So, today, I found out that I was rejected from the premedical committee at my university. My current gpa is 3.325 and the cutoff for the premedical committee at my university is 3.5. Since my gpa did not meet the criteria, I had to write an essay on why I should be considered. In the essay, I did not mention that I was applying to only DO school, which in hindsight, I should have mentioned. My cum gpa is 3.325, and my non science gpa is around 3.1. I have around 250 hours of clinical experience, and 40 hours of volunteering experience. I have 5 W's on my transcript (none of the W's are in science classes, and three of them are from incorrect classes that I had registered into) Should I give up my hopes of getting into oestopathic medical school, and pursue another career? I'm feeling extremely discouraged at the moment, and any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Rejected from premedical committee, and feeling discouraged
- Thread starter Meg94
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First of all, don't lose hope and f*** your schools committee for that GPA requirement. I got into medical school without the help of the "committee" at my school because they did not think I would get accepted. (Spoiler alert: I got accepted)
Second, you don't need a commitee letter for DO schools. Just contact each professor separately. To be safe, I would get 2 science letters and 1 non-science letter. In addition, get a DO letter or two.
DO schools require a physician letter (DO preferred), 1 or 2 science letters and some require a non-science letter so getting those 3 academic LOR's plus at least 1 physician letter will cover all your bases.
Second, you don't need a commitee letter for DO schools. Just contact each professor separately. To be safe, I would get 2 science letters and 1 non-science letter. In addition, get a DO letter or two.
DO schools require a physician letter (DO preferred), 1 or 2 science letters and some require a non-science letter so getting those 3 academic LOR's plus at least 1 physician letter will cover all your bases.
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nah. Take your mcat do well and submit again showing what your mcat is, that you want to do DO school, etc.
My school didn't have a premed committee so I got 3-5 science faculty letters. Idk if that's allowed for admission if they won't write you a letter. If that's not frowned upon, go that route. It didn't hurt me to not have a committee letter.
My school didn't have a premed committee so I got 3-5 science faculty letters. Idk if that's allowed for admission if they won't write you a letter. If that's not frowned upon, go that route. It didn't hurt me to not have a committee letter.
D
deleted480308
my committee turned me down too...I'm in med school now, so...um....yeah
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Sub their letter with 3 professors.
Right there with you man. So many people drinking the haterade. Glad we both got in.
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Ignored my university's pre-med advisor ("committee") after he was adamant I take calculus 1 & 2.
Networked with professors, got my own LORs (isnt that the big deal with committee? Their LOR?) and I'm good. No questions on my applications.
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Networked with professors, got my own LORs (isnt that the big deal with committee? Their LOR?) and I'm good. No questions on my applications.
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Add another one to the "screw the committee and do it yourself" tally. I was told my sophomore year to drop pre-med and that I would never become a doctor due to a couple bad semesters. I tracked down all my own letters and was accepted as well. Nobody ever asked about anything related to a committee either.
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I can understand your concerns but let me remind you that the "committee" you are referring to is nothing more than a group of robots who know nothing besides what is written on the script. They get paid to basically sometimes just sit there and look relevant. Don't fall in that trap and don't start your application through them. You can use interfolio to submit your letters. Since grade replacement is out, start looking into true SMP programs and take GRE for admission purpose (don't rush your mcat). If you still have a year or two left in college then start looking for gpa booster classes along with your prerequisites and pull up your gpa. Look up all the courses through aacomas that are considered as science and see if you can take them as gpa booster. Even if you can't find sciences, check any non sciences you can take at this point. Kill that MCAT and become a Doctor !!
"What comes easy, won't last,
what lasts, won't come easy."
"What comes easy, won't last,
what lasts, won't come easy."
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OP,
The thing these standardized, algorithmic committees won't (or can't) understand already shows me you have a good shot. Doctors are made through persistence and creative problem solving over long periods of time. The fact you are willing to question a yes/no committee is a good first step.
Personally, I don't see why these committee's refuse anyone a primary application support... unless it puffs up their admission success rates. I say, do your thing
The thing these standardized, algorithmic committees won't (or can't) understand already shows me you have a good shot. Doctors are made through persistence and creative problem solving over long periods of time. The fact you are willing to question a yes/no committee is a good first step.
Personally, I don't see why these committee's refuse anyone a primary application support... unless it puffs up their admission success rates. I say, do your thing
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What the heck kind of pre med committee rejects students with under a 3.5 gpa? Screw that. I got in with under a 3.5 lol, you don't need them.
