MD MD chances?

[Jumb0]

I graduated from a top undergrad this past May with a 3.21 GPA and a 3.13 sGPA (and an upward trend). These numbers are obviously lethal for MD, so I embarked on a DIY post-bacc at my local state college this Fall, in which I am only taking BCPM courses to maximize my sGPA. So far I have a 4.0 post-bacc GPA, and if I keep this up, my cumulative GPA will be exactly 3.40 by next cycle, with a 3.48 sGPA. If I skip next cycle and apply in 2016, my cGPA could be as high as 3.55 with a sGPA of 3.67.

The other issue is the longevity of my EC's. I neglected volunteering and research throughout undergrad. To compensate, I have been volunteering at a hospice for 2 hours every week since August. For non-clinical volunteering, I have been putting in 2 hours a week at a homeless shelter since August. The only thing I have demonstrated real longevity in is my volunteer work with a non-profit K-12 school for poor children in Africa, for which I have been volunteering at fundraisers for 6 years. In addition, I recently joined the planning committee of this school as a volunteer adviser. For leadership, I was the president of an art society at my alma mater. Currently, I am desperately trying to land a hospital job and a volunteer research associate position. I will also squeeze in 50 hours of physician shadowing across different specialties if I apply next cycle.

On the bright side, I got a balanced 34 (11/11/12) on my MCAT, taken on October 25, 2014.

I will have strong LOR's (in the form of a composite letter from my alma mater):

1 from a philosophy professor at my alma mater
1 from a biology professor/my adviser at my alma mater
1 from a biochemistry professor from my post-bacc
1 from the founder of the non-profit school for poor African children
1 from the volunteer coordinator at the hospice and/or 1 from an MD that I will shadow

Furthermore, I am a socioeconomically-disadvantaged, bi-lingual immigrant and 1st generation college student. White. Massachusetts resident.

• What are my chances?
• Any gaping holes in my developing app?
• Should I try applying this cycle or wait until 2016?
• Would it be foolish to apply only to UMass next cycle and then broadly in 2016 if I don't get in?

@LizzyM
@Goro
@gyngyn

THANK YOU!

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[Perseverance13]

Honestly, your extracurriculars will be decent if you can pull all that off for the 2016 cycle. A 3.55/3.67 with a 34 is fairly competitive for in-state schools. You being socioeconomically disadvantaged may pose as a benefit for you if you can explain it in the personal statement. You seem to have a lot of letter of recommendations. If you can volunteer a little more and have shadowing done, you should be fairly set. Just make sure you write a great personal statement and work on bulking up the ECs a bit more.

 

[Goro]

Concur, and yes, it would be foolish to apply to U MA only. What if you get an II and bomb it?

Apply once, with the best possible app. there are plenty of schools that reward reinvention. BU and Tufts are two of them.

Honestly, your extracurriculars will be decent if you can pull all that off for the 2016 cycle. A 3.55/3.67 with a 34 is fairly competitive for in-state schools. You being socioeconomically disadvantaged may pose as a benefit for you if you can explain it in the personal statement. You seem to have a lot of letter of recommendations. If you can volunteer a little more and have shadowing done, you should be fairly set. Just make sure you write a great personal statement and work on bulking up the ECs a bit more.

 

[LizzyM]

Don't plan on applying more than once. Do it right, do it once. You'd hate to see that 34 MCAT expire so plan based on when that will happen. If there is a sizable non-English speaking immigrant community in Massachusetts that speaks your language, then you may have more traction than you otherwise would in that you can fill an unmet need in that community as a bilingual physician and you might want to play that up. It would be ideal if you could find a situation that would give you opportunities to serve as an interpreter, even if it is only occasionally.

 

[Jumb0]

Apply once, with the best possible app. there are plenty of schools that reward reinvention. BU and Tufts are two of them.

Don't plan on applying more than once. Do it right, do it once. You'd hate to see that 34 MCAT expire so plan based on when that will happen. If there is a sizable non-English speaking immigrant community in Massachusetts that speaks your language, then you may have more traction than you otherwise would in that you can fill an unmet need in that community as a bilingual physician and you might want to play that up. It would be ideal if you could find a situation that would give you opportunities to serve as an interpreter, even if it is only occasionally.

Thanks for all the advice, y'all. I think I will apply next cycle with a 6 with a 3.4 cGPA and a 34. I feel like I should be able to get into one MD school. All of the schools I am targeting have said they will continue to accept the old MCAT in 2016, and my score will be less than 3 years old by the time I matriculate in 2017, so I should be good to go.

And thanks for the EC recommendation, LizzyM. Worcester, MA, my hometown and the location of UMass Medical School, happens to be one of the biggest hubs of immigrants from the small Eastern European country from which I hail. I will definitely demonstrate my ability and desire to serve the diaspora community here.