Jan 2005, need advice

[gyptian411]

Hey everyone,

I just received a letter from St. George's saying that my application has been placed in the Jan 2005 pool when I applied for Aug 2004. I called the school and they said it was because my gpa was a little low but my mcat was fine. I have a 3.0 and a 25 mcat.

My problem is that I have already been accepted to AUC and Ross but St. George's is my top choice. I need to make a decision by the end of June. St. George's said they can try and give me an interview by the end of June but they can not guarantee me one. If they do give me an interview, I would still be waiting for at least another month or two for a decision. Will it really make a big difference if I went to Ross instead of St. George's? (I realize I am posting this on the St. George's board so I do expect a biased opinion)

I do not know if I can defer Ross and AUC for a semester. If I were to get accepted to St. George's in Jan, how would that affect my medical school career? Would it affect the timing for applying for residency?

Should I wait or just choose between Ross and AUC????
As you can see this is a very difficult decision for me. Any advice about my whole situation will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Gyptian411

[5th Termer]

I was accepted to another Carib school for the Fall of 2001. I had applied to SGU for this term also, but was offered admission to SGU in January 2002. So what to do? I deferred the first school so I could make my decision. Then it became a matter of which of the two schools was better for me.

I chose SGU and am now done with the basic sciences. It goes fast. Taking the extra semester to decide appears not to have hurt me and maybe even helped.

Good luck.

[drnick07]

I was in a similiar situation too. I could have gone to Ross in January or May, or SGU the following August. The caveat was that i was in the middle of getting degree #2 and would have had to quit it to go to Ross. Two things:
1. don't close doors on yourself - i'd look harder into the possibility of deferring your acceptance at the other schools, if thats what you want to do. If they can't defer, can they put you into the stack of apps for the next class? If they want you now and only now, then i'd think twice about if they really want YOU to go there or if they just want your $.

2. Sometimes med school takes a leap of faith. Without getting into a religious discussion, advise is cheap, but med school isn't. Trust your gut. Personally, i liked going into my SGU interview saying i was already accepted to Ross. I wasn't boasting, but it showed determination and that i wasn't necessairly set on going to one school in particular, but that i wanted to become a doctor and THAT was my goal.

Remember, med school is hard anywhere you go - Ross, SGU, AUC, Harvard. Thats why its important to find places that "fit" you and where you think you'll be happy.

[geoff]

Just a little perspective here/or something to think about....well.... you're likely now to be studying medicine for 35 years plus....... how bout you take er easy and come on down in January. Just as a little matter of fact, I'm currently in the August class...during clinicals...that afforded me a couple of months for step one....and then 7 weeks of holiday to come into April for a may graduation(I'm interested in CA). (that's not too much time for step II prep...the MCCEE if you're Cdn.... and interviews.). If you're a January starter(anywhere) as...a lot of my friends are...literally they are taking close to three months off to study for step II. They book off a month for christmas.... weeks for a little RR in New Orleans...essentially I'm saying it affords you time to study,....to live a little,...and if you get any academic/paperwork bumps in the road you have some cushion...anyhoo just a thought. Besides...the view from True Blue is pretty sweet.... ....congrats on your current successes! I too faced the exact decision you have...had the Ross flight and loans booked. I was less than three weeks from departure when all the plans settled.