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I was told by two undergrad advisors that I should give up on medical school because my GPA was too low and I would never get in.. Low and behold I was also accepted. Dont give up. Most undergrad professors dont know a thing about medical school admissions.
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Premedical committees only exist to make schools look good, not for the benefit of students. You only need professor letters from the relevant areas and you're fine. Many schools don't even have potential committees. Hell, mine had one and I just didn't use it because it was more trouble than it was worth.
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+1 not even sure if i have a pre med committee but my advisors told me to consider something else besides med school because they didnt think i could get in. So yeah, pre-med advisors suck. Like others have said talk to your profs individually and ask for LORs, and dont let that BS your committee is pulling get you down!
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******* ' E M
U
C
K
'
E
M
Do what you need to do to get in. Get your letters individually and don't look back. There are countless stories here about pre-med advisors giving horrible advice and not being useful. Are you going to let some advisors stop you from your goal? GO GET'EM TIGER.
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tell dat pre med committee to ***** itself.
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F your pre-ed committee. You''ll need to simply have your LORs submitted individually. DO schools do not have the mania for committee LORs that MD schools have.
So cheer up, quit fussing, and send an app to my school. Just do well on MCAT.
So cheer up, quit fussing, and send an app to my school. Just do well on MCAT.
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what is your school?
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I could tell you, but then I'd have to reject you!
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Just as a reminder: The SDN community highly regards and respects the anonymity of our faculty and physicians. It is against ToS to out them in any manner.
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OP, I'm in the same boat! Best of luck to you! We got this!!!
My "committee" even went as far to say that I "better" not use my ethnicity as an excuse either because no matter what I won't get in with that GPA. I have a 3.4 C&S. I wasn't even planning on using my ethnicity like he made it out to be. But I guess writing about fleeing a war torn country and incorporating that into medicine made it seem that I was trying to gain benefits, which I'm pretty sure where I'm from in Asia is not even considered to be a minority.
Anyways, WE GOT THIS!!!!
My "committee" even went as far to say that I "better" not use my ethnicity as an excuse either because no matter what I won't get in with that GPA. I have a 3.4 C&S. I wasn't even planning on using my ethnicity like he made it out to be. But I guess writing about fleeing a war torn country and incorporating that into medicine made it seem that I was trying to gain benefits, which I'm pretty sure where I'm from in Asia is not even considered to be a minority.
Anyways, WE GOT THIS!!!!
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After reading so many people's responses about being denied left and right by their premed committees, I'm actually wondering what purpose do they serve except being another barrier to discourage prospective students? I actually talked to one of my advisors and they were pretty adamant I should pick a different career path, I guess it makes sense for those below a certain GPA, but for those on the border it's pretty disheartening. I'm glad people have success stories though
congrats everyoneI made an appointment with an advisor to brainstorm my personal statement. She spent the whole time telling me I basically would never get in because of my stats. Had to walk home across campus crying and trying to keep it together. Way more often than should be, advisors suck. And I've since been accepted so ha
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Agreed on **** Em! What school is this??
Pre-Health committee at my school advised me not to apply, (they will still write you a letter at my school), and I got accepted to two schools this cycle (you can definitely get accepted with below a 3.5!). You don't need a letter, just get rec letters from profs!
Pre-Health committee at my school advised me not to apply, (they will still write you a letter at my school), and I got accepted to two schools this cycle (you can definitely get accepted with below a 3.5!). You don't need a letter, just get rec letters from profs!
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After reading so many people's responses about being denied left and right by their premed committees, I'm actually wondering what purpose do they serve except being another barrier to discourage prospective students? I actually talked to one of my advisors and they were pretty adamant I should pick a different career path, I guess it makes sense for those below a certain GPA, but for those on the border it's pretty disheartening. I'm glad people have success stories though
Some MD schools love em' to the point they require a pre-med committee letter, and I believe its because they have an easy way to weed out pre-meds.
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Just a reminder to please keep the conversation civil and respectful.
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You can totally get into medical school with that GPA. It wouldn't be the first nor the last time. You can do it (if you have other aspects of your application to make up for the admittedly weak GPA). GPA isn't the only thing that matters.
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Please keep the conversation civil and respectful.
