LOW GPA

[taylorgeiser1]

Hello. I wanted to know WAMCs of getting into a MD program without having to take a post-bac or a SMP.

I have been out of college since 2021 while taking gap years due to mental health reasons and COVID. I have rewritten the stats below:

GPA: sGPA - 3.16 ; cGPA - 3.3
MCAT: 524
Volunteering (Medical): 2000+ hours
Volunteering (local, low income areas): 1500 Hours
Shadowing: Specialty I want - 200 Hours
Letters of Rec. from: 1. Lead Surgeon of UMC ED (great hospital in west coast/Las Vegas area), Doctor from my Shadowing, my old boss (non-medical related)
Research: 100 Hours

Lastly, I want to note that my transcript reflects my mentality that happened in my college experience. My dad died in my spring semester, Freshman year, which caused a low GPA. Then I studied abroad (another low GPA moment). Finally, at my last 90 hours, I did exceptional taking extremely hard Bio courses and finishing my final year with a 3.9 GPA...

I just want to know where do I go from here and if taking a post-bac or SMP is the ONLY way to get into medical school. Any advice will help, even if I don't want to see the truth.

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[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? When are you planning to apply ? What is the nature of your clinical volunteering and nonclinical volunteering and the number of hours for each separate activity ?

 

[taylorgeiser1]

Where is your state of residence ? When are you planning to apply ? What is the nature of your clinical volunteering and nonclinical volunteering and the number of hours for each separate activity ?

I currently reside in Nevada. I wanted to apply for the 2024 cycle to many different schools.

The medical volunteering included: ER (1000 hours), psychiatry division (200 hours), neurology (200 hours), labor and delivery (200 hours), information desk (50 hours), and pet therapy (400 hours). Shadowed a neurosurgeon for the 200 hours, and research was as a research assistant at Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas.

Non-medical volunteering: Free STEM Tutoring in Title 1 schools (500 hours), free clinic volunteer as an admin. (200 hours), trash clean up (100 hours), and taught a water yoga class for senior citizens (200 hours).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What's your mission fit? Hard to tell what you have to do without a transcript. Was the senior year the only GPA above 3.7? What is your BCPM GPA? What other biomedical science courses are left to take should you do a DIY postbac?

 

[taylorgeiser1]

What's your mission fit? Hard to tell what you have to do without a transcript. Was the senior year the only GPA above 3.7? What is your BCPM GPA? What other biomedical science courses are left to take should you do a DIY postbac?

My transcript goes as follows:
First year fall - 3.4 spring - 2.7
Second year fall - 3.5 sprint (study abroad) - 2.1
Third year fall - 3.2 spring - 3.5
Senior year fall - 3.9 spring - 3.9

The bcpm, overall is a 3.16 but for my last two years it is a 3.6

I think the only classes I could potentially take are immunology, microbiology, biomechanics, and a pure neuroscience course. I took a LOT of bio classes for my major (biomed). If I do go the DIY post bac, what other courses would you recommend?

 

[Faha]

The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have a ~60% chance for a MD acceptance. I suggest these schools with your stats:
Your 2 Nevada state public schools
TCU
Creighton
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Rush
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Tulane
NOVA MD
USF Morsani
Wake Forest
George Washington
Georgetown
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Hofstra
Vermont
Quinnipiac
If you are applying this year you need to submit your application this week and all your secondaries by late August.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think the only classes I could potentially take are immunology, microbiology, biomechanics, and a pure neuroscience course. I took a LOT of bio classes for my major (biomed). If I do go the DIY post bac, what other courses would you recommend?

If you have to take postbac DIY classes, those are definitely among the classes I would suggest: immunology, advanced cell/molecular, microbiology, histology, genetics, neuroscience, physiology. Any "recommended" biomedical courses in MSAR would be fair game.

Maybe an opportunity that is more clear on mission fit, but you have a lot of community service hours racked up. It would be nice to get something like food distribution, job/family/tax services, transportation, housing security/renovation, and shelter work to add to the trash pickup (which is 50/50 for some adcoms to see as service orientation).

 

[MyOdyssey]

OP

When does your MCAT score expire?

When did you take it? MCAT scores are typically only good for 3 years from test date to matriculation. Varies by school.

How would you feel about taking more math, chemistry or physics classes?

 

[taylorgeiser1]

OP

When does your MCAT score expire?

When did you take it? MCAT scores are typically only good for 3 years from test date to matriculation. Varies by school.

How would you feel about taking more math, chemistry or physics classes?

I took my MCAT Spring of 2023. So it should be good until I want to apply (2025 or 2026 cycle)

I know i need to take Physics 2 with lab... but my math and chemistry credits hit the medical school marks (Calc. 1/Ochem 2) and got As in all those types of courses other than my gen chem which is explainable because it was the semester my dad died.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I took my MCAT Spring of 2023. So it should be good until I want to apply (2025 or 2026 cycle)

I know i need to take Physics 2 with lab... but my math and chemistry credits hit the medical school marks (Calc. 1/Ochem 2) and got As in all those types of courses other than my gen chem which is explainable because it was the semester my dad died.

If you decide to take more postbaccs, you could add a statistics class or two, calculus 2 and upper level inorganic chemistry class.

Physics 2 + lab will be required.

Have you satisfied some medical schools’ English/writing requirements or social sciences/humanities requirements?

 

[MyOdyssey]

OP

I’m pretty sure your letters of rec should include mostly academic letters. Doctors’ letters typically aren’t helpful.

 

[taylorgeiser1]

OP

I’m pretty sure your letters of rec should include mostly academic letters. Doctors’ letters typically aren’t helpful.

I have stats and all requirements plus some for medical school (minus the Physics 2). I technically have 3 letters of rec from my professors when I was in school, but they seem outdated as they were submitted 2 years ago.