Low MCAT, good GPA

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JobinOnThePark

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Hi everyone, I know my MCAT is pretty low but what do you think my chances are for an MD acceptance?

MCAT: 28
10/8/10

sGPA: 3.91
cGPA: 3.95

Biology major w/ minor in neuroscience

200 hrs community service at Salvation Army (cooking and serving food)

175 hrs volunteer work in hospital (mainly in the ED)

A&P TA one semester
CRLA level 1 certified tutor and SI leader for two semesters

Two semesters of research in a microbiology lab. No publications but presented at a national conference.

4 year club ultimate player
Various other less important extracurricular activities.

I know the biggest red flag would be my MCAT, but do you think my higher GPA would offset it? It's always been a dream of mine to attend a MD school. I am a North Carolina resident.

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Do you have any ties to rural NC? ECU favors those who are interested in primary care and ties to rural NC, so it would be a solid shot.

UNC is going to be a stretch with your MCAT; IMO, I think that you'll have a tough time snagging a MD acceptance with the MCAT, but it won't be impossible if you're willing to apply to schools in VA such as EVMS, VT, etc.
 
I would be willing to apply broadly (country wide) if needed. I would love to go to UNC but I know with my MCAT it would be a long shot. What could I do regarding EC's to increase my chances?
 
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I don't know if your ECs would necessarily overcome your MCAT; IMO, I don't think that any AdCom would overlook your MCAT score due to any EC that you could pursue.
 
Okay so a retake would be the only viable option for MD acceptance? Would I be competitive for the more selective DO schools?

So you're saying that even if I had 500+ hrs of clinical volunteer and 500+ hrs of community service supplemented with continued research and pubs that I wouldn't receive an acceptance somewhere just because of the 28? I didn't realize how lethally low my MCAT score was :(
 
I suggest the following:

ECU/Brody
UNC (maybe; you're close to the 10th%ile for them)
TCMC
Quinnipiac
all other new MD schools except Va Tech and Hofstra
WVU
Rosy Franklin
MCW
SLU
Creighton
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
Drexel
Albany
NYMC
VCU
Wake Forest
Rush
Any DO school ( start with CUSOM)
 
Thank you for your input! What are the other new MD schools you refer to? Do you think I have a low, fair, good chance at a bite from one of the schools you listed?

Not religious so Loma Linda wouldn't be a fit for me but how much of a reach are schools like Georgetown, Emory, and UVA?
 
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