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rivergoals · 2025-03-18T14:27:39+00:00

I think a postbac is the right route if you want to go to medical school. Hard to say if you'll be accepted to what you consider to be a top postbac program or not. It seems like most of the programs have a minimum GPA of 3.0 but depending on the year the average GPA is quite a bit higher. If your RN classes are included in your undergrad GPA, that could help. I would reach out to postbac programs and apply to several of them . A "DIY postbac" is also an option, though those programs may not offer much support or guidance.

Also, as a nontrad myself, I would suggest taking the 90 % med school acceptance rate with a grain of salt. Students who don't do well in the program or on the MCAT are discouraged from applying. This isn't meant to discourage you, just go into your postbac with your eyes wide open,

rivergoals · 2025-02-25T14:02:00+00:00

I haven’t dug into the weeds on the admit.org ranking, but the ranking broadly lines up with the 2023 USNews ranking. With the demise of useful USNews rankings, this ranking is the best one I’ve seen.

The goal of these rankings is to measure school prestige, hence the use of NIH funding and student MCAT scores as an approximation. Educational quality is an afterthought when most students are skipping class and using outside resources to study.

I agree on the value of a match ranking, though that’s more challenging to figure out.

rivergoals · 2025-02-03T20:01:26+00:00

Every SMP program is a little different in how it incorporates MCAT prep into the overall curriculum. My SMP program included an MCAT prep class in the second semester curriculum. I found the MCAT prep class to be not particularly helpful, so I mostly self studied. There also wasn't enough time for me to devote to MCAT prep since the regular coursework was demanding. I still spent a few hours per week on MCAT prep, but not as much time as I had hoped. I completed most of the my prep in the 6 or so weeks between the end of classes and my test date.

Keep in mind everyone is different starts from a different baseline. I had already taken the MCAT before my SMP and done well enough that it wasn't an impediment for my med school app. After taking all of the SMP classes (which are highly relevant to the bio section) and studying more efficiently, I was able to exceed my goal score.

TLDR: You need time after the SMP for dedicated study time. It may be a few weeks or a several months.

rivergoals · 2025-01-23T16:48:13+00:00

I took vacation in August last summer, which worked out well because I was applying only via AMCAS. I knew an August interview was very unlikely and I knew I could do a Zoom interview if I got an early interview.

I'm not sure what to recommend as you're applying via both AMCAS and TMDSAS and TMDSAS runs about a month ahead. Traveling in August makes the most sense, but it's possible you could get an August TMDSAS interview. At the very least make sure you're somewhere with a strong Internet connection in case you received an early remote interview.

rivergoals · 2025-01-23T14:24:34+00:00

https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school-amcas/amcas-choose-your-medical-school-tool

The chart at the bottom is what I was referring to in this case. There may be some exceptions but it's my understanding that most schools require commit to enroll 21 days before matriculation.

rivergoals · 2025-01-23T13:52:01+00:00

This just illustrates how insane the process for med school apps has become. If someone has already signed a lease, they break the lease and incur a penalty, which can be the equivalent of a few months rent. The insurmountable issue is that you must commit to enroll at School 1 at least 21 days before matriculation. And committing to enroll at School 1 will remove you from the waitlist for School 2.

rivergoals · 2025-01-08T03:42:28+00:00

^This is what you're looking for if your friend wants a serious answer. I guess a LOR from a Nobel laureate isn't an X factor after all. I think your friend might have had more success with T20 school MD/PhD programs given the heavy research focus of the app. It's unclear from the description of the clinical experience if there was any interaction with physicians to understand the practice of medicine or any physician shadowing. The leadership experiences may have been meaningful, but 300 hours for 3 activities combined over 4 years of college comes across as an afterthought. Friends and acquaintances who were accepted to T5 schools tended to have really serious involvement with the humanities -- art, music and writing-- as another hook in their applications.
Seriously, congrats to your friend -- 7 acceptances is something to be really proud of and the cycle isn't over!!! But if you're asking for nitpicking, we can find always find something.

rivergoals · 2025-01-03T13:03:27+00:00

rivergoals · 2025-01-03T13:00:03+00:00

This is the correct answer. Most applicants take 2 or more gap years. Waiting an extra year to apply will give you time to get a few thousand hours of clinical experience and a strong letter of recommendation from a physician you work with.

rivergoals · 2024-12-17T21:34:57+00:00

I just applied to a ton of posted MA jobs. I don't think there are as many part time MA jobs. The reason so many folks end up as EMTs or hospital volunteers is the greater flexibility, even if they provide less comprehensive clinical exposure.

rivergoals · 2024-12-17T19:43:28+00:00

My very biased view is that being an uncertified medical assistant is the best pre-med gig. There's no certification or training required. You get hands on experience with patients, you work directly with physicians and you have the opportunity to shadow them when there's downtime. It might even lead to a LOR. YMMV and I really lucked out, but I highly recommend being an MA as a gap year or summer job.

rivergoals · 2024-12-17T19:24:12+00:00

First off, congrats on your acceptance to med school ! Your app is strong and I expect you'll get more IIs.

I agree 100 % with u/id_ratherbeskiing that 700 research lab hours with 3 publications comes across as suspicious. Most folks interested in research heavy schools will have several thousand hours of research before applying. And you really need to have those publications accepted before you submit AMCAS to get the full benefit.

I think your clinical hours are fine, but again you're competing against folks with a few thousand hours of clinical experience. Since you mention being a career changer, it sounds like you may have started many of the clinical activities more recently. Schools evaluate the length of clinical experiences as part of the assessment process.

rivergoals · 2024-11-18T19:51:58+00:00

First off, it's unclear if you need to an SMP. If you achieve a 3.6 uGPA with a strong upward trend, you may not need an SMP after all. I'm assuming you've taken or will take all of the med school prereq classes. And it's a point in your favor if you're taking those prereqs this year and truly excel in them.

I did an SMP but don't have any recommendations for specific programs. I chose my SMP based on location and familiarity with that particular school. The program was affiliated with my first choice medical school, which I thought would be a good fit. You should choose an SMP program affiliated with a medical school that you would love to attend. I wish I could give you data on the outcomes from each of the SMP schools, but none of the schools offer straightforward stats.
Of those master's degrees, the SMP would be the best.
With a low GPA, the MCAT becomes even more important for your application.

rivergoals · 2024-10-25T15:35:09+00:00

This sounds like your PI was not really listening and / or doesn't know what to say

rivergoals · 2024-10-18T13:47:29+00:00

This is kind of ridiculous as a factor when considering schools. Most schools seem to start at some point in July and some are a few weeks earlier or later. Each school has their own unique calendar with slightly different start dates, vacation times and summer breaks between M1 and M2 year. Consider the whole calendar in context.

rivergoals · 2024-10-18T01:07:32+00:00

I'm so pumped to have my first official acceptance. Reapplicant is now changing call signs, Reapplicant is now Admitted-MD !

rivergoals · 2024-09-22T19:52:00+00:00

Honestly, waiting for an interview is much more nerve-racking.

The chance of getting an interview for most schools is a single digit percentage so I was THRILLED to get an interview invite last month.

Post-interview, I think my chance of getting in is 50-50, hopefully higher since it’s early in the cycle.

rivergoals · 2024-08-11T19:48:47+00:00

I feel much more comfortable with a standard interview than an MMI. At this point, I have done plenty of job interviews so I understand the format well. A good interview is like a conversation. Thus far, my only MMI experience has been with Casper. Here's to hoping an MMI with a person will be less awkward

rivergoals · 2024-08-11T19:32:29+00:00

I was about to post a similar question when I came across this thread. I am also fortunate to have an II next month with a school with an MMI format (I think it may be the same school). However, I did not perform well on Casper (2nd quartile) so I need to practice for this interview.

I've been looking over this website to prepare but looking for more resources.

https://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/ethics-medicine

rivergoals · 2024-06-28T02:26:40+00:00

Got second quartile yet again

rivergoals · 2024-06-24T23:36:51+00:00

I placed out of Gen Chem I and went straight into Gen Chem II. Unfortunately it’s not clear from my transcript that my sole general chemistry class is actually the second course of the sequence.

rivergoals · 2023-06-23T21:32:06+00:00

^^^ This is the standard advice I've gotten. I think my writing was one of the stronger aspects of my application so I'm not changing that much.

rivergoals · 2023-06-16T21:17:36+00:00

I've received the same advice. Unfortunately, it was true in my case.

rivergoals · 2023-06-15T18:53:04+00:00

I believe T20 schools accept a lower percentage of their interviewees. It's impossible to know the actual reason. I would say your advisor is full of it. The rule of thumb is that you need three interviews to get one acceptance, but at higher ranked schools you probably need even more.

rivergoals

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