Re: What to do next year

[Guest Apraxis]

Hi folks -

 

I was not accepted into medical school this year and would thus like your opinion on what to do in the upcoming year. Essentially, I have three options before me:

 

1. work

2. begin a Masters in Community Health

3. complete an outstanding Engineering degree (due to take another three years), but which will also allow me to complete an arts degree in the process--this will be in addition to a B.Sc. I already hold.

 

Your feedback is much appreciated.

[Guest mosquitoba]

hi apraxis -

i think what it basically comes down to is what you would ENJOY doing for the next year.

 

are you planning on applying to medical school again next year? i think U of M is able to give you some feedback from your interview/application process, which might be useful if they felt that one particular area of your application was a bit weak. then you could use the upcoming year to build up your application.

 

although no one can decide for you what you should do next year, if i were in your position (i hold a BSc) i think i would take the opportunity to work. this way, you'd be earning money, have time to relax and catch up with friends & family, and be able to spend some time volunteering and getting invovled in your community (not that you can't do these things while attending school - its just much more difficult).

 

if you aren't planning on re-applying next year, maybe you are more interested in going back to school to pursue a different career path? in that case, i think i would be more likely to choose the masters in CH, as you seem to be interested in health care and this would build on your past education. it may also give you valuable insight into health care which would help you out if you did intend on pursuing medicine.

 

i think the decision, for me, would be most easily made in thinking about where i'd be happiest and what would help me most in terms of my future career plans.

 

best of luck with your decision making, and let us know how it goes!

 

mosquitoba

[Guest Jag]

I think if you are planning to apply to medicine again next year, there is really no point in starting a masters or the engineering degree, because the odds are that you will probably get into medicine next year and the year will be wasted.

 

If it were me, I would spend the year volunteering in areas that I really like. Most likely I would work too, and also go back to take some interesting courses for my BSc. at U of W that are relevant to medicine, the medical field, or basic science research.

 

If you are set on the idea of doing the masters or engineering first, I would put applying to medicine on hold until the end of those degrees, so at least you will know you finished what you started and it wouldn't be time wasted.

[Guest westsimba]

Hi there

 

You really have to look at why you didn't get it. At UofM, the MCAT is worth a huge amount. So perhaps, re-writing the MCAT is all you need to do assuming your marks are decent. The interview score is made up of the reference letters, the autobiography and the actual oral interview. Don't know if you made it to the interview stage...if you had made it, but was not successful. Then I would suggest looking at the 3 components of the interview score and seeing which of those you may be weak on. It may mean doing more volunteer/research work.

 

I think a Master's in CH is a very valuable degree. It gives you a solid background in statistics and epidemiology which is invaluable to a medical career. Medicine is becoming ever more evidence-based and research is taking a more prominent role in how medicine is practiced.

 

I completed my Master's degree in one year - just had to work my a** off. Perhaps you can make the same arrangement with your potential advisor. You'll have to know what kind of project you want to pursue at the get go. This way you'll still be eligible to apply this coming year. In addition, even if you don't finish your master's in a year and you get into meds, you can always apply for a 1 year deferral to finish the master's.