Low UGPA, High Post-Bacc GPA/MCAT - School List?

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MDDO112

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Hello everyone. I’m a 28 year old DIY post-bacc student in California finishing up my last few classes for transcript repair, and getting ready to apply in the 2019 cycle.

Background: I graduated from UCLA with a Physics/Math double major with a low 2.5 GPA (total ~90 units that count towards GPA; rest were P/NPs). Failed a few classes (one F, 2-3 NP’s, don’t remember exact #). After an engineering internship/building projects on my own, I decided I did not want to go into this line of work at all.

Post graduation, I decided I wanted to “test myself” in medical/clinical fields. Got my EMT cert, worked as an EMT for about a year while shadowing doctors and volunteering broadly. I loved every minute of it, and decided to do a DIY post-bacc in premed work.

I took my prerequisites at a Cal State (~1 year), took a biochem/other upper bio/chem/psych classes at UCLA extension (1 year), and took about 6 upper div bio classes at UC Berkeley Extension (1 year), for a total of 80-90 units over 3 years. I volunteered/continued to work as EMT part-time during my post-bacc. I got a 4.0 in my post-bacc work.

Personal Statement: Won’t go into much detail, but the gist of it is talking about how my undergrad work was a necessary failure in learning what wasn’t right for me, growing in self-confidence, overcoming it, and finding my passion for medical work the year after I graduated through EMT work/volunteering.

LoR: Average to above average I think. Can’t really say.

Stats:

2.5 UG cGPA, 2.6 UG sGPA (all math/physics classes).

4.0 Post Bacc cGPA/sGPA (all prereq/bio/chem/psych classes).

Combined:

3.2 cGPA, 3.44 sGPA.

520 MCAT.

EC’s:

~2000-3000 hours of EMT work.

~ 1000+ hours of clinical and nonclinical volunteering. Examples include hospitals, immigration centers, and teaching kids math/programming at low income neighborhoods.

No research experience.

I did develop a Python tool for medical programming. Not sure if this means anything.

Given this, what kind of schools should I be aiming at? Do I have realistic, competitive chances at any MDs?

Also, I’m guessing NPs (No Pass) are not included in your AMCAS GPA, right? Because if they are, my GPA seriously tanks even from what I have now.

Thank you for your time.

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I think you killed it. Apply about anywhere, especially places that reward reinvention. UCLA and UCSF I would not say are out of range for you, but @Goro is the expert I have noticed in this line of work. Congrats on accomplishing all of that, nonetheless. Your hard work has paid off.
 
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Hello everyone. I’m a 28 year old DIY post-bacc student in California finishing up my last few classes for transcript repair, and getting ready to apply in the 2019 cycle.

Background: I graduated from UCLA with a Physics/Math double major with a low 2.5 GPA (total ~90 units that count towards GPA; rest were P/NPs). Failed a few classes (one F, 2-3 NP’s, don’t remember exact #). After an engineering internship/building projects on my own, I decided I did not want to go into this line of work at all.

Post graduation, I decided I wanted to “test myself” in medical/clinical fields. Got my EMT cert, worked as an EMT for about a year while shadowing doctors and volunteering broadly. I loved every minute of it, and decided to do a DIY post-bacc in premed work.

I took my prerequisites at a Cal State (~1 year), took a biochem/other upper bio/chem/psych classes at UCLA extension (1 year), and took about 6 upper div bio classes at UC Berkeley Extension (1 year), for a total of 80-90 units over 3 years. I volunteered/continued to work as EMT part-time during my post-bacc. I got a 4.0 in my post-bacc work.

Personal Statement: Won’t go into much detail, but the gist of it is talking about how my undergrad work was a necessary failure in learning what wasn’t right for me, growing in self-confidence, overcoming it, and finding my passion for medical work the year after I graduated through EMT work/volunteering.

LoR: Average to above average I think. Can’t really say.

Stats:

2.5 UG cGPA, 2.6 UG sGPA (all math/physics classes).

4.0 Post Bacc cGPA/sGPA (all prereq/bio/chem/psych classes).

Combined:

3.2 cGPA, 3.44 sGPA.

520 MCAT.

EC’s:

~2000-3000 hours of EMT work.

~ 1000+ hours of clinical and nonclinical volunteering. Examples include hospitals, immigration centers, and teaching kids math/programming at low income neighborhoods.

No research experience.

I did develop a Python tool for medical programming. Not sure if this means anything.

Given this, what kind of schools should I be aiming at? Do I have realistic, competitive chances at any MDs?

Also, I’m guessing NPs (No Pass) are not included in your AMCAS GPA, right? Because if they are, my GPA seriously tanks even from what I have now.

Thank you for your time.
I recommend:
UCSF
Columbia
BU
Case
Duke
Mayo
NYU
Vandy
Keck
Emory
Hofstra
U Miami
UCD
UCI
Netter
GWU
Gtown
EVMS
Wayne State
Albany
Tufts
Tulane
Drexel
NYMC
Wake
SLU
Creighton
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. Start list with AZCOM, both Westerns, Touro-CA, TUNCOM and PacNW
 
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I recommend:
UCSF
Columbia
BU
Case
Duke
Mayo
NYU
Vandy
Keck
Emory
Hofstra
U Miami
UCD
UCI
Netter
GWU
Gtown
EVMS
Wayne State
Albany
Tufts
Tulane
Drexel
NYMC
Wake
SLU
Creighton
Any DO program. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. Start list with AZCOM, both Westerns, Touro-CA, TUNCOM and PacNW

Thank you for the list. Are there any disadvantages to applying to all those schools outside of money? (i.e. applying to 40-50 schools)
 
Thank you for the list. Are there any disadvantages to applying to all those schools outside of money? (i.e. applying to 40-50 schools)

No, but it ends up being a lot of money and possibly a lot of secondary essays to write and submit in a reasonable timeframe. I know many low GPA applicants who are applying to such a broad number of schools.
 
I applied to ~40 schools and it was reasonable (besides $$). Compared to everything else you have to go through in the premed process writing secondaries really isn't that bad after you go through the first 15 or so.
 
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