Med school admissions?

Question

I am just finishing up my freshman year at FGCU in Florida. I am a Bio major right now but I have a couple questions about admissions into med schools...

1) Would a med school rather see a Bio major finish in four years or someone with a double major in Bio and Chem and a minor in Math finish in 5 years?

2) I know getting into medical school is no easy task and that the acceptance rates are at 10-13% on average. I'm very dedicated and want to get into med school and become a doctor with all my heart. I have like a 3.4 GPA and I'm working on my resume with extracurriculars. My question is this: out of the thousands of people that apply to med school how many are actually qualified? Are there tons of English majors with no pre-reqs done or Bio majors with a 2.3 GPAs who (at the last minute) decided to apply to med school? I just want to know my realistic chances of getting into med school.

Please, only if you have real experience or knowledge answer this. Thank you.

Answer 1

You can get authoritative information about medical school applications by viewing the website of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

They list the number of applicants from different schools and what they majored in.

If you have high grades in organic chem, physics, and bio then that will obviously count for more than high grades in sociology or history. But 3.4 is not a very high average in this competitive area unless you are from some notoriously tough school like UChicago or MIT. You need to focus on getting that GPA up and getting a really good MCAT score to validate your skills.

Answer 2

Hi there,
I don't think you will catch many people applying "at the last minute" to medical school. One of the reasons is that little obstacle called the MCAT. Unless you prep for the MCAT, there is no way to do well enough on it to get into medical school. Second, those English majors would have to take the pre-med curriculum as well.

Anyways, you need to raise your GPA (even though its fine) instead of doing all the extracurriculars. The average accepted med school GPA is 3.46. I'm not saying to not do extracurriculars, but you should be selective about them. Pick things that directly relate to medicine. This isn't like applying to colleges where it is "the more extracurriculars, the better." Not at all. Physician shadowing, volunteering, etc are all good uses of your time.

Now back to your GPA, while I said it is fine (and it is), you are in your freshman year of college. When I was a freshman in college, my GPA never dipped below a 3.9. It's important to do REALLY well your first couple of years, because the course work will get harder, and your time will be stretched even thinner. So take advantage of the "easier" classes while you can.

As for the double major or no double major, it really doesn't matter. All they care about is how well you do in whatever you select. And it matters how you do in your pre-med classes.

Based soley on your GPA, I would say that unless you do amazing on the MCAT--11's on each section, it's not looking too good. I'm just being realistic. Yes, the average accepted GPA is 3.46 and you are awfully close...you need to bring it up to at least a 3.5 to be competitve. It also depends where you want to go...you could get into a not-as-competitive school, but I think it would be hard for you to get into a super competitive one. Good luck!

Answer 3

While most med schools hope you are able to get mostly A's and some B's, they will not automatically reject you for a C. Be prepared though to address why you received a C when you go on interviews. If you aren't satisfied with a C, you could do a late drop and have a W marked on your transcript. Also, you can retake the class and your new grade will be averaged with your old grade on the application, or you can take a more advanced class (upper division) on the same material to show schools that you do understand the material. Med schools are able to look at the grades you got in each class. Most often they look at your Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year grades to see if you have improved over the four years.

Answer 4

i have attended MANY med school conventions and they all say the same thing. med school admissions boards look for diversity.they want well rounded students. they will take a B+ student over an A student if the B+ student has awesome extracurriculars. do you realize how many bio majors apply to med school each year? Non-science majors HAVE to complete most/all prereqs before they can even apply, this is the same for science majors. non-science majors have to go that extra mile to get into the game, which is why admissions boards favor them. non-science majors have to know before they start college that they want to be pre-med. it would be VERY hard for someone to suddenly wake up and wanna be a doctor. thats why there are prereqs. but regardless of all your academic preperation, med students are all the same. they equally struggle. doesn't matter if you have a PHD or a BA, in Philosophy or Chemistry. if chem and math is also your passion go for it