Pearson Hall; home of the Mallory Center for Premedical Education
and Biological
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Advice for the Student who May Not be Accepted
to Medical School at the End of their Senior Year or is Considering Applying after
Graduation from Miami
- If your prospects of entering medical school this fall look slim, you should consider applying to a graduate program. If you are a science major, applying to a graduate school is generally preferable to applying to a PostBac Program.
If you are currently a Zoology major, for example, you should consider applying to
the Zoology Department at Miami University. The Master's degree program is a two
year program that pays your fees and provides a nice stipend to cover your living
expenses. It is a "cost free" education. The two year graduate program
has the benefit of enhancing your academic qualifications, while giving you teaching
and research experience, which makes our students attractive to medical schools.
We have been very successful in placing our graduates into medical school. The two
year program means that after a one year delay, the student reapplies to medical
school, but now with a stronger academic record, plus research and teaching experience.
There is also enough flexibility within our program to give students time to retake
the MCAT, while gaining some more medical experience if that
is needed. If you are interested in this possibility, you need to apply in early spring
since the Department begins filling these positions in February-March for the coming
Fall term. Most of our premeds who enter our graduate program choose to work with
faculty in the Physiology/Neuroscience or Cell Biology/Development area. If you
are interested in our graduate program, our faculty would be delighted to talk with
you about our research areas. Applying to this graduate program does not prevent
you from entering medical school this fall, if by chance you do receive a late acceptance.
Some information about the Neuorscience program can be found on the following website: Neuroscience Program in Zoology; some information about the Cellular, Molecular Biology, or Physiology programs
can be found on the following website: Cellular,
Molecular, and Physiology Programs in Zoology. More information about the
Zoology graduate program at Miami, faculty, graduate students, and the application
process can be found at the following website: Graduate
Program in Zoology.
- If you have applied to medical school and have been rejected, the first
thing to do is to look at why you were rejected. If a significant number of schools
rejected you without asking for secondary applications, the problem is probably
apparent in the AMCAS application. If most schools asked for secondary applications,
but few granted an interview, the problem may lie with nonacademic factors, such
as insufficient extracurricular activities or medical experience, or, less likely,
an unfavorable letter of recommendation. A student who receives more than three interviews
and was not even placed on an alternate list most likely interviews poorly. Conversely,
a student who receives several interviews can feel secure about their academic record
and extracurricular activities. It cannot be emphasized enough how important the
interviews are in the admission process. Think about ways you could have done better
during the interviews. Practice with friends. Read books on the topic. When you know
that rejection is likely, arrange to meet with your premedical advisor and critically
review any areas that may have led to your rejection. In addition to self-analysis,
it is important to contact the schools and ask the reasons for rejection and also
talk with your pre-health advisor. This may allow you to pinpoint your weaknesses.
Knowing them will help you to design a course of action to strengthen your position
when you reapply. Without demonstrating initiative, your chances for admission are
markedly reduced.
- Some deficiencies are more easily corrected than others. If the problem is with
low MCAT scores, one way to improve the score is to take an MCAT review course.
If the problem is with the GPA, or grades in certain premed classes, then taking related
courses and earning an excellent grade can make a difference. If the problem is lack
of sufficient medical experience, spending a year working in a hospital, combined
with taking one or two classes, may be the best way to strengthen your application.
Often there is an obvious reason why medical schools reject an otherwise qualified
applicant. Occasionally, there is no clear reason. If you decide to reapply, you must
take time to find the weaknesses in your first application. Then you must become
involved in some type of meaningful work that will demonstrate your abilities and
capabilities. Some students pursue further coursework or another degree such as a
master's degree in science or public health.
- Should you consider applying to a foreign medical school? Some foreign
medical schools have been very successful in graduating students who are now successful
physicians in the United States. These schools are giving U.S. students who have problems
achieving As or above average MCAT scores a chance to become successful phyicians.
While being smart is definitely important, there is little difference in performance
between an A and a B student in terms of doing well in medical school. Most everyone
knows an outstanding physician who did well in undergraduate school, but was not
an A student. Just don't forget that choosing to enter medicine via a foreign medical
school should only be pursued by very determined students. Only apply to these schools
if you are certain you can meet the demands of the medical education, you are confident
that you can become an excellent physician, and that reapplication to a U.S. medical
school (MD or DO) is unlikely to result in an acceptance. Entering a foreign medical
school will force you to work that much harder to ensure that your career as a doctor
is essentially an American journey. For more information on
this topic check out the following link: Foreign
Medical Schools.