Please don't ban me moderators but F*** your committee. You can get into DO schools and if you get a very decent MCAT score, with good letters of rec, you will be solid. Never doubt yourself! You can do it! I had no committee at my school but I still 3 letters of rec(2 science 1 non-science) and 2 letters of rec from doctors(1DO 1MD) and I am going to med school(or will be going, I'm accepted)! Who needs a committee?? Not me! and definitely not you! ^.^
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Your committee is harsh. Mine will interview anybody, but gives different "levels" of recommendation based on your gpa/mcat. You can be not recommended, recommended, recommended highly, enthusiastically recommended (I only know one person who got this and she has 4.0/520 stats as is at a top ten med school now). All DO applicants I know got at least recommended or highly recommended by my schools committee.
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But like, if Goro theoretically outs himself, is he violating the ToS?
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After reading so many people's responses about being denied left and right by their premed committees, I'm actually wondering what purpose do they serve except being another barrier to discourage prospective students? I actually talked to one of my advisors and they were pretty adamant I should pick a different career path, I guess it makes sense for those below a certain GPA, but for those on the border it's pretty disheartening. I'm glad people have success stories though
Nothing. Jack ****. Things must have changed since I applied that the committee letter substitutes for professor LORs?
Anyway, regarding some advisor or committee member thinking they have any idea what it does or doesn't take to get into/through medical school or be a physician is interesting considering their only experience with the process is their first hand experience of advising people on a process they're unfamiliar with and have never experienced, unless they're former applicants themselves which would add another layer of interesting.
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But like, if Goro theoretically outs himself, is he violating the ToS?
Too much of a mind trip! Lol
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D
deleted707454
I got rejected from SMPs.... then applied to med school and got in. All the world's a stage. Trust nobody
You gotta keep your head up. I didn't have great stats and didn't do as well on the MCAT as I would have liked, but I still got in. Sometimes, it just takes time. My 5 years ago self never would have believed that I would have ever been accepted. If you don't give up, you will succeed.
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With every post like this I love DO more and more.
My premed committee had some pretty strict requirements. The "advisor" was a failed premed I think and had a major ego problem. He basically had a close group of his favorite students which didnt really correllate with anything but his own preferences. He basically considered himself the "gatekeeper". My stats were at the bottom of the Allopathic/upper Osteopathic range, but I made a choice to just skip that whole nonsense. 4 years later I had 16 ACGME EM interviews and I'm excited for the Match. I think he got fired, but I'd love to check in with him.
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My 4 year public university didn't even have a pre med committee xD
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I didn't even use the committee at all, I felt it was a complete waste of time, and such a pain staking process, I got 5 individual LOR (2 science, 1 non-science, and 1 DO, 1 MD doctor), and got 12 interviews, went to 6 and got accepted to all 6
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I went to a large state school which has its own med school and is essentially a "feeder" school. (There is data on this and my undergrad actually represents a sizable number of med students across the country). So, I found my committee quite useful. However, in your case OP, don't let this keep you from applying. If this is truly what you want to do, then go for it.
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Graduated last year. I took my mcat last year, did horrible ( it was my own fault, I didn't study aggressively because of personal situations) got myself together again to tackle the exam one more time. Ran into a professor at the grocery store who sat on the committee, had small talked and asked me about my plans and how my mcat went, told her about the situation and she basically said to me, "Did you really think you were going to be successful with the mcat with a GPA that low? You need to reevaluate your plans...".
Again, I have C&S GPA of 3.4. Let's just say I low key cried at the produced section afterward and got snot on a kiwi on accident.
Because of her, I plan to bust my ass so hard and get that acceptance. I'm gonna print that **** and make sure to slide it underneath her door to make a point.
Again, I have C&S GPA of 3.4. Let's just say I low key cried at the produced section afterward and got snot on a kiwi on accident.
Because of her, I plan to bust my ass so hard and get that acceptance. I'm gonna print that **** and make sure to slide it underneath her door to make a point.
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Same thing happened to me actually. Went to my health advisor a long time back and as soon as she saw my 3.0 GPA, she was talking about nursing options. I felt she didn't give a crap about what I wanted for myself. So I retook some courses and took hard upper division courses and got my GPA up to 3.3 (even lower than yours). Took my MCAT multiple times. Then got into school DO school last year after a long journey. I am currently around the top 1/3 of my class (was higher before but had a lot of memorization heavy blocks, not my forte).
When you get your acceptance, don't slide it under the door. You get a nail and a hammer go to her office and pound that acceptance onto her door. Make sure your presence is known.
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