical School and instead attended the Medical University of South Carolina. A US M.D. medical graduate is an extremely desired candidate in residency competition and, later, job competition.

In my own set of criteria, which I often use when talking to my clients, I separate medical schools into national vs. regional and research-oriented vs. clinician-oriented. In my own mind BU is a national medical school that is research-oriented, within the same league as an NYU or a Duke, but whose “brand-name” recognition may not be the same as either one or even Harvard’s.

The short answer is: BU is a fine medical school but if you’re looking for something else, go for it.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[TriangleChoke]

Ok here is my situation. I have a B.S. in Chemistry, my overall gpa is a 3.0 and my science GPA is a 3.2. I want to apply to medical or osteopathic schools for fall 2007. I am planning on taking Chemistry graduate courses as well as the biology prereqs I need this coming year. This is mainly because 1) I didn’t take the biology prereqs as an undergad and 2) to raise my GPA as much as possible. I am going full-time so I will be taking approzimately 15 credits a semester. I plan on taking the MCAT in august 2006. Let me know if this is a reasonable plan and if there is anything else somebody can recommend.

Realistically in a year best situation with all As I can raise my overall gpa to around 3.2 and my science GPA to around 3.4. These numbers are still low, however my low grades were primarily the 1st two years of college. My last four semester GPAs were 3.35,3.57,2.92,3.75. I was thinking with a year of grad work and close to 4.0 GPAs will give me approximately 3 years of pretty solid grades. Please give me any advice. Thank you.

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by TriangleChoke

I was thinking with a year of grad work and close to 4.0 GPAs will give me approximately 3 years of pretty solid grades. Please give me any advice. Thank you.

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Undoubtedly you will have to take your biology prerequisites and ideally you would pull As in both courses (along with the associated laboratory).

Beyond that, however, I think there would only be a marginal benefit to taking graduate-level Chemistry courses to raise one’s GPA. The fact is that graduate-level courses are curved up a bit, since few institutions will count graduate-level courses towards a Masters or PhD in which you’ve gotten a grade of B+ (3.3) or lower.

My suggestion would be to take your biology prerequisites and then enroll in a “special” Masters program, similar to those offered at Georgetown and Boston Universities, where you’ll pull As in competition with their medical students and come out shining like a new penny.

Good luck.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[zephryin]

I am confused. I am a cell biology major and I will be going into my senior year this fall. I have an overall GPA of 2.54GPA! and an even lower sci/math/phys GPA. My first year’s low grades(when i took a lot of my math/sci courses) were due to the sudden death of my little brother and my stubbornness of staying in school instead of taking time off. Since then my grades have been improving, especially recently in my upper level courses (but obviously it hasn’t been enough). I’ve recently took on a liking biochemistry and I even sought out a volunteer job in a laboratory to see what it would be like to work there. Over the course of my undergraduate career I have had A LOT of research experience(3 years). I just got two projects of my own, before I was just helping others out in the lab. Right now I don’t know if I want to get an MD or a PhD. I am thinking of trying to get my master’s degree in biochemistry and deciding from there. Now to the question part:

1) Should I apply directly from undergrad to a grad school program, or should I wait awhile?

2) If I do decide that I want to go to medical school after I get my M.S., would I be competitive? Or would my uGPA still bring me down considerably?

thank you for your time and patience.

zeph

p.s.-I’ve already had the grad school question answered on the other forum

[vnewberr]

I am at a crossroads. I want to go to Med school, but I am probably only going to graduate with a 2.8 science and a 3.1 overall gpa with an inconsistent undergraduate record. I will be a senior in the fall and am not at all prepared to take the MCAT. Do you think it is a reasonable plan to take a couple of years to work and gain clinical/research experience and also to prepare for the MCAT? What score should I aim for on the MCAT (32+)? Would that increase my chances enough (with solid recommendations and a really good MCAT score)? Also, I have volunteering and extracurricular experience if that helps. Thanks for your advice.

[jekyll123]

Hi. I was in a 3/4 program with an Optometry school. I didn’t want to be there due to immaturity and lack of interest. I left with a dismal GPA which was used by my undergraduate as my senior year. I ended with an undergrad GPA of 2.855. That was 10 years ago. Now I am an IT Manager of an industry leader, with 9 years of experience. The last medical experience was volunteering in an ER for 3 years during high school. I would like to attend a post-bac program and repeat my core science courses, but 2 different med school admissions counselors have said to enroll in just upper-level bio courses or a master’s in bio program instead. Due to my full-time position, I doubt I can find an evening Master’s program. To take upper-level courses to bring up my GPA would take more years than the post-bac. I commute from Philadelphia to Manhattan each day, so it I am limited on choices. I’m trying to find work in the Philly area. What do you suggest? Drexel has some special programs that I may or may not qualify for. Maybe if I get a great MCAT, they or someone else can forgive my low GPA. Thank you.

[mingchi96]

quote:

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Originally posted by twu
The data on medical school admissions shows that applicants with a less than 3.3 GPA have a smaller than 20% chance of getting into medical school (all other things being equal, of course).

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When you mention that 3.3 GPA, you mean that as an overall GPA, including junior college work? Lets say i have a GPA of 3.0 for 30 hrs in junior college and a 3.7 and around 100 hrs at a university. Average it out would be around 3.5+. Would med school be lenient towards the low grades in junior college in my freshman and sophomore yrs, so that they would focus more on my last 2 yrs in college? or would my application just look to them like a normal 3.5 GPA applicant? thanks

[reticular]

Hi,I really need some honest advice on my chances for medical school:

GPA a bit low: 3.11 from UC Berkeley, major in integrative biology
MCAT: 31M

2.5 years at Lawrence Berkeley lab staging various experiments
7+ years as a paramedic, am now a field training officer, a preceptor and a paramedic supervisor.

