Should i apply to med school this year?

[Guest kriserella]

Hi,

 

I'm in 2nd year going to 3rd year and currently, i'm studying for my MCATs. My biggest worry is I'm not sure if I have the grades to apply. I am an A- student which corresponds to a 3.72 GPA. I'm pretty well-rounded and I think I have a decent portfolio (ie. volunteering, working..etc). Do you think I should apply to med school this year? I don't want to waste all that hard earned money but I don't want to 'waste' another year if you think my grades will cut it. Please let me know on this sore point!

 

Also, i guess my MCATs score will have to be phenomenal huh? (too bad I won't be able to see it if I apply this year!)

Thanks.

[Guest Ian Wong]

I moved your question out of the MCAT forum into the General Premed forum.

 

I think it's well worth applying in your third year. The experience you'll gain from doing all that self-introspection to write your autobiographical materials, and getting your reference letters is huge. Even if you don't get accepted after third year, you will be in a much better position to re-apply in fourth year.

 

If you are not accepted, you will also have a better idea of what you need to do to improve your application (ie. MCAT scores, research, extra-currics, more interview practice, etc). I know that the application process costs a lot of money, and it will take a significant amount of time (you would have to interview at the same time as you are taking classes in third year), but in the long term scheme of things, you will on average be in debt over $70,0000 after four years of med school (this is the average debt-load in my class at UBC, where tuition only very recently got deregulated), so the money you lose in the application process is minimal at best.

 

I say give it a go, and apply. Who knows, you might get an acceptance letter, and the opportunity to shave a year off your studies if you choose.

 

Ian

[Guest UWOMED2005]

You definitely have the grades to apply. . . that's not too far off from my GPA from undergrad. In fact, I have a few classmates below that GPA (the cutoff for UWO was 3.60 my year), and I'd guess a large portion of them are right around 3.70-3.80. And I doubt you need amazingly fabulous MCATs either, for many schools as long as you hit the cutoffs it's the interview that matters, not having a 4.30 GPA.

[Guest Jerika81]

I think you should apply this year.

Your GPA sounds like it would probably be high enough to meet the cut-offs for Western and Queens.

This year you needed to have two years at 3.7 or greater for Western (one of the years can be your current year too) and at Queens the cut-off for cumulative GPA was 3.58 I think. So don't feel bad about your GPA, it is not a sore point at all.

The MCAT cut offs were either 9 or 10 in each section for both of these schools, and Q in the writing sample for Western. If you've taken some practive MCATs then you'll know that these are not unreasonable and if you study well you should have no problem getting them. So you should apply this year, and whether or not you get in it will be good practice if you have to re-apply in 4th year.

One final point though. Doing the final year of your undergrad degree is definitly NOT a waste. Being able to complete one degree before starting another shows maturity, and there is no rush to start medicine.

[Guest UWOMED2005]

I agree - I didn't even consider applying until 4th year. I wanted the full Honours degree with research experience, and besides, undergrad was a blast! You usually have a chance take a few electives of interest, there's not that many class hours, and as I think Van Wilder put it, when else in your life are you going to have a chance to hit up endless parties with intelligent, beautiful members of the opposite sex that are in their early twenties and experimenting with new ideas. Don't waste that - med school, while fun in its own way (ie learning how to a crycothyroidotomy on someone in an elevator), it is also a whole lot more work and a whole lot less play.

[Guest kriserella]

Thanks to everyone who replied. It's definitely great to hear such positive, realistic responses. Yeah!

[Guest Mephistopheles03]

while i agree that your stats sound great enough to apply in 3rd year, some schools do prefer that you have completed a degree (u of t, i think, is one of them).

 

good luck in any case!