low gpa high mcat chance me please

[prettymed]

Hi all
I graduated from UCB with a 3.2 sgpa (not even in the 10th percentile from the bottm for most MD)
but I did pretty well on the MCAT (13,9,15= 37)

I have decent EC's
research experience
volunteering
clinical volunteering
community service
shadowing

In terms of LOR I have strong letters one from an MD, one from my PI
and not as good one from an English Professor and O-chem professor ( didn't get to know professors well because I went to a big public school)

Do I have any chance at MD school? or should I try DO or Carib?..

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[487806]

Hi all
I graduated from UCB with a 3.2 sgpa (not even in the 10th percentile from the bottm for most MD)
but I did pretty well on the MCAT (13,9,15= 37)

I have decent EC's
research experience
volunteering
clinical volunteering
community service
shadowing

In terms of LOR I have strong letters one from an MD, one from my PI
and not as good one from an English Professor and O-chem professor ( didn't get to know professors well because I went to a big public school)

Do I have any chance at MD school? or should I try DO or Carib?..

What's your cGPA? Avoid Carib like the plague. You need two science LORs. From this very vague information, all I recommend is a postbacc to bump your sGPA out. You should be fine for low tier and maybe mid tier MDs, and DO will probably welcome you with open arms.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Hi all
I graduated from UCB with a 3.2 sgpa (not even in the 10th percentile from the bottm for most MD)
but I did pretty well on the MCAT (13,9,15= 37)

I have decent EC's
research experience
volunteering
clinical volunteering
community service
shadowing

In terms of LOR I have strong letters one from an MD, one from my PI
and not as good one from an English Professor and O-chem professor ( didn't get to know professors well because I went to a big public school)

Do I have any chance at MD school? or should I try DO or Carib?..

Forget about carib... You are good for ANY DO program... You might have shot at mid-to-low tier MD.

 

[prettymed]

I took a research class with the PI so it could count as a science professor for some schools (not all though, since some specified basic science professor)

my cumulative GPA is around 3.3. Do I have a shot at low-tier MD school? or not really with out SMP?..

I understand it's not a yes or no question but I asking for opinions! lol

 

[487806]

I took a research class with the PI so it could count as a science professor for some schools (not all though, since some specified basic science professor)

my cumulative GPA is around 3.3. Do I have a shot at low-tier MD school? or not really with out SMP?..

I understand it's not a yes or no question but I asking for opinions! lol

Well, you can be fine I suppose (don't double count him though). Don't do an SMP. You're fine for low-tier MD schools and definitely for DO. But since your GPA is low, I recommend a postbacc to bump it up.

 

[BrawnsNBrain]

Not getting to know your professors well enough because you went to a 'big public school' is bologna. Get that kind of nonsense out of your system

Now to the positives:
Without knowing hours or more specifics of ECs I'm tempted to say (assuming you have ample hours/cool ECs) apply early to low-tier MD. Cross your fingers for an interview, and knock the interview out of the park

 

[Goro]

100% agree


Forget about carib... You are good for ANY DO program...

Agree with this as well. This is where MSAR Online will be your friend. Apply to those schools whose avg numbers are closest to your own, for example, NYMC. Don't forget your state school, if any.

You might have shot at low tier MD.

 

[Jcusco407]

Why recommend post bacc over an SMP?

 

[prettymed]

Update on my information:
Science GPA 3.18
CGPA 3.28
MCAT ( did worse than on practice..:/) PS13 VR8 BS 14= 35

1) research experience:
1.5 yrs undergraduate research (one semester research course with A grade) the rest as a volunteer
2) volunteering: 100 hours volunteer at the hospital (50 hours at Post Anesthesia Care Unit and 50 hours in a Cardio Thoracic research lab)
3) community service: 2yrs active member of community outreach club (participate in health fairs 3 per yr so 6 total
4) leadership: Trained/ taught many many undergraduate students in the lab (assays and lab techniques) that I work as a technician (I am not sure if this is considered a leadership position maybe not..?)

5) non-medical community service: so I tutored 2 elementary school kids and one high school student for no pay because they were immigrants in low income families and I wanted to help them with school stuff. Should I even mention this in the application?..

