<p>I'm really new to this site, just signed up a few minutes ago, actually. I'm really nervous about going to college next year and I've never been so scared about having trouble getting into med school till now. I'm really paranoid that I won't know what to do if I don't get in, so I came up with an idea to apply to a grad school if a got denied by med school? I've heard that a lot of grad schools are easier to get into than med school. I researched a ton and found nothing about this topic, so I assume it's a bad idea? What d you guys think? Should I apply to grad school the next year?</p>
<p>People who don’t get accepted into med school, apply and get accepted into grad school all the time. It’s not uncommon at all. </p>
<p>The one thing you need to be aware of is that there is a huge oversupply of Bio PhDs so a grad degree in biology doesn’t come with any job guarantee. </p>
<p>One other thing to be aware of is that grad school is very research-focused and that not everyone likes the lab, is good at lab or wants a career in the lab. </p>
<p>But it’s good that you’re thinking ahead. Med school admission is not a sure thing for anybody. Every year 60% of applicants get rejected everywhere they apply. You need a Plan B.</p>
<p>Each of my daughters (now both in med school) had a Plan B. For one, it was a PhD in medical physics; for the other it was a MS in biostatistics/bioinfomatics. </p>
<p>There’s one other option I forgot to mention.</p>
<p>If you don’t get accepted on your first round of med school applications, you can always reapply to med schools the next year.</p>
<p>The important part of the reapplication process is to figure out why you got rejected everywhere the first time. </p>
<p>Was your MCAT score too low? Your GPA below average? Not enough clinical experience? Poorly written personal statements and essays? Applied to too few schools? Applied to schools where your goals/interests didn’t match the school’s mission? Poor communication or interviewing skills? Weak recommendation letters?</p>
<p>If you can figure why you got rejected and fix the problem(s), then you may be successful as a reapplicant.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you so much for the in depth reply. I know that med school is where I really want to be. Although I do like the idea of working in a lab, if I had to choose between a doctor or a scientist, I would choose doctor.</p>
You need to do one thing at a time. First you need to get into a good school that is affordable. Then you have to work in a lab and intern in a clinical situation to see which one you prefer. Lastly you need to keep your grades up so you can have the option when you apply for med or grad school.
Not everyone likes lab and not everyone likes clinical. Without having experiences in each you just can not make a decision for your future now.
I joke that about half the incoming class of my public health program were students who were either rejected from medical school or had the goal of applying to medical school for the first time following their MPH. I joke, but it’s true that a very substantial proportion of the students who entered my school of public health as MPH students the same year I started my PhD were medical school hopefuls. I also struck up a friendship with a group of around 6-8 MS in nutrition students, all but one of whom intended to go to medical school afterwards.
That was 6 years ago. The MS in nutrition is one year and the MPH is 2 years. The majority of those who wanted to head to med school are either there now or finished (including one of my best friends, who actually started her MPH in my third year, finished in my fourth, took a year off, and then started medical school while I was in the sixth year of my PhD program. She’s in the second half of her second year now!)
But if you aren’t even in college yet, please please please relax. First of all, you don’t even know if you’ll still be pre-med four years from now. (I flirted briefly with the idea of being a doctor; my senior year yearbook says that I am planning to major in biology pre-med at my college. I changed my mind over the summer before I even stepped foot on campus. Ha!) Second of all, you might actually get into medical school and not have to worry about this problem. And third of all, even if you don’t you might find something equally fulfilling to do that doesn’t involve grad school. The options are not limited to med school vs. grad school - you could also just, you know, work.