Admission to dental school isn’t much easier.
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My advice is to reach out to the 2 schools that interviewed you, plus the one that you did your SMP at, and ask them where your application needs improvement. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a response. A PhD is a long, tough commitment and I don’t think it’s going to help get you into med school. I’d also look up online ways to reinvent a med school application (I know there is a thread on sdn and also a couple of podcasts out there that address this very topic) because I think you are better ways to do it. If your ECs weren’t taken seriously and you didn’t show commitment to them, that could be a big part of your issue here, and correcting that doesn’t require a PhD.
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I already reached out and medical schools tend not to provide any actual feedback and that was the case in my situation.
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It is a back-up plan but not one I was never interested in pursuing.
Do you mean never or ever (as in you actually thought about pursuing a PhD or never thought that you would actually go the route of pursuing your PhD)?
If you never thought you would go for your PhD, I’d urge you to look into other paths if you are interested in healthcare. This site might be helpful for you:
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This does not surprise me. I think you would have better luck with the pre-health advisors at your previous school. Did you work with them when preparing your applications?
I suggest meeting with pre-health advisors at your former or current school to get feedback on your applications and suggestions for presenting a better one. I would not move forward with the PhD if you are advised that it will not help your med school goals (unless you want to make a career in research, of course). Unless I’ve missed something in this thread, you made the PhD decision on your own, not based on guidance from pre-health or career advisors.
I also encourage you to review the careers in the link provided by AustenNut. There are many patient-facing healthcare careers that do not require med school.
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I reached out to my previous health advisor and they were extremely unhelpful. I’m almost to the point of just committing to doing a PhD and committing to research full stop. It just seems like there so much arbitrary jumping through hoops to enter medicine. I applied to PhD programs and was accepted in weeks via a transparent process. When I applied to medical school, everything seems shrouded in mystery and I was summarily rejected. I guess because I didn’t do everything perfectly in my early 20s, I’ll never be good enough.
I did undergrad research in Chemistry and was actually planning on graduate school before I became interested in Medicine.
You can actually do far more than just academic research with a PhD; that’s just one career path.
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Yes, but I can devote a lot of time and energy to applying again and still be rejected but now I’m older and more desperate.
I’ve tried this with several people and gotten the cold shoulder several times. Whether I’ve reached out to undergrad advisors or people in the SMP program, I’ve gotten the most generic and noncommittal responses.
While I don’t agree with your comments about the med school application process being a mystery, the fact that you feel this way indicates you should probably drop that plan and devote your time and energy towards a career you feel is attainable and will enjoy.
Best wishes.
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I would very much contend that much of the process is a mystery. People tend to know what they should focus on when they apply but if you’re rejected, that’s another story. A lot of the process is subjective and based on dumb luck.
Why not repurpose later. You are down the PhD path so I don’t see how or why you’d stop.
If that’s not right fit you career wise you can then try med school again later after finishing or pivot to a medical non MD field.
Have you checked out easier to get in DO programs or even Caribbean if you are that determined ? They place people. Some people … but if it’s what you really want…,
That’s the thing. I was accepted to a very good Chemistry program so that is possibly indicative of academic strength. In addition, I did an SMP and earned a 3.8 (mind you, these courses were extremely medically relevant). Why should I settle for something just because the barrier for entry is lower? Caribbean medical schools are predatory and for profit and like half of graduating students don’t match to residency.
My point is if you are that desperate for a chance …consider DO programs or even the Caribbean
I know people say absolutely not and I get it. But if that’s your only chance and it’s that important to you. They do place some in the US assuming the stats don’t lie.
You shouldn’t have to settle.
Unfortunately though, the schools, not the students, make the decision.
I think it’s super impressive you are getting a PhD at a top Chem program and you will no doubt have success in life.
But I hope in an area that excites you.
The requirements for a successful med school application are easily available. I do agree that there is some subjectivity in the process, due to the limited spaces available.
My friend’s son just went through the application process a second time. He met with the pre-health advisors at his undergrad institution to identify any “holes” or weak areas in his application so he knew how to craft a better application the second time. He also devoted time in the interim to beefing up his volunteer and patient-facing experiences. He worked with advisors on his interview skills. And he added more DO schools to his application list, including some in “less desirable” states with programs geared toward attracting PCP in rural areas. He is now choosing between two DO options so it was a successful effort… that involved seeking out input from advisors, listening and acting on their suggestions.
Whatever path you choose, I wish you well.
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I wholeheartedly agree with you. The problem in my situation is that I went to a small HBCU where, frankly, advisement is terrible. My alma mater sends very few people to medical school. I almost got the feeling from many people at my alma mater that failing to get in is 100% due to personal failures versus the process just being grueling. I’ve tried to reach out to others but I continually get the cold shoulder. There is actually a medical school near where I live and I’ve reached out to contacts I have there they weren’t helpful either. Essentially what I’m saying,should I reapply, I’m shooting completely in the dark. Yes, I know I can improve my MCAT and volunteer more but how many times should I roll the dice applying? This is why I was contemplating reapplying after a PhD because it’s better than doing something that has absolutely no guarantee and is high risk. I understand that it’s not feasible for every applicant to get feedback but even schools that supposedly offer feedback have told me nothing.
The stats provided by Caribbean schools are definitely shady. Caribbean schools are for profit and have no incentive to be completely transparent.
Well you can verify some of the placements.
I’m not suggesting this.
I’m saying if you truly want a doctor position, how far down the rabbit hole are you willing to go ?
It should be easy enough to validate this info as well as folks established to see if it’s true or manipulated. But it does seem the DO option might be a reasonable leap as opposed to only MD programs.