Advice on getting into a good med school

[menkelm]

I graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2001 with a 3.34 GPA. I did not take any pre-med science courses at the time because I had not considered entering the medical profession. I now live in Las Vegas and I will be taking all of the necessary pre-med science courses this fall at UNLV. I have not had any years of volunteering in the medical field. What can you suggest that I should do that would help me get into the top medical schools? Any and all comments and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

[rworkman]

While it is difficult to offer you specific suggestions to “get into the top medical schools,” I can tell you that you will need to 1) perform “A” level work in your premed requirements. Not only are these the most important classes as a medical school applicant, but you will need to offset your mediocre overall GPA. You will also need to 2) score in the 30s on your MCAT to be considered by the “top schools.” This is only the beginning, and these are the bare minimum to be competitive for the top tier schools. Other unique aspects of who you are and what you can bring to medicine will need to be highlighted to attract their attention beyond the nuts and bolts of the GPA and the MCAT. Without even considering medicine as a career during undergraduate school and without any volunteering under your belt, you are at a serious disadvantage. Medical schools consider spots in their class to be very precious things and only want to grant admission to those with strong interest (which has been demonstrated somehow) and strong aptitude. Again, note that I am somewhat limited here as I only know very little about you and your candidacy. If you would like further individualized assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Ron Workman, MD
AdmissionsConsultants
(703) 242-5885

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