6) shadowing: shadowed a opthalmologist (my interest ) 100 hrs
also shadowed a DO ( who practices OMM !)
7) I have a great letter from the MD , DO, one basic science professor, one from my research professor, one from my employer (Professor/PI/big)
I also know two science professors from my school that I can get letters from. They know me personally because we work in the same lab but I never took their classes or anything. Should I get letters from them?..They actually offered to write letters for me.
8) 1 paper in process -2nd author

I think my EC's are weak, my gpa is on the ground level, MCAT is average
I made a quick list based on my Lizzy M score.
Does this list look reasonable?

***I am also going to apply to 15 DO schools. I am still doing
some research to make a list of schools.

Any comment/opinion and advice will be appreciated
Commonwealth
Marshall
U of Missouri KC
U of Arkansas
U of Utah
U of S Carolina
University of North Dakota
U of Kansas
Michigan State
EVMS
E Tennessee
Drexel
NYMC
Tulane
U of Louisville
U of Illinois
Rush
GWU
U of W Virginia
Jefferson
Albany
--------------
adding these two because I am from Cali...lol waste of app fee??
UC Davis
UC Riverside

Thank you!

 

[prettymed]

@Goro @gyngyn Help with my list please ! or any comment?..

 

[prettymed]

Why recommend post bacc over an SMP?

I think its because my gpa is just way too low. Postbac gpa gets averaged with undergrad GPA. SMP is separate from undergrad work.

 

[ciestar]

Update on my information:
Science GPA 3.18
CGPA 3.28
MCAT ( did worse than on practice..:/) PS13 VR8 BS 14= 35

1) research experience:
1.5 yrs undergraduate research (one semester research course with A grade) the rest as a volunteer
2) volunteering: 100 hours volunteer at the hospital (50 hours at Post Anesthesia Care Unit and 50 hours in a Cardio Thoracic research lab)
3) community service: 2yrs active member of community outreach club (participate in health fairs 3 per yr so 6 total
4) leadership: Trained/ taught many many undergraduate students in the lab (assays and lab techniques) that I work as a technician (I am not sure if this is considered a leadership position maybe not..?)

5) non-medical community service: so I tutored 2 elementary school kids and one high school student for no pay because they were immigrants in low income families and I wanted to help them with school stuff. Should I even mention this in the application?..

6) shadowing: shadowed a opthalmologist (my interest ) 100 hrs
also shadowed a DO ( who practices OMM !)
7) I have a great letter from the MD , DO, one basic science professor, one from my research professor, one from my employer (Professor/PI/big)
I also know two science professors from my school that I can get letters from. They know me personally because we work in the same lab but I never took their classes or anything. Should I get letters from them?..They actually offered to write letters for me.
8) 1 paper in process -2nd author

I think my EC's are weak, my gpa is on the ground level, MCAT is average
I made a quick list based on my Lizzy M score.
Does this list look reasonable?

***I am also going to apply to 15 DO schools. I am still doing
some research to make a list of schools.

Any comment/opinion and advice will be appreciated
Commonwealth
Marshall
U of Missouri KC
U of Arkansas
U of Utah
U of S Carolina
University of North Dakota
U of Kansas
Michigan State
EVMS
E Tennessee
Drexel
NYMC
Tulane
U of Louisville
U of Illinois
Rush
GWU
U of W Virginia
Jefferson
Albany
--------------
adding these two because I am from Cali...lol waste of app fee??
UC Davis
UC Riverside

Thank you!

I'm no expert on this but you put wayyyy too many state schools on your list. Look at the numbers on the msar. Many do have an IS bias that can be difficult to overcome.

 

[chemguy79]

I think that you should do more research; Without ties to the schools that are out of state for you, you are completely wasting your money. If you apply to out of state programs, you need to be much about their averages and have some sort of tie to their state.

You should steer your focus on private MD schools or focus on DO since your GPA's are too low to be competitive at most state MD schools.

 

[Goro]

In hindsight, I think you should focus on DO and forget MD. The well below avg GPAs, and an imbalanced MCAT will give MD Adcoms pause. As the sage gyngyn has long pointed out, disparate numbers also give Adcoms pause, at least at his school.

BTW, your MD list os poorly researched....you had a good number of public schools that do not favor OOS applicants. Even when they do, they like people from nearby states.