MD 3.45, 35 chances

[hardwoodlampshade]

i have definite upward trend, tons of clinical volunteering, EMT, some nonclinical volunteering, tons of research, lots of shadowing, good reason for interest in medicine (father has chronic illness). chances? what schools should I be looking at?

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[Doug Underhill]

Actually, that's not all that good reason for your interest in medicine. What happens if a new therapy comes out when you're a M2 and your dad gets cured- are you going to lose interest? Why do you want to be a physician? Even if your dad is your patient, you'll have hundreds of other ones.

You have a high MCAT and a not-so-great GPA. What kind of upward trend are we talking about here? Four semesters of 4.0? 2 semesters of 3.5?

 

[darkjedi]

I would apply mainly to mid-tier institutions and throw in maybe 1 or 2 dream schools if you have some. Since your GPA is relatively discordant from your MCAT, the LizzyM score is not as well applicable to you, and so you'll likely have to look at both schools that have MCAT medians around 35, as well as schools with GPA medians more around the 3.5 mark. The key to your application would be to apply very broadly and hope that some schools can overlook your GPA in light of your MCAT. Is your school known for grade deflation?

 

[hardwoodlampshade]

I would apply mainly to mid-tier institutions and throw in maybe 1 or 2 dream schools if you have some. Since your GPA is relatively discordant from your MCAT, the LizzyM score is not as well applicable to you, and so you'll likely have to look at both schools that have MCAT medians around 35, as well as schools with GPA medians more around the 3.5 mark. The key to your application would be to apply very broadly and hope that some schools can overlook your GPA in light of your MCAT. Is your school known for grade deflation?

i was thinking of just going all out and applying to all low and mid tier schools all over the country. what do you think about that?

 

[hardwoodlampshade]

i'm a cali resident btw

 

[DaMedDude]

Obviously you know that your GPA is low but it is not that low and your high MCAT and upward trend could make up for it depending on how much of an upward trend you have. If you have the time and money to apply to all low and mid tier schools then great.....I'm sure you will get some interviews. If you are going to take that approach then you should start working on the secondary essays next semester for schools you know you will apply to.........in this way you can submit your amcas application on June 1st and get your secondaries in right away. Writing strong secondaries is very time consuming, applying to 30+ schools will take countless hours.

 

[chemguy79]

As a Cali resident, you already know that the cards are stacked against you with your GPA. You mention an upward trend; What is your GPA trend? The more information that you can provide, the more helpful the feedback will be.

 

[darkjedi]

i was thinking of just going all out and applying to all low and mid tier schools all over the country. what do you think about that?

It would be incredibly costly in both time and money to apply to all of them. It's generally recommended to apply to ~15-20 schools depending on your stats, for you probably more ~20.

 

[xyzshlepping]

You have ABSOLUTELY no chance of being even sniffed by any reputable med school. LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING. You couldn't get in the 40's on your MCAT? Your gonna end up on the dole at my expense and I DON'T LIKE IT! I'M EMBARRASSED TO EVEN TALK TO YOU!

 

[Goro]

I suggest all low tier and new MD schools, any DO program, and especially these: U Miami, BU, Vanderbilt, Duke, and Case.

i have definite upward trend, tons of clinical volunteering, EMT, some nonclinical volunteering, tons of research, lots of shadowing, good reason for interest in medicine (father has chronic illness). chances? what schools should I be looking at?

 

[outdoorsmd]

Just curious... why the later 6?

 

[Lamel]

Apply to low and mid-tier MDs. Add as many top tiers as you want, but only after you have applied broadly enough to the low and mids. With those numbers, a solid application, and a broad list, you should be fine.

 

[hardwoodlampshade]

As a Cali resident, you already know that the cards are stacked against you with your GPA. You mention an upward trend; What is your GPA trend? The more information that you can provide, the more helpful the feedback will be.

In terms of GPA trend, freshman year was around 3.6, then dipped down sophomore year to low 3, then slowly worked up to 3.9 by spring semester of senior year. I took a lot of science courses (majored in bchem and chem) every semester. I know several people who took easy courses for their final years and managed straight A's. One guy I know majored in public health and got mad high grades in many of his courses. I know for a fact that getting an A in public health/healthcare related courses is much easier than getting an A in the sciences courses I took. When it comes down to it, exams in courses like that are easier. Most people can pick up a healthcare book, read it once, maybe do some google searching, and have a solid understanding of the concepts. Surely the same thing can't be said for physical chem or synthetic orgo. And I think that this goes not only for healthcare majors, but also psychology majors, etc etc. That guy got into a top 10.

How could med school adcoms not take into account that some courses/majors are harder than others? Its a big ass elephant in the room.

 

[justmoveonup]

I suggest all low tier and new MD schools, any DO program, and especially these: U Miami, BU, Vanderbilt, Duke, and Case.

If I may ask, why these schools in particular? Are they more receptive to low GPA/high MCAT combinations?

 

[Goro]

More receptive to strong upward trends and strong MCATs.

If I may ask, why these schools in particular? Are they more receptive to low GPA/high MCAT combinations?