Just curious what med schools twwers have gotten into. Also please post your gpa/mcat score

5/28/2007 10:20:25 PM

good luck getting truthful numbers...

5/28/2007 10:51:58 PM

I only applied to osteopathic schools with a 3.7/29.

I got love from all of them and will be attending one this fall.

A couple of points:
-Being an average white guy from Wake County with my OK stats wouldn't have given me a great chance at getting in at UNC. Nor ECU since I have no real ties to that side of the state.
-My stats are nowhere close enough to have tried at Duke.
-I had no interest in attending WFU.
-I might have had an OK shot at some of the private schools across the country.

And that's the truth. My sister turned down the early acceptance BS/MD program from ECU a few weeks ago to just see how she'll enjoy college before worrying too much about future plans.

I didn't start off college wanting to go to medical school. I just sort of fell into it.

What I can tell you if you are thinking of applying:
-Your stats need to be high. I know this sounds obvious but all of the extracurriculars in the world won't help you if you don't have the grades/MCAT score
-Research experience: probably the biggest gaping hole on my application. Most people never seriously consider pursuing academic medicine but most MD schools are attached to large research universities and part of their process of recruiting medical researchers is having research as part of the criteria of acceptance. It sucks but it's just become a checkbox on an application rather than something you would pursue simply out of interest.
-Clinical experience: this varies a lot among applicants. One of my classmates got into UNC with a 3.9/34 and pretty much no research experience/clinical experience. You might read this as your statistical numbers being more important than being a "round applicant". You'd be right.

If you want a reasonable shot at US MD schools you need around a 3.7+/30+ and to apply broadly to be on the safe side. You don't need quite that high to get into US DO schools. You need a pulse to get accepted into a Caribbean MD school.

As far as studying for the MCAT I cannot emphasize enough how important it is. I studied for only a week and a half and got a 29 which suited my goals just fine. You may study for months and not even break my score. The key is doing well in your undergrad classes and studying for the MCAT diligently. A high MCAT score can offset some of your other application weaknesses more than a high GPA or great extracurriculars.

There's so much more to tell you but I'm too lazy. Shoot me a PM if you have questions.

5/29/2007 1:05:27 AM

4.0/34

John Hopkins

5/29/2007 6:06:18 PM

^ One of the first things they tell you when you go to apply is how to spell it right.

5/29/2007 7:59:14 PM

eh misspellings happen

5/29/2007 8:28:41 PM

I wouldn't let that post ^^^^ mislead you, those are solid stats to make absolutely sure you get into a med school if you apply broadly, but they sure aren't locked in stone. There are many people who don't have stats as good as that who get into US MD schools by having a well rounded application and unique experiences that show your dedication to becoming a physician.

5/29/2007 9:34:07 PM

3.95/32
Went to UNC
Got into UNC, South Carolina, ECU, Ohio State, Wake Forest

5/30/2007 6:44:13 AM

I got into the university of Texas

for chemistry

6/6/2007 7:45:45 PM

Biochem (BS) / Chem (BS) - 3.91/30
Med School - Tennessee

Hoping to match in Neurosurg in Jan.

LCME has required all US med schools to increase total number of seats by 30% in 5 years. So should be more opportunity to get in depending on the application pool.

6/9/2007 9:31:41 AM

learn spanish

go to guatemala


pay 5k


....


profit

6/9/2007 11:13:15 AM

3.85 / 30
Accepted to Wake Forest (and would love it there except for the tuition), but still praying for UNC to call me off the waitlist.

6/11/2007 7:54:35 AM

not that i plan to do med school but do they consider major. I am certain any engineering major is a lot more tough then say someone majoring in Biochem or CHASS trying to enter med school

6/11/2007 11:12:26 AM

Quote :

"I am certain any engineering major is a lot more tough then say someone majoring in Biochem or CHASS trying to enter med school"

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The only thing harder about being an engineering (or other non life-sciences) major would be that you have to find time in your curriculum to take the prerequisites for medical schools that wouldn't otherwise be in your required classes.

One of the reasons why NCSU has such a high acceptance rate is because of the uniqueness of engineering majors entering medical school. Interviewers really like to see something other than the usual biology/chemistry majors come through, and I'm sure that weighs in their decision. Everyone who is/has been in med school will tell you that the undergraduate major really has nothing to do with how well you do - as long as you can memorize and study hard, you will be successful.

6/11/2007 11:40:53 AM

Quote :

"Everyone who is/has been in med school will tell you that the undergraduate major really has nothing to do with how well you do - as long as you can memorize and study hard, you will be successful."

This is true, but the study methods that are useful in, say, engineering, are vastly different from those in medical school. Learning a formula and how to apply it to multiple situations isn't particularly similar to learning tons of pharmacology. Memorization is indeed the key to doing well in medicine, and that's something I didn't really have to do in engineering.

And it's probably doubtful that people will look at an atypical major as being "harder"--it's just something different that might make you stand out a little to someone reviewing applications.

