Does anyone have advice on getting into medical school?

Question

I am a biochemistry major and I have a 3.3 gpa. I am a mother of three and have been working almost nonstop while going to school. I am worried my gpa will not be competitive enough and would welcome suggestions to strengthen my resume. I have a problem with the availability of free time but I want to become a doctor and I am willing to do whatever it takes. Any advice is welcome

Answer 1

1. Smoke your MCAT.
2. Get good letters of recommendation.
3. Apply to LOTS of schools, including your state schools. Consider Osteopathy (D.O.) schools. DO's can often do MD residencies after graduation.
4. If you have done any research or work in a hospital or clinic, or as a volunteer in the community (not nec. health-related) emphasize that.

Answer 2

Med schools look primarily at GPA and MCAT scores -- your listed demographics are somewhat working against you, and so is your GPA, but you still have a good shot of getting in.

My best advice to you is to ABSOLUTELY ROCK the MCAT -- that is the single, easiest way to get into medical school. If you make a 32 or above, you WILL be guranteed to get in somewhere, regardless of your GPA, demographics, major, extracurriculars, etc.

It's tought to commit a lot of time to doing many things if you've got 3 children, but if you can devote the time to really prepare well for the MCAT, you might want to think about putting all your eggs in that basket, because in your situation your options are somewhat limited. For the time investment, it offers the highest payoff, because you really can't fix your GPA now, and if you're applying within the next 2 years, it'll be hard to establish significant extracurricular activities, especially with your paucity of free-time. I'd say focus on the MCAT, and let an awesome score speak for you.

A great MCAT score will get you interviews -- and after that, all you have to do is be likeable during your interviews, and you'll be a shoe-in.

Answer 3

I agree, DO schools are very friendly to non-traditional students such as yourself. They tend to look at the bigger picture. Plus, many people are concerned with the added prestige the MD degree comes with, but there isn't that much of a difference. Anyway, many of the people with high GPAs prefer to apply for the MD schools, so the DO schools are more forgiving in this aspect.
However, you also have to gain some type of healthcare experience. You could do this by shadowing doctors, volunteering, or by working in a hospital, nursing home, etc.
You also need to do well on the MCAT, get good letters of recommendation. You can still apply to MD schools, it is jut going to be a little more difficult.

Answer 4

You should consider other opportunities that are not as traditional such as Caribbean medical schools. For example, Ross University offers two years of basic science on Dominica and the last two clinical years in the United States hospitals.

Answer 5

maybe if you get study materials and practice taking the exam over and over you will score supper high. I would think that would help. You know what's funny? We really need doctors and many people want to be doctors. You'd think there would me more medical schools and it would be less competitive to get in.