Am I competitive? where should I be hoping for?

[Kashak12]

Hey SDN! First-time poster but longer-time reader here.

First, my stats:

cGPA: 3.24
sGPA: 3.1
MCAT: 32Q

I'm a 22 y/o white male, native NC resident, and senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.

I'm planning on applying this summer, and taking a gap year. During that year I'll be scribing at UNC's ER and doing some more shadowing hopefully.

Volunteering: >300 hours in pediatric hematology/oncology; past-president of the student organization that runs the volunteering in the clinic there. I did a lot of things to build up the program that the organization runs, matching college volunteers 1:1 with pediatric patients to form a more intimate and caring relationship. It's an amazing program, and I love talking about it. I've been heavily involved in leadership here for 3 years.

Clinical: 2 summers scribing in an ER at a fairly large rural hospital in Tennessee. Plus the upcoming scribing experience I'll have at UNC's ER (starting March)

Shadowing: ~20 hours currently of a hospital pediatrician in the Tennessee hospital I scribed at. Also, I'm about to start shadowing the pediatric oncologist at the clinic I volunteer at for my last semester in school.

Research: 1 semester (~70 hours) in the biology department researching mating habits of drosophila... definitely a weak point on my application. I certainly didn't like how detached drosophila research was from my interests, but I'm still open to the possibility of conducting medical research at some point in the future.

That's pretty much it! I've also been involved with a minority pre-health organization for 3 years, but I haven't had any leadership roles there. I know my GPA is my number-one issue. There is a general upward trend, and I feel confident in my academic ability and regret my GPA doesn't show it. I'd be ecstatic get into any allopathic school, but I'd love to stay in-state. What do you all think?

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[swimmergirl2010]

xxxxx

 

[113]

Honestly, chances are not great. Your sGPA is below the 10%ile for all NC schools. Same for your cGPA, except for maybe ECU-Brody. Your MCAT is good, but I don't think it's high enough to offset your low GPA.

If you're applying this year, it might be wise to apply to some DO schools. Your stats will get you interviews at many of them. Good luck.

 

[Catalystik]

Hey SDN! First-time poster but longer-time reader here.

First, my stats:

cGPA: 3.24
sGPA: 3.1
MCAT: 32Q

I'm a 22 y/o white male, native NC resident, and senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.

I'm planning on applying this summer, and taking a gap year. During that year I'll be scribing at UNC's ER and doing some more shadowing hopefully.

Volunteering: >300 hours in pediatric hematology/oncology; past-president of the student organization that runs the volunteering in the clinic there. I did a lot of things to build up the program that the organization runs, matching college volunteers 1:1 with pediatric patients to form a more intimate and caring relationship. It's an amazing program, and I love talking about it. I've been heavily involved in leadership here for 3 years.

Clinical: 2 summers scribing in an ER at a fairly large rural hospital in Tennessee. Plus the upcoming scribing experience I'll have at UNC's ER (starting March)

Shadowing: ~20 hours currently of a hospital pediatrician in the Tennessee hospital I scribed at. Also, I'm about to start shadowing the pediatric oncologist at the clinic I volunteer at for my last semester in school.

Research: 1 semester (~70 hours) in the biology department researching mating habits of drosophila... definitely a weak point on my application. I certainly didn't like how detached drosophila research was from my interests, but I'm still open to the possibility of conducting medical research at some point in the future.

That's pretty much it! I've also been involved with a minority pre-health organization for 3 years, but I haven't had any leadership roles there. I know my GPA is my number-one issue. There is a general upward trend, and I feel confident in my academic ability and regret my GPA doesn't show it. I'd be ecstatic get into any allopathic school, but I'd love to stay in-state. What do you all think?

What are your year-by-year GPAs (which is how they display on the application)?
What brings your BCPM GPA down?
Have you retaken any classes?
What upper-level Bio/Biochem have you taken and what grades did you earn?

 

[Goro]

NOT competetive for MD programs; but you should be OK for pretty much all DO ones.

Hey SDN! First-time poster but longer-time reader here.

First, my stats:

cGPA: 3.24
sGPA: 3.1
MCAT: 32Q

I'm a 22 y/o white male, native NC resident, and senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.

I'm planning on applying this summer, and taking a gap year. During that year I'll be scribing at UNC's ER and doing some more shadowing hopefully.

Volunteering: >300 hours in pediatric hematology/oncology; past-president of the student organization that runs the volunteering in the clinic there. I did a lot of things to build up the program that the organization runs, matching college volunteers 1:1 with pediatric patients to form a more intimate and caring relationship. It's an amazing program, and I love talking about it. I've been heavily involved in leadership here for 3 years.

Clinical: 2 summers scribing in an ER at a fairly large rural hospital in Tennessee. Plus the upcoming scribing experience I'll have at UNC's ER (starting March)

Shadowing: ~20 hours currently of a hospital pediatrician in the Tennessee hospital I scribed at. Also, I'm about to start shadowing the pediatric oncologist at the clinic I volunteer at for my last semester in school.

Research: 1 semester (~70 hours) in the biology department researching mating habits of drosophila... definitely a weak point on my application. I certainly didn't like how detached drosophila research was from my interests, but I'm still open to the possibility of conducting medical research at some point in the future.

That's pretty much it! I've also been involved with a minority pre-health organization for 3 years, but I haven't had any leadership roles there. I know my GPA is my number-one issue. There is a general upward trend, and I feel confident in my academic ability and regret my GPA doesn't show it. I'd be ecstatic get into any allopathic school, but I'd love to stay in-state. What do you all think?

