advice please!

[Guest mintie]

Hihi!

I'm currently a biochm student at UT going into my 4th year.

I want to apply for some US schools as well as some Canadian ones this year. I have a gpa of 3.97 and MCAT of 36R and average ECs like volunteering and research and some recreational sports activities.

Which schools would u advise me to apply for?? and which schools would i stand the best chance of getting in??

I'm very confused right now .... any help would b appreciated!

thnx guys!

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

Both, your MCAT score and your GPA appear strong. As long as you can write a strong AAMC essay and medical school secondaries, and have good reference letters, I'd think that you would have a good chance at most US medical schools. You might want to check the latest AAMC Medical Admissions book for the MCAT and GPA averages for all of the AAMC-affiliated medical schools, if you'd like more information.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest mintie]

Hey Kirsteen!

Thnx for the reply!

My trouble is that I can probably get only one solid reference letter from a prof I've been working for since last summer.

I will be doing a 4th year project coming sept and can get the prof to write me a reference letter, however I dunno how solid a reference that would be, since he would have only known me for a couple of months.

 

I was thinking of Yale, Duke and JOhn Hopkins, but don't know what chance I would stand if i can't get 2 solid prof references.

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

It sounds as though you wish to apply this year? If so, then be aware that many US schools use a rolling admissions process. That is, they will process the applications as received, and invite applicants for interview and for a place in the medical school whenever they see fit. Given that, it is in your best interest to apply as early as possible. However, your reference letter situation is less than ideal for doing so. In fact, you should check with each school that is of interest to you as many US schools make stipulations as to from whom they would like to receive letters of reference, e.g., some request three letters, two of which must be from science professors, etc.

 

If you have spent time volunteering or being employed, then you could try to turn to your supervisors at those spots for letters. In short though, for most, if not all, North American medical school admissions purposes, you'll need at least three letters.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest gonzo23]

Just a little word on references... sometimes one can underestimate what they might receive.

 

I was worried this year b/c I could only really see one strong reference coming my way based on how long I had known the people. But you'd be surprised how much some of your supervisors and colleagues will support your endeavours... especially if you have made a good impression with your work even if not directly on them. I got the feeling my supervisors spoke to other people to add to their impression of me. So as long as you are confident with your work/involvement... it will hopefully be recognized. I think sometimes we are harder on ourselves than the rest of the world and you might be pleasantly surprised.

 

Good luck!

[Guest threeputt]

American schools rely heavily on MCAT/GPA so I think you have a great chance, regardless of your LoR situation. They will probably used more as a red flag than anything else, so just get the best ones you can (according to each school's requirements, of course) and apply away!

 

Also, those three schools you mentioned are going to be extremely hard to get into - you should also consider applying to some less "prestigious" schools. Just barely a cut below (by reputation, not necessarily reality) JHU and Harvard are schools like Emory, Baylor, Vanderbilt - excellent choices. Also, you should have some schools like Michigan State, Finch, NYMC (I think) to round out the application and give yourself the best chance of getting in somewhere. Like Kirsteen said, you should get cracking on it now if you are going to apply.