sorry dude, your g/f is giving you bad advice....your gpa is well within competitive for US schools and if she really loved you she would tell you to take the MCAT over and get a 30 and reapply--what does she care if you go to sgu?? by the time YOU are in clincals she will be a resident somewhere, if not done and can go anywhere you end up going to....

__________________
GI Elective [x]....Wards []
Wards [x] ............Night Float []
MICU [x thank GOD!] ...........Wards []
Wards [] ............CCU []
Elective!![]......... PGY 1 1/2 []
VACATION!!!! [] .Move Complete[]

Hey all, this is quite a thread! It took me two hours and one can o' coke to get through it.

Everyone has a story to tell and all of it makes this seem more and more like a craps-shoot. I was accepted into the FOM program at SGU for Aug 2008, which means I would start the Jan 09 md class.

I am struggling to decide if I should accept or do a post bacc program.
My background:
age 31
mcat: 29, O
cgpa 3.0, sgpa 2.9
undergrad mjrs: math, biopsychology
ec: 6 mos. volunteering for an interventional radiologist, 2 mos. at a free primary care clinic

I have been teaching highschool chemistry, physics, biology, and AP calculus for the past five years. As an undergraduate I wanted to teach highschool and I took the premed stuff out of interest- this explains my gpa. Plus math is hard to major in.

So long story made short, I applied to 14 schools, no interviews except for SGU, and have yet to hear from Drexel, UofW, and OregonHSU. From what I understand from all of you, I stood a chance of not getting in anywhere. At my age and circumstance what should I do? I want to be a doc and radiology is my primary interest. I know my chances of this are better if I wait for a US school- but what about applying for the post bacc programs? Even these surely are competitive, and I am merely a white middle class male. And the clock is ticking. I will be over forty when I am completing a specialty. The next factor is that I want to work in Africa or be part of Doctors-without-borders programs. No one will fault me there for being from a carib. med school.

I am sending in the $500 deposit and I have until the end of April to send in the first $2000. Even then, I may hear from schools during May (Drexel!), so I would be out some serious cash.

Do I apply for the post bacc? For some schools it is too late for Aug 2008, which still means quitting teaching. Or do I jump in the FOM and give transferring out a shot?

***If your interested, my SGU interview was, well, different than I expected. I applied in Aug 07, interviewed Feb 2, and was accepted Feb 16. The interviewer said he did not have any of my related information and knew nothing about me. I did not write any essays. From there it got stranger: He made a sexual joke toward the attractive receptionist. The radio was on the whole time but a really good song came on during the last 10 mins which I took to be a good sign. Oh, he cussed a lot, dropping even f-bombs in mid-conversation. He asked me if abortion was an ethical question. The rest was standard and like everyone has described above. I walked out after forty-five minutes more puzzled than confident, but I guess it worked. He also told me a few noteworthy items: First he said mcats don't correlate with usmle scores at all. It is just something to do to say any med schools have standards. Slugging it out during undergrad is the best as med schools know everyone gets A's in grad school. Second, he said there are two qualified applicants for every seat in school so the differentiation is arbitrary. (This would explain the randomness we have all read about or experienced.)

PS If you happen to be the doctor who interviewed me, please don't change your mind after reading this. I like you.

It doesn't hurt to apply for post bacc program. But from what I understand, most of them are very competitive. Your low gpa would hurt your chances of getting into post bacc.

Since you are already in SGU, I would rather go through FOM and start in January. That way you are not wasting the whole year. And of course post bacc doesn't guarantee the admission. Yes, SGU's FOM doesn't guarantee the admission either, but if you don't do well in those classes than med school might not be the best thing for you anyways. so you might as well just go through SGU and take care of it.

Either way, you wouldn't be wasting the year because if you start in Jan 09 at SGU, you would be doing your residences and step 2 [i think] in july of 2011. And if you do post bacc and get into med school for Aug 09, you would still be doing your residency interviews and step 2 in june/july 09. Don't quote me on the months, but around that time.

So its upto you, but SGU is a great school but I am not sure how competitive off-shore med students are for radiology residency...that is the only thing that u should be considering. Look around here, I am sure it is posted somewhere.

Good luck!

Your low MCAT score might actually hold you back for SGU. I am in the same boat as you are, my GPA is tad bit low than yours and have about the same MCAT socre. I decided that I am going to retake the test and apply for Jan 09 admission.

Applying to US med schools will depend on when you are planning to retake the MCATs. If you take it soon enough [no later than july] then you can send in you applications for Aug 09 admissions and tell them about your retake. I personally wouldn't send in apps if I take it later than July, cuz then you just get late for everything and you would prolly need really good MCAT score to have them look at your application.

SGU seems to be a great school. You do have amazing GPA, and if you had some great LOR's and extra curricular activities, you might even make it in their program.

Good luck!

teacher doc,

you are actually an excellent candidate for a post-bac program....however, if you would like to start medical as soon as possible and not risk having to wait 2 or 3 years, the FOM program will be the fastest way unless you are willing to go to Ross or AUC which you will probably get in....with a high GPA post bacc you have an excellent shot at US schools but you will have to wait.....remember, if you wait too long your age could start to be a disadvantage for US schools........good luck!

post baccs are to get your gpa up [and more]...but he might as well sit out the year and take the mcats...and get thirty on it!

I have a 3.3 gpa, and if I do my potbacc at georgetown and do really well, but still have a 27 mcat, what do you all think my chances would be to get into an american allo then?

The MCAT score would probably hold you back from admission into US med school.

i'm not sure where you are getting your timeline from, but sgu is a FOUR year school, so if you start in Jan 09 you will particpate in the 2013 match. People who are in the 13 match will apply for residency interviews and take step II in 12.

__________________
GI Elective [x]....Wards []
Wards [x] ............Night Float []
MICU [x thank GOD!] ...........Wards []
Wards [] ............CCU []
Elective!![]......... PGY 1 1/2 []
VACATION!!!! [] .Move Complete[]

woops messed up my math there..lol. I was just trying to point out that whether you start Jan 09 or Aug 09, you would interview at the same time. maybe i m wrong..but thats what i have been hearing...