Comments on Medical School Admissions: Let's break down some numbers...my analysis.

Hey i am in last year biomed engineering but i hav...

2007-09-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hey i am in last year biomed engineering but i have 60% average, but i really scored well in mcats, would i be able to get into any medical schools?

I appreciate your series of questions. First, I'll...

2007-04-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

I appreciate your series of questions. First, I'll address your organic chem question. Med School admissions folks know that o-chem is hard. They expect you to struggle. Granted, you must do your best and a C won't kill your chances at most places. You WILL and should make up for it with good grades in your other classes and on the MCAT. A+'s help that much more! A "good" med school is hard to define. My school, an osteopathic school, is a GOOD school by my definition. So, if you follow my definition, no they are not REQUIRED so long as you have STELLAR grades and a GREAT MCAT score. Otherwise, you better polish up that resume! Granted, no matter what grades/scores you have, you SHOULD have a well-rounded application. THAT IS YOUR BEST CHANCE! The MCAT is kind of a bogus exam in my opinion. Having gone through med school, nothing is on the MCAT. You'll never use general biology, chemistry, physics, or O-chem. You just won't! They do it to standardize the process - to make it LOOK FAIR. Truth is there is NO CORRELATION between the MCAT and boards. I'm proof of that! I know other classmates that are proof as well! Considering I took the MCAT five years ago, I'm not the best person to ask specific test questions because I'm sure the test has changed by now. Medical school is challenging. I'm not gonna sugar coat it. Your first year is the hardest. The amount of information you must retain is ridiculous! It's harder than undergrad I'll tell you that. I'll answer the question about free time like this - you make free time. You have to. There is no other way I can explain it. You sacrifice study time for exercise time, play time, etc. It's a lot of hard work becoming a doctor. I hope this helps.

Thanks for this! It helps a lot!

2007-04-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks for this! It helps a lot!

Hi im a second year at ucsd and of course I am cur...

2007-04-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hi im a second year at ucsd and of course I am currently on the premed track. I have a bunch of random questions floating around in my head:

1) I didnt really get serious about grades until last quarter but so far my gpa is about a 3.5. I am wondering how badly does a c in intro ochem look to admissions people? Do A+'s have much effect?

2) Can acceptance into a good med school be plausible on just a good gpa and mcat score alone, meaning no extra cirrc/ research/volunterr work?

3)What exactly is on the Mcat. I know that there is a writing sec thats basically a harder sat comp sec, Physics, OCHEM,... what kind of bio is there? Also is introductory physics sufficient for mcat phys questions?

4) What is Med school life like? Is the workload too draining or do you have enough free time to do other activities?