1. Perform a reality check. At the outset,
reassess your chances for admission. You
should determine, preferably in consultation
with your premedical advisor, if
there is anything reasonable you can do to
significantly enhance your admission
potential. Determine what deficiencies exist and
whether they can be remedied.
A frank evaluation of the likelihood to succeed
if you reapply should indicate
the best course of action. The problem may not
be intrinsic but merely struc-
tural; in other words, there may be no serious
academic deficiencies, only a
weakness in the quality of your essay or
recommendations or interview perfor-
mance. There may be a need for more convincing
evidence of your commitment
to medicine. This may have been reflected by
your essay or a lack of adequate
exposure to the profession. If so, an
appropriate course of action should be self-
evident.
2. Improve your admission potential. Merely
reapplying with the same credentials
will probably not improve your chances. This
assumes that you applied to an
adequate number of schools (see Table 4.1) and
chose the right ones (see Chapter
7), as well as having handled your interviews
competently. If so, determine how
you can meaningfully enhance your status. You
may take advanced courses in
your senior year to improve your GPA, or repeat
the MCAT if you are con-
vinced that you could have done better. If you
won some significant school
awards or completed a special impressive
project, this should be clearly stated
in your new application. Obviously, the second
time around, you must provide
the admissions committees with a valid reason
to take a fresh look at your case.
Additionally, try to identify schools that you
may have overlooked and would
be receptive to your case with an improved
application.
3. Trying again. If you decide to reapply, you
should do your utmost to maximally
enhance your chances. Carefully review your
list of schools and select those to
which you realistically stand the best chance
of getting in. Consider applying to
osteopathic medical schools (see Chapter 14).
Intrinsic defects can be remedied
by taking advanced courses or by taking the
MCAT or doing research at a med-
ical school. Such steps can make a difference
and may well "push you over the
bar" (see discussion on Advice to Borderline
Applicants, page 102).
4. Finding success elsewhere. Should you and
your advisor conclude that your
rejection is irreversible, this certainly is
not the end of a meaningful future
career. Your skills, intellect, and desire for
service can be expressed through
other health care careers. Explore such viable
options as dentistry (see Chapter
17), podiatry, and physician assistant. These
professions are comparable in
many aspects to medicine, and provide
satisfaction, status, and substantial
remuneration. Therefore, they have proven to be
suitable careers for many
whose initial option could not be
realized.
5. Doing it the hard way. Should you find none
of the aforementioned options
appealing, and you are absolutely determined to
become a physician, there is
another alternative. This is to enroll in a
foreign medical school (see Chapter
13). During the period of 1950 to 1970, this
option usually meant going to
Europe, but over the past several decades, this
has involved attending an off-
shore medical school in the Caribbean or
Mexico. You need to be extremely
cautious, if proceeding along this tract, since
there are potential serious obsta-
cles along the road. These include the lack of
accreditation comparable to U.S.
or Canadian medical schools, the need to secure
acceptable clinical clerkship
experience in America, and the need to pass
appropriate qualifying exams in
order to obtain a residency appointment.
Graduating from a foreign medical
school can be done if you are highly motivated,
can financially afford it, and
pick the right school. Speak to individuals who
currently are students at any of
these institutions, and to recent graduates of
these for-profit medical schools. It
is essential to get the lowdown before you
decide.
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