Should i apply for this cycle?

[yongli]

Here are my stats: cgpa: 3.26, sgpa: 3
I'm an international student, studying my undergrad in biology here and graduating in 3 weeks.
Since it's hard to foreign students to get into med school, I applied to pharmacy school and I already got accepted for fall. but i don't wanna regret that i never even tried to apply to med school.
My EC are on the lower side. Right now, i'm shadowing a physician.
I plan is to take MCAT in August and submit my application in late August. I'm pretty sure i wont get in this application cycle. I just think i should apply this year so I can learn from my mistakes and do better.
So here's my options:
I can take some more classes and improve my gpa a bit. not sure it would make a big difference tho.
Or I could take classes and be an EMT and do some volunteering during the gap year.
I really want to get into med school by 2017-2018 application cycle.
What should i do during this gap year?
Since my gpa is low, should i get into masters program?
Even if i get the masters, there's no guarantee that i would get accepted into med school.
I honestly don't know what is the best way to enhance my application.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks, guys!!!!

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[Catalystik]

Here are my stats: cgpa: 3.26, sgpa: 3
I'm an international student, studying my undergrad in biology here and graduating in 3 weeks.
Since it's hard to foreign students to get into med school, I applied to pharmacy school and I already got accepted for fall. but i don't wanna regret that i never even tried to apply to med school.
My EC are on the lower side. Right now, i'm shadowing a physician.
I plan is to take MCAT in August and submit my application in late August. I'm pretty sure i wont get in this application cycle. I just think i should apply this year so I can learn from my mistakes and do better.
So here's my options:
I can take some more classes and improve my gpa a bit. not sure it would make a big difference tho.
Or I could take classes and be an EMT and do some volunteering during the gap year.
I really want to get into med school by 2017-2018 application cycle.
What should i do during this gap year?
Since my gpa is low, should i get into masters program?
Even if i get the masters, there's no guarantee that i would get accepted into med school.
I honestly don't know what is the best way to enhance my application.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks, guys!!!!

Successful international applicants to US allopathic med schools have far higher stats and far better than "EC on the lower side." Do you represent a rare demographic that you think might appeal to med schools and cause them to overlook a sub par application, like past active US military service?

A traditional masters degree will not help your case. If you get a strong MCAT score, you could be a candidate for a Special Masters Program (SMP), which is a GPA boosting program meant to overcome mediocre academic performance if you can earn a 3.7+ GPA while competing with current med students for grades. You can read about these here: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/postbaccalaureate-programs.71/

The problem with these programs is that they are very expensive and come with no guaranty of an acceptance. You'd still need excellent ECs, strong LORs, and excellent interviewing skills.

Alternatively, you might consider applying to AACOMAS DO med schools, which have a grade forgiveness policy if you retake your lowest grades. They only count the second grade when calculating your application GPA.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I agree with Catalystik's advice.

Just want to also add that a medical school application is not something to be rushed! Don't take the MCAT in August unless you're 100% prepared for it (you'll know you're prepared when you're consistently getting good scores on full-length practice tests). One poor MCAT score can hurt your chances even if you end up taking it again and doing better.

Also, if you take the MCAT in August, your scores won't be sent to medical schools until September. That's fairly late in the cycle, especially for an international student with below average GPA and less than stellar EC's. You'd be wasting your time and money. It's better to apply once and avoid the stigma of being a re-applicant. If you really want to have a shot at medicine, I think you need to do some GPA repair, boost your EC's, and forget about applying this cycle. Which leads me to my next question, if you want to be a doctor, why did you apply to pharmacy school? It's great to have a Plan B and all but are you now going to turn down your offer, potentially closing off doors if you decide to go the pharm route in the future?

 

[yongli]

I agree with Catalystik's advice.

Just want to also add that a medical school application is not something to be rushed! Don't take the MCAT in August unless you're 100% prepared for it (you'll know you're prepared when you're consistently getting good scores on full-length practice tests). One poor MCAT score can hurt your chances even if you end up taking it again and doing better.

Also, if you take the MCAT in August, your scores won't be sent to medical schools until September. That's fairly late in the cycle, especially for an international student with below average GPA and less than stellar EC's. You'd be wasting your time and money. It's better to apply once and avoid the stigma of being a re-applicant. If you really want to have a shot at medicine, I think you need to do some GPA repair, boost your EC's, and forget about applying this cycle. Which leads me to my next question, if you want to be a doctor, why did you apply to pharmacy school? It's great to have a Plan B and all but are you now going to turn down your offer, potentially closing off doors if you decide to go the pharm route in the future?

So if I turn down my pharmacy offer, I won't get another chance to get into pharm school in the future? Why is that so? I mean they won't know that I'm applying to med school. I applied to pharm school becuz i didn't think i would ever get into med school with my stats. But i, at least, wanna try applying to med school. Maybe after a few tries of not getting accepted, then I can finally give up and then applied to whatever my scores limit me.

I could apply to med school after getting my pharm degree. Afterall, it's only 3 years program. but a lot ppl said that after you got out of pharm school, you are gonna forget all the basic science stuffs needed for MCAT so it will be harder for me. So right now is the best time for me to apply.

Oh, and yes, I do represent a rare demographic and I'm only 20 now. and the average age of med school matriculating class is 24. So maybe i could spend 4 years trying to enhance my application? ??

And the thing with the international student, at least in my case, is to either stay in school or get an OPT and find a job to stay here legally. Since i'm graduating out of college and if i really need to stay here legally, i need to postpone my graduation to December and get an OPT and find a job for spring and then go to SMP in fall next year.
I'm sure the deadline for SMP this year have alrdy passed.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

So if I turn down my pharmacy offer, I won't get another chance to get into pharm school in the future? Why is that so? I mean they won't know that I'm applying to med school. I applied to pharm school becuz i didn't think i would ever get into med school with my stats. But i, at least, wanna try applying to med school. Maybe after a few tries of not getting accepted, then I can finally give up and then applied to whatever my scores limit me.

I know nothing about pharmacy school so I suggest that you do some research on this, maybe look at the pharm/pre-pharm forums here. All I know is that applying to medical school, getting accepted, and turning down an offer is a very big deal. It can absolutely reduce or even eliminate your chances of getting in again, especially at the school you turned down but also at other schools, too. Pharmacy schools won't know that you're applying to medical school but what you need to find out is, will they know that you previously applied to a pharm school, got in, and turned them down?

Whether this is the case or not, it shows a lack of commitment, poor planning, etc. Of course the reality is that many people apply to programs like pharmacy as a back up plan. But no school wants to think that it's your Plan B. Again, maybe pharmacy school is different and perhaps turning down your acceptance now won't affect your chances of getting into SOME pharm program later on. I think it's probably safe to say, though, that you have very little chance of getting into the same school twice. They already gave you your shot and you turned it down. That's why it's generally advisable to have a solid plan and not jump into applying to any program when you're not ready or sure.

Yes, you could apply to med school after getting your pharm degree. Only you can figure out what the pros and cons of that are. My biggest concern would be that that's a lot of money for a degree that you may never use, if your end goal is to apply to medical school. But I'm not an expert on international students and the legal situation around trying to stay in the country. You should find someone who can advise you on that more specifically.