I started as a carpenter, fell in love with medicine and have spent seven years working toward this. I worked simultaneously with school in a J.C., and then transferred to Cal.

[catherine]

hi, I desperately need your advice.

My cum GPA is 3.9, my science score is higher than my CUM.
But my MCAT is only 26 (PS 10, BS 10, VR 06)

IS there a chance for me to get accepted to a medical school? thanks if anyone can help

[jannahz]

Hi, I need advice from an admissions expert. I scored a 30M on the MCAT (12, 12, V6). My gpa is 3.93. Should I retake the mcat in august, or go with the scores that i have. thanks

[inspiri29]

I’m currently a Canadian citizen with permanent resident status in the US (since 2000). I am a rising senior at Auburn with a 4.0 GPA. I took the April 2005 MCAT and did not score as well as I had hoped- 24Q (7PS, 9VR, 8BS) and plan to retake it in August. Next year I have been accepted as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Christchurch, NZ and will finish my double major in biomedical science and psychology there.
My question is- will it hurt/help me to not finish my BSc and BA here in the US? How do admissions committees view studying abroad on a this kind of scholarship? Will it be very difficult to apply while abroad? I will return to the US in November 2006 and plan to submit my application in the summer of 2006 for entrance in 2007.
Thanks for your help.

[Seona]

*** Sorry, I initially posted this as a new topic. ***

Hi, I am a rising senior at Duke University with a 3.71 GPA (same overall and science). I took the April MCAT (first time) and got a 10 BS, 10 PS, and 12 VR (total: 32R). Although this falls slightly above the “national average for admitted applicants”, I do not want to go to just any medical school (nor am I attempting to attend “dream schools” like Harvard or WashU). Emory, Case Western, NYU, and Tufts are on the top of my list. The score really surprised me, as I was consistently scoring 35-38 on practice exams proctored by my prep course. As for extracurriculars, I have done research in a mycology (fungi) lab for the past few years, presented some of my findings at poster symposiums, and have had one abstract (co-author) accepted by an annual mycological conference. By the time I graduate, I will hopefully have co-authored a paper based on my independent study project (not in time for AMCAS, unfortunately). Two summers ago, I worked at UT-Southwestern/Parkland Hospital, which gave me significant interaction with patients and insights into the patient-doctor relationship. Parkland is known for serving under-represented and socioeconomically-disadvantaged people, so that summer experience really gave me a reality shock as far as the healthcare disparity in the U.S. goes. I have also volunteered at Duke hospital, but most importantly (for me, at least), I volunteer as a tutor. With my community service fraternity, I tutor weekly at a local private middle school for disadvantaged young boys (basically, these boys show stellar academic potential, and by being accepted into this program, they are almost guaranteed a 4-yr college track) and occasionally (every few weeks or so) tutor GEDs at a local shelter for recovering substance abusers who want to make a fresh start in life. Because I love to teach, I am also a GChem instructor for a commercial MCAT prep course (ironically, since I did not do too well myself). Sorry to give so much background detail, but from previous posts, I understand that MCATs and GPA do not paint the whole picture, so I wanted to provide you with as much info as possible.

My main questions are:
1) Does my low MCAT score take me out of the running for top- or middle-tier schools such as Columbia and UT-Southwestern, respectively?
2) Do I even have a shot at non-state MD/PhD programs?
3) Most importantly, should I apply now with what I’ve got or check that box that says “I will take the August 2005 MCAT” on AMCAS? I have heard that some schools will not even look at your application (even though it is technically “complete” once you submit it) until after they receive your August scores. If this is true, then would that be like my applying as a late applicant? If not, then can they (or rather, would they) make a decision before August scores come in even though I informed them that I will have new scores? I want to present the best possible application, but I also know that applying late is a major disadvantage. I would like your advice as to which is the lesser evil: apply now with a low MCAT (at least for the schools that I have in mind) or apply late with a possibly higher MCAT?

Thank you so much for your time, and this website is really a lifesaver!

[twu]

quote:

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Originally posted by elizabeth2005

What do you think? I am afraid that my PS 7 will automatically filter me out of a lot of schools. Also, should I indicate that I am retaking the MCAT on the AMCAS application, or do you think that would throw me in a pile of applications to not review until October?

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It’s difficult to make decisions on whether or not to take the MCATs without knowing more about you, your grades, how your grades are distributed, how competitive your classes were, etc. Without these data points, I’m be shooting in the dark so to speak, and I don’t want to give you bad advice.

I can give you general advice, however, based on the data we have on MCAT scores and admissions.

The Association of American Medical Colleges publishes data that show the average entering medical student in the last year (read: the middle fiftieth percentile of all entering medical students) held a composite MCAT score of somewhere between 29-30 with an even 10V, 10B, and 10P distribution.

A score of 7 would seriously force the AdCom to look at your science grades and try and figure out where things went wrong for you. A 28 composite score is not horrible, but it falls slightly below the mark. Again, of course, there may be a ton of things on your application that help mitigate this 28 — Mt. Holyoke is actually a good school, for example — but this data can’t really be provided in this forum.

So I leave the decision with you, based on the cursory data I can give you in this forum, and wish you good luck on your applications.

Timothy Wu, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

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