Cheerleading Captain wants to make med school's cut--but how?

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CheerleaderMD

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Blah blah, it's been quoted everywhere
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I'm a premed that hasn't applied, but have read a good few SDN posts on similar topics, so I'll give what advice I can; take it for what it is.

I'd get over the need to get into a big-name med school. A 3.4 cumulative 3.0 science is pretty low on the spectrum of matriculants (I'm sure at least one standard deviation from the mean for the science GPA). With a triple major, I have a feeling you have so many credits that something like a post bac wouldn't be particularly helpful nor a good value. SMP might be an option however, if you're set on an allopathic school. Not sure how difficult those are to get into.

I'd look into DO schools. From what I hear, you sound like an applicant they would give a very serious look into - pretty awesome extracurriculars, very diverse courseload, etc. I'm not saying you don't have a shot at an allopathic school, but apply broadly. Your GPA will probably get your application kicked at a few schools without a thorough look, but those that look into it will probably be interested.
 
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Spend a significant amount of time preparing for the MCAT, take it once and let us know how you do. That will give us a better idea of where you stand.

You would be wise to apply during a gap year after graduation.

Collect your LORs while you are still in college including one from your coach (at the end of your senior season).
 
It seems as though there is probably no room in medicine or anywhere else for your "inflated ego." If your ego was really so big, perhaps you would have taken pride in your studies from the beginning and made sure to get A's regardless of your career goal (if indeed you were capable of getting A's given the stiff competition at your "top 10" university). Medicine is no different than any other career in terms of its demands for top quality scholarship; engineers, computer scientists, businessmen, architects, etc. etc. etc. do not become successful without extraordinary levels of dedication.

Your insistence on a top name school also reveals quite a bit about your motivations; I think that you are more interested in further inflating your ego by adding an "MD" from a prestigious school to the end of your name . If you really cared about using your skills and talents to help others as a physician, you would try to get into the best medical school you could and study like crazy. Medical school education is very standardized at US allopathic schools and with hard work you can become an outstanding physician coming from any of these schools.

You need a serious reality check. Good luck.
 
if youre really from a top 10 college, and cheerleading was actually considered athletics in any way shape or form, you might have a slim change at getting into a low tier allo. might be in Backwoods, USA though...not too sure
 
ugh... such an easy target to troll...
 
CheerleaderMD said:
And yes, i'm pretty set on allopathic, if you couldn't guess that from the fact that I care about the name of my school. Going to a top ten school inflates your ego for sure, but I'm flexible, I'm just saying I don't want to go to Backwoods School of Medicine.

To add, if I had known I wanted to be a doctor from the getgo, I would've played that game of all A's and all that stuff, but I followed my interests and this is where it's led me. I'm just trying to find my way, thanks for your post.
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I think you need to decide what is more important to you: becoming a doctor (somehow) or attending a prestigious school (if you're lucky enough to get in). As you yourself have noted, you do seem to have a bit of an inflated ego, and that often comes back to haunt people during this process.

The fact is, your cGPA is on the low side, and your sGPA is very low for a US allopathic school. You seem open to the idea of a post-bacc, and while taking more classes won't do much for your cGPA, if you don't have a lot of science credits, you could potentially increase your sGPA by a fair amount, depending upon how many classes you took.

The education you receive at US medical schools is fairly standardized. Everyone has to learn the same information for the same boards. Even at osteopathic schools, where you have to learn OMM, the rest of your education will be very similar to what you'd learn at an allopathic school. Therefore, the name/ranking factor really shouldn't come into play here. Clearly premeds have a rough sense of "tiers" regarding medical schools, but these are more related to competitiveness of admission rather than quality of education. I'm heading to Tulane in the fall, and while I don't think anyone would claim that it's as "prestigious" as Harvard, I have absolutely no doubt that I'll get a fantastic education there, and I'm really, really looking forward to starting.

I think you sound like an interesting candidate, if somewhat preoccupied with prestige. Between the sheer volume of your majors (which I've never heard of anyone doing before) and your cheerleading, I think you'll turn some heads. But, your GPA is not great, and attending a top-10 undergrad school won't count for much/anything at all. So you need to come to grips with the fact that you probably won't get into the top-tier schools you have your sights set on. Apply to those schools if you like, but acknowledge them as the (very high) reaches they are. Apply to plenty of mid- to lower-tier allopathic schools (the MSAR and SDN will help you figure out which schools these are). And truly, apply to DO schools as well, unless you're 100% convinced that you'd rather not be any doctor at all than a DO.
 
