MD & DO 3.4 GPA 520 MCAT Non-trad FL resident

[fingergunz]

Okay so here we go, taking the plunge soon!

30 year old pre-med who pursued money for awhile by becoming a self-taught software developer. I'm finally pulling the trigger on medicine and it feels amazing. I'm taking some post-bacc classes now to farm a few letters of recommendation and boost my GPA a little bit.

Here's where I should be come June.

3.4 cGPA (after this semester)
520 MCAT (I fricken can't believe it.)

Shadowing:
24 hours in the ER. (I absolutely loved this).
16 hours ENT/Plastic surgery (shadowed the rare double doc). Got to see a rhinoplasty, a tonsillectomy, a breast augmentation, and liposuction.
40 hours orthopedic surgery (office visits only). Mostly reviewing x-rays and cortisone shots.

Volunteering:
Probably around 200 hours right now spread over about four hospitals. I'll probably have around 400 by the time I apply in June. I've worked in surgical waiting rooms, emergency rooms, and as a floor aid for admitted patients.

Leadership:
Management positions in a few software companies.

Research:
Bagel. I'd like to try and get some in 2017 if possible. Even if it doesn't help my app too much, I think it would be a good experience for me.

Also, I have like 13 or so W's from around 10 years ago and started and stopped school a few times during undergrad. I let relationships really derail my life as a twenty-something. Mistakes were made.

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[precisiongraphic]

Okay so here we go, taking the plunge soon!

30 year old pre-med who pursued money for awhile by becoming a self-taught software developer. I'm finally pulling the trigger on medicine and it feels amazing. I'm taking some post-bacc classes now to farm a few letters of recommendation and boost my GPA a little bit.

Here's where I should be come June.

3.4 cGPA (after this semester)
520 MCAT (I fricken can't believe it.)

Shadowing:
24 hours in the ER. (I absolutely loved this).
16 hours ENT/Plastic surgery (shadowed the rare double doc). Got to see a rhinoplasty, a tonsillectomy, a breast augmentation, and liposuction.
40 hours orthopedic surgery (office visits only). Mostly reviewing x-rays and cortisone shots.

Volunteering:
Probably around 200 hours right now spread over about four hospitals. I'll probably have around 400 by the time I apply in June. I've worked in surgical waiting rooms, emergency rooms, and as a floor aid for admitted patients.

Leadership:
Management positions in a few software companies.

Research:
Bagel. I'd like to try and get some in 2017 if possible. Even if it doesn't help my app too much, I think it would be a good experience for me.

Also, I have like 13 or so W's from around 10 years ago and started and stopped school a few times during undergrad. I let relationships really derail my life as a twenty-something. Mistakes were made.

Normally, a 3.4/520 is a low GPA/High MCAT problem and I've seen people struggle with it. Low stat schools practice yield protection and think with your high MCAT that you won't matriculate there. High stat schools dislike the low GPA and aren't interested. But being a non-trad with those low grades way in the past I think will help you quite a bit. I'd target schools with a Lizzy M of 72-74 where your MCAT is not higher than 90% of their MCAT average. Without research you may not interest schools like WashU and other research powerhouses but you might get interest from some schools at the low end of the top 20 like UPenn, Vanderbilt, Tufts. Dartmouth likes non-trad students a lot. USC, Case Western, Ohio State, Rochester, UVa and Einstein come to mind. @The Knife & Gun Club and @Eccesignum are two that might be able to give additional input.

Edit - you don't mention your state school(s) but definitely apply to any state school where you might have a connection.

 

[fingergunz]

Normally, a 3.4/520 is a low GPA/High MCAT problem and I've seen people struggle with it. Low stat schools practice yield protection and think with your high MCAT that you won't matriculate there. High stat schools dislike the low GPA and aren't interested. But being a non-trad with those low grades way in the past I think will help you quite a bit. I'd target schools with a Lizzy M of 72-74 where your MCAT is not higher than 90% of their MCAT average. Without research you may not interest schools like WashU and other research powerhouses but you might get interest from some schools at the low end of the top 20 like UPenn, Vanderbilt, Tufts. Dartmouth likes non-trad students a lot. USC, Case Western, Ohio State, Rochester, UVa and Einstein come to mind. @The Knife & Gun Club and @Eccesignum are two that might be able to give additional input.

Edit - you don't mention your state school(s) but definitely apply to any state school where you might have a connection.

Born and raised in FL Do you know if FL schools tend to favor state residents?

 

[precisiongraphic]

Born and raised in FL Do you know if FL schools tend to favor state residents?

Yes, Florida is a good state to be from. Recommend UFlorida and UMiami but you should apply to all in-state MD schools. The instate schools might be more forgiving of a lower GPA.

 

[fingergunz]

Do you think it would be worth it to take another semesters worth of classes in the spring? I could bump up my GPA a bit more to maybe a 3.43 or 3.44 if I do.

 

[Faha]

Apply to all your Florida schools and you should receive some interviews. The Florida schools all have instate preference to varying degrees.

 

[precisiongraphic]

Do you think it would be worth it to take another semesters worth of classes in the spring? I could bump up my GPA a bit more to maybe a 3.43 or 3.44 if I do.

No, not worth it. Assuming your latest classes have a strong upward trend I don't think there's a need for more.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I heard my name?

You have a strong app. Florida is an amazing state to be from - 7 MD schools all which show some degree of instate preference (even private UM takes 50% instate). You should apply to all of them and then cherry pick another ~10 schools that you feel fit with your persona and goals.

FIU, UCF, and FAU will be your best bets in FL. UM (where I ended up) and UF on the reach side but are also well in play. Tulane and Dartmouth come to mind as very non-trad friendly and low-GPA high-MCAT friendly. You could also target newer schools as they seem to like high mcats. Then maybe 1-4 schools with MCAT averages around yours and see what happens.

I had a 3.4/35 and got into 7 schools (3 in FL). If you write good essays and are passionate about medicine (sounds like that wont be a problem for you) then you should have a successfull cycle.

Best of luck, feel free to PM me if you have any questions!