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While a 31 ACT does not in any disqualify your D from potentially applying to medical school, her reluctance to prep seriously for standardized exams is worrisome. The MCAT is a 8 hour long beast of an exam that requires substantial practice & preparation to do well on.
And my caveat to every hopeful pre-med–
with more than 60% of applicants getting rejected every year, your D needs to have a Plan B career in mind during college and take steps so that she’s not going to be one of the bio grads with poor or no employment prospects if she doesn’t get a med school school acceptance.
P.S. there has been substantial discussion recently about changing the structure and format of medical school so who knows if med admissions will work the same way 5+ years from now.
I am very aware of the statistics and know that the odds do not weigh in favor of her actually having a career as a doctor. She is not interested in a plan B right now. She is only 17, I hope that once she starts college, learns more about the process, becomes exposed to different careers and does some growing up she “will see the light.”
I have one person… Recent graduate working as a medical assistant since her Mcat was not good enough. Great person but not doctor material. I have practiced for 31 years and 25 in residency training and a student mentor, so I have a clue. We bumped her pay up $3.00/hour more since this is a real job now for this gap year vs a part time job.
I have another student that rotated with me. 3.95 GPA with research experience etc. I can talk medical with her all day. Very extremely bright and motivated. International student and low Mcat score. She has a brilliant mind in the way she thinks analytically.
She is taking a gap year since she was rejected to reapply next year.
It’s not easy.
@Knowsstuff the acceptance likelihood for international students applying to medical school is extremely LOW. And most international accepted students come from Canada.
@WayOutWestMom how can @Knowsstuff best advise this international student who wants to attend medical school…I’m assuming here.
@Knowsstuff does this international student want to study medicine in the United States!
@thumper1. Thx… She is from India but lived in Kenya her whole life mostly. I don’t know the Mcat score but didn’t qualify
Her resume was wonderful.
She might try retaking or apply to Dentistry or Podiatry next year.
Yes, she wants to stay in the US and got her information today that she can work and stay for now (not sure what it is called. It’s in her email to me).
I am trying to line her up to work in a medical clinic during her gap year for now. Thx BTW.
I’m an NP, and I’d advise anyone considering med school to give considerable thought to becoming an NP or PA instead. You can do 80% of what an MD does and you have much less debt. But keep in mind PA schools are extremely competitive to get into, and to be an NP you need to become a nurse first so you are limited in your choice of undergrad major.
I was hoping that maybe we could get her to apply to some direct entry nursing programs with the plan of becoming a RN and then an NP. NP’s practice under their own license so I thought that may be better than PA.
If she really, truly wants to go to med school, she should go to Binghamton and call it a day. Very low price (comparatively). And Binghamton grads do well in med school admissions.
This student is an international student who has already applied to Med school once. She doesn’t need an undergrad degree.
Unless I’m reading @Knowsstuff post wrong…it sounds like this student had already completed undergrad or is close to doing so. She has taken the MCAT already. And she is taking a gap year because she wasn’t admitted during her first application round to Med school.
Last year, less than 100 international students were admitted to U.S. medical schools and the very vast majority were from Canada. And that’s 100 international admissions TOTAL for all medical schools.
I know a smart young lady whose original goal was to become a doctor. After doing a lot of researching and talking to people, she switched to becoming a physician’s assistant. She is just starting a year of rotations. She is so happy! She really thinks it’s the right decision for her.
If I am not mistaken the prerequisites for med school and for getting into a PA program are pretty similar. Both have no major requirements but do require shadowing and exemplary grades and test scores. A 31 ACT is nothing to scoff at and given her GPA and success in HS school I wouldn’t give up her goal of becoming a doctor. If she chooses the right school and works to her potential she can be a successful student. Because grades and MCAT scores are VERY important in consideration for med school she can broaden her search for schools and look for schools with a reputation for preparing students for health fields and where she would potentially be a strong student. If she realizes that she wants to change course in college she should be able to do so within a couple of years. It would largely require a change in where she shadows and volunteers. If she struggles in her prerequisite courses she may need to consider a different track. If she struggles with the MCAT there are other career options available though they will likely require another advanced degree and that she take the GRE.
I am hoping she will get into Binghampton as it checks all the boxes for us. We would be happy with that. We want to be realistic about her options but have her strive to get into the best school for her that we can afford. I will keep you updated as we progress on this journey.
@holychild, my dd’s pharmacy program is at the med school-a public university. The fees for the med school are very costly and most of the students use a combination of parent funds and loans to pay for their program. (Very limited scholarships since ALL of the students are high-scoring merit students)
My dd’s roommates are med students and they pay around $250K for the program. Loans, loans and more loans, so keep your dd’s undergrad costs cheap.
Happy Holidays!!! I just wanted to stop in and post an update. DD has nine acceptances so far. They range from Case Western Reserve University with over $30,000 in merit and SUNY Binghampton. She has gotten lots of merit at the schools that she has been accepted to ranging from $25,000.00 to $36,000.00. We are still waiting on some regular decision schools and she applied for some additional merit scholarships at CWRU and some other schools.
Hi all. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during this awful time in our country. The angst of the past months seems to pale in comparison to what is happening in the world today. I thought now would be a good time to update you all on our progress. DD got into almost all the schools she applied to, still waiting on one more decision. She also got merit scholarship at most including a full scholarship to the University of Miami. I will let you know once we have a final decision. Thank you guys for getting me through those really tough days.