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CheerleaderMD, I won't attack you, but the first thing I will say is you are going to have to give up the big name school unless you are an URM. Most of the schools that have their pick of the best will see the GPA and throw it out unless you are a URM, that being said with a decent MCAT (~31+) and all your extra stuff (3 majors, a good undergrad school, cheerleaders captain, community work, etc...) you can definitely get a look from solid allopathic schools. I was in a similar situation as you when I applied this year, my GPA wasn't up to what I wanted it to be, but I had an upward trend and did a lot of other stuff as an undergrad (including captaining a sports team for multiple years). I am not going to lie and say I got into every school I applied to, but I am going to an allopathic school next year and had a number of interviews and didn't get rejected from many schools right away. I hope this gives you a little more confidence that an allo school isn't out of the question.
 
im sorry but what does being a cheerleader have to do with anything?

im not sure if it is even viewed as a sport by admission committees much like popular belief.
 
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It's an EC that represents a significant time comittment. Also, wouldn't being captain (at a D1 school no less) constitute a fairly strong leadership position? I have no idea if it's viewed as a "sport" (I would guess it is though), but even if it isn't, it's something the OP cares a lot about and has excelled at. Plus, I doubt it's a very common thing to see on a med school application, and will hopefully set her apart from other applicants.
 
well i would bet my current debt that you will never matriculate at a big name allopathic school

also US Allopathic schools are pretty much all the same lol god dam you're insufferable
 
Flame me all you want, but since when is cheerleading considered to be a sport??
 
chiz2kul said:
Flame me all you want, but since when is cheerleading considered to be a sport??
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I think it depends on the cheerleading team, but some of them are ridiculously athletic. Have you seen those competitions on TV with the crazy throws and such?
 
CheerleaderMD said:
I go to a D-1, top 10 college, and I'm the 2nd season captain of the varsity cheerleading team, going to be a senior this year, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going through this application cycle.

I want to be a doctor, but I don't know how I'm getting there. For many reasons, my GPA is not where it needs to be. I have plenty of options however, and I just wanted to see what SDN thought. I know I'm putting myself out there for a ton of criticism, but that's okay.

Numbers: Cum. GPA: 3.4 Sci. GPA: 3.0 MCAT: ?? Majors: Chemistry, Economics, Spanish, and a minor in Public Health.

More about me I guess. Most importantly, I care about my athletic activity, which takes up a huge amount of my time and has been since freshman year. We practice 8 hours a week and have to be at games and other events, averaging out to another 10-15 hours a week (it's NCAA regulated so technically 20 hours is the max).

I also have been heavily involved in student organizations such as the largest community service group on campus (on the exec board for two years) and also am site leaders for a hospital, educational outreach coordinator (bring science experiments to local elementary schools to get them excited about science). I've been on several week-long service trips as well both domestic and abroad. I have tons of things I do outside the classroom.

In the classroom, yes, I'm a triple major and minor. I take tons of class each term, from 1-4 more classes than average. Why do I do this? Because I love to learn, and it's been a huge challenge balancing this, and it definitely shows in my science GPA, no need to point that out.

I have been awarded a scholarship to study abroad in Latin America for a summer and also a research fellowship at top 20 medical school for a summer.

SO, my question to you is, how am I going to get into med school? Going to a top 10 university, I kind of have an inflated ego, so I don't want to go to anywhere that I haven't really heard of (I know that's lame, but I think that's what will make me be able to justify all this).

I have a couple options I've already searched out: Post-bac, graduate school, research/study abroad (possibly funded by a program like Fulbright), research work/volunteering somewhere for a year or so, Teach for America, Peacecorps.

There's a ton of stuff I could do, but I just wanted to see what SDN thinks. I am not sure about how I feel about doing a post-bac, it seems like a waste of time and money to me, but if that's what I have to do, then I'll do it. I guess under that circumstance I'd want to take night classes and during the day work in a lab and/or volunteer. I'm 100% confident I can get significantly better grades in these science classes when I take normal amounts of class and don't overschedule myself. I just want college to be everything I ever wanted it to be and so far it has except these grades, which can be fixed, in a way I guess.