Options to Consider Before Reapplying to Medical School
- a) MASTERS DEGREE in your field of study. Once you start a graduate program
you must complete this program before the medical school will admit you. In most
cases the program is for two years, meaning you would not reapply to medical school
until after you have been in the graduate program for one year. For most students
this is actually an advantage, since you need to demonstrate a strong academic performance
in the graduate program before attempting to reapply to medical school (remember
you are applying to medical school 14 months before you will enter the medical school
program), and simply starting in a graduate program will not provide you with enhanced
credentials. During this period, obtain more medically related experiences. In most
cases, graduate school will pay you to go to school and it will cover basic living
expenses and waive tuition and most fees. If you choose this pathway you are advised
to take the GRE during your senior year. Many graduate programs are reluctant to
accept MCAT scores as a replacement. For more information about
this route to medical school, please see Dr. Wilson. For more information about the
GRE you may want to check out the following website: Graduate
Record Exam. If you are interested in a non-thesis, one year graduate program,
you may want to check the graduate program at Finch U. Health Sciences program at
the Chicago Medical School Applied
Physiology Program; the Master of Science in Occupational Health
at the Medical College of Ohio Master
of Science in Occupational Health; the Interdepartmental graduate
Medical Science Programs at MCP Hahnemann University in Pennsylvania: Interdepartmental
Medical Science Program; or the graduate research program
in Cancer at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute: Roswell
Park Cancer Institute. All of their graduates have either entered medical
school or have entered a succesful career in the sciences. There may be other programs
for which we do not have website addresses.
- b) POSTBACCALUREATE PROGRAMS – Purpose: to develop and enrich the academic
knowledge base and skills of students prior to their entrance into medical school.
The program allows students to become more competitive for and successful in the
medical school environment. A list of post-baccalureate programs are available in
the Science Library Reserve: Mallory Center; Health-Related. You should carefully
examine their program and success rate before investing your time and money. View these programs with some caution, as they can be costly. If you are interested,
you may want to check out the following website: POSTBACCALUREATE PROGRAMS. In Ohio,
Ohio University College of Osteopathtic Medicine also offers a Postbaccalaureate
Program...which may lead to acceptance into their medical school (primarily intended
for minorities): Ohio
U COM Post Bac Program.
- c) JOB PLUS MEDICAL EXPERIENCE- Some students that are academically strong
have obtained an acceptance by combining work experience with a significant amount
of medically related experiences. This is usually done in conjuction with retaking
and improving the MCAT scores. Consider Americorps VISTA positions
with the Maryland Medbank Program: Americorps
that combines medical experience and service to the community.
- d) DELAY GRADUATION for a semester and improve your undergraduate academic
record. Medical schools tend to focus more on your performance in undergraduate classes.
Graduate school performance is not as accurate a predictor of success in medical
school as undergraduate performance. During this period obtain more medically related
experiences.
- e) NON-DEGREE PROGRAM - Take a few classes, and obtain a substantial amount
of experience in the medical field.
- f) CAREFULLY CONSIDER OTHER HEALTH-RELATED CAREERS. Use this opportunity
to look into various career options. When one door is closed, others are opened.
You need to realistically look at your talents, interests, and aptitudes and determine
if the struggle to get into medical school is worth it. Each year, medical schools
have a few medical students who drop out of their program, usually for non-academic
reasons. Medicine is not the career of choice for everyone. Each year we have one
or more highly qualified Miami applicants accepted to medical school, but then decide
that becoming a physician is not for them. It may very well be that your talents
and abilities can be best used in another profession (health or non-health related)
that will be more satisfying for you. Consider professions such as Optometry, Dentistry,
Chiropractic, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Podiatry, Surgical Assistant,
etc. as an alternative to medicine. Consider entering the field of Pharmacology or
Toxicology. For information about a Master of Science program in Pharmacology or
Toxicology, consider the program at Wright State University: Master of Science in Pharmacology/Toxicology. For more
information about other health-related careers, check out the following site: Health Related Careers. Once you enter an alternate health
career, however, it is unlikely that you could afford the time or money to switch
careers and apply to medical school at a later date.
Questions and Answers Related to this Topic
1. Should you retake the MCAT? If your MCAT scores are below 9 and you believe
that you can improve those scores, then a retake is strongly recommended.
2. What is the acceptance rate for students that reapply to medical school? The academic and MCAT requirements for reapplicants is the same as for the undergraduate
applicants. The acceptance rate for reapplicants is about the same as for undergraduate
applicants. Hence, you are strongly encouraged to reapply if you believe you meet
the requirements and continue to have a strong interest in becoming a physician.