 

[aspiring20]

NOT competetive for MD programs; but you should be OK for pretty much all DO ones.

sadly agree.

OP, 32 is a good/great MCAT score, but you'll need a 3.6/3.5 to be competitive with a 32. with a 3.2/3.1 GPA, you really need a high 30s MCAT score to have a solid chance with some MDs.

right now, you're sitting on a 3.2/3.1 and 32

you have two options
1) raise your GPA via postbacc
2) retake the MCAT for a high 30 score

 

[uscems]

Hey guys,

I am new to posting as well but I have received much advice from SDN in the past.

I would like to know how I weigh up vs. the competition.

I am a resident and student in South Carolina. I will be applying to MUSC, USC, and USC Greenville in-state as well as others OOS and several DO schools.

cGPA: 3.45
sGPA: 3.40
MCAT: 30

My grades show an extremely strong upward trend and the only reason the GPAs are so low is due to my freshmen year.(very obvious on transcipt)

EC's:
EMT/First Responder on campus at university
2+ years of 911-EMS experience as an EMT-B/Crew chief in a high call volume area.
Shadowed several EM physicians for a total of 200+ hours
Traveled to MGH to shadow and volunteer in ER & OR
Volunteer at local medical clinic checking vitals, etc...
AED fundraiser chair
Many other organizations & volunteer work.

I will be able to get a few very strong LORs from attending EM physicians as well as professors.

My personal statement is stellar.

Thanks in advance for honesty

 

[Catalystik]

Hey guys,

I am new to posting as well but I have received much advice from SDN in the past.

I would like to know how I weigh up vs. the competition.

Please start your own WAMC thread, uscems, so that this one can focus on the concerns of the original poster. Thanks.

 

[mujaman]

While a higher MCAT can certainly work to offset your marginal GPA, you are by no means out of the running. A quick glance at the AAMC's latest statistics (https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/2012factstable25-4.pdf) will show you that a white male with a 3.2 GPA and a 32 MCAT has a 30.3% chance of an acceptance. That's really not too bad at all... considering the national average acceptance rate is right around 42%.

 

[Aerus]

While a higher MCAT can certainly work to offset your marginal GPA, you are by no means out of the running. A quick glance at the AAMC's latest statistics (https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/2012factstable25-4.pdf) will show you that a white male with a 3.2 GPA and a 32 MCAT has a 30.3% chance of an acceptance. That's really not too bad at all... considering the national average acceptance rate is right around 42%.

30.3% chance of ONE acceptance out of all his schools. That's not a good enough rate, in my opinion, to risk thousands of dollars in application fees and travel expenses.

 

[MedPR]

Low gpa, good mcat, Caucasian? Apply DO

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[Jas1360]

30.3% chance of ONE acceptance out of all his schools. That's not a good enough rate, in my opinion, to risk thousands of dollars in application fees and travel expenses.

Actually that table does not tell you how many acceptances, only that there was at least one.

Not that I disagree with your conclusion. The chances are low but there is a chance.

@ OP, Is it worth the risk?

 

[Goro]

Those figures are VERY deceiving. They represent people with connections to medical schools, be they via Deans, Faculty, alumni or donors. We call them "legacies" or "specials" here.

They also represent some regional biases. So, if you're a NY native, you're NOT getting into U AZ just because your stats are similar to a kid from Flagstaff. There are plenty of them as is.

You really need to look at an individual school's acceptance rate, which will avg out more like 5%.

While a higher MCAT can certainly work to offset your marginal GPA, you are by no means out of the running. A quick glance at the AAMC's latest statistics (https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/2012factstable25-4.pdf) will show you that a white male with a 3.2 GPA and a 32 MCAT has a 30.3% chance of an acceptance. That's really not too bad at all... considering the national average acceptance rate is right around 42%.

 

[113]

Those figures are VERY deceiving. They represent people with connections to medical schools, be they via Deans, Faculty, alumni or donors. We call them "legacies" or "specials" here.

They also represent some regional biases. So, if you're a NY native, you're NOT getting into U AZ just because your stats are similar to a kid from Flagstaff. There are plenty of them as is.

You really need to look at an individual school's acceptance rate, which will avg out more like 5%.

I have no problem believing that weaker candidates with special ties to a medical school will have a better chance of getting in. But are there really so many?

You say the actual acceptance rate for weaker applicants is closer to 5%, and AAMC's published stats say roughly 30%. I doubt that there are so many connected applicants to create such a large discrepancy. I could be wrong and you are faculty, but it just doesn't seem likely.

 

[MedPR]

I have no problem believing that weaker candidates with special ties to a medical school will have a better chance of getting in. But are there really so many?

You say the actual acceptance rate for weaker applicants is closer to 5%, and AAMC's published stats say roughly 30%. I doubt that there are so many connected applicants to create such a large discrepancy. I could be wrong and you are faculty, but it just doesn't seem likely.

Goro is faculty at a DO school so that may contribute to the discrepancy.

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[Erakis]

If you want to stay in NC, you might want to consider Campbell's DO program. It's brand new, and new school typically need to try harder to attract applicants for a few years. I have a friend starting there in August, and he was pleasantly surprised by their educational approach and some of their clinical sites.

I don't know about other NC schools, but I know that GPA is a pretty strong discriminator for UNC.

 

[as1212559]

VCOM-CC would put you somewhat local, as would VCOM-VA. If you aren't opposed to DO, look into these places. Also I would imagine LMU-DCOM over in TN isn't too far from home (it actually might be closer than the VCOMs).