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks in advance.
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Your chances of getting into an M.D. school are very slim with your GPA's. Unless you do very well on the MCAT (35+), it is pretty much DO for you.
 
lot of good responses. like a swift kick to your testes/ovaries. :eek:

applying to med school is a very humbling experience. right now, you may think you have a solid chance but reality will kick in pretty quickly...

like LizzyM said, take the MCAT. if you score a 35+ then i think it may compensate for your gpa.

undergrad school prestige doesnt seem to go very far so dont lean on that crutch bc itll get kicked out from under you pretty quickly.

the triple major + minor could help. but then it could also be viewed that youre not really sure what you want to do. although its impressive, i dont think itll give your app that much of a boost. if you cant get past the "first cut" then it wont matter how many ec's or degrees you have...

when you think of top ten med schools, all the applicants have great ec's just like you. but they also have the grades to boot. if you really want to be a physician, it wont matter what med school you go to--even a DO or foreign. it may be something to consider.

as far as a post-bac program, i think it would be more economical to take the science classes at a community college. thats what i did and i didnt have any problems.

good luck! :luck:
 
speaking of backwoods medicine, HAHA the only MD school you have a chance at with your gpa and arrogance is the carribean
 
pOrtEnt said:
It seems as though there is probably no room in medicine or anywhere else for your "inflated ego." If your ego was really so big, perhaps you would have taken pride in your studies from the beginning and made sure to get A's regardless of your career goal (if indeed you were capable of getting A's given the stiff competition at your "top 10" university). Medicine is no different than any other career in terms of its demands for top quality scholarship; engineers, computer scientists, businessmen, architects, etc. etc. etc. do not become successful without extraordinary levels of dedication.

Your insistence on a top name school also reveals quite a bit about your motivations; I think that you are more interested in further inflating your ego by adding an "MD" from a prestigious school to the end of your name . If you really cared about using your skills and talents to help others as a physician, you would try to get into the best medical school you could and study like crazy. Medical school education is very standardized at US allopathic schools and with hard work you can become an outstanding physician coming from any of these schools.

You need a serious reality check. Good luck.
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Word.


But, wow, OP u have really good extracurricular activites. But u seem to be addicted to leadership. I don't think you'll be a good follower - which is also very important in the medical field. "Inflated Ego" is what I used to have, before I declined my acceptance to a Top 20. Hopefully, in time you'll learn. With all these activities you're doing, I doubt you ever get free time to think abt where you life is going, and hopefully, that'll change too. Good luck. BTW, I met a Panthers' Cheerleader (I know Panthers' aren't really known for their cheerleaders), and she just "retired" after 3 years of being with them. She had to get her life in track, she is now a respected RN at a hospital I volunteer at. And she gets excellent reviews from patients too. I guess she - unlike you - didn't have an "Inflated Ego."
 
Oh dear, the most important part of all of this is being missed. WHY do you want to become a doctor? Have you had extensive shadowing experience, or volunteering, or your own personal medical journey? There is no way that you are going to be happy with your med school plan if you don't know why you want to become a doctor.

I am starting med school in August and I can say that the only thing that carried me through all of the application cycle was knowing that medicine was my true passion....I didn't care about the prestige or getting in to a top-10 school. Also, if you really want medicine as a part of your life, you wouldn't be setting your sights only on a top-10 school.

Best of luck to you and I hope that you find what you are looking for. Please take some time to really consider what you want.
 
CheerleaderMD said:
I'm not asking you about whether I can get in, I know I can't with my current status! I'm asking you all what do you guys think my next step should be.
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Your next step should be to study for and take the MCAT to see if your score is sufficient to compensate for the low GPA and/or to qualify you for admission to an SMP.

This might help (seriously): How to get a MCAT of 43: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=578461
 
CheerleaderMD said:
Again, all I'm asking for is advice to what my next step should, not bashing on how I don't have a 4.0, give me a break!
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They are not bashing you for not having a 4.0, they are bashing you for being quite possibly the most pretentious/self-absorbed person on these forums.

Stop playing the "woe is me" card, face the situation you are in, and take what you can get (especially in the world of medical school admission). Only people who don't know anything about medicine care where you went to medical school at.

Take a couple of years off, take some classes to raise your science GPA (if you don't want to go to a DO school), get a decent MCAT score, adopt a better attitude, and you'll be fine.
 
It isn't clear how much face time you've had with sick people from your medically-related ECs (translating in an urban health clinic would count), but getting in some regular 3-4 hours/week clinical volunteering might be a good idea starting soon, if you don't have much. There you'll meet physicians whom you can ask for shadowing opportunities. You already plan a research experience, and have leadership, and other community service. You even have some teaching which is also valued. Your sport shows dedication and teamwork which adcomms like to see as well. If you're in no hurry, two years with Peace Corps or Teach for America would be great to have on your application.
 