Incidentally, one of the deans here at Wake told me recently that they were curious about the discrepancy between State students' GPAs and MCAT scores--they're wondering if there's some element of grade inflation, because applicants with very high GPAs didn't tend to score as well on the MCAT.

6/11/2007 2:29:44 PM

^good info, definately might be a possibility, something I am worried about

6/11/2007 3:07:50 PM

I am a SC resident, and I got into USC (Columbia) and MUSC (Charleston) with no worries. (Both accepted me within 1-3 days of my interviews.) I'll be going to MUSC this fall. PM me if you want to know more about those schools.

6/11/2007 7:51:12 PM

^^^State is on a list of schools known for grade inflation where I am now (I'm involved in the admissions process for my grad department)

[Edited on June 11, 2007 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

6/11/2007 10:35:27 PM

Anyone going to Wake this year?

6/16/2007 10:27:29 PM

going back in the fall for round two

6/16/2007 10:41:41 PM

I'm here now, yeah.

6/16/2007 11:49:13 PM

I just found out i'm in the middle of UNCs waitlist...I assume most instaters that get into UNC will go there, so my chances are slim and I'm moving forward with Wake. I liked it better except for the tuition

look forward to meeting you benz...are you doing the prematric program or the camping trip?
Dave - what year are you? any recommendations for apartments?

6/17/2007 10:18:53 AM

4th year. Spending the next month studying for Step 2 CK.

Apartments depend a lot on your price range and where you want to be. There are plenty of places in the West End and Ardmore areas that are reasonable. The new apartments downtown on 4th St. are awesome if you want to pay for them. There are some complexes over near Hanes Mall where students live.

I'm in a house in the West End that was renovated and split into four apartments. Less than a five minute walk to the hospital and very cheap for what it is.

6/17/2007 11:53:27 AM

does anyone know anything about the med schools in the Caribbean?

6/20/2007 1:37:55 PM

dr. drohan, are you ever gonna work a shift again at cary or was that REALLY your last one? such a shame.

i think you should drive from winston salem to cary every weekend JUST so you can work. haha.

6/20/2007 2:45:25 PM

-Thanks DaveOT...I decided on an apartment off of Ebert street. Good luck on step 2! Are you trying to specialize?

-Claire- I'd avoid caribbean schools if possible. Try and apply broadly this cycle, including DO schools if you don't feel as competitive, and see what happens. But do some research on osteopathic medicine first...they have a more holistic approach to medicine and healthcare. I have a friend that is going to the caribbean this year...after learning more about it, it doesn't seem AS bad as I thought it would be, but I still wouldn't want to be limited in any way by going there.

-Evan - that wasn't my last shift...it was just my last one with A shift. I'm actually working tonight. But it is a shame and i'm so sad to leave! Sorry, I hope we didn't scare you away on your first shift, we were being really silly that night.

6/20/2007 3:22:05 PM

^^^^
Me too. not looking forward to step 2 CK. I'm taking it july 20th in raleigh. where and when are you taking it? and when are you taking CS?
good luck

6/20/2007 6:49:36 PM

i assume you guys are taking CS in atlanta...but how many questions are on CK? someone said it's around 300+

6/20/2007 7:00:54 PM

^I haven't registered for CS yet. I may take it in Philly as my husbands family lives only like 45 min from there. If not in philly then yes in atlanta.
i still have my final shelf test this friday (peds), then i will look more into ck. i don't know all the details yet.
what books are you all using for studying? and are you using usmle world questions to study with?

6/20/2007 7:17:32 PM

Have CK in 2.5 weeks in Greensboro. I'm trying to get by with First Aid, Crush, and USMLEWorld (which is kicking my ass daily).

Took CS in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I originally wanted to go to Philly (family nearby), but there were no open dates when I needed to take it. The Atlanta center's not bad--it was a pretty easy drive, and my hotel (Country Inn & Suites) was in the same complex.

Good luck on the peds shelf. Didn't think that one was too bad--harder than the ob/gyn shelf but seemed easier than medicine.

[Edited on June 20, 2007 at 8:17 PM. Reason : ]

6/20/2007 8:10:30 PM

I'm definitely not envious of you guys, I'm taking CS/CK absolute last minute - Nov/Dec'ish. Though not sure how smart of an idea that is with it being interview season. What are y'all thinking about going into?

6/22/2007 8:05:43 AM

family med, and you?

6/22/2007 2:59:36 PM

Did someone seriously put Biochemistry in the same category as a CHASS degree in this thread?

Sure, Biochem isn't as hard as engineering, but thats just funny.

my 3.57 in biochem was good enough to get me in.

I will say that volunteering and having a well rounded resume got me in. My MCAT score wasnt very good although it was brought down by the physical science section...the other two were good. I think the most important thing was having something to talk about in the interview besides school. They see your statistics right there but they want to know that you can ballance school/jobs/volunteering/clubs/fun all togther.