Some reapplicants have a slight edge because of more medical experience and an enhanced
ability to do well during the interview. Obtain as much outside perspective
on your "personal portfolio" as you can before reapplying. If you are unsuccessful
in obtaining admission to a medical school, it is critical that you talk with your
academic advisor, your Premedical Committee advisor, and Dr. Wilson before the end
of the Spring term of your senior year. It is also strongly advised that, in the
summer after you graduate, you talk frankly with the admissions office of the
medical schools to try to find out why you were not admitted and what you need to
do to improve your chances if you were to apply again.
3. Should I reapply next year? In general the answer is no. Before
you reapply you need to make sure your application portfolio is more competitive
than on your first try. It is suggested that after all final decisions are made by
the medical schools you set up an appointment to talk with the Director of Admissions
of two or more medical schools and try to find out what you need to do to make your
application stronger. Remember, that while they will give you advice, they are not
giving you a contract that says if you do as they say, you will obtain an acceptance.
There are no guarantees. Acceptance is always based on how many other good applicants
are also trying to enter their program. In general it is not advised to reapply the
following year unless your "personal portfolio" is substantially stronger
than last year and you were on a waiting list at a medical school this year.
Before reapplying you will need to work on correcting identified weaknesses. If you
definitely plan to reapply next year or the year after, consider
retaking the MCAT exam in April of your senior year rather than waiting until the
following August, if any of your scores were below 9. In most cases, it is unlikely
that your application folder will be different between March of your senior year
and the following September when you reapply. The exception would be if you have
a strong academic record but you applied late, you were on a waiting list at a medical school
this year, or your MCAT scores were low and you are confident you can improve them
by taking the test again this April or August. Rejected applicants
who believe that reapplying with the identical application will get them in because
"it shows determination" need to know that what it doesn't show
is thoughtful problem-solving and an eagerness to correct whatever weakness kept
them from being accepted in the first place. We appreciate the applicant who takes
an extra year out of the admissions process to strengthen their application, if that's
what it takes. The applicant who reapplies (sometimes again and again) with the same
application gets little attention from the Admissions Committee. If your science
GPA was lower than hoped for, before you reapply you should enroll in either
a post-bac program or a graduate degree program with a science focus to boost your science
GPA. Be sure you can demonstrate motivation for medicine though long-term, in-depth
medical clinical experiences where you have actually assumed the responsibility for
another person. Community service leadership experiences with disadvantaged individuals
are important because they give you insights and a greater understanding of the diverse
patient population . . . (advice from a Director of Admissions at a medical school).
4. If I reapply, should I apply Early Decision? In general the answer
is no. Most schools are not influenced by your statement that you only want
to attend their school. The main advantage of Early Decision is that you know slightly
earlier. However, with rolling admissions at most medical schools, this only amounts
to 1 or 4 weeks earlier. Early Decision was originally developed when medical schools
had a policy of not letting applicants know about acceptances until after January
1. However, this is no longer the case. Only if the Admissions Director strongly
encourages you to apply Early Decision should you give this serious consideration.
5. If I reapply, can I use the same committee evaluation letter? Yes.
Before you request that the same letter be used however, it is strongly advised that
you talk with Dr. Wilson first to determine if you should update your folder and
have additional evaluation letters added to your folder. If
your letter is more than a year old, you should update your folder with relevant information
and include a copy of your final Miami transcript plus other programs that you have
attended since graduating from Miami. You may also want to have additional letters
sent from more recent sources in addition to the letter from Miami.
6. What can I do to increase my chances of receiving an acceptance when
I reapply? Make an appointment to talk with the Director of Admissions to at
least two medical schools that granted you an interview. Ask them what you need to
do to improve your application. Also talk with your pre-med advisor and Dr. Wilson.
You may want to talk to the Director of Admissions at the schools where you were unsuccessful.
They may be helpful in identifying specific strategies to improve your application.
If you receive encouragement to try again, it is up to you to identify specific
goals to improve your application and achieve them.
7. Can I use the same essay on the AMCAS application? No. It is always
important to submit updated/upgraded essays; both the AMCAS Personal Statement and
the secondary application essays. The admissions committee ALWAYS wants to know what
is different about this year's application in contrast to the previous application
which did not result in an acceptance. ANY weaknesses need to be worked on and certainly
the Personal Comment page is the place to describe WHY the applicant is interested
in medicine, what is different this year, what medically related experience the applicant
has had, etc. Reapplicants should have had new experiences and insights since s/he
first applied, and it is important to highlight these.
8. Additional sources of information (Reserve Brill Science Library):
Chapter 13 in "Medical School Admission,” Goldstein and Goldstein; Chapter 9
in "Guide to Medical School and the MCAT,” Hacker and Ibsen; "Advising the
Unaccepted Premed Student."
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