CheerleaderMD said:
I'm not asking you about whether I can get in, I know I can't with my current status! I'm asking you all what do you guys think my next step should be. I know I can turn heads too, but I'm just asking you what is it going to take for me to turn heads at a relatively good allopathic school maybe a year or two after I graduate.
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1.) Improve your sGPA a lot. How long this will take will depend on how many science credits you have. A strong upward trend can partially mitigate a GPA that is low when averaged over 4 years, but I think you'd want to shoot for at least a 3.4 to be reasonably confident of an allo acceptance. If you still want top tier, your sGPA will need to be even higher. This may take more than 1 or 2 years.
2.) Rock the MCAT. Again, if you're set on a very prestigious school, you will want a 35+ with your GPA.
3.) All we really know about your ECs is that you're a serious cheerleader. Make sure you have stellar volunteer and clinical experiences, and that they're sustained over a significant period of time.
4.) Not trying to be a pill, but try to tone down the sense of entitlement when you write your PS and secondaries. It doesn't matter how you come across on SDN, but a couple of people have commented on your ego, and if even a whiff of this comes across in your essays I'd say you're pretty much done for.
5.) Have a plan B. Lots of people who apply to medical school WITHOUT your requirements (allopathic, "good" reputation, etc.) don't get in anywhere, and many of them have better stats than you. If you're totally committed to only applying to a certain type of medical school, be prepared for bad news. I'm not saying this to be mean, it's just a scenario that you could potentially be facing.
 
Here is a perfect way you can get in...

1) Build a time machine
2) Go back in time and actually do your best in school.
3) Don't be a cheerleader. (noone will tell you to your face but everyone thinks they are complete dingbats)
4) Don't be so entitled, egotistical and arrogant...(further perpetuating the cheerleader stigma).

Here's my plan B for you:

1) Be a Pharmaceutical Rep. All you need to be is hot and stuck up and you seem to have that down pat.
 
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bruceleehiiiyaa said:
can someone block this dumb bitch
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ouch sir, i do not know who you are but ouch. I'm just trying to find help, just like you are with a question about decreasing volume of a gas and an increasing temperature, I'm utilizing this forum in a different way. Don't hate.
 
Octagonecology said:
Here is a perfect way you can get in...

1) Build a time machine
2) Go back in time and actually do your best in school.
3) Don't be a cheerleader. (noone will tell you to your face but everyone thinks they are complete dingbats)
4) Don't be so entitled, egotistical and arrogant...(further perpetuating the cheerleader stigma).

Here's my plan B for you:

1) Be a Pharmaceutical Rep. All you need to be is hot and stuck up and you seem to have that down pat.
Click to expand...

Pharm rep definitely is on my list of things to consider, I definitely think I'd fit the part.
 
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CheerleaderMD said:
Pharm rep definitely is on my list of things to consider, I definitely think I'd fit the part. I've been through various interviews, and people are really interested in how I am a cheerleader and have stuck with it along with the other things I do, I would never give that up. Plus, being on ESPN, travelling to other big name schools, dining on the athletic department--I would never think twice.
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Is it April Fool's Day? Am I on Candid Camera? There cannot be an actual person behind this numbskullery.
 
CheerleaderMD said:
ouch sir, i do not know who you are but ouch. I'm just trying to find help, just like you are with a question about decreasing volume of a gas and an increasing temperature, I'm utilizing this forum in a different way. Don't hate.
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oh god. please dont equate my question with yours.
 
bruceleehiiiyaa said:
oh god. please dont equate my question with yours.
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i'm just saying what might sound stupid to you, is relevant to me. Your question about gasses sounds textbook to me, but it's relevant to you. I wont be disrespectful and comment about how easy a question I think that is, so you shouldn't comment how stupid you think I am. that's all.
 
CheerleaderMD said:
You're the one that proposed a time machine. :D

I'm talking about the experience of a lifetime--i'm sorry that you don't feel the same way. Being in front of 100,000+ fans is exhilarating, winning is even better. I have some of the most awesome memories and experiences through cheerleading and I wouldn't give that up for an easier way into medical school.

I don't like the easy way, I didn't take it in high school and it got me to where I am today.
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Your right. If had the opportunity to do summersaults and shout through a big plastic cone I would definitely do that over being a doctor anyday. It's really no comparison.
 
