Dec 7, 2008

Looming

Having a pathophysiology exam tomorrow, which I still need to study for, by the way, is sort of analogous to having this dude sleep in bed with you for the duration:



Which sucks, because how I want to feel is like this:



So I'm trapped:



Where's Lancelot when you need the git?

2 comments:

Briana said...

Ishie - i have been following your blog for a while and really like your posts about your experiences. I'm interested in attending SGU, but will apply after I take the MCATs at the end of this year.

My gpa/extracurriculars are no where as high as yours were at UCD.

-3.20 Bio major
-300+ hours of hospital + other community projects
-no research (yet)

Did you ever apply to any private US schools and get in?

I am wondering whether I should do a postbacc/masters program after I graduate to improve my gpa.

But on the other hand I think i might have a shot at getting into SGU if my MCATs are above 30.

I am going to apply for Aug 2009.

What would you advise?

Thanks in advance!
-Briana S.

Ishie said...

Hi Briana! In retrospect, I should have applied to FAR more private schools, and I think I would have had a much better chance of getting in (never fully appreciated how difficult it would be to get in in California), so I would definitely do that first, check the Princeton review for averages, and apply out of that. Especially since you seem to have a lot of volunteer experience, if you rock the MCAT, you should have an in at a bunch of schools.

I also did very disproportionately on my MCAT, and was incredibly stupid in taking it again and dropping my grade, which I think raises a huge red flag, but I got a 7 in PS on the first go despite my score not looking bad because I did very well in VR.

If you do well with a more proportionate breakdown, you should be good.

If not, a decent MCAT should get you into SGU without too much difficulty. Though their cutoffs have been getting higher, their class sizes are also getting larger, and even if someone isn't admitted right into the medical program, they funnel a lot of people through Foundations of Medicine.

But SGU should always be the second choice. I do think I hurt myself by not applying to more private schools.

Good luck and I hope this helps! Thanks for reading!