Chances for 2013 Medical School admission? - Page 2

WayOutWestMom · 10-15-2012, 01:50 AM

There is no such thing as a safety school when it comes medical schools. With his less than ideal stats, any school is going to be a crapshoot.

The fact that he's a reapplicant will mean his application will get extra scrutiny this year--and not in a good way.

Your son is in a tough spot. I wish him luck, but it sounds like he may need to start thinking about a Plan B.

somemom · 10-15-2012, 02:36 AM

I agree with WOWmom, a reapplicant has a more difficult task. Your son made some mistakes, things may work out, he may get in, but he has not given himself the best chance.

Though many schools technically have deadlines in November/December, those are misleading. Common practice would dictate that applications be submitted in early June and complete ASAP in order to have the best chance at admissions.

His new MCAT is excellent, that excellence is diluted by the existence of the prior lower MCAT and by the lateness of his application. That does not mean he won't get in, but if he does not get it, it does not mean all is lost, but if he must reapply a 3rd time, be certain to apply the day the AMCAS application opens.

robinhood · 10-15-2012, 09:42 AM

Yes as painful as it is, I understand the process lot better now and I agree.

Do any of you have a good idea of the whole SMP process? If I can motivate my son for the SMP now. I see that there are so many choices with/without gliding year. Any recommendation on the colleges that will have higher chances for admission from the SMP programs?

WayOutWestMom · 10-15-2012, 10:52 AM

His chances for a SMP right now are poor because it's already so late in the cycle that he's missed application deadlines. There aren't many SMP programs (maybe 8? 10? not really sure) to begin with and each takes only a very few students (5-15).

To be honest--motivating him isn't your job. Your son needs to want medicine so bad he will do whatever it takes to make it happen. I'm sure he's disappointed now, but he need to use that disappointment to come back strong and do better next time.

If this were my child, I think I'd suggest that he sit out of the application process next year and really take the time to fix whatever is wrong with his application. Improve his GPA (through a post-bacc or by enrolling in grad classes--which he pays for himself), maybe get more clinical hours, shadowing and volunteering done. I'd tell him to ditch the research unless it's full time paid gig, since more research experience won't be particularly useful to his application. Working full time and supporting himself might help him gain some maturity and focus.

You said he graduated from an Ivy. He really needs to get in touch with the pre-med advising office at the school and get some good advice about how to go about the application process and how to improve his application profile.

WayOutWestMom · 10-15-2012, 11:07 AM

P.S. In other posts, you (or someone using your account name) has asked about low MCAT verbal scores.

Were the subscores in your son's latest MCAT balanced with no section below 10?

i_wanna_be_Brown · 10-15-2012, 12:47 PM

Would he be eligible for a true post-bacc given that he has done all the pre-med requirements? Won't he have to do some kind of master's if he wants more coursework to improve his GPA? Even if he could do a post-bacc, wouldn't a master's look better?

I agree 100% with working with the pre-med adviser. If he has been, has he been following the advice given? It sounds like your son's biggest weakness has been his approach to applying more so than anything about him.

robinhood · 10-22-2012, 02:14 PM

I was out for business off and on for last few weeks.
wowmom, I find your statements/comments very disturbing.

"P.S. In other posts, you (or someone using your account name) has asked about low MCAT verbal scores."

Why do you make these statements without asking? Do you assume a policing role in the CC?
And even I did or someone did, do you take the responsibility to correlate all the comments/questions across the CC forums?
Pls stay on this post and I thank you for all the answers/info again. If you want to answer that post separately, that’s fine too.

plumazul · 10-22-2012, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Why do you make these statements without asking? Do you assume a policing role in the CC?
And even I did or someone did, do you take the responsibility to correlate all the comments/questions across the CC forums?
Pls stay on this post and I thank you for all the answers/info again. If you want to answer that post separately, that’s fine too.

OP, I find this response "very disturbing". WOWMom's post was right on topic. Perhaps you might want to reconsider using a public forum to seek advice.

somemom · 10-22-2012, 03:07 PM

OP- what WOWmom is asking in posting that is whether or not the MCAT scores are evenly balanced or if one area is low. This makes a difference and would affect our advice. If you want good advice and information, the more facts people have the more accurate the adivce.

Yes, it is a bit startling the first time you realize people look at your old posts, but that is the price of posting on a public forum.

WayOutWestMom · 10-22-2012, 03:08 PM

I'm not a policeman, but having more info about a particular circumstance (like a MCAT score) will better enable posters to answer your question with the most accurate information.

Looking up a poster's history is pretty much SOP.

For good or ill, once you post anything on the internet, it's publicly available essentially forever. You can delete it and the information still available if an individual knows how and where to look. (And it isn't too hard to do either.)

A question about the low verbal score on a MCAT is extremely relevant to the question you asked and could be a reason (not the only the reason, but at least a partial reason) for your son's lack of success in his last year's application cycle.

A low verbal score (<10) on his current MCAT could undercut the value of his otherwise excellent score.

entomom · 10-22-2012, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Why do you make these statements without asking? Do you assume a policing role in the CC?
And even I did or someone did, do you take the responsibility to correlate all the comments/questions across the CC forums?

OP,

As others have stated, this is a public forum and everyone's posting history is open for others to see. It's a perfectly legitimate practice, and actually shows diligence on the part of the member to gather all pertinent information.

Please note this part of CCs Terms of Service:

Quote:

Individuals who misrepresent themselves (e.g., posing as a student or parent when they are not, claiming a false affiliation with a college, etc.), or who register with multiple identities, or who re-register after having been banned, will be reported to the abuse department of their internet and/or email service provider and may be subject to civil or criminal action depending on the nature of their violation.

As an effort to avoid trolls, any form of misrepresentation is not permitted. The ability to see posting histories adds to the credibility of individual members and CC as a whole.

i_wanna_be_Brown · 10-22-2012, 08:41 PM

I also assume you are taking offense to WOWMom's parenthetical about you potentially being more than one person. I think WOWMom's question is reasonable since in this post: Postbacc admission?? you speak in the 1st person while in your original post on this thread you speak about your son. It's fine to "pretend" to be your son, but as has been said, it's pretty common for us to look around your history to try and get more info and when we notice an inconsistency like that we're going to ask about it.

krug · 10-24-2012, 08:30 AM

D.O. schools might be another possibility for OP's S. I think they have later deadlines and they might look more favorably on ECs, MCAT, and overlook the lower GPA.