Backwoods School of Medicine, lol.

Cheerleaders are hot at least, right?
 
CheerleaderMD said:
To be more precise, I volunteer at a Children's Hospital each week, these kids are so cute and it takes up about the 3-4 hours you are prescribing. I also coordinate this site for my peers as well, so that adds onto my commitment there. There's so much more to me than my captainship of the cheerleading team. I currently sit on 2 executive boards and have been on 2 others--all involving social justice, community service and education.

I definitely have a plan B, with my different majors, I am positive that I can get a job in any one of those fields somehow someway. Teach for America is definitely something I'm considering as well. I've been recommended for it already, and my mother is a teacher as well.

If it takes getting a ridiculous score on the MCAT--I'll try my hardest. I just know that studying for the MCAT for a year won't cut it during my year off.

Thanks for the replies, and I don't really get how I'm "the most self-absorbed person on this board". Check out those kids that are like "OMG I Have a 3.9 and a 35 I'm screeewed for med school!"

I just knew that putting "cheerleader captain" would attract a lot of people to this thread. And it has.
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Yes, and you are completely living the stereotype. Cheers to you darlin :rolleyes:. If you want med school, study your ass off for the mcat. If you don't, don't. The way I see it, it's as simple as that. Be prepared for rejection though, you'll need some serious luck on top of a good mcat score to get an acceptance. State schools would be your best bet.

If you're just looking for a prestigious school acceptance, you're looking into the wrong career field. Those people who "just stayed inside all day" are the ones that really gave a **** about getting into med school, and worked for it. Even they may not get into a "prestigious" school.

Get off your pedestal imo. You're just an average attention you-know-what at this point in time as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps you can prove us wrong though. Only time will tell.
 
Why in God's name would you want to be a pharmaceutical rep?
 
Octagonecology said:
Here is a perfect way you can get in...

1) Build a time machine
2) Go back in time and actually do your best in school.
3) Don't be a cheerleader. (noone will tell you to your face but everyone thinks they are complete dingbats)
4) Don't be so entitled, egotistical and arrogant...(further perpetuating the cheerleader stigma).

Here's my plan B for you:

1) Be a Pharmaceutical Rep. All you need to be is hot and stuck up and you seem to have that down pat.
Click to expand...
:laugh:
 
CheerleaderMD said:
And yes, i'm pretty set on allopathic, if you couldn't guess that from the fact that I care about the name of my school. Going to a top ten school inflates your ego for sure, but I'm flexible, I'm just saying I don't want to go to Backwoods School of Medicine.
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WOW, this is a great line. I would definately look into DO school if I had your GPA. Hope you do well on your MCAT and that will definitely give you a chance. But dont say that its MD or nothing is wrong if you want to become a doctor really bad you will do what ever it takes.

I am sure there are 1,000 of premed out there that would love to go to Backwoods School of Medicine because an MD is an MD no matter the school you go to. I think you need to work on your attitude when you go to interviews because the "I AM TOO GOOD FOR THIS SCHOOL AND YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE ME HERE" attitude will get you rejection everytime.

I know a former cheerleader at my school who is trying to become a doctor, she works really hard in her classes and she definitely does not give this sense of arrogance about her.


good luck to you
 
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It's amazing to me how everyone on this site can't wait to cast the first stone. Maybe she's serious?

OP, apply to top programs and see where it takes you. All experiences are valuable, and doing this might be valuable to you too.
 
Octagonecology said:
Your right. If had the opportunity to do summersaults and shout through a big plastic cone I would definitely do that over being a doctor anyday. It's really no comparison.
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I want to have both actually, and you don't have to pick one or the other. I'm sorry that you don't find that exciting, but I find that exciting and it adds tons to my college experience.

Thanks so much for the posts, I have tough skin, keep it coming
 
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locus000 said:
"I AM TOO GOOD FOR THIS SCHOOL AND YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE ME HERE" attitude will get you rejection everytime.

I know a former cheerleader at my school who is trying to become a doctor, she works really hard in her classes and she definitely does not give this sense of arrogance about her.


good luck to you
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I never said that, nor do i think my comments exude that I'm-too-good attitude. I realized that my comments about inflated ego and top ten school were mis-interpreted. I was acknowledging this fact and I didn't want people to get the wrong idea. I'm not your typical student nor the typical cheerleader, nor the typical pre-med
 
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