Anonymous asked: I was on academic probation in college. I want to transfer to an university but I am afraid this will affect my ability. As well as when I graduate and want to get into medical school, will the medical admissions community reject me?

Hi anon!

Sorry it’s taken awhile to respond; thank you for your patience :)

An out-right rejection won’t happen. On the med school apps, there are sections to explain any concerns or issues you feel need explaining (bad grades, academic probation, suspensions, criminal record). What matters is that you explain what happened honestly and clearly. 

I can promise you that not all of us are saints; we’ve all got things in our past. I’m definitely no saint. But so long as your trajectory is upward (working hard, doing well) and always true to your passions and dedications, the right medical school will choose you. 

Best of luck!

md-a

Hi Anon!

My opinion? An application is made of many parts, and every admission committee is looking at you as an all-around candidate. The MCAT is an important number, but not the only number that matters. Therefore, I think the entire application should be taken seriously. Don’t slack off on the MCAT because your GPA or other parts of your resume are excellent; don’t think your near-perfect MCAT score will cause the admission committees to ignore or overlook an inexplicably low GPA or very sparse resume. 

Awesome question, thank you!

md-a

mymusinglife asked: Hi! I originally planned on applying to medical school this cycle, but my May MCAT score is not as high as it could be to be competitive. I plan on retaking it in Aug. However,other than the score, I have a solid application (high gpa, 100+ clinical exp. hours, a summer and a whole semester worth of research, extracurricular activities and leadership positions). Do you think that I should go ahead & apply anyways or should I wait for nxt yr & apply early (June) to increase my acceptance chances?

Sorry it took so long to get to your question, and thank you for your patience everyoneismusing!

Based on the info you’ve given me, it’s really up to how much you want to/need to get into med school immediately. If you feel that taking a year off to study (and relax a little!) to then retake the test will make you a better candidate, do it! But I definitely know that some people have a goal in mind and just want to get in first. Also, there’s no shame in applying twice (I applied twice!), so if this year does not work out, you have another opportunity to go at it!

Best of luck, let me know how things go and if you want to continue the conversation!

Love,

md-admissions