<p>i was bored and went through this thread for the first time…(of course skipping over all the "which undergrad should i choose questions)…and these are some random things i don’t think were properly addressed or are pieces of misinformation:</p>
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<p>there is ONE school in the new MSAR with an MCAT median of 37! Plus, a median is a quantitative measure …so they can’t really be assigned “indiscriminately” as you suggest. </p>
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<p>if she gets a 27 she shouldn’t bother applying elsewhere and just take her guaranteed spot.</p>
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<p>engineers are given some slack when it comes to GPA and even more slack when it comes to any doubt that you can hang in med school. the main goals of a med school adcom are to select students who have a real desire to become physicians, know what they’re getting into, and can handle the coursework. By doing at least decently (> 3.5) as an engineer you have proven that you can handle med school courseload. </p>
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<p>i’m quite sure this isn’t true…i think the “guarantee” is that if you don’t do as well as you’d like (this is not defined anywhere) when you take the MCAT after taking the course you can retake it for free</p>
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<p>this is FALSE and noone can make such a generalization. which MCAT section you find easiest or hardest completely depends on your strengths/weaknesses…for me i found bio to be easiest and verbal to be hardest…others find it to be the exact opposite.</p>
<p>Hey there Atsen,
While getting a C isn’t ideal, it’s not the end of the world either. Calc B at ND is notorious for being ridiculously difficult to do well in. That said, I think it’s great that you have identified a “distraction” that kept you from achieving your highest potential, because you now need to do well for the rest of college to bump that GPA back up. This means, as many As as possible!</p>
<p>In terms of taking orgo during the summer, I’m not sure this is the best idea in your case. YOu will need to demonstrate that you are strong academically, and what better way to do that than to take orgo during the school year, when all of the premeds are on campus and doing well within a competitive curve versus taking it with many students who are retaking the class? While I’m not sure this would even factor in when deciding on a student with stellar grades throughout college, it might make a difference if they are evaluating someone on the borderline. </p>
<p>Also, I noticed that you have some other grades that you could definitely refine (i.e. the B+ in Spanish). Ask yourself: how could I have raised that grade a couple more percentage points. Remember that going up just a third of a letter grade can really improve your GPA. </p>
<p>I also know that FYS at Notre Dame has excellent study skills classes that hardly no one ever takes advantage of. You should really try to take one of those classes. NOt only did they help me to do very well at ND, they have helped me to maximize my time for studying in med school. Get your tuition’s worth!</p>
<p>I hope this helps; let me know if i can clarify anything.</p>
<p>Bananapop,
I don’t think having a CNA license will hinder your med school chances at all. In fact, it may help you to get some really awesome clinical experiences that other applicants won’t have. I can definitely imagine that during med school interviews (which are long way off for you) you will be asked why you want to be a doctor versus a nurse, which you’ll need a good, solid answer for.</p>
<p>Hey there dragon,
Between my AMCAS application, secondaries, and travel and accomodations for all my interviews I probably spent about $5,000 applying to medical school. I know people who spent less (and a lot more). Depends a lot on where you’re applying, how many schools you apply to, etc.</p>
<p>Hey Sharaf,
I disagree with this statement:
“if she gets a 27 she shouldn’t bother applying elsewhere and just take her guaranteed spot”</p>
<p>She should apply to wherever she wants. If she likes the school of her guaranteed spot, then sure, take it. If not, apply elsewhere. Applying doesn’t surrender the spot. What does she have to lose? </p>
<p>I think you’re probably right about the engineer thing.</p>
<p>if she applies with a 27 her chances of getting in are very poor so you’d be wasting time and money in my view if you are already guaranteed a spot somewhere</p>
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<p>a couple of my interviewers told me flat out that there was no doubt about my academic ability because i was an engineer and one even told me that comparatively med school wouldn’t be as hard (i’ll try hard not to let that get to my head). for the record my overall gpa was just under a 3.6</p>
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<p>as PrincessND pointed out it really depends. i think the most important factors are
how competitive of an applicant are you
how many schools you apply to
how many interviews you get
how far those interviews are and how flexible your schedule is (an inflexible schedule would mean that you wouldnt be able to pull off cheaper travel options)</p>
<p>personally i applied to 20 schools and completed 19 secondaries for a grand total of $2470 …i got five interviews, all in state and i would guess that i spent about 800 bucks on interviews so i probably spent around $3300 total (my schedule was pretty inflexible so i had to forgo a couple 6-8 hour bus rides in favor of flying)</p>
<p>I am sorry for not making it clear, but D will NOT apply to other Med. schools if she gets mcat = 27 or close to that. If she gets way over 30, she wants to apply to other schools, while not losing her spot.<br>
However, I am still not clear, if it is even worth while to apply to other Med. school, if hypothetically speaking D gets very high mcat score? Does name of Med. school makes any difference? I know that some people got, for example, residency at Mayo clinic coming from much lower ranking Med. school than the one that part of my D’s program.