I'm not shitting you, at my Wake interview, I spent half of my first interview talking about sports. Don't ask how I got in after that.

[Edited on June 28, 2007 at 1:32 PM. Reason : ]

6/28/2007 1:29:13 PM

^ have you decided where you're going in the fall?

6/28/2007 2:35:35 PM

Wake Forest

I didn't get into UNC off the waitlist so Wake it is. Its expensive as shit but its like an investment. I personally didn't like UNC as much as Wake on the interview day, plus I'm more familiar with the hospital. Its nice here.

[Edited on June 29, 2007 at 6:24 PM. Reason : ]

6/29/2007 6:21:29 PM

Quote :

"Sure, Biochem isn't as hard as engineering, but thats just funny. "

Man, I don't know about that. I did engineering and my wife did biochem (now in med school), and I would never have cut it in Biochem. I guess it's a different mindset, BCH is a LOT of memorization, which I suck at, whereas engineering is more about problem solving.... I don't think anyone can really argue one's harder than the other... they're just too different.

6/30/2007 10:13:13 AM

Actually, memorization is a lower level cognitive skill (easier) compared to problem solving. Also, women are better at memorization. However, whether you remember loads of info depends on your interest in the topic.

[Edited on July 1, 2007 at 1:12 PM. Reason : dsf]

7/1/2007 1:10:51 PM

^ and your ability to come up with funny/obscene/offensive mnemonics or acronyms

7/1/2007 2:56:12 PM

got into USUHS (Navy) and Marshall University. I'm going to Marshall. Graduated from COM with a finance concentration after switching from biological sciences in ALS. gpa=3.4, MCAT=29. I am from Charlotte, which I really think hurt my application at ECU. Most of my shadowing/job experiences were with specialists and not primary care physicians like ecu prefers.

7/1/2007 11:43:57 PM

Quote :

"Actually, memorization is a lower level cognitive skill (easier) compared to problem solving."

I want to tell my wife this, but this would create a problem that I would be unable to solve.

7/2/2007 3:01:25 PM

You also have to consider the volume of material to be memorized.

It remains a useless comparison because there are way too many factors involved.

7/2/2007 3:23:49 PM

thanks for the hand-waving explanation.

7/3/2007 2:27:24 AM

Quote :

"I want to tell my wife this, but this would create a problem that I would be unable to solve. "

ftw

7/3/2007 9:15:09 AM

^ditto

Yeah Biochemistry is a lot of random memorization, but I actually did the best in classes that I could apply the basic concepts . I enjoy problem solving, and I liked physics, but I wasn't an engineer because I suck at math.

I did well in Organic and biochem, and I think I memorized a lot less than some people and did just as well if not better than them because I figured out a way to the answer without purely memorizing it. Its a much more effective use of study time. Sure, we had to memorize some stuff but memorizing the names of each step in glycolysis was much easier after I learned the process.

[Edited on July 4, 2007 at 6:58 AM. Reason : ]

7/4/2007 6:58:34 AM

are any of you that are starting at wake this year doing the pre-matriculation program? Just wondering what i'm missing out on...

7/11/2007 9:46:54 PM

Quote :

"Incidentally, one of the deans here at Wake told me recently that they were curious about the discrepancy between State students' GPAs and MCAT scores--they're wondering if there's some element of grade inflation, because applicants with very high GPAs didn't tend to score as well on the MCAT. "

This doesn't surprise me. I transferred to State pretty late into my chem degree and the program here is laughable.

7/11/2007 11:15:01 PM

^^ you're not missing much. Its pretty much just a good way to get used to being there so you're comfortable when school starts for real. There is a bunch of stuff that we're doing that we will have to do over again during orientation. The only things that are helpful that you guys won't get are a lot of interaction with the second years, a small group session which was dumb just to give us a taste of the real thing, and some clinical experiences. We've gotten a few "warm up" lectures to give us an idea of what it will be like but nothing serious.

You have a week of orientation before any real classes start, so I think that is plenty of time to at least figure out what is expected of you.

^Just curious, where did you transfer from and is your chemistry major a BA or BS?...cause there is a HUGE difference between the two and I don't know any idiots who got or are getting a BS in chemistry.

[Edited on July 14, 2007 at 12:20 AM. Reason : ]

7/14/2007 12:19:17 AM

^You'll get another small-group intro during orientation, too. I led one when I was starting 2nd year.

You'll still have zero idea of how much work is expected after orientation. It wasn't until a few weeks into phase 1 that I started to realize how much we were expected to know.

7/14/2007 1:08:45 AM

^Well they will at least be on par with the rest of the class...They are beating into our head right now how much we will have to know. Dr. Johnson spent 45 minutes talking about how screwed we were if we didnt expect to be bombarded on the first day of class. One guy said it was like learning 7 foriegn languages at the same time...I don't even speak spanish so I guess I'm fucked

7/15/2007 9:19:39 PM

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7/15/2007 9:52:03 PM