I am trying to decide what sort of problem I may have. I have applied to med school this year with a 4.0 in my masters work. Many many years working and volunteering in medical settings both here and in other countries. I have less than a 3.0 in my undergrad work, but not that much under, which is why I did the masters. I retook the MCAT this past year and made 11V 8P 9B O. My letters of recomendation are excellent. Yet I've been told that I won't be getting an interview because of my undergrad work. This is from a school that told me that I should do a masters, do well, and I'd stand a good chance. What I am concerned about is that I took the MCAT with accomodations and I'm wondering if anyone knows anyway short of me retaking the test from hell with out accomodations of me finding out if that is part of what is holding me back from getting an interview? I realize that I didnt make the world's best MCAT score but it's still better than the average MCAT score of some of the schools I'm concerned about.
Thanks for any input!
I personally think that your MCAT is not what may be holding you back. Did you apply to a wide range of schools? did you talk to more than one admission director about why no interviews? if the consensus (from most of them) is that your u-grad gpa is the problem then I would head back to school and just take some upper level science classes to demonstrate that you most definately have it in you. From my understanding classes at the master level are usually not as rigorous than undergrad. I guess this is why most folks end up with a minimum of B average getting their masters. Now, I am kind of generalizing but that is what many folks have told me. So that may be why your awesome gpa in your recent coursework is not enough for some schools. I would contact every school applied to and inquire if this is the case. Good luck!
I agree with most of what efex said. However, I would like to share my experience with Master’s degrees.
My graduate classes were far more difficult than my undergrad classes. Then again, I was taking classes that were specific to what I liked. I took Molecular Basis of Development, Systematics and Endocrinology - how cool is that! The experience of grad school is totally different than that of undergrad. I had to work, attend lectures and seminars, attend classes and do well in them, and do research. It was difficult. I was poor and overworked, but it was fun.
As are most grad students, I was required to make a B or better in any class. Making a C would have cost me my assistantship and put me on academic probation. If I made more than one C, I would have been kicked out of grad school. Maintaining a B average was a requirement for earning a Master’s degree. At my school, someone who didn’t maintain a B average wouldn’t earn a graduate degree.
I cannot tell you why you aren’t getting an interview - and as efex mentioned, calling the med schools is probably the best bet since they are who rejected you. Without looking at your application, I can’t point to where the real problem may be. Have you completed your grad degree? Why did you take the MCAT with accommodations? Why was your ugpa low? In my opinion, the only way you can know what to address is to ask for a complete, honest review of your application.
The first time I asked someone to review my application, I kept asking questions like: “Is my ugpa good enough?” or “Will my Master’s degree help me?” and even “Will I have to ace the MCAT?” The answer to all these questions was a simple, definitive - yes. My ugpa would have to be good enough, because I had a science grad degree. My Master’s wouldn’t hurt and might help. And yes, I should do my best to ace the MCAT.
Thankfully, that reviewer was honest with me. He explained that I was asking the wrong questions. He suggested that, instead of asking where I’m good enough, I request my deficiencies be pointed out. One way I’ve found to do that is by asking my reviewer "What can I do to make myself a more appealing candidate for admissions?"
Since then, I’ve had my entire application looked over by another former admin and my major professor. I’ve also asked for suggestions from a medical student and a physician. Really, it was not easy for me to ask others to point out where I wasn’t “good enough.” But by asking this question, I feel I’ve been given solid, positive advice on how to better my application.
Good Luck and I wish you well.
– Rachel
| QUOTE (SundayS76 @ Dec 4 2002, 12:04 AM) |
| I am trying to decide what sort of problem I may have. I have applied to med school this year with a 4.0 in my masters work. Many many years working and volunteering in medical settings both here and in other countries. I have less than a 3.0 in my undergrad work, but not that much under, which is why I did the masters. I retook the MCAT this past year and made 11V 8P 9B O. My letters of recomendation are excellent. Yet I've been told that I won't be getting an interview because of my undergrad work. This is from a school that told me that I should do a masters, do well, and I'd stand a good chance. What I am concerned about is that I took the MCAT with accomodations and I'm wondering if anyone knows anyway short of me retaking the test from hell with out accomodations of me finding out if that is part of what is holding me back from getting an interview? I realize that I didnt make the world's best MCAT score but it's still better than the average MCAT score of some of the schools I'm concerned about. Thanks for any input! |
Hi there,
Looking at your numbers, your MCAT score added in with your undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0 may be your problem. While the 11 in V looks pretty good, the 8P and 9B are killing you. If your numbers were along the lines of 11P or 11B, you may have been able to snag a couple of interviews. Also, what did you do your masters work in? If you did a scientific discipline such as Biochemistry, Chemistry, biology or Biotechnology and posted the 8P and 9B, that is something of a death-ring to admissions committees in addition to your low undergraduate GPA. If you have a masters in psychology or sociology, you probably need to take some upperdivision science classes and re-take the MCAT with emphasis on double-digits in both biological sciences and physical sciences.
Doing the MCAT with accomodations can be a problem too. Many schools are not willing to take a student that has problems with test-taking because medical school involves testing at every level. It has just become too difficult to get these students through most of the new integrated curriculums. Try to figure out what is holding you back in the sciences and re-take the test under normal conditions. Remember that medical school is applied science. While that verbal score looks good, it is really overshadowed by your somewhat lower science scores.
That is just the numbers story. You may also have to take a look at the schools that you applied to. Some schools are more numbers oriented than others. If that is the case, apply to other schools. Did you have good extracurricular volunteer experiences? What did the rest of that school's applicants post? If most of their applicants have much higher science scores, then you were at a disadvantage because of your MCAT.
You can't change your undergraduate grades. You can re-take the MCAT. You can apply to other schools. It isn't the total MCAT score that is killing you but the fact that your physical science and biological science scores are pretty low. If you can pull even one of these grades into the double digits and get a total over 30, you may be more competitive.
I hope that this helps.
Natalie
Thanks for your advice. There is of course more to the story and asking the medical schools what I should do to improve my chances is exactly what I did when I first applied.
I fought to get accommadations on the MCAT and did not recieve them. If you got them you really needed them. No school should hold you back becauce of the accommadations. I told UNECOM during the interview that I was learning disabled and after I got in the dean told me that it helped my interview in the way I explained how I am willing and able to take on challanges. Take some to look at schools that have good learning disability offices. First year medical student with dyslexia and ADHD.
Becky
| QUOTE (Lanskyb @ Dec 16 2002, 08:11 PM) |
| I fought to get accommadations on the MCAT and did not recieve them. If you got them you really needed them. No school should hold you back becauce of the accommadations. I told UNECOM during the interview that I was learning disabled and after I got in the dean told me that it helped my interview in the way I explained how I am willing and able to take on challanges. Take some to look at schools that have good learning disability offices. First year medical student with dyslexia and ADHD. Becky |
Hi there,
In a perfect world, you should have accomodations if you need them and qualify for them. Some schools have been hit by lawsuits from LD students who in spite of accomodations, were not able to get through the medical curriculums. These schools have taken a pretty jaundiced look at students who come in with LDs such as dyslexia. This is not fair but it is a new reality.
My best friend and one of the finest physicians that I know of, is very dyslexic. She attended a special course for medical students with dyslexia that gave her great insight into how she needed to approach any learning situation. She did excellently in medical school after that course (highest USMLE Step I score that I know of) but before she found the tools that she needed, she was barely passing. She ended up seeking legal counsel and filing a suit in order to get the opportunity to take the special classes that she needed. She had a well-documented dyslexia from two very reputable testing centers.
I had a classmate who claimed to be dylexic but was later found not to have dyslexia after another classmate reported the guise. This placed a couple of students who were genuinely in need of accomodations under scrutiny that they neither deserved or thrived under. The whole situation made for some tense moments during class meetings and when the student who falsified documents was ultimately dismissed. It took almost two years for the students with legitimate needs to stop hearing resentment from others in the class who felt that they were getting special treatment.
Be sure that you carefully know and can explain how your LD works. Be sure that you have excellent professional documentation and be ready for some of your more immature classmates to resent you having the extra accomodations. If a blind student was given an exam written in Braille, why can't a student with a LD take the test under conditions that enable them to understand the material? All things considered, after watching my friend go through he-l at the hands of her fellow students, I was happy to take my tests under standard conditions.
Good luck
Natalie