Session 3

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

A U.S. DO school or a Caribbean MD? Which is a better choice? (More job prospects)

Cumulative GPA is not above 3.0 unless over 120 hours of classes are taken; Science GPA 3.5+

Here are the insights about GPA from Ryan & Rich:

There is an assumption about GPA that it's all a number. The truth is that it's beyond a single number.

A cumulative GPA is not the only thing the medical school admissions committee is going to look at. Other things they will look for are:

Science vs. non-science

Bio, Chem, Phys, and Math (BCPM) vs. others

Grade trends

Other additional degrees or coursework (post-bacc)

-Combined with the rest of your undergrad

-Reported as a separate line item

Some schools where your post-bacc or graduate program or last year or two of your undergraduate count as your official GPA for admissions purposes - the "32 hour rule"

• Wayne State University
• Michigan College of Human Medicine
• Boston University Medical School
• Louisiana State University - New Orleans

AAMC survey got 127 replies from medical schools for what factors they consider

Therefore, don't just look at the number. Instead, look at the overall factors going on.

Other considerations in the application

• MCAT is the most efficient method to show that you can handle the work.
• Take an MCAT prep course few hours a week for a few months and get a much better score.
• Put your application together in a more coherent, compelling, and concise manner to really convince the schools.
• Go through at least two application cycles before considering an offshore medical school
• Arrogance vs. overconfidence
• EC's, personal statement, and secondaries

Major takeaway from this episode

GPA is not the be all and end all when applying to any medical school. The second part about Caribbean medical schools will be tackled in the next episode.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

Find us on iTunes and go to opmpodcast.com/itunes and leave us a rating and review.

Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including the Medical School Headquarters and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at [email protected] or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.