Application cost money, time and from what I have read here is pretty stressful. (Cost / benefit analysis)</p>
<p>Miami, I completely understood what you meant the first time. It really depends on your daughter’s preferences and what she wants. If she has competitive MCATs and decides she’d rather attend a different school, it may be worth it for her.</p>
<p>Hey Dragon,
Most (probably greater than 90%) of med students take out loans to cover the cost of their educations. Once you pick a med school, they will work out the financial aid stuff with you and help you pick a lender. From what I understand you have to demonstrate financial need in order to be eligible for subsidized loans.</p>
<p>^ I’ll add that “financial need” doesn’t count for much in med school financial aid since, as a graduate student, you are automatically considered “independant” of your parents as far as FAFSA is concerned. I forget if subsidized loans are part of the standard package, but I don’t think they are. Generally, you will take out the maximum of the unsubsidized stafford loans (somewhere in the $20k range IIRC), which is at a low interest rate, and the rest come in the form of Grad Plus loans, which is a higher (but not as high as private loans would be and its fixed for the life of the loan) interest rate, and has no limit (as long as it doesn’t exceed your school’s COA estimates.</p>
<p>Hey Princess ND, I’ve got an important question…</p>
<p>I am very interested in pursuing the Doctor career, and I understand there is a physics section on the MCAT. I want to take a summer course at UCLA, and I am deciding between Anatomy and Physics. I never took physics in high school, so I don’t have any background in physics.</p>
<p>Do you recommend taking the summer Physics course or the Anatomy course? Or do I need to take physics as a regular course at my undergrad institution (UCR). Any input would be great!</p>
<p>I will be a freshman at Cornell University next fall. Not sure about my major, most likely a field in bio, but I’m also considering Math. I love calculus, but I’ve heard Math is a super hard major and can hurt the GPA. Do you know a lot of math majors who went into medical school? Also, is calculus-based physics looked upon more favorably than non calculus-based? I ask because I really like calculus, and it’s a subject that makes sense to me, but at the same time, if the calculus physics is harder, then I would contemplate taking the easier course.</p>
<p>Also, being a senior in high school, I’ve had two internships (one still in progress) this year. One was a shadowing internship with an Orthopaedic Surgeon, where I spent about 150 hours. Most of it was following and observing clinics, but I got to see quite a few surgeries (from inside the OR, standing right next to her) as well as participating in a shoulder replacement practice on a cadaver. This semester, until the end of summer, I’m volunteering in a lab (maybe will get paid) at UT Southwestern.</p>
<p>My question is, will this be of any us to my medical school application? I’m more wondering about my shadowing experience. It really is what has shown me that I want to be in medicine, and it’s made me commit to working harder in college. I will more than likely return to that lab next summer, and hopefully the summers after that as well. I’m also planning on doing some research at school during the year, but I will have to see how everything shakes out.</p>
<p>I’ve heard what you do in high school does not matter for medical school, but at the same time I think it could show dedication over a long period of time and that becoming a doctor wasn’t just a spur of the moment thing, but that it was something I really wanted to do.</p>
<p>Hey Patrick,
I realize this is coming a month after you originally asked your question…If you can get credit for the physics course at UCLA, I would take that. YOu do not need to take anatomy prior